Beyond Belief - Season 1, Episode 1 - Full Episode | Forensic Files

[Music] you are about to enter the world of strange truth a world where the line between
fact and fiction is almost imperceptible beyond belief fact or fiction hosted by james brolin
live in a world where the real and the unreal live side by side where substance is disguised as illusion
and the only explanations are unexplainable can you separate truth from fantasy to do so you must break through the web
of your experience and open your mind to things beyond [Music] belief this word may look like it spells faults
to you a closer look shows that it can also be true the stories you will see tonight will
challenge your power to separate what is true from what is false each story may seem to you beyond belief
and in fact some of them are totally fictitious created solely for your entertainment
but others are inspired by actual events that have been documented as happening to real people
we've changed the names in certain details and yet the basics of the story remain the same
at the end of the program we'll tell you which stories are totally false and which ones have true written on them
can you recall ever seeing something that wasn't really there a movement of a curtain that looked
momentarily like an intruder a figure in the fog that turned out to be a shadow the mirage of water on a
distant stretch of highway shimmering in the heat mona watson has been seeing things
lately frightening things will her visions turned out to be reality or just another illusion
the world seemed to be closing in on me that spring things weren't going so well
in my marriage plus i'd lost my mom and dad within months of each other years ago i'd had what everyone called a
nervous breakdown i was even hospitalized for it i'd come back from that living hell
but lately i'd been experiencing a disturbing hallucination i only saw it when i looked into the
mirror in our second floor hallway i was terrified about my mental state and about that frightening image that i
couldn't get out of my head [Music] [Music] what i'm worried about dr hayes is having a relapse mona i really don't
think that's what this is then why do i keep seeing that woman mona you're working on a lot of stuff
right now your mother just died and you're under a lot of stress you're not sleeping well but why does it
only happen with that mirror i'm scared to death i don't want to go back into the hospital
the chances of that are so slim mona look you're stronger than that well what if we got rid of the mirror
i'm all for that i don't think the mirror is the problem mona now look i want you to go home and get
some sleep call me tomorrow we'll talk about it some more that night i did everything i could to
delay going up to bed i knew the doctor was right i had to conquer my own fears by myself
but i just didn't want to pass that mirror again so i rearranged the things in the house
because i couldn't rearrange the thoughts in my head i thought you said you were coming i'm
coming right now george was already in bed my fear of the mirror was doing nothing
to solve the very real problems we had in our relationship yet deep down i felt we still loved each
other and i wanted to be a strong partner for him but i felt myself losing him and my mind
at the same time you forgot to turn out the hall light you want me to do it no get it
i knew that george was trying to force me to confront my demons he just didn't know how real they were
to me [Music] the bad weather continued all month long and then a major storm hit that was stranding commuters
like george in the city [Music] hello oh george hi uh-huh well the one are gonna be home
can't you come home tonight wait are you sure hello george please try [Music] no i'll be fine
yeah i'll just sleep with the lights on i love you too [Music] i was trembling inside but i was
determined to hold on to my sanity i don't know why i didn't just sleep downstairs that night
i guess i didn't want george to come home and find me there on the way upstairs i made up my mind i
would compromise i didn't care what dr hayes might think i was home alone and i was going to do something to calm
my fears [Music] i've replayed that night's events over and over in my head and it says real to me now as it was on
that terrible evening ugh [Music] uh [Music] ah aah i didn't know who he was but i knew he
had seen the lady in the mirror too and that's what saved my life the prowler was picked up a few blocks
away by the police talking incoherently about the woman in the mirror when his record sheet was checked it was
founded in the last year he had escaped from the police after murdering a woman well they printed the picture of the
murdered woman in the local paper mona saw it and recognized it as the same woman she had been seeing in the
mirror after that day she never saw the image again is this story inspired by actual events
or merely smoke and mirrors [Music] fact or fiction we'll find out at the conclusion of tonight's show
next a condemned man faces his last moments in a tale that's beyond belief [Music]
how many of us take our comfort for granted to be seated in a warm safe place as you are right now is
something we never give a second thought but what if the circumstances turned our
world upside down what if we were accused of a crime for which we had no alibi then would our comfortable seat feel
