Hi Jimmy. Yeah, >> this is [music] 69-year-old James Clement, a caretaker living with his elderly patient in an alleged relationship. Just days ago, he killed [music] him and staged the death as an accident. >> I mean, were you two dating? >> No. >> She was gay, though. >> Okay. Were you here to offer condolences? >> What am I going to do? At the time, officers thought they were speaking [music] with a grieving caretaker. In reality, they were face tof face with a man who betrayed his lover, beat him to [music] the brink of death, then built an elaborate lie to cover it up. Police had their suspicions from the very start. Yet somehow, James would outplay detectives and walk away without ever being convicted of murder. >> She wants his insurance. She [music] gets all his beneficial. I get nothing. >> You think I did something to him? Not right now. So >> because I didn't um I'm so sorry. >> I think you [music] got mad at Ralph for something. Huh? You said that to me. I didn't do it. I knew you did it. Around 9:00 p.m. on a Sunday night, 92year-old Ralph Shoreman's life abruptly ended. inside the home he shared with his caretaker, James Clement. [music] Tensions reached a breaking point and James snapped. He walked up to his best friend and delivered a violent blow to the head, leaving him unconscious and bleeding. Panicked, James stepped outside for a walk. By the time he returned, Ralph was unresponsive. James called for an ambulance and as help arrived, he began rehearsing his coverup story, one he thought would clear him. In the early hours of the next morning, the hospital called the sheriff's office to report an unnatural death. A deputy arrived at the ER to find Ralph's body covered in patterned bruises, injuries no one could mistake for an accident. Without waiting for an autopsy, the deputy opens a homicide investigation. Later that same day, officers drive to Ralph's home to talk to his longtime caretaker, James Clement. With suspicion growing, officers arrive at the residence where James doesn't wait for questions. Instead, he's got a story prepared, one he believes will fully cover up the murder. >> Oh, did you know he died? >> Yeah. >> Very sorry. >> Oh, you know what happened? >> I figured out what happened. >> What? >> I went out to feed my dogs. I I could figure out what he had. why he was bruised on his eyes. >> Okay. >> And I said, "Re, what happened?" He said, "My dog did it. He must have banged his head." But I banged his head when I was trying to get him to charge. >> Can you show me where that was at? Where he banged his head? >> Oh, right here. But that has nothing to do with that. He was already right here. >> Oh, okay. >> Yeah. I was going to here trying to lift him in there and then he fell on the ground and it's just it's just terrible. I usually watch him 24 hours a day and just that time I didn't do it and I gave him six years of my life. >> Jim, just take a deep breath. Okay, we're I'm here to offer condolences. >> Oh my god. What am I going to do? [laughter] >> I'm going to lose my home. I don't have nothing. I bought this home to give him home. I gave my life for him. I lost my home to save him from everybody that wanted to pull the plug on him. >> Who's that? >> His family. >> I mean, were you two dating? >> No. No. >> No. We were just best friends. He was gay, though. >> Okay. >> We were the best friends and he bec we became family. >> I was like his son that he never had. >> While James speaks, his delivery is hard to miss, marked by big hand gestures, tearless sobbing, and dramatic explanations. and he appears to lean heavily into the image of a loyal caretaker, describing how much he cared for Ralph, even calling him his best friend. It looked unusual, maybe even a little over the top for police. But they don't know James well enough to tell if this is just his personality, if he's drunk, or if something else is going on. But in the middle of James' performance, an officer spots something suspicious on the car that immediately worries James. What's all that blood from? Is that from last night? >> Where? >> Where? >> Right there. >> No, that's me. >> I had an artery cut. See? Right. Feel that. I want you to feel that. >> Would you feel that? Look at that. >> Yeah, we can see it. >> I thought I grabbed Ralph called Ralph called me and I was trying to fix the [music] the dishwasher. >> How did you meet Ralph? >> Ralph was in a nursing home and he admired me as a singer in Florence and they were being real mean to you. Terrible. >> Who was >> fella? Okay. >> And one guy even put cocaine up his nose and took his money. >> But then his sister said he's 92 years old. What you did for him? Just call me. >> Mhm. >> You know, now there's a difference between me and his wife. >> She called his wife. He married his wife for conveniences. This family was so terrible