Show Stopper

What happened?

Investigation Day 1

The Sheriff's Department was called to a warehouse in eastern Yoknapatawpha County where a 911 call reported that a man had been found dead after a dress rehearsal of an immersive theater show.

After examining the scene, Detectives Beckwith and Magee returned to the station to talk to the witnesses, starting with a medical doctor who tried to help the injured man.

Then the detectives talked to the assistant stage manager, who first found Scott backstage after the rehearsal.

Then they spoke to the theater board member who called 911.

Next, they talked to the show's director and lead actress to get her perspective on what happened during the rehearsal.

After hearing from her, Detectives Beckwith and Magee spoke with the man who wrote the script about where he was during the rehearsal.

Then the detectives asked the newest board member about her experience at the rehearsal.

When they tried to talk to the youngest board member, Detectives Beckwith and Magee had trouble getting any sense out of him, so they turned to the lead actor, who told them what he saw.

The detectives wrapped up with the supporting actress who other witnesses claimed had been involved in the incident with Heath.

After finishing the interviews with the main participants in the show, Detectives Beckwith and Magee reviewed what other investigators had learned from the supporting cast and crew.

Investigation Day 2

The Oxford Weekly Planet broke the news of the death the following morning.

Meanwhile, the detectives worked to find out more about the dead man and visited his residence to see what they could learn.

Then Detectives Beckwith and Magee talked to Scott's family and his friends and neighbors to get more information about him.

They also reviewed the report and the interview with Scott following the incident with his girlfriend.

Late that afternoon, the CSU provided a preliminary inventory of evidence collected at the scene along with early findings on which items had human blood on them.

Investigation Day 3

After the Crime Lab found an unusual stain pattern on a piece of evidence, investigators went back to the cast and crew to try to find out how the stain got there. Detectives Beckwith and Magee started with the assistant stage manager.

Then the detectives talked to Denis again to learn more about the script and the rehearsal, and they asked Erv about the board's operations.

After Erv's comments, Detectives Beckwith and Magee wanted to hear from the troupe's producer, and later they spoke with Anna again to get her perspective on it.

Next, they sat down with Heath again to try to get some sense out of him, and then they followed up with Janet to see what she had to say about it.

Detectives Beckwith and Magee then asked board members Cherie and Neal to come in again to provide more information about the interactions between the cast and crew and the board.

After talking to lead actor and board member Martin again, the detectives spoke with the troupe's costumer to get her take on the situation.

Investigation Day 4

The next morning, Detectives Beckwith and Magee asked Woody to come in again to give them more information about one of the props.

Then they talked with Denis again to get his description of his relationship with Scott and Scott's girlfriend.

When Anna arrived, the detectives asked her to tell them more about Scott's interactions with Martin.

Later, they questioned Erv about his relationship with Cherie in light of her comments about him.

After lunch, Detectives Beckwith and Magee visited a local restaurant where they spoke with employees to follow up on a lead.

In light of what those witnesses said, the detectives went to Cherie's residence to ask her some more questions.

Then they examined the report on fingerprints found on evidence collected at the scene and came up with a plan to get some answers.

Investigation Day 5

Tired of hearing conflicting stories and finger-pointing, Detectives Beckwith and Magee decided to bring multiple potential suspects in at once and try to get some straight answers.

They started with Martin, who immediately put the blame on Denis.

Denis pointed the finger at Janet, who said it was all Heath's fault.

Neal was sure Martin must've hurt Scott.

During a break, the detectives reviewed a report on what blood types were found on the evidence from the scene.

Then they went back to Martin to see if he was ready to address the evidence implicating him. He suggested they take a closer look at Heath.

Heath said Janet could verify his story since what happened to him was her fault.

With everyone still pointing fingers at each other, the detectives put three of them together in a room to find out if their accusations would change when they were face-to-face.

Afterward, while the three suspects cooled off, Detectives Beckwith and Magee asked Neal about the conflicting reports about where he was during a pivotal moment.

Then the detectives took a short break to review the preliminary report on Scott's autopsy.

Before continuing the interviews, technicians from the Crime Lab collected blood samples with a warrant.

With the samples on the way to the lab for analysis, Detectives Beckwith and Magee asked Martin some questions about one of the props.

Next, the detectives followed up with Woody to check what Martin said, and then they talked to Denis again to see if his story matched Martin's and Woody's.

Neal had a few things to say about Janet and Heath's behavior during the rehearsal, and Janet finally revealed what was behind some of her actions that evening.

The detectives got word that the lab had a preliminary report on the blood samples, and after reviewing it, they went back to have a few more words with Neal.

When Detectives Beckwith and Magee questioned Woody about his actions in the days before the rehearsal, not only did he make a surprising confession, but he revealed a prior incident involving Scott.

The detectives asked Denis about the incident, and he conceded that he should've mentioned it earlier but continued to deny any involvement in Scott's death.

When Janet found out what some of the other suspects had been saying about her, she revealed a few secrets she'd been keeping.

Investigation Day 6

The next day, Detectives Beckwith and Magee reviewed some new information recovered from Scott's cell phone. Afterward, they prepared the paperwork to get search warrants for some of their suspects.

After lunch, the detectives met with the judge and then executed the first of the signed search warrants.

Investigation Day 7

The next morning, Detectives Beckwith and Magee executed a second search warrant, and later, they sat down for another conversation with Anna.

They also talked to Erv again to find out what he had to add, and then it was time for another sit-down with Cherie.

Investigation Day 8

While the detectives were waiting on the Crime Lab, the local gossip column was busy dishing the dirt on other developments of interest.

When the lab's report finally came in, Detectives Beckwith and Magee planned their next move.

Investigation Day 9

The detectives asked one of the suspects to come in again to talk about the forensic findings. The Oxford Weekly Planet reported on the outcome of that discussion.