quite as safe and secure the electric chair is a relatively simple contraption composed of little
more than wood leather straps and electrical wiring yet it's one of the most reliable execution
devices of modern times as gruesome as it is effective all right [Music] it's time
even the most hardened criminal can't escape the fear of knowing he's about to die
the man behind bars would be next to take that long lonely walk but for now another man had an
appointment to keep an appointment booked by a judge and jury the straps are to keep the body down to
receive the powerful charge the blindfold goes back to the days of the firing squad
for electrocutions it also holds the eyes in place the final touch and now all that remains
is the level time [Music] within days it would be time for this man to take his seat in the death
chamber raymond michael edmundson convicted of first-degree murder it was attorney lee calvin's first case
as public defender he believed in the innocence of his client but he couldn't convince the
state ray edmondson's execution was drawing closer it was a meal and then a walk back to his solitary
cell where he would have time to think about the circumstances that brought him to this point
and how much different his future might have been a future that right now had only a few hours left
i'm sorry ray i did my best it's okay you did what you could do okay ray back to the cell
two eyewitnesses had identified rey as the man they saw gunned down the owner of a convenience
store there was no physical evidence the weapon used to commit the murder was never found
ray had no alibi calvin had no defense [Music] it's time ray ray michael edmondson was a vietnam vet
drafted out of school after he came back to the states he lived on the streets one of the
thousands of homeless for months after his arrest he had proclaimed his innocence
then gradually he started to realize nobody was listening now the only emotion he had left
was the one he was trying to hide fear test good bring in the prisoner all right
he's ready [Music] time check it [Music] all right again take him back to his cell what his
lawyer couldn't do had been accomplished by fate edmondson was granted a 24-hour reprieve
prison officials worked all night and found no electrical defect it's time right
[Music] at the exact same moment the execution failed another crime was taking place
in the city where rey had been arrested a gunman was caught holding up a liquor store
detectives called to the scene of the robbery were the same ones who had investigated ray's case
they were startled by the resemblance of the robbery suspect to ray even before the ballistic tests were
completed the gunman confessed to the murder for which ray had spent more than six years behind bars
two days before his 50th birthday ray was free free to make something of his life at
last could this story be true could an electrical system that was working flawlessly suddenly fail at the moment
of execution twice and consider the fact that ray edmondson was innocent because of that some might consider the
power failure to be divine intervention or is the explanation as simple as those mornings
when your car engine won't turn over for several times and then suddenly kicks right in
or that bulb in your house that only goes on when it wants to is this story true or false
we'll tell you in the final moments of our show next a family reunion with a surprise
twist those born with the talent to entertain others often find their lives to be a
series of trade-offs the next story is about such a woman the road offers her acclaim for her singing
every night but it also keeps her away from her family far too many nights a year
so it's very important to keep her family together no matter how far away she is
it will be forever or i'll never fall in in a restless world like this is [Music]
love has ended before it's begun [Music] yes cow interview on the 29th should be no
problem let me just check the calendar that's me behind the desk i'm in charge of vicki sawyer's career
i'm also her husband vicky spends weeks at a time on the road which means our daughter molly and i are left alone a
lot it isn't always smooth going for the two of us but since i started to let molly
help out things are a lot better yeah got it here 29th looks perfect now let me just check it out with vicky
once she gets to jacksonville all right talk with you then thanks paul how would you like to keep mom company
in new york cool can we stay threats why not could you take these to the post office phone
sure it's the least i could do since you're letting us stay at the ritz hello yeah vicky
oh boy the connection's so bad i can hardly hear you oh i love you too hon what's going on
you're kidding it's 11 15. you should be in jacksonville by now sure i can meet you where
sure hon yeah love you the place where vicky wants me to meet her is a sentimental one for both of us
a lot of what we are today started out as a handful of dreams in our little neighborhood club
i haven't been here in years but it's close to the airport a perfect spot for a quick get-together
between planes i think he's always full of surprises and she did say she has a special gift
for me that's funny place looks like it's closed but i can't be that's strange [Music]
i wonder what that gift's all about she's probably gonna come out of some dark corner and surprise me any minute