they threw him in the nursing home and forgot her. >> Who would that be? [music] >> His wife he married take care. There you go. >> Thank you. >> His [snorts] his Now, I don't want this ever repeated. He married Fran to give her his insurance. >> Okay. [music] >> And when he broke his leg, she threw it in a nursy home and forgot him. >> So, he married Fran for insurance, you said? >> Yeah, she wants his insurance. She gets all his beneficial. I get nothing. >> Okay. >> Clearly, James knows how to play this. He might look frantic and odd, but he's covering himself well, firing off answers quickly and confidently, never stuttering or hesitating. He also keeps deliberately cutting off officers and steering the conversation under his control. It all sounds nonchalant, natural, like a man with nothing to hide. And it works. Bit by bit, James leads the exchange exactly where he wants it, denying he has anything to gain from Ralph's death, then pointing the finger at Ralph's wife, who [music] stood to benefit from the insurance policy. A clever move. If police want a motive, point them towards someone who has one. Now, with money on the table and a suspicious [music] death, police can't ignore the wife, and they'll have to check everyone in Ralph's circle who might stand to gain. So officers wrap up their visit and head back to coordinate with detectives. Unaware this was only the first round in a much longer game. A game that James would ultimately twist in his favor, beating the most serious charge against him. At the station, detectives begin their investigation while waiting for the autopsy to provide a clearer picture. They check James' claim and confirm Ralph's wife, Francis Sherman, is indeed the insurance beneficiary. Officers are soon sent to her residence to conduct a formal interview. Though instead of taking the heat off James, this would soon backfire in a way that he never saw coming. But while that's happening, James makes his own move. He walks into the police station unprompted, claiming he's figured out what really caused Ralph's deadly injury. The twist here is detectives are already suspicious that Ralph's injuries were caused by James beating him. So, if he slips up and mentions a domestic dispute, police will immediately have the evidence they need to charge him. It's a risky move for James, but surprisingly, he sells the news story well enough to make the case even harder to crack. >> He reaches up. He reaches up to his cat, feeds his cat right here, and then the lamp is here, and his bed is here. So, his head's over here, but he reaches up with this hand to turn it on. Well, apparently, but the cat probably thought he was going to give him food, so she ran. And that's why he asked me to fix that. The lamp fell over and hit him in the head. That's what happened. >> So, the lamp fell over and hit him in the head. >> That's why that was Yeah. And I asked him, "Do you want to go to the doctors?" He said, "No, it's just a little bump." I said, "Well, I don't know." And I think that's what caused that brain bleed because it was right in by the temple. You did you see that there? >> Yeah. and lifting him. I have to pick him up like that to put him in the car. So, wherever you touch him, he gets black and blue. His dogs jump on him, he's black and blue. James rolls out a new explanation. This time, saying Ralph's injury came from a lamp that tipped over and struck him. Odd as it sounds, the story fits uncomfortably well. Even the marks on Ralph's head could line up with the base of a lamp. It's a problem for police because with the autopsy results still pending, it's impossible to rule it out. So instead of challenging him now, the detective lets him talk. Every new detail James adds makes the story harder to debunk in the moment, but easier to test against the evidence later. >> So Jimmy, I I just wanted to tell you, you started talking right away, but um you know, you're free to go anytime you want. Okay. I just you wanted to talk to me. So >> it just the doctor's going to call me back. But now I know what happened. I was just I I am such a perfectionist when I love the people. My life I can't. >> So how many times did Ralph hit his head? >> He must have Well, he hit it onto the door when I was trying to get in the car, but it was more of a bend over, >> you know, slide down. His sister said that would have happened anyway. [music] Ralph was 92. She says he wasn't a well man. You kept him alive all these years. She says, "You don't know how much we appreciate that." >> And like I said, there's all beneficiaries goes to his wife. His wife was a convenience marriage. He married her to give her his insurance [music] because uh I knew Ralph was gay, you know, and he's been married gay. He was gay, but he needed me. And we were such good friends. I don't care. There's no