Predators (2025)
Director: David Osit
Release dates: January 25, 2025 (Sundance); September 19, 2025 (United States); December 8, 2025 (Paramount+)
Plot: The documentary film explores the rise and fall of the television program To Catch a Predator, which aired on NBC from 2004 to 2007 featuring interviews with some of the former decoys, clips and unseen raw footage from the series (alongside other archival footage featuring Jimmy Kimmel, Oprah Winfrey and Jon Stewart praising the show’s impact on popular culture) and an interview with host Chris Hansen.
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Predators (2025) | Transcript
Hi! Hey! You sound so sweet! Thank you. Are you nervous about talking to me? Yeah. So, you know we gotta… be, like… really careful about doing this. Yeah. Yeah? What are you thinkin’? What are you thinkin’? I’m thinkin’ I wish I was there with you right now. If I was, you’d be naked. Really? Yeah! Would you wanna be? I guess so. Okay! My precious little princess. I like it when you call me that. I like calling you that. I’ve thought about you all day. I have to go to Walmart really quick, though. Get them things so I don’t get you pregnant. Okay. And then, I’m gonna be on my way. Did you finish painting your toenails? Yup, they’re all nice and pink. Okay. I gotta go! I’ll see ya in a few? Why are you rushing? I don’t know, I’m kinda nervous. Well, don’t be nervous! I am a very lucky guy. You think so?
Hey!
I’m glad you could come!
Hey, girl!
How are you?
I’m good, how are you?
Good!
How was your drive?
Uh… terrible.
Really?! How come?
No, actually, it was all right.
Oh?
Well, look, we got these new chairs.
You have to sit down!
Okay, I have to sit down?
Yeah, look.
It’s a massager chair.
Oh my God, look at that!
It vibrates when you press the buttons.
Oh my God…
Yeah, flip the switches.
Which one is it?
Um, you can use either one of them.
It tells you…
There’s one for your butt, there’s one for your lower back, and there’s one for your upper back.
I just felt my butt…
I think…
You can pretty much tell the difference when you press… all of them.
Holy!
Yup, that’s my butt.
It feels so good, right?!
I thought you had blonde hair!
Do you like it?
I dyed it by myself.
I think it’s pretty.
Thank you!
It’s very pretty!
I haven’t had a kiss yet.
Oh, okay.
Well, then what did you wanna do?
Well, I want a kiss first.
And then what?
Can I have a kiss first?
Well, let’s talk first!
Okay!
You just got here!
Would you like me to go in the truck and get my stuff?
No, it’s all right.
No? You don’t want your thing right now?
The present I gave ya?
Well, what is it?
Well, I can’t tell you.
That wouldn’t be much of a present if I told you.
Well, you can go get it in a little bit or something, okay?
Okay.
All right.
Are you nervous?
A little bit.
A little bit?
Not as bad as what you thought you would be?
Not as bad, but I still am kinda nervous.
I’d rather, like, talk a little bit first, and then, like
so I’m more comfortable, you know?
That’s, like, cool.
Good.
I’m really glad.
I like seeing you in person.
Yeah, I like seeing you too.
Good.
So…
This is getting hot. How come?
Oh, because press the red button.
It’s a heater too.
Oh.
You gonna have a seat too?
I actually
I like to sit on the edge of chairs.
Do ya?
Yeah.
You seem pretty comfortable there.
How are you, sir?
How are you?
All right, how are you doin’?
What’s happenin’?
Not too much.
Not too much?
You a Boston fan?
Actually, I don’t even watch baseball.
Oh.
But it’s a Boston cap.
It’s a Boston cap, yeah.
Yeah.
So, what are you up to tonight?
Not a whole lot.
Not a whole lot?
No.
Well, I’ll tell ya, for the last… several days, you’ve been up to a lot.
You’re a pretty prolific chatter there.
Wanna explain yourself?
Not really, I never… really… was gonna do anything.
You weren’t really going to do anything?
No.
So, you brought condoms…
What else did you bring?
I brought her a bracelet.
A bracelet.
And her…
And she is how old?
Supposed to be 13.
Supposed to be 13.
And how old are you?
37.
37.
What do you think oughta happen?
Oh, here’s a good one.
“Is Miss Vagina thinking about Mister Penis?
What is she thinking?”
What’s up with that?
Do you ever watch television much?
You ever watch a program called Dateline NBC?
Well, there’s something I gotta tell ya: I’m Chris Hansen with Dateline NBC, and we’re doing a story on.
God…
Now, you’re free to walk out of this house right now, but if there’s anything else you wanna say, now would be the time to say it.
Sheriff’s office!
Down!
Get down!
On the ground!
On the ground!
Put your hands behind your back!
♪ pensive ethereal music ♪
Tonight, a Dateline hidden camera investigation exposes a very real threat to your children: online sexual predators.
When you watch To Catch a Predator, you can see right away why a show like it would take America by storm. …and show up at a home where they think a minor is alone.
The problem, as you’ll see in our investigation, is epidemic.
These kids range in age…
The show began when NBC Dateline hired this online civilian group called “Perverted Justice” to find online predators in chatrooms. Enter a group called “Perverted Justice,” whose mission is to do what it believes law enforcement doesn’t always have the resources to do: going after internet predators.
And they do it by posing as kids online.
They have the decoy, who opens the door either a boy or a girl. These will have been adults who happen to look much younger than they are. They will pretend to be the child that wants to have sex, or something like that.
I’m just gonna go and get my hair ready.
I’ll be right back.
Take your time.
I’m excited, by the way.
Me too.
And then, you have Chris Hansen coming out…
So, you’re excited too?
And ask them what they’re doing there you know, what they think they’re doing.
I’m sorry.
Please have a seat.
I’m sorry.
What were you doing here?
As an ethnographer, I study why people behave the way they do. What first interested me about To Catch a Predator is how it is that grown men can be so vile when it comes to what they assume are kids, and how it is that we seem to enjoy watching these same men being humiliated on TV.
So how can I help you?
Go ahead, have a seat.
In that moment… time stops. I suggest you sit down.
What you’re seeing is effectively someone else’s life end. And they realize it. The goal of the show was to educate people about the evils of the internet… the “stranger danger” folk. But it ended up shocking an entire nation.
Online, on the street, at school, pedophiles seize every opportunity to try and connect with your children, and one reporter is doing what he can, and he’s doing a lot to expose these offenders.
Dateline NBC‘s Chris Hansen!
I don’t understand why the guys sit down and talk to you!
Well…
I don’t know why they don’t just walk out the door!
Why do they sit down and talk to you?!
Well, my theory is this: that a large percentage of these guys…
Yeah.
Have an addiction, a compulsion, they wanna get caught… Explain to me; help me to understand.
I-I can’t!
Because there is no reason!
Take me inside your mind; what’s goin’ on?!
Just bored.
Why did you do it?
Help me to understand!
I don’t know!
Well, why did you come here?
Help me to understand.
Because I’m a sick son of a bitch.
I’m not there to beat these guys up.
I’m wanna find out what’s going on in their mind what led them to walk in this door.
You came over here planning to have oral sex with a 12-year-old girl.