vicky vicky [Music] our table the one where vicky and i would sit for hours making plans for the
future two kids who didn't know the odds against her becoming a star and didn't care
vicky dad what are you doing here i got this call from mom she said to meet up with you guys here did she
say anything about her flight being canceled i asked her what the deal was i don't think she heard me she just did
meet you [Music] i've been here since i was a kid yeah it's been a long time yeah i don't even remember why we used
to come here it was the food that good no it wasn't the food this is where mom and
i had our first date she's in high school she always liked coming back here [Music]
it's where we fell in love how'd you know you were in love it was how i felt the first time she touched my
hand i wanted to be with her all the time and i i miss her when she's not with me
like now yeah like now never bothers you that mom's the one that gets all the attention
really your mom's the talented one and she'd be the first to tell you that we've all helped and sacrificed for her
success you never get jealous you read her fan mail you go to her concerts you see how those
guys look at her yeah yeah it bothered me at first but uh hey we're way past that now i trust your
mom and she trusts me [Music] do you remember how i used to always let me pick up the songs in the jukebox that
was over there oh yeah once you started dancing we could never get you to come back to the
table [Music] you know what else i remember i remember you me and mom all dancing together god
that's so great i want my kids to have those kind of experiences they will sweetheart you know i remember
the night your mom gave you one of the earrings she was wearing yeah and she said together they make a
pair so as long as we both had them we'd always be together yes cow oh i can't hear you hold on a
second yeah who is this hello yeah yeah i can hear you now what's up man what kind of accident oh
is vicky okay just tell me what happened oh my god dad oh my god i can't believe this look what
i just found over on the stage same earring i swear it is what's wrong mom called me at 11 15. i know i looked
at my watch what time was it when she called you um i just got back from the post office so
it had to be before 11 30. that's when i left for here why who called this bill morgan from jacksonville
set the plane with your mom and fellas in the band crashed coming into jacksonville 10 30 this
morning that can't be there must be some kind of mistake because it will be we both talked to her
after 11 minutes [Music] just be okay right they're all dead and the moment so that was the gift bringing us all
together one last time she's gone baby is when i fall [Music] in love [Music] we
[Music] hear both molly and cal received their phone calls after the fatal plane crash took
place could they both have been mistaken about the time and how do you explain the earring that
turned up on the nightclub floor was it another earring someone else had lost or one last souvenir sent by vicky to
her daughter from the road or maybe this story never really happened at all was this story real we'll find out at
the end of our show next a tale of lust and revenge on beyond belief fact or fiction
the gun how many stories of fact and fiction are based on its power to change the course of human events
yet the greatest storyteller of them all shakespeare seemed to do fine without it and
although shakespeare wasn't above the use of violence he always made sure his tragedies had plenty of fate and irony
too in our next story fate and irony play a major role but with apologies to the bard of avon
we cannot have told it without a gun you could always find sharon at her computer even during lunch break
she was my boss but we were like sisters and there was nothing we wouldn't do for
each other are you still here oh i i just wanted to finish the offer on the chasing property
come on everyone else has already gone to the valentine's day party i'm just going to be a couple or so
give me that you have an anniversary to celebrate would you end up getting him anyway
airline tickets are you serious where are you going paris we're finally going on our honeymoon boy
john is going to be surprised [Music] sharon must have known something was wrong when she saw the car in the
driveway it wasn't supposed to be part of the [Music] picture [Music] she probably should have never gone
inside but she couldn't help herself even with that police car staring her in the face
[Music] honey [Music] john [Music] sharon's husband john was a cop he trained other cops and he was well liked what's
wrong i thought i heard something oh my god you think it's your wife no no she never gets home before sex
[Music] i'm sure i heard something i'll just check it out [Music] oh my god [Music]
get out both of you get the hell out just give me a chance to explain no i want you out now
sharon put down the gun how could you do this jess sharon it's our anniversary put the gun down freeze
[Music] just give me the gun sharon when the gun went off sharon never had a chance
they said that she died within minutes hmm to lose a best friend so young is always
a devastating blow but in this case it seemed so absolutely unfair the authorities cleared john of any
wrongdoing and declared the case closed but the story doesn't end there [Music] everyone was sure that jon got away with
murder but then one day somebody paid john a visit somebody filled with hate and revenge as