involved. >> He was my best friend. And I was very lonely in my other house. and he begged me at the nursing home when he used to come sing with me as a patient. >> Strategic or not, James is careful with how he presents himself, the loyal friend, the only one who cared for Ralph, framing himself as the last person who'd ever have a reason to hurt him. Detectives can't question it because they know he really had been taking care of Ralph for the past 6 years. However, a motive is one of the first things detectives look for in a murder case, and James [music] is distancing himself from it completely, stressing that Ralph's wife would get all the benefits. What he doesn't know yet is that his defense will eventually collapse because Ralph already told others something very different. For now though, James keeps circling the same details and drifting into tangents, offering nothing new until the very end when the performance cracks and he lets something slip. >> So, it's going to take some time, but the uh the medical examiners, so they're going to do an autopsy on them and and see if they can determine, you know, >> what caused that. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. I didn't know. And they could see that >> before they do that though, they just they want to get your side. >> Ralph and I come on. Good. >> No, no, I No, I'm not I'm not saying that. >> Get that too. >> No, not at all. No, they just want to know they want to know the time of events and what happened. So then that helps them better when they're doing the autopsy. >> Okay. >> So So >> and that's a heavy lamp and if they're running and they hit and it flies. >> Yep. >> And he and he bruises on everything. anything. >> Maybe that's why Francis and them won't talk to me. [music] I hope they don't think that I get something. I don't >> I don't tell me I had to watch. >> I think they're just I think they're just sad. >> For the first time, James says it out loud. He's worried people might suspect him of wrongdoing. The concern only seems to surface after the autopsy is mentioned. And while the detective notes, it being afraid of a wrongful accusation isn't exactly unusual considering the circumstances. At the same time, James is voicing his fear. Detectives are across town wrapping up their interview with Ralph's wife, Francis Shoreman. She gave them an alibi, saying she was nowhere near Ralph that night. Her statements and phone records were collected for further checks, and investigators left to verify the details she provided. Later that day, a detective stops by James' house to check the lamp he claimed fell on Ralph's head. Without a warrant, James could have refused, but instead, he seizes the chance to prove he has nothing to hide and lets the detective in without hesitation. A decision that will expose a major flaw in his story, finally giving police something concrete to use against him. But before we get to that, sometimes the most devastating injuries are the ones you can't see. That's what happened in 2018 when Chad Festo was rearended at a red light in Sanford, Florida, despite suffering severe spinal injuries. His insurance company offered just $100,000 and even hired investigators to film him coaching his kids' baseball teams. That's when he turned to the sponsor of today's video, Morgan and Morgan. Their attorney fought through two trials and secured a $6.1 million verdict for Chad. Just like Chad, if you're seriously hurt because of someone else's negligence, you deserve to be paid. But getting fair compensation isn't easy. That's why Morgan and Morgan exists. They don't settle for lowball offers. They fight for the maximum compensation you deserve if you end up working with them. And crucially, unless they win your case, the fee is absolutely free. There are no upfront costs or hidden charges. You pay nothing if they don't win for you. They won $12 million for a car crash victim in Florida and $26 [music] million in Philadelphia. Wondering if you have a case? It takes only a few minutes to find out. You can start your claim now with Morgan and Morgan by visiting www.forthepeople.com/inssanitybody cam found in the description or by scanning the QR code on screen. With that said, let's get back to James who's about to make a move that would turn the investigation in police's favor. >> When my house burned down Oh, >> I know. Get in. I'm still >> trying not to let him out. >> No, you'll be fine. Can you shut the door? >> Yep. This is where they ran. >> Okay. >> He's on here. >> Get down. >> And they jump. They jumped on here. Right here. And >> he said, "What's my turn? >> Get down. Get down." >> Lady star of a show called Good. It's still on. Okay. [music] And they went running over here and apparently cuz the lamp here, but they didn't knock any of this down. All this was out. Okay. >> This was down. >> Is that your phone then? >> This is my phone. >> Oh, okay. >> You could smell the ear. >> Yeah. I don't want to smell it. >> And then he's laying like this. And this is like this. >> Oh, okay. >> So, I can't get this out anymore. [music] So, I don't help you. So, I put it on and I didn't pay attention and I went out to take the little Pomeranians out then. And then when I came in, he said he wasn't hungry. and I looked at him and he had this bang on his head. >> Inside the house, James points out the lamp and even reenacts how he thinks it might have struck Ralph. The house is cluttered, but nothing looks alarming. For the moment, the detective is inclined to see James as just a stressed caretaker dealing with tragedy. That is until he gets a call that the first autopsy results are in. The detective heads back to the station to check them, but what he finds won't deliver the clarity they were hoping for. The initial findings confirmed Ralph died from a brain bleed caused by blunt force trauma, injuries consistent with a fall from height, car crash, or violent blow. But Ralph was also 92, frail, and on blood thinners. Because of that, the manner of death was left inconclusive pending further study. Even so, detectives kept looking into Ralph's circle. James' shifting stories, the suspicious bruising, and the financial motive with Ralph's wife were more than enough reason to keep digging. A few days later, detectives secure a search warrant for Ralph and James' residence, and a team of officers is dispatched to serve it. For James, what happens next would be a surprise he never saw coming. >> Hi. Hey, Jimmy. >> Yeah. >> Why don't you uh go out in the driveway here? Okay. Are all the dogs outside? >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> What What did I do? >> I didn't do anything. >> Okay. >> I'll explain it to you. Okay. >> Okay. I didn't do anything actually. >> Okay. I've been working all day. I've been taking care of everybody. What happened to Ralph? >> Okay. So, >> I really would like to know. >> Yeah. So, we're The reason I'm here today, the reason we're all here today, >> Yeah. >> is because after his autopsies, some stuff just needs to be answered. Okay. >> Okay. So, what I had to do because of that autopsy and and being that >> we don't know what happened to him, >> we have to investigate that. So, this is this is a search warrant. >> Oh, you can search the house >> to go into your house. >> The upstairs is closed off. So, >> he only stays downstairs. >> Yep. >> Although James looks a little uneasy, he stays calm and takes the surprise search well, showing no signs of resistance towards officers. But James in turn has a surprise of his own. Out of nowhere, he adds yet another explanation for Ralph's injuries. One that could trigger more suspicion. But James believes it's his best shot at covering his tracks. >> Another thing I remember too from that day, I should really tell you this. We were driving to bring the animals to Carney Road and all of a sudden a deer ran out about this far >> and Ralph was going to fly into the the dash cuz I slammed on the brakes and I put my hand up like this to hold them back when he hit he would hit his face right into the dash. >> So that's what I he was going right for the right for the dash. >> Okay. But he didn't hit the dash cuz I put my hand there. >> Mhm. >> I took very good care of Ralph. Okay. >> Okay. So, I'm just explaining this to you. You can stay out here with Sergeant Reed. And uh >> Okay. >> And we're going to My partner and I are going to go in the house and we'll uh >> Do all the dogs. >> Do you think I did something to him? >> Not right now. So, because I didn't I I love that man. I I went without life for him. >> Took him every lift him. A lot of the bruises on him is putting him in the car. His dogs jump on. You try to put a guy in a car like that. You're You have to pull him out. Your elbows are in and I was damaged. So, I had to use my hands like this to pull him out of the car and put him in things. So, I'm glad you're going to check that. Okay. >> Yeah. Clearly, James isn't making the police's job any easier with the string of details he keeps remembering, but at the same time, it makes him look cooperative and keeps suspicion at bay. [music] With this new near accident theory added onto the list, one officer stays outside with James while the others move to conduct the search. Inside the house, they collect Ralph's cell phone, but there are no weapons, no blooded clothing, and no indication of a violent struggle. So, with no concrete findings, officers leave the residence to brief detectives. At this point, the autopsy is still inconclusive. And with no real evidence of a crime, the case is stuck. If James stays quiet, he gets away with it right here. But he won't do that. Over the next month, James [music] kept going back and forth with police, bringing news statements or calling late at night whenever he remembered a new detail. It seemed like he was helping clear his name. But what he didn't know was that every time he opened his mouth, he was digging his own grave. >> So, you came in voluntarily, right? >> Yes. >> You're free to leave the doors open. You're not >> Anybody can hear because it's the truth. >> Well, I'm just letting you know. So, you're not under arrest. If you want to leave the doors right there, you can get off. >> I know. I'm not being prosecuted for anything. They're trying to find out what happened. >> Yep. Just cuz we're back here and I just want to make that clear. Okay. >> Oh, no. I I'm not worried about anything about me. I'm worried about what happened, >> okay? >> And I'm worried that >> Carney Lake is right behind [music] it. >> I I I really for my sake, you know, because I I I that scared me with all those people. [music] I never thought this would come to this because it wasn't my fault. Why? Why did so many people come? >> Is that against me or is that something [music] something happening >> that I can't I don't know. [music] Why did they think I did? >> I didn't say that, Jim. No. >> Oh, okay. Cuz I hope not. That would break my heart. >> Um I mean, if [music] there is something that you know, if you ever did No, >> you should probably come clean and just >> never never did >> because if [music] something like that did happen, >> in my experience, it's it's better to get out in front of it and be >> What would happen? Nothing happened. During [music] the weeks that followed, James kept calling police with strange remarks and making sure they never forgot his name until a month later when he finally decides he's had enough of waiting and wants to clear his name entirely, starting with a phone call. >> And when I turned around, I turned to the right to turn around to get him to pull him in to the place. I hit him in the back of the head with my elbow in my back of my arm because I didn't know he was there. So, could that have caused that? >> Yeah, it's hard to say, Jim. >> They told me it would be a year, but I never expected something like this to happen. It was sad, you know. >> Yeah. Did they find out anything? >> Not yet, Jim. I'm sorry. It's just kind of taken a while here. I will bring this to you, but I'm also going to write show you a card that Fran sent me. She sent me many of them after this. You you'll see what kind of care I gave to him from the the letter she wrote to me and Ralph. So, I'll let you do that, too. [clears throat] Okay. >> Okay, Jim. I'll meet you in the >> Thank you, Mark, so much. Bye-bye. Minutes after the phone call, James shows up at the police station carrying more handwritten statements. And even stranger, a letter from someone he believes will finally clear his name once and for all. >> Hi, Jim. >> There you wait for you to come here. Oh, you look so different now. I recognize you. Is it cold in here or is it me? I got low blood pressure. >> It's cold outside. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. I did this. >> Okay. And right here, this was actually I made this. This is actually I I I I [music] write this down because this has been so horrible for me. It kind of helps me therapeutic for you. >> Yes, it is. So, um I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I can't even breathe. >> Well, you you guys were together for a long time. He was going to die from the first time I gone. I lost my home saving him >> from his family. They didn't care. Can But [music] I want you to read this. >> James' so-called evidence turned out to be a card written by Ralph's wife filled with kind words about the care he'd given. While unexpected, it was his trump card. Proof that even Ralph's own wife vouched for him. But the cop noticed his sudden emotional shift, his voice cracking as if he was on the verge of tears, but with none to show. It was an odd moment, and just as quickly, James returned to his usual composure. With that, the officer took the card and made copies of it while James went home, likely thinking he had finally convinced them of his innocence. What he couldn't have known is that the same woman who wrote that card would later become one of the most damaging witnesses against him. In the months that followed, [music] the case seemed to stall. Even James stopped calling as if he'd finally moved on. But detectives quietly kept digging. In that time, they collect troubling claims from people Ralph confided in about being abused. Then in January 2022, the final autopsy results arrived. Three separate internal brain injuries were identified, a pattern consistent with a violent blow. And this time, the manner of [music] death was officially ruled a homicide. By this point, detectives already interviewed Ralph's wife, Francis. They were able to verify her alibi, and she was quickly ruled out. So detectives were left with only one person who'd been [music] with Ralph that night, his caretaker, James Clement. But they didn't have anything against him. No murder weapon, no eyewitnesses, and no forensic evidence. All they had were James' messy stories. Taking him to court now would almost certainly fail. And if James simply lays low and avoids a confession, it's game over. He wins, and the police are all out of options. At this point, detectives know their only chance is [music] to force James to admit what he did. So, this time they call him in asking if he [music] wants to come for an interview and hear the autopsy results. The plan is to catch James off guard, confront him, and get him to confess. If they're ever going to prove foul play, it will have to come straight from James' mouth. That afternoon, James arrives at the station thinking he's going to clear his name and finally be at peace. Detectives, on the other hand, need to make sure he doesn't walk out free. >> I got the medical examiner's report now. Yeah. >> Okay. The autopsy report. It's all right here. >> The dogs had nothing to do with this. >> Why did he say that? Then did he fall? >> The dogs had nothing to do with it. Okay. >> Did it. >> You see how high the lamp is? >> Yeah. >> That's about it. That That is a little higher than what it was when it was on his dresser. Okay. And when I was there, you even laid down on the bed and you showed me. >> Yeah, because he was the side of the bed. >> That is not what did it either. >> Was it natural? >> No, [music] it's not natural. And it's not from his head hitting the dashboard because you said you told Deputy Benson >> Yeah. >> that you both had your seat belts on. >> Yeah. He went forward and he never hit. So, >> and I >> caught him from behind when he came back. >> Okay. So, I'm telling you everything that it's not. >> Okay. Okay. >> Needless to say, James wasn't expecting this. Every version of events he'd given is laid out in front of him, and the detective makes it clear none of it adds up. For the first time, James looks cornered, likely realizing there's no easy way out of the corner he's dug himself into. If he wants to escape suspicion, he'll have to come up with something new. Seeing this, the detective leans in and starts asking the tough questions James had been wishing to avoid. >> Now, that being said, >> yeah, >> there's no could have, there's no anything. What happened, Jim? >> And I don't know how it happened. >> I'm hoping you're going to tell me because it outside. >> Yeah. >> Are you a drinker? I have a drink once in a while. I make a hot toddy at night. Rough and win. >> Once in a while. >> Well, no, just once. Yeah, once in a while. >> So, and we're not really >> So, listen, I don't I don't care. Okay. But are you a drunk? >> No. No. No. No. No. >> Because every time we've talked to you, somebody throughout this whole thing has always smelled alcohol on you. [music] Always. >> That was because dur after that happened, I felt so bad that I had a drink just to relax me to try to go to sleep. This was after this happened. I had [music] a dream, but otherwise I don't drink hardly at all >> because I mean I could see I could see Hold on. I could see I [music] could see if you were drinking. You don't remember something that happened. >> No, it was only just a shot in in a little in some either in tea or or honey. It was like a hot totty. >> So then how did this happen to Ralph? You have told me many times [music] in here that you hope we don't think you did it. You hope Fran doesn't think you did I hope that they [music] don't think >> Here's here's the problem we have. >> No, but me bumping him could have done that. >> Here's the problem we have. >> It's not a bumping thing, >> isn't [music] it? >> No. In here, they said it would take at least 30 lb of force. >> Really? What What did he hit? Did he fall on the floor? >> I want you to tell me. >> I don't know. I was outside. >> If he fell on the floor, if he fell on the floor and hit his head like that, [music] you would have come in and he would have still been on the floor. There's no way he could have got up. He claimed he was on. I I don't understand >> because you tell me all the time how you would have to pick [music] him up and move him all the time because he couldn't walk. >> He could stand up and when I went out the door he [music] stood up. He could stand up >> under pressure. James seems to suddenly remember another detail. Claiming Ralph was standing when he left to walk the dog. It's only a small adjustment, but another shift in the story that's already been shifting too much. By now, the detective can tell that pulling the truth out of James won't be straightforward. [music] So, instead of hammering him on the inconsistencies, he decides to lean into James' own odd behavior, the tearless sobbing, endless overexplaining, and the drinking. If James can be convinced this was an accident, maybe he'll finally admit to doing something he doesn't remember. >> If you were drinking, >> was he drinking >> and something happened? >> Yeah. >> Okay. And maybe you don't remember it. That's that's one thing. And that's fine. >> We had a drink together. >> So, yeah. >> So, Jim, I just want to know, did you do something to him accidentally that you don't know that maybe you don't remember? >> Well, that's what I'm telling you. When I was bringing through the door, >> that didn't do it. >> That didn't do it. That didn't do it. Something hit Ralph with enough force to do that to him. >> And then maybe >> maybe when we were getting Could that [music] have happened when could it because something What do they think it was? >> The brain bleed would cause the unresponsiveness. >> Okay. Yeah. >> Are we clear on that? >> I sure. >> So no matter what happened after he was unresponsive has [music] nothing to do with it. >> Could he have fallen on the floor while I was I don't know. He could have crawled back and he could he could do that. I I was >> if he hit his head like that, he would have been knocked out. >> Well, I don't know. I was out for a long time, 20 minutes with each dog. >> So, every time and and everyone has noticed this. Everybody that's talked to you have noticed this. >> I'm so that you don't cry. >> I cry all the time. >> You don't cry in front of >> I cry 24. >> You try to You have this dramatic >> No. No. >> Like you're starting to cry and then there's no tears. >> Well, because I'm I'm just flabbergasted. That's not That's not a reason. >> I was shocked when the other person came to the house. I never expected. >> But that's not it's not the it's not the only time. >> Looks like the detective's persuasion isn't working as expected. Although James fumbles through his words, he still insists he doesn't know what could have happened. However, the detective has one more trick up his sleeve that's sure to do the trick. First, statements from the people who claimed Ralph called them [music] saying James had been abusive. And if that isn't enough, he's ready to go further with the autopsy photos showing the full extent of Ralph's injuries. The plan is simple. Challenge James with Ralph's own words and then force him to confront the medical evidence he can't explain away. >> Let me ask you this. One time, did you dump a bucket of ice water over top of him while he was sitting in his wheelchair? >> No. Who said that? >> Who said that? >> Jim, you got Listen, you got one chance here to tell me the truth. Ice? What's that about? I never did an ice bucket on him. Who said that? >> Why would Ralph call people and tell them that? >> He never called. >> Why would Ralph call and tell people that you abuse him? >> He didn't tell people that. >> Yes, he did. >> Who did he tell that to? >> He made many calls about it. >> No, he didn't. >> So, why would he do that? >> No, he never knew. >> How do you know? Because I was always with him. Ralph told everybody that his wife abused him. He told him his son abused him. He told everybody abused him. He couldn't get his way when he had panic attacks and then he'd get very upset about. >> So you're telling me you're telling me that you didn't do that >> and that you've never abused him? >> No. >> I think and everyone else is going to think that you did something here. >> No, I didn't. >> I'm going to show you something. >> I would get mad at him when he didn't do things like guy. >> Look at his eye. Look at his face. Look at his chin. You think, and you're going to sit here and tell me, you think dogs did this to him? >> Well, how did that end up there? That wasn't I I don't know how he's black and blue. He must have fallen >> when >> when when I was outside. He when I came in, he was listen, I'll piggyback off that and I'll say, okay, he did fall. Let's just say he fell. Ralph at 92 years old and he hits that hard. >> Yeah. >> His ass is not getting off the ground without someone helping him. >> Yeah. Well, he had this before. >> Had what before? >> Some of those black and blue marks. >> Why? >> Because the dogs were jumping on him and he had hit his hit. I I had I had >> him and slapped him. >> Let me show you this. >> To get awake. >> What's that? >> Do you know what that is? >> No. >> Do you know what the You know what the autopsy is telling me in the medical examiner? There's one uh there's one on each side of his neck and the one >> holding him up when it was trying to wake him up. Why would you not tell me you grabbed him by the neck? >> I didn't grab him by the neck. >> You didn't tell me you did that? >> Yes. I had to hold his head up and I was trying to hold him up and I couldn't. I was trying to get him out of bed and I shook [music] his head to wake him up. >> Why? Why would you grab someone like this? Not with two hands. Yeah. >> Like this. Why would you grab someone like this? >> Because I had him like this >> by the neck. >> No, hand here. I was trying to pull them up. Even when faced with witness statements and the photos of Ralph's injuries, James refuses to budge. By now, he knows that staying firm is the safest play he has left. For the detective, it's proof that circling around isn't going to work. So, he decides to make a risky gamble, cut straight to the point, and accuse James of murder. >> So, I'm going to tell you what I think happened. You want to hear what I think happened? >> I really want to know. I think that Ralph was probably on you about something. >> No, he wasn't. >> Listen, I don't know that you remember doing it, but while Ralph was laying in bed, you grabbed him by the neck. >> No. >> And you took your other hand and you hit him with that lamp in the head. >> I did not. I wasn't even near that lamp. >> That's what I think happened. >> No, it's not. Honest to God, that's >> because everything that I have, all this paperwork, everything in the report, >> I did not I wasn't even near the lamp. I came in from outside. >> You're lucky that I didn't bring in the picture of when they cut his head open [music] to take his brain out. And you should see the mass amount of blood that is in his head on the left side. >> Why? Why? [music] Because he was hit with something 30 lb of pressure or more. The detective's gamble is paying off and the pressure is getting to James. Watch the next few seconds closely because James is about to slip and give detectives [music] the confession they desperately need. >> Here's how it would go. Okay. >> Yeah. >> That cuz exactly what I told you is what I think happened. I think maybe you >> I was never mad at him. >> Everybody knows that you drink and you told me you don't. [music] >> No, I have a drink once in a while. I don't drink often. Uh, lately after I did it, I got a drink. >> In the middle of the conversation, James appears to let something slip. A statement that sounds dangerously close to an admission. The detective doesn't react and seems to miss it entirely, but another officer monitoring the interview hears it right away. He knocks on the door and pulls the detective outside to fill him in. Moments later, the detective walks back into the room, now armed with the potential slip of the tongue and ready to make one last push. You told me >> Yes. >> Just now you told me into this conversation today, you told me that [music] you guys were having drinks and then you had another one after you did it. >> No, I didn't [music] do it. >> What did you do? >> Huh? >> You said that to me. >> I didn't do it. Let's do it. >> I don't know. I want you to tell me. >> I put him on the bed actually earlier. But did [music] it? What's did it? >> I don't know. >> I don't either. [music] >> What? >> Why would I? >> I don't know, Jim. That's what I want to know. >> They can't do something to me, can they? For all this that [music] happened. I I don't want to end up being >> I don't jail for something or whatever for something I didn't do that was not something that was right. >> Well, you did it, but it's an accident. You're saying >> one thing is certain by now. James has [music] absolutely no grasp of the severity of the situation he's in. He doesn't even seem to realize that the final statement he just made has sealed his fate, giving investigators exactly what they needed. And with that, the interview is over. 2 days later, James Clement is arrested, held without bond, and indicted for involuntary manslaughter and lying to a police officer. His trial began on January 15th, 2025. [music] Prosecutors argued that 6 years of roundthe-clock caregiving left James burned out. He was dealing with his own health issues, stressed, and drinking heavily. Between September 23rd and 26th, James repeatedly struck Ralph Shoreman with enough force to cause fatal brain trauma and leave visible bruises and head injuries. On the night of September 25th, James delivered at least one highforce blow [music] to Ralph's head, causing internal hemorrhages that proved fatal within hours. Every shifting explanation James gave was [music] exposed as nothing more than a coverup story. Ralph's wife also testified in court, revealing that just days before his death, Ralph called her crying, saying James was becoming violent with him and begging her not to call [music] police because he was afraid of what might happen. On January 19th, 2025, James was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and lying to a police officer. He was acquitted of murder, but sentenced to 54 months to 15 years in prison.