I just…
I’ve had that fantasy in the back of my head!
Fantasy?
About being with a young girl?
A young girl, yes.
Well, what do you think should happen to you?
I don’t know why you’re asking me stuff like this!
I mean…
Well, why do you think I’m curious about all this?
I could tell you’re a therapist! I know…
I mean…
You think I’m a therapist?
In many cases, they stay and they talk to me!
They tell me the whole story!
Is there anything else you want people to know about your situation?
My life is screwed.
I’m done.
They may be in trouble, but maybe now, they’re gonna get help.
This is probably what I needed… to… straighten up.
You’ve scared the hell out of me.
I need to see a psychiatrist because of the way everything is going in my life.
Well, why don’t you go ahead and…
I hope you get that help.
As he gets up to leave, officers are in position, ready to arrest him.
Sheriff’s office!
Hands up!
Hands up!
Well, you’re free to go.
Well, you’re free to go.
You’re free to walk out that door.
Thank you.
So, I can just walk out?
No problem?
On your way.
Thank you.
It’s nice to meet you.
And, obviously, you’re free to go.
We can’t keep you here; you’re free to go.
You’re free to leave, obviously, if you wanna go.
That’s the wrong way, though.
Get down!
Get down! Get down!
Police! Stop!
Please, please, please, help me!
Oh, dear God!
Dear God!
I don’t think I had any sort of idea how big the show was. To me, it was like, “A couple of random people are gonna see this, but it’s probably not my big acting break.”
Little did I know that it was going to live on… probably my whole entire life ’til I die.
I will probably always, in some universe, be known as “the decoy.”
Should we talk to random strangers online that we don’t know?
I talk to some but they’re nice.
What?
I talk to random strangers that I don’t know.
But they’re super nice.
See, that’s not a good plan, because they can be… they can look like they’re super nice, but they’re not always super nice.
Older guys are better!
Better at a lot of things!
I’m more mature; I don’t need people my age.
Fine, if-honestly, this is stupid.
If you don’t want to, then, seriously, let’s just get off the phone.
Two minutes?
All right, awesome, see you then!
She just got off the phone with him.
Sending the decoy out.
There he is.
Go out!
I had to look at it as “This is an acting job…” Are you coming?!
Come on!
“But it’s one that really heavily relies on me doing my job correctly.”
Have a seat. Will you pour me a drink, please?
Oh, yeah, sure!
Awesome!
I’m just gonna go get my bikini now…
Okay.
The improv part was super important, and my biggest goal was always get them to expose themselves like, get Chris Hansen his best interview.
Why are you paranoid?!
Just picture me naked and come on in!
I swear…
Why do you think the show was so popular?
I think it brought a lot of awareness to parents.
Like, I think that you get sucked in because you’re like, “This is a problem.” And, also, I don’t think people realized TV could be like this ’til To Catch a Predator came along and actually put it in people’s faces that, like, this is real life, it’s not just, you know, fiction.
My uncle is a realtor and was helping rent out my nana’s house to NBC, and so my dad went down helping handle all the paperwork, and they were explaining the show, and that they hire an actress from LA to fly in and play an underage girl, and he’s like, “My daughter is an actress, and she looks incredibly young for 18!”
This is actually the shot… that gave me… the job.
It was definitely the dance belt.
That definitely says “12-year-old girl,” right?
Do you think it’s weird that your dad volunteered you for that?
He had no idea what he was getting himself into.
More so himself than me.
I was fine!
My job was truly…
“Be a face,” right?
That’s what they explained to me!
Casey, can you hear me?
Go ahead and, uh, open the door for him.
Hey, come on in!
On the steps, opening the door.
He’s in the kitchen, call out!
Hey, I’m in here!
The security guard told me, he was like, “You are God to them.
That’s why it’s so powerful you… when you say ‘Sit’ and point your finger, they will sit.”
And I was like, “Oh! I have the upper hand here.”
Oh my God!
I wanted a paycheck. “Sure, yup, sign me up.” I look young.
And I think that was the…
“Okay!
Perfect, that’s what we need.”
I don’t think it was…
I don’t think they really expected much of me as an actor.
How ya doin’, Stanley?
Doin’ good?
Tough drive?
But it was a little nerve-wracking.
It was nerve-wracking, um, having to answer the door, um…
Ya thirsty?
No?
Can I pour one for myself?
Make them welcome them in…
So, what do ya think we should start with?
What are you thinking?
I think a lot of it, though, too, was…
What is the, uh, lesson plan for tonight?
“Don’t blow the cover.
You’ve got a ton of people here
who’ve been working hard now for X amount of days that you’d let down.”
It was kind of like a cool gang that you’re in, making sure these bad guys don’t hurt any kids.
Seems like an okay club!
You know?
♪ pensive ethereal music ♪
I definitely see that not all of these people could recognize reality versus fantasy. Some of them were so far in mentally, that they couldn’t differentiate the two.
They know what they’re doing to a degree, but it comes from this place of nonacceptance, loneliness, and fear. And so, by sitting safe on their computer, at their home, they found this easy in.
I gave them that full permission to disobey any thought that maybe this isn’t okay.
You didn’t think I was real?
Well, that can be anybody in that thing.
Yeah.
No, I’m real. The men would write themselves a pornographic film, which showed up in a chat log. And they wanted to follow through on this fantasy they cocreated with the show, where kids are hypersexualized and sexually available.
Yeah, I’m pretty excited.
Are you excited?
Yeah!
And where that is actually okay at some level. What do you wanna do?
This was the era of Britney Spears and young girls all the time on TV as sexual objects. Finally agrees and he says, “Nice tummy, hun. I want to lick that.”
Why are you paranoid?!
Just picture me naked and come on in!
I’m Chris Hansen with Dateline.
Talking to kids or pretend kids
decoys online is already a crime. So, the show’s only job… is to get the men to the house, just to sell that fantasy for a few more minutes in person. The parents aren’t home. The boy or girl is eager.
Come on in!
Come in!
And so, when the men do get the courage, eventually, to show up…
Oh my God…
It’s even better than their dreams. Because the show made it that way.
Okay, out of the vehicle.
Hey!
Come on in!
Walking into our undercover house is 39yearold John Elliot.
We’ve hired this 19yearold actress, Casey, to be our decoy.
Using a screen name so disturbing we can’t broadcast it, he tells the decoy about his fantasy…
Oh!
Of being with a young girl.
“You were asking me about…”
Yeah.
“What I was daydreaming about.
Well, that’s it.
You nude, and me licking you.
Gosh, you’re pretty!”
Thank you!
So, what are your plans or what are you thinking?
Kissing you.
Yeah?
You know, how we was talking on the internet.
There were a few… I wanted to just be like, “Go home.” I’m a freshman in college, I’m trying to figure out my life, and one of the guys that came, we were, like, pretty similar.
And I’m just talking to some guy on the beach about, like, “College is rough!” and, you know, “Do I want this major? Do I not?” And it was very relatable. And so badly, I just wanted to be like, “Go home. Go home! Go home.”
I just didn’t…
I’ve just been worried that it’s all some… just some crazy… scheme.
What do you mean?
They pay for, like, cops to, like, pretend they’re, like, girls and like that.
Are you serious?!
Yeah!
So, I mean, I usually don’t worry about it…
But it was just, like, so awkward, I don’t
I don’t know…
But I guess everything’s cool.
I mean, I just
I don’t know, so…
But as he’s about to find out, everything isn’t cool.
How it goin’?
Pretty good, how you doin’?
Good!
How are you?
I’m all right.
What’s happenin’?
You wanna be a television reporter.
Yes.
Have you ever been on TV before?
No.
Well, this is one of those “good news, bad news” situations, John.
I’m Chris Hansen with Dateline NBC, and we’re doing To Catch a Predator…
Please tell me you’re not! Please!
I do not wanna be ruined for my
I wanted to go to college and everything!
I wanna go for sports broadcasting!
I didn’t realize it at the time how taxing it was… emotionally and mentally. Years later, I’m still emotionally exhausted. Like, I have never, like, watched this post it airing originally.
Like, over the years, I’ve had my ways of being able to, like, work through it, right?
But… that’s a lot for someone to take in!
Yeah.
Greg, you stand there…
Before you started working with Dateline, what did you think of the show?
Not
I hadn’t really seen it.
The, uh
my staff brought me a proposal about… child predators and some sort of a sting operation.
That’s when we partnered with them, and we did three stings. Kentucky Attorney General Greg Stumbo worked with Dateline in Northern Kentucky last spring.
Thanks for helping us.
To us, it was just a natural fit.
Law enforcement is not equipped to conduct these types of operations at this point. So the stings went off without a hitch, the prosecutions all went well, so I got a lot of “Atta boys” at home, you know, for being… for doing this and getting on national television.
But the point of it is it needs to be addressed.
These people are out there and they’re dangerous, but none of them had criminal backgrounds, so they’d never been arrested before. Unless we did something of this nature, they would have never been brought to the forefront because we had no idea who these people were!
As a prosecutor, aside from arresting these men, did you ever wonder to yourself, “Okay, we can put these men in jail, sure.
But how can we fix the problem?
How can we rehabilitate these men?
How can we stop this from happening? How can we” My job’s not to rehabilitate ’em, my job’s to make ’em be responsible for the act that they committed.
These are criminals these are hardened criminals that engaged… in this particular type of predatory conduct, intentionally, with malice aforethought, you know, with all the criminal intent that you can think of in the world to harm that child.
And I have-I have absolutely no compassion for ’em.
I mean, um… somebody asked me one time what I thought about the death penalty, and I said, “Well, I’d shoot the son of a bitch myself if they’d let me.”
And…
But those are the type of people that…
They’re just dangerous.
I mean, they’re just dangerous, but we know they’re out there, and they’re dangerous for our children.
So what would you say to someone who’s critical of the show?
You don’t understand the problem if you’re critical.
Mister Chairman, I’m glad to see Mister Chris Hansen here today.
His Dateline NBC series of on child predators has wakened America to the dangers our children face…
The more light we shed upon this topic, it’s gonna have a chilling effect on these crimes.
Nearly 130 men have surfaced in our five investigations.
98 of them have been charged criminally.
Seven have pleaded guilty.
Most people didn’t have any problem with what we did.
Our next guest is the host of the funniest comedy on television.
It’s called To Catch a Predator.
If you haven’t seen it, it’s like Punk’d for pedophiles.
It’s a great show.
And you can watch it this Wednesday night on NBC.
Please say hello to Chris Hansen!
And people respond to it, obviously.
When did you realize this is gold? Well… after the second one, I figured, “You know… this is really compelling.”
Uh-huh, yeah.
Oh, yeah, it is.
It’s very compelling.
Have a cookie!
I made them!
You wanna explain yourself?
Wrap it around yourself.
And please sit on that stool.
What are you doing?!
Whose idea was it to tell the guy to get naked before he came in?
Well, occasionally, they decoys will get a little
playful in the chat.
I don’t
I don’t wanna, um… be on the news.
You feel me?
We are filming.
I don’t wanna be on the news, dawg.
Well, it’s a little late for that, dawg.
It’s news gathering, you know, so we don’t need to get, uh…
Permission.
Permission.
I mean, it’s for a news show.
I know!
And we’re taping what really happens.
I know!
I…
Could you see that guy…
You know, listen: amazing work.
Police!
Raise your hands!
You might think, “Boy, is that gotcha journalism?” or “Is that exploitative?”
I think anybody that’s having sex with children or trying to, you guys should do this show ev
you should have your own channel of this show.
You thought I was a police officer?
Yeah, I have no idea who you are.
Okay, well you do now.
Hello, Homer.
Ah!
I’m Chris Hansen with Dateline NBC.
I’m Chris Hansen with Dateline NBC.
Oh my God!
Most recently, as of, you know, this Spring when we were shooting in Florida, you know, guys were coming in and, before I could say, you know, “I’m Chris Hansen, Dateline NBC,” they were saying “I know, I know, I know.”
It’s almost like Candid Camera, only with… criminals that get arrested and go to jail.
It’s-it’s unbelievable.
Just come on over here and face this wall for me.
You gotta anything on you I need to know about?
Anything sharp?
Any needles or…
The only thing I had was a pocketknife, but I think they put that in the bag.
Are you a counselor too?
Or…
No, I’m-I’m an agent.
I’m with the Kentucky Bureau of Investigation.
Oh, okay, I just thought maybe you was a…
Okay.
So, you are under arrest.
You understand that?
Oh yeah, definitely.
Yeah.
So this is-this is raw footage from the show, from the interrogation rooms after Chris would do the arrests.
Okay.
Was this never aired?
Some did but not in raw form like this.
Okay.
But this is what I find interesting.
For me, watching the raw footage gives me a very different feeling than the broadcasted episodes.
Can I talk to you off camera?
I can’t do that, I’m sorry.
Do you guys have any help for me?
There
there are a number of ways to get help, and we’re gonna get into that in the story.
My insurance covers therapy, and that’s obviously what I need, for obviously more than this issue but a number of things.
If I…
Even if it was something you…
I just don’t…
I don’t want this to ruin the rest of my life.
I’m sorry, Mr. Hansen.
I’m sorry, all you guys.
I’m sorry… if this does end up on air, I’m sorry.
To show these men as human beings, this show kind of… breaks down. And maybe that’s why it didn’t make it on TV. Yes, he’s maybe done and said awful things… but it shows some humanity that’s… hard to ignore.
John W. Elliot.
A lot of Elliots where I grew up.
Where’d you grow up?
I grew up in Bell County.
You know where that is?
I’m sorry, I don’t.
You don’t even know where Bell County is?!
I thought everybody knew where…
It’s where the Cumberland Gap is.
It sounds pretty.
It is; it’s nice.
Maybe you can go there some time.
Got a PGA Tour golf course…
Sorry.
You all right?
Yup.
You’ve been through a lot.
I don’t
I don’t deserve any remorse.
I don’t, mmmm.
You know what, John?
You’re gonna live through this.
No, I’m not.
I don’t like it when anybody sees me like this.
I’m just embarrassed.
This is not typical of a criminal interrogation.
This individual, you know, if he serves his time, if he goes through some sort of rehabilitative process, maybe he won’t do it again, maybe he can come back and-and become a… a productive member of society.
Uh…
But he needs to be punished for his crime.
♪pensive ethereal music♪
You could offer me… $10 million… to film that episode in Texas again.
And I wouldn’t take it.
I wouldn’t
I would not take it and be happy about that decision.
Hello? Hey, Will? Hey, what are you doin’? Nothin’, what are you doin’? Nothin’. I was looking up to see how to get to where you are. Are you gonna come over? Is it okay? Yeah!
Are you sure?
Totally. Hundred percent. You leave yet?! No… You didn’t leave yet?! No. Are you gonna come or not?! Yes, I shall. Well, when are you gonna come over?! Well, a little later. A little later?! Yeah, is that all right? Yeah, I guess…
We saw a fella ride his horse right up the street.
Took a good look at us.
If there’s someone in there, they know we’re out here.
Yeah.
Chief said he felt more comfortable calling the TAC team out to get through, help pick them up, and…
Make an entry with a TAC team?
Make a forced entry.
Okay.
If it has to be like that, that’s what he wants to do, so…
Okay.
This is y’all’s call on that.
We’re on the phone now calling the TAC team out to get them in line.
Okay.
Apparently we’re gonna have a little waiting period because, you know, as I said…
Put together the tactical team?
Yep.
Yeah, it won’t take them It won’t take them long.
They’re pretty quick.
Okay.
We called him this morning on a fake call.
We got the number.
If somebody wants to call and try to talk him out.
If he answers…
Mind if I do it?
I don’t know.
Nine-seven-two… five-two-four…
The sergeant’s out here.
He’s obtained the telephone number.
He’s attempting telephone contact, but it doesn’t look like he’s getting a message.
Got a detective back there?
All the way back.
Back to the fence.
Keep going.
He shot himself.
Oh, my god.
I don’t know if he’s dead or not, so…
What can you tell us about the scene?
It’s just a gunshot wound to the head.
So…
Any idea on when it occurred?
I don’t know for sure.
Okay.
They’re calling for Care-Flite, so…
Okay.
They’ll land somewhere and get an ambulance and take him out.
Okay.
Y’all go ahead and scoot back.
The ambulance…
Yeah.
Well, there’s going to be some controversy.
It’s better that he did it when, uh, as they were coming in, as opposed to…
I know it’s preliminary, you guys are still piecing this together here, but as best you can tell us, lieutenant, what happened as the entry team came in?
As they made entry, they confronted the suspect.
I believe he was in the hallway and he told them he wasn’t gonna hurt them, and then shot himself in the head.
And he had a pistol in his hand?
Small caliber.
And shot himself in his head.
All right, lieutenant, thanks.
I appreciate it.
We’re having fun?
You hear they got a 300pounder out there?
No.
Showed up at the house.
Are you serious?
They already arrested him.
He wanted-Brad couldn’t remember-he either wanted to take a dump on the boy or have the boy take a dump on him.
Oh, man.
I know I was at the house when I heard what happened.
It might have been an hour after that that… we were told, “That’s it. We’re done. We’re done with you guys.” And then…
I know I’ve blocked that out.
I know I have.
I have.
Um…
This morning, I-I… clicked a link on YouTube, and it brought me to… it started to play the phone call.
Hello? Hey, is this Will? And I heard myself say “Hello?”
Hey, Will.
How are ya? Hey, how are you? I’m good, thanks. Did you get the dogs walked? And I had to immediately–
I-I… I was done.
I didn’t wanna play that game anymore.
It’s not a place I like to live.
I don’t like knowing that I could have been the last person that this guy had a conversation with, outside of when police showed up. This was something I had started to pack up as nicely as I could and… bury as far… back as possible. And then, I heard from you. I was watching the six o’clock news that day, and there was a short report of a man dying, and I just thought, “How does somebody die in the production of a television show?”
It’s all supposed to be about justice, but a News 8 investigation shows that when the motives of the media and law enforcement get confused, justice can be meager, and, in this case, tragic.
We were one of the first new organizations to investigate To Catch a Predator in Texas. They seemed to have elements of kind of a traveling circus; they would go to a town, they would troll for bad guys.
The Collin County DA, he said, “Well, are the police working for the TV show?
Who’s employed by whom?” All of that led to big questions from John Roach. The Murphy Police Department contacted us about being part of this To Catch a Predator.
We responded in writing and told them we weren’t gonna do it, advised them not to do it, they were making a huge mistake, and the phrase we used:
“We’re in the law enforcement business, not show business.”
Well, they ignored us, and went ahead and did it anyway.
We got into it and found out that some policemen were wearing a camera… this was way before body cameras simply to give an action-packed shot when their confrontation went down. Bill Conradt was a former Kaufman County District Attorney. Now, his sister, Patricia Conradt, is suing NBC for $105 million.
The entertainment industry cannot act as police, judge, jury, executioner.
Then, 20/20 did a national story, stemming from our investigation.
Hello, and welcome to 20/20.
It’s riveting television the sight of alleged pedophiles being caught in a sting, cornered, thrown to the ground and cuffed.
It’s all part of a popular NBC series, but now, there are serious questions about what goes on behind the scenes.
As Murphy police detectives, Sam Love and Walt Weiss played a big role in the operation.
Did you intend to have sex with her?
Both men were seen on the program interrogating suspects, at times, they say, following directions from the Dateline producer.
By God, when they wanted a camera in place, it was there.
When they wanted certain things carried out that made it easier for them to put the television show together, by God, that problem was addressed.
But the criminal cases were secondary.
Chris Hansen came back to the department and the police are running up wanting to get pictures for ’em.
I grabbed the camera and took the pictures, and they asked me, “What about you?” and I said, “Nah. I’m cool.” That’s not our boss.
He is not a police officer, he’s not a prosecuting attorney.
They’re running a TV show!
And it looked more and more and more like… somebody was being given carte blanche to come in and direct operations at the police department. Chris Hansen is acting as an agent of the police in this instance. He’s interrogating them!
Are you her father or something like that?
I’ll get to that in a minute.
Are you a private investigator or police or…?
I’ll get to that in just a minute.
Am I gonna go to jail?
That’s not up to me.
And the police are gonna use that information they’re gonna submit it to the prosecutor so this perpetrator, he doesn’t know that he has a right not to talk, he has a right to have an attorney, all those things.
I’m looking at the transcripts, so it’s best not to lie, okay?
I’ve read the whole thing, so you might as well just tell me.
It was just perfectly clear that these cases were not prosecutable. They went over there and did that at that house because it would do something for the show, not something for society, not something in the interest of law enforcement. And the role that I played in it, that’s a stain on my soul… that I’m gonna live with… if I’m any kind of a human being at all.
Uh…
I… I coulda shut that thing down at least that part of it just simply by walking out the back door and going to see somebody.
I don’t know what else I have to tell, but if you have any more questions, I’ll sit for ’em.
So the episode eventually aired?
It did.
♪exciting rock music
This is a nice house.
Thank you!
Nice house, and guess who’s home. Why don’t you have a seat right there, please?
Get ready. Here come the cops.
Roll over.
Get on the ground!
Hands behind your back now!
I guess I’m under arrest, huh?
You think?
Also tonight, something that has never happened before. Police move in on a surprising suspect, and there are deadly consequences. We all knew who he was.
Nobody anticipated the kind of outcome that resulted.
Mm, and I talked to Dateline‘s Chris Hansen about this tragic turn of events, and this was his reaction to what unfolded that day.
Everybody on the scene would have rather, uh, have had, uh, Bill Conradt tell his side of the story, and, if necessary, have his day in court, but that’s not the choice he made.
No, it certainly wasn’t.
Make sure you catch Dateline‘s next predator investigation Tuesday night.
And, coming up, oops, she left it again!
Britney’s second stint in rehab’s over and done with, so can anyone or anything convince her to get the help she so desperately needs?
But first, Jay Leno shows us the latest hero to hit NBC’s… must-see SC!
It’s comin’ up next!
♪ I need a hero ♪
♪ I’m holding out for a he ♪
Good God.
He’s standing down the hallway with a handgun in his hand a small caliber gun and he says, “I’m not gonna hurt you guys,” and puts the… gun to his head and shoots himself.
Wow.
So, obviously, they’ve confiscated the computers from him home, and they’re… you know, investigators are going through those now.
Okay.
And, uh, now, this book comes out, uh…
To Catch a Predator, this has a lot of tips for…
It does, it does.
You know…
There was no debrief, no sense of “Let’s talk about how this happened and what kind of culpability we have or anyone else police
have.
There was none of that.
Meanwhile, back at the house, men continue to show up.
Come on in!
How you doing?
Because I’m not there, the decoy invites a suspect to come up to the house, but then quickly locks the door.
There’s one more potential predator we’d like you to meet.
The show ended after six more episodes, but, if anything, it had people watching more. Reruns of it continued to air for years. All the episodes went online when that technology developed. So, even though the show ended, that didn’t seem to lessen the show’s appeal.
This girl was how old?
Did they learn things from what happened in Murphy? I don’t know.
They’re still out there doing the show, are they not?
What’s happening with it?
Are you inside yet?
I’m outside, yes.
Okay, well… like I said, just meet me by the milk, okay?
All right, let’s go.
Hey.
I’m the 12yearold boy you came to fuck with.
You’re gonna get smacked if you walk away.
Hey, what was you gonna do?
Tell the fucking truth!
Don’t lie, bro!
Excuse me, everybody!
This guy’s here to meet a 12yearold boy!
♪ tense minimal music ♪
Since To Catch a Predator, there have been tons of predator catch groups online: regular everyday civilians going out and catching these predators who are trying to meet up with boys and girls.
This man is here to meet a 13yearold boy!
There’s usually a lot of yelling… rape a little boy!
They’re getting very aggressive with the predator.
This man is trying to pick up a little boy on the internet!
Excuse me, everybody!
This man’s here to meet a 14yearold girl!
It’s great that they’re catching people, but I was like, “Why is no one doing the whole Chris Hansen thing
like, dressing up in the blazer and printing out the chat logs?” He’s sharp, he’s witty, he has a sense of humor. I was like, “You know, I’m gonna… impersonate Chris Hansen the best I can, and see if people like it.”
All right, so, here we are again, in Grand Rapids.
We have T Coy the Decoy here.
This is our potential predator. He is on his way.
He’s gonna be here in just a few minutes.
He said seven minutes away.
Seven minutes away, Skeet.
Let’s get into positions.
Okay.
Get his initial reaction.
I see him.
She sees him.
Okay, okay.
Yay!
How are you?
Pretty good.
Good to see you!
You too.
Sit over there.
You don’t look 14 at all.
I know.
At all!
Yeah.
But my pictures do.
Sometimes! Some of them.
Yeah.
Do you wanna go get food?
Or, wait, are we going to your house, or are we just gonna stay here?
How are you?
What the fuck is this?
Uh, sir, I’m with the Predatorial Investigation Unit.
We do have the police on standby.
I just have a few questions for you.
So do you…
Can I please just leave?
Do you have an ID on you?
Can I please just leave?
I just have-I will never come back and you’ll never hear from me again.
Well, help me understand first what is…
We just wanna ask some questions.
You made the decision to come in here.
Can I make the decision to leave?
Well, it’s going to be up to the police to decide, and when they arrive in just a few minutes…
What?!
We’ll go over that.
What?!
No!
I mean, I think it’s best we all just, you know, wait here.
I mean, you can feel free to, you know, look through it, but these are basically all the highlights of the…
Okay.
Things he was saying.
I see.
Yeah, that’s pretty much…
Yeah, let me take pictures of that real quick for our evidence server.
Sure.
There’s a phone call with him as well.
He says multiple times, he talks about To Catch a Predator, “I don’t wanna get in trouble.”
Here, I’m just gonna set this down.
Yeah, go for it.
Our alleged predator in the Sheriff’s truck.
And we’re gonna wait around and see, you know, what’s going to happen.
Get a shot of, like, the concerned citizens around here.
You guys got more stuff lined up or…?
Yeah, we’ve got I think one or two more lined up for tonight.
Yes, sir.
All right, well…
Anything happening with this guy, or…?
I have no idea.
Okay.
Once everything gets put into a pile, the detectives look at it, and take it to the prosecutor.
Gotcha.
All right.
Thank you so much, sir, appreciate it.
See you in a half hour!
If you upload a predator catch video, and you don’t have police in it, they’re taking it down.
But it doesn’t even have to be real police presence.
If you’ve got some fake, uh, police light overlay right there, and there’s my good friend Chet.
Yeah, we just dress him as a police officer, we had a badge there, it says “Officer,” but it says “Security” on the bottom side it’s not even…
Yeah, it’s, like, totally fake.
And you put in all these sound effects, and we gave him a walkie talkie, and his shirt says “Police,” so, to YouTube’s eyes, when they look at this, they’re gonna see a badge and that it says “Police.”
Do you see what you do as different than what Chris Hansen did?
He’s a journalist, you know, and I’m kind of just, uh… I think I’ll always, for the most part, just be looked at as… a YouTuber who’s just-just does it for the clicks and the likes and the views and all that.
But he was, you know, my first inspiration for doing this sort of thing. There’s never been a detective that solved a murder that didn’t get paid for it, so… why shouldn’t I be able to monetize off of, um… catching these guys like the original show, and making this content for people’s entertainment?
Who’s the baby?
Are ya chilly?
Do ya need a shirt, baby boy?
Go live.
I’m not gonna force ya to do nothing.
I’m glad you’re my boyfriend, though.
We could go to a mall somewhere.
Yeah, okay.
It is funny to watch people that do bad things… crumble, get hurt.
It’s laughable.
It is fucking funny when a bad person gets what is coming to them, however you wanna look at it.
Um… it’s awesome.
It is.
Right?
“Are you hairless?
When’s the last time you had sex?”
If I can talk to these guys for 16 hours a day … like, if they are engaging they’re not engaging with somebody’s kid.
What made you do this work?
Um, I was requested to do it.
I’m a victim or survivor, whatever you wanna call it but, um… you know, I, myself, was taken advantage by a child predator, so… um…
Sorry, I’m, like, looking away.
Uh…
But somebody, another catcher… actually… was like, “Hey, I think you would be good at this,” ’cause I talk…
I come with, like, sound effects.
Like, my personality, when I’m doing something, I’m like doo-doo-doo-doo.
Like, I just–
I talk weird, I love dogs, I’m always talking in this, like, weird little… voice that I talk to animals in, and I think it was, like…
“You’re a character. Like, you could play a character” kind of thing.
Tell me how it feels when you’re helping catch these guys.
Oh, it makes me feel… it makes me feel good because… you know, I subject myself to this, like, perversion all day.
And it’s like, um… I don’t know, you finally just get to, like, fuckin’ squash the bug or I-I don’t know, um…
That’s why, in some of my things, I’m like… I sound so immature because there’s, like… there’s a little kid in me that’s like, “Yes!
Fuck you!”
You know what I mean? Like…
And I start… yelling and-and acting immature because…
I feel like that’s what I would’ve wanted to do, like, back then like, embarrass them.
How are you?
Uh, sir, I’m with the, uh, Predatorial Investigation Unit.
We do have the police on standby.
What’s your name?
I genuinely believe that they believe that they’re doing the right thing in getting these predators off the street. It’s the means that trouble me.
Because of the work I’ve been doing for, what, 20 years now with different groups of people in… in different types of challenging circumstances, my interest is always in seeing the humanity the complexity whereas they can only do what they do because they refuse to.
I don’t think I’m any more moral than any of these people are; it’s… maybe more sensitive? I don’t know what it is, but… Yeah, I felt uncomfortable being there. I think I felt complicit.
I thought you were 14?
I am.
What?
I am!
Ain’t no damn way.
Yes!
There ain’t no way.
I’m gonna be 15 in September.
You’re fucking with me.
No! Gimme one of those.
There’s no one in here?
How are you?
Aw, fuck me.
Yeah, “Fuck me” is right.
Sir, go and have a seat right here.
Oh, don’t…
It’s okay, it’s okay.
You’re good, nobody is gonna hurt you.
No, no, we’re not gonna hurt you, we just wanna talk.
We have the police on standby.
Please just have a seat right there.
We just wanna talk, man.
It’s okay, just breathe.
Yeah, just breathe.
It’s okay.
Breathe.
Deep breaths.
I got a water for you.
I’ve got a water.
I don’t wanna touch you, but I’ve got a water for you.
Don’t touch me.
It’s okay, nobody’s gonna touch you.
We just wanna talk.
I don’t wanna lose everything.
We just wanna talk.
So just think about your actions right now before you do something crazy.
Just breathe, drink the water.
It was sealed.
I’m trying to help you.
I have spent so much of my life to try to get off this pattern.
Okay.
Well, after today, you know, you’re gonna…
Well, I hope, at least, that you’re going to take the steps that you need to take to… better yourself.
If you guys know programs, I’ll take suggestions too.
‘Cause I honestly just don’t know where to go from this, other than… other than the right steps, not going backwards.
I don’t have…
I’m sure we could…
The capacity to go backwards.
I’m sure we could pull a few strings and… see if there’s anything we can… align for ya.
I can’t afford to lose my job.
I can’t afford to lose everything I’ve worked for, every friend I’ve had will just…
I can’t.
I don’t know… don’t know how much longer I’d be around if I do.
I really…
I just don’t…
We don’t want it to come to anything like that.
I don’t either, ’cause I want to be around my son.
I just…
Okay.
I just don’t wanna be at this point of life anymore.
Yeah.
Well, we’re gonna…
Nobody wants to be at rock bottom.
No, I mean, we’re gonna pull some strings and see if we can, you know, get…
You someone that you can talk to.
But, Eric, if that’s all you have to say for yourself, then… what I have to let you know is that I am Skeet Hansen with the Predatorial Investigation Unit, and we’re doing an online series about adults who try to meet… underage girls online for sex, and you’ve just been Skeeted.
If there’s anything else you have to say again, you know, we’d love to hear it.
If not, then, um, our friends in the Grand Rapids Police Department will be here shortly, and… they’re going to address the situation and see if… they can point you in the right direction to…
See if they can help get out on track.
Exactly, to get you on track.
Yeah.
We all good?
That was the sheriff’s office.
They said they’re not going to dispatch an officer in a timely fashion.
Oh, damn!
Um, yeah the only thing is, he’s like kind of…
You know, he’s kind of suicidal, so…
He is!
We need to do a wellness check on this dude.
Cause I can’t have that on my shoulders, that’s for sure.
So what do we do?
Um, just call 911 and ask them, Hey, what do I do if there’s somebody here that I think is gonna kill themselves.
I have a question.
So we’re doing two separate things.
They are doing Skeet’s stuff.
And we are doing a documentary about this stuff.
I’m wondering if you would sign an appearance release form for us?
We can’t use your face unless you sign it.
They can, but I’m just curious if you could sign it for us.
So, wait a second.
I’m kind of confused.
Yeah.
They can’t publish my face on the internet, correct?
We’re doing two separate kind of things.
I can just really speak about ours.
You can also say no.
I’d like to say no.
It’s just this is a pretty bad part of…
I’m not trying to hide this necessarily, it just doesn’t…
I don’t need to see another reminder of it.
Especially once I’ve got myself where I want to be.
Okay, I understand.
I appreciate you asking.
I don’t want to look back at myself as… the person that was stuck in this.
Okay, I understand.
Sheriff’s here.
Well, uh… that was some heavy shit.
That was crazy.
He said he’s seen one of my videos before at some point!
And he was laughing at it!
Laughing at how… dumb these guys are!
What we do, and I quote is better than To Catch a Predator.
He did say that!
I don’t know if I can agree fully ’cause TCaP is… the OG, but… you know, I’m
I’m flattered by Eric’s words!
I actually kinda feel bad for this guy.
‘Cause, like, he needs help.
Like, obviously we know why he’s here, right?
So…
Yeah, well…
He’s a monster for that, right?
But… he needs help.
He actually needs help.
So I hope… like we said tonight, I hope that he gets the help he needs.
If this puts him on the straight and narrow and it saves his life, then, as far as I’m concerned, the last two years and change that we’ve been doing this is worth it.
Sure.
If we saved a life, that’s… it’s worth it.
That’s it.
That’s it.
A child’s life and a predator’s life; look at that. I see To Catch a Predator as an attempt to make a public service entertaining. But do you think it’s even possible for something designed as entertainment to be a public service?
Great question, actually.
Very…
You’ve thought about this a great deal, clearly.
Well, it’s because I’m thinking about the morality of what I’m asking people to look at.
And even what I’m making and doing with this film and why I’m making it.
Mm-hm, why are you?
Um…
I was abused by a child predator.
And… for me, I’ve been on a lifelong quest to understand… how someone could do that.
And partly what drew me to the show when I was young… was that first initial question Chris would ask: “Help me understand.”
Mm-hm.
But the show never really answered that question for me.
I don’t think it was ever really interested in the answer.
So the more I’ve learned, the more I’ve been disappointed.
Wow.
I’m-I’m sorry.
No, it’s, um…
For me, it’s, um…
I do think it’s taught me a lot of empathy.
And I’m sorry that the show tries to… crush that.
Mm-hm.
You know, what you just said, this Chris Hansen question
“Help me understand” and that never being really answered, ’cause it’s not really about understanding, that reminded me; when you look at stings you know, where predators are confronted by hunters always, you find hunters asking, time and again, “Why?
Why did you do that?”
You know, “What do you think would happen?
Why a child?”
And they keep asking the question because there’s never an answer forthcoming; there really never is.
And I wonder if that’s maybe because the predator themselves… himself, quite often doesn’t know.
Just doesn’t know, you know?
But understanding is not the goal of the show. I honestly didn’t even really realize that I was a victim until I was in my 20s.
I also didn’t realize until my 20s.
I watched To Catch a Predator in my dorm room, and part of what my fascination was with it… was…
Watching them go down.
Trying very hard to understand… how a human could do this to another human.
Mm-hm.
Especially a child.
Yeah.
Anyone, though.
The grin on Skeeter’s face is priceless.
I don’t believe anything he’s saying.
He just got two hours of free therapy with y’all.
God, he has, like, some evil-lookin’ fuckin’ eyes.
Yeah.
I mean, I haven’t even gotten this far yet, because I’m just like…
“Whatev”… You know what I mean?
Everybody likes to fuck.
I don’t understand why…
I mean, I guess sexual addiction is, like, a real thing but…
I don’t know.
I don’t know about this guy.
He was there to do it.
And he even brought her alcohol.
Like, that’s crazy.
Mm.
Like, if you’re gonna let a kid… if you’re gonna listen to a little kid’s suggestion, then…
I don’t know, that’s just… dangerous.
But it is hard not to feel bad for him.
Maybe that’s why I don’t wanna watch
maybe that’s why I, like, haven’t… gotten very far through this, ’cause I don’t wanna sit here and feel bad for him.
I am a human, even though I can be a bitch.
Like, I don’t know why I feel bad for him.
I guess ’cause it’s sad.
Hey, Chris, nice to see you.
♪ angelic harp music ♪
Yeah.
Yeah, I’ve seen that.
That’s great.
I used to remember all the shoots and then… they kind of fade together.
I’m sorry, David.
You’ve got a little more room.
Keep going, keep going, keep going.
Yup, oh, you’re in.
Okay, you’re good.
Do you want a water next to your coffee cup?
That’d be awesome.
Thank you.
Who knew that, at 64 years old, I would have three generations of followers?
TruBlu is your home for previous episodes of Takedown with Chris Hansen, documentary films, and exclusive investigations.
400,000 subscribers on the YouTube channel! My audience is 75 to 15!
Very good!
Really, that was all fantastic.
Thank you.
I need a cup of coffee.
You guys want something from Starbucks?
There you go.
You’re very welcome.
Chris is a news guy at heart.
You know, he really wants to do news.
And, uh… you know, when we can afford to do it, we’ll do it.
Tell me this isn’t the classic newsroom.
It’ll look like Vice in here… six months from now.
When BLM got popular, when people got very upset with the police, Hollywood canceled all their crime shows, and they canceled Cops, and they canceled Live PD, they canceled Crime Watch Daily, they canceled Paw Patrol to show that they don’t support the police. It’s an evergreen genre; people always wanna watch it.
People like to be glad it’s not them.
People like to compare themselves to the depraved to feel better about who they are.
I don’t know what everyone’s motivation is for watching this stuff, but there’s an audience for it. So, I cherrypicked the most revolutionary crime show, and I went to my friend Chris Hansen, and we reinvented it. We’ve become very good at luring these men, and we wanna make sure all the prosecutions stick. We’re not gonna stop. I think the investigation we did in Cambodia was instrumental in my drive when it came to the predator investigations, without question.
Tonight, we take you undercover, inside the world of child sex trafficking, a world in which, each year, by some estimates, hundreds of thousands of girls and boys are bought, sold, or kidnapped, and then forced to have sex with grown men.
This is the first investigation that shocked the conscience of our viewers.
This girl says she’s nine.
She’s joined by another who says she’s 10.
Both say they know how to perform oral sex, and they even tell us how much it will cost.
And one of the Americans who was caught in the investigation was a anesthesiologist in Guam. We caught him on hidden camera talking about how to have sex with a child, and we wanted to confront him. We get on a plane, fly to Guam, go to the doctor’s office, go to the parking structure… here comes Jerry Albom.
My heart’s in my throat, and I’m gonna… approach him.
Hey, Dr. Albom?
Chris Hansen with Dateline NBC.
How are you?
Good, nice to meet you.
Good.
We’re doing an investigation into the trade of underage prostitutes in Cambodia.
And we know that you’ve frequented some of the places in and around Phnom Penh, with underage girls.
No.
Not to my knowledge.
May I show you a videotape?
Yes.
So this was basically your first sting? This was showing them the chat logs? Right! You’ve got one shot. You’ve gotta get it.
And he came up with a bunch of cockamamie excuses.
I was drunk or… or may have been slipped a pill, who knows?!
That is not…
Drunk or slipped a pill?!
Right!
That’s your defense?
Yes!
And it was an amazing piece of television.
That story airs, we’re at the airport, and some of the girls who had been rescued show up in their tuktuk taxi, and… we all get banana splits. And they were in a much better place, they looked great, they’re dressed properly, they’re taking classes. It gets time for me to board the plane, and I look back at these girls, and they’re weeping. It was one of those incredible moments that reminds you that somebody’s life is better because of the story we did. I truly believe that’s the kind of reporting I’m supposed to be doing. We’ve just taken it to the next level.
It sounds like he’s coming!
It sounds like it.
He wants to wait for the sun to go down ’cause he’s,
uh, nervous.
He doesn’t…
He wants to make sure there’s no cameras.
Correct.
How do you feel about the amateur predator hunters that have been directly inspired by you? I work in conjunction with law enforcement. Vigilante predator catchers are doing this for clicks and profit. What I do is for a greater purpose.
Police, don’t move Police, don’t move!
♪ pensive ethereal music ♪
Three, two, one…
In my 20 years of investigating predators seeking children for sex, I have come across a number of cases where the predator is 18.
Now, this could be controversial; a lot of people see it as a Romeo and Juliet situation.
But it’s illegal.
In this case, Hunter was a little less than honest.
But he knew what he was doing was against the law.
One for safety?
You got the project name for me?
Takedown: Hunter.
Takedown: Hunter.
When we look at the final cut of Hunter, we both need to be sensitive to the fact that, you know, this is his age and all that.
Yeah…
But you were gentle, right?
You were gentle…
Yeah, you’ll see it.
I mean, you’ll have last… last pass at it, and as will I.
Was 18… who was he there to meet?
A 15yearold boy.
15 to 18.
Like, in Ohio, that’s legal.
In Michigan, apparently, it’s not, but they allow a three-year spread for a senior to date a
freshman.
Right.
Um, so, it’s like… that must be a Michigan thing.
But… it is what it is.
I mean, uh…
I think people will be forgiving.
You know, I hope… you know, hope we’re not ruining his life.
A task force team member searches
Hunter for his wallet.
Turn your volume up.
We realize Hunter had been 18 for some time.
It’s time for Hunter to take a seat.
The tears start flowing, and the begging begins.
Please just don’t ruin my life.
Please.
Please.
They asked if I was Hunter’s mom, and I said that I was, and they told me that he had been arrested. He only went three blocks away! And he walked! It was the summer before his senior year in high school. Top of his game in choir and in drama, and… about to have the year of his life. I started getting phone calls of people… informing me that my son was going to be on the next episode that was airing. In my head, I didn’t believe that they were actually going to air this 18-year-old’s… mistake, that Chris Hansen would be willing to stoop so low for his show. I just don’t know how the worst day of my life could be something that… people are getting snacks for.
Hunter couldn’t go back to his high school. He was being charged with felonies, and at the arraignment, the judge explained to us kind of his… stipulations for Hunter, and they included no contact with any person under the age of 17 without the presence of a supervising adult. Hunter could not be in the same house alone with his 16yearold brother. No school. No job. He lived in his room. And we tried to make it… great. And partly so that Hunter had kind of like a haven, we got heavy drapes and we took down any… identifiers outside the, um…
We took down any identifiers outside of the house, so that, um…
Sorry.
Do you want to go talk to him?
I don’t think he’s cried since then.
I don’t think that, like, until… right now, he’s really necessarily acknowledged what he’s lost.
Um…
And, like, everything that was taken from him.
I wish Chris… could feel one percent of our pain. Even though it fixes nothing. By the way, all the food’s down there! All kinds of food, okay?
This is our third network, and hopefully, it earns a bunch of advertiser revenue.
We put some fresh episodes up, boom.
13.4 million views, two million hours watched.
We’re gonna get the plaque ’cause we have over 100,000 subscribers, so that’s good. This is the culmination of 40 years of being a television journalist right here.
Everything I’ve done all the Emmys, all the Edward R. Murrow awards, all the years at NBC… all led to this.
Let’s go!
Suspect is armed and extremely dangerous.
I’m Chris Hansen.
I am Chris Hansen.
♪ cool rock music playing ♪
♪ pensive synth music ♪
I’ve been watching your show since I was like 10.
Oh, wow!
Thank you!
Well, thank you!
Where are you from?
Atlanta.
Thank you very much.
It’s so nice to meet you.
Nice to see you too.
Thanks for being here.
Hey, Chris!
Long time, no see!
18 years later!
You are my true crime star.
Oh, well, thank you.
We’re gonna dedicate this to all the victims that we pour our life into.
Appreciate you.
Take care.
Chris Hansen and the Sheriff of Genesee County, Michigan, Chris Swanson!
John…
John…
John…
There’s cameras everywhere, John.
John…
No, you’re not in charge here, John.
The cameras aren’t gonna get turned off, so that’s not on the table.
‘Cause we’re here covering the commission of an alleged felony.
You are?
Yeah.
John, I have seen the transcripts!
Telling and showing the identity of these individuals that they’re exposed is so vital!
I would trade two years of him in prison to have this any day of the week.
But there is one group of law enforcement that we need that’s more important than you and I, and that is all of you.
The times that you share a TruBlu episode, the stories that you tell to your friends and families, you are the best law enforcement tool in America.
♪ pensive ethereal music ♪
Maybe the appeal of a show like this is that it’s a world of good versus evil, and you know what side you’re on. It’s an empowering way to live, especially if you’re a victim. It helps you turn the tables. And thereby, hopefully… you can heal… a wound.
Do you feel any closer to understanding how… this happens to children?
Uh, not…
I’ve never heard an explanation from a predator I’ve caught… that justified the action.
Not justifies it; I don’t think it’s justifiable.
I mean to explain it.
Something that helps make sense of it.
It never makes sense to me; I can’t get my arms around it.
And I think that’s why we have such a difficult time in society… dealing with this issue.
We want simple solutions… lock ’em up forever, give ’em the pill that stops them from doing this, or, uh, get ’em in the appropriate therapy.
But there are different guys.
You have some hardcore predators who would be doing this with or without the internet.
And then, you’ve got the young opportunists… early 20s, have a hard time socializing with other men or women.
And I think the third group of men are guys who wouldn’t be offending without the internet… the 24/7 access, the anonymity, and the addictive nature of this.
To play Devil’s Advocate, though, you described three very different kinds of predators.
Absolutely.
All of whom, on your show, will face the same kind of punishment.
As they should!
I mean, the law is the law in these cases.
Right, but legal punishment isn’t the only kind of punishment here.
You and Shawn were having a disagreement about one of the recent episodes of the show that you did with Hunter, the 18 year old.
It really wasn’t so much a disagreement, when it came to the 18yearold caught in this investigation.
Ultimately, we agreed and decided to… take the episode down because he had entered into a… you know, sort of a… an agreement with the court that if he didn’t reoffend, his record would be wiped clean.
And so, the decision was made to give him a second chance in terms of his exposure, and I’m comfortable in that decision.
I think the issue that if you Google this kid’s name, it’s the first five pages of the internet because of the show.
So there’s no wiping of that record.
That’s, in a sense, permanent.
Permanent for now.
It goes away.
Some people watching this may feel like you have something to answer for that this genre of TV you’ve helped make doesn’t deter criminals, or get to the bottom of their crimes, it just helps us enjoy it.
And I make documentaries too, so I’m not just coming after you here.
But we make TV, and we point cameras at something, and the trauma continues.
What do you say to that?
I understand your point.
And it’s a valid point.
But… you don’t know how many times someone has come up to me at a store, at a restaurant, on the street and said to me, “Thank you for what you do.
I was victimized by an adult when I was a child traumatized in a way that has… forced me to be in therapy to this very day.
And every time you confront a predator, it makes me feel better.”
I understand people saying, “You push it too far.
You… take a man at his worst, and you put him on television.
You shame him.”
I’m okay with that;
I’ll take that criticism.
But for every human being who comes up to me to tell me their story about being a survivor, this particular investigative franchise is for them.
And I’m okay with that.
And if that’s my legacy, very comfortable.
I’m a survivor.
I was seven years old.
And…
I didn’t realize it as a young adult, but one of the reasons that I watched your show was for that moment, when you sit down with these men and you ask them why they’re here.
What could bring them to do this?
And it took me a long time to realize that that’s what I wanted from your show.
In many ways, you are who… we do this for.
I had no idea, getting into this, what it would become, the impact it would have.
And it sends a message that we will stand up for the survivor.
And that is a big part of what we do in this particular series of investigations.
Chris, you’re obviously free to go.
You’re free to… “What happens next?”
“That’s not up to me.”
Guys, thank you!
Thank you.
Appreciate it.
Great work, guys.
Thank you.
Nice to see ya.
Here’s our pretend kitchen.
♪ pensive ethereal music ♪
That’s a cut for A and B.
David, you good?
You get everything you want?
♪ serene synth music ♪