john worked alone in his yard he was the perfect target but that day fate stepped in and took
over in my heart i knew that one killing never justifies another one thankfully the shot missed
john never even heard it john and his lover eventually got married she never liked sharon's tree
so she asked john to cut it down [Music] i guess it reminded me too much of sharon in that terrible day
[Music] john at first it seemed like a heart attack until the blood appeared the chainsaw blade had somehow struck
the bullet and shot it straight into john's heart i guess fate has a funny way of evening
things out [Applause] could a bullet shot into a tree be dislodged years later to
find its original target unexploded landmines first set in world war ii have gone off decades later and of
course a bullet in our story had been already fired once could the chainsaw blade have turned it
into a deadly projectile again or maybe this is simply a fable and our writing staff is guilty of firing blanks
the truth about this story will be revealed in our final act next an eerie tale of a house and a
haunting dream on beyond belief fact or fiction [Music] for most of us the purchase of a home is
the most important investment we'll ever make it's a transaction that includes much
more than money it also ties in our emotions our hopes and our dreams alicia adams wasn't just seeking a house
she was searching for something more the fulfillment of a haunting dream it was one of those days that don't come
around very often the air was crisp and clean the sun was warm without being too hot
smell of freshly cut grass mixed with the fragrance of flowers and the beautiful house completed the picture
it felt like the first day of spring and the start of indian summer rolled into one
there was absolutely nothing wrong with this ideal scene except for one thing it was only a dream
all right up and at them kiddo a lot of houses to look at today i found the perfect house
i had a dream about it last night it was beautiful daniel two stories huge yard wonderful trees it could only be your
dream house we're looking for a starter home remember hey alicia come on honey let me guess no curb appeal
you didn't like the backyard it was fine what the the kitchen's too small the bedroom
the house is fine daniel it's just not it's not the dream house come on alicia the dream house is a figment of your
imagination [Music] that night was like every other night i dreamed about the house again
and as always it was a lovely beautiful dream the home was so inviting i was drawn
inside everything was just the way i wanted it to be as my mind traveled from room to room
i knew that this was a house i could turn into a loving wonderful home and i knew that somehow some way this
house would be my house alicia hey you okay you're talking in your sleep i i had another dream about the house
this time i went inside oh it was so beautiful hardwood floors french doors opening onto a garden
that's perfect for us just the place you're meant to have it's ideal for raising a family
and someday we'll buy one just like it but for now let's focus on a place we can afford okay
[Music] hey i okay get to work i love you bye one more house in our range it's on
glencoe didn't we look in that neighborhood last week yeah but it's a new listing
i'm sure it's not your dream house though so don't get your hopes up you can make light of it but i can't
believe i'd be dreaming about the same place night after night if there weren't a reason
i can't believe we've spent a month passing your house stop that's it that's the house i've been
dreaming about i can't believe it [Music] look at the yard honey oh the garage hurry daniel it's beautiful hold on
alicia we can't it's all here even the french doors beautiful let me show you the kitchen
sweetheart wait [Applause] the cooking island remember i told you about this oh stop it
a picture window can i help you folks i'm margaret i'm the agent representing this property
oh daniel alden my wife alicia hi hi sorry we're house hunting well you're in luck
this place is going on the market today oh daniel like me to show you around oh you're
gonna love the backyard it's got a pool you've always wanted a pool daniel wait do you see the view
your wife she's been here before [Music] even though we knew it was out of our range i insisted that we put in a bid
daniel was sure we didn't have a chance but my heart was beating so loud i could
hear it honey would you relax you're making me nervous i want this house daniel it's
perfect come on you got to believe me now what can i say and it is very beautiful
i mean there's no way they're going to accept our bid it's way way too low wow looks like you've bought yourself a
house daniel [Music] but i don't understand the house is worth a lot a lot more i know what can i
say the owner instructed me to take the first offer period wait oh there's nothing wrong with a
house nothing structurally it's just well the owners are convinced that the place is haunted
i don't care what the owners think we're taking this house period oh mrs simes i'd like you to meet
the young couple who bought your home it's you you're the ghost you're the one haunting this house
you were here every night [Music] i was here every night but that was only in my dreams
wasn't it [Music] did alicia have an out-of-body experience obviously the owner of the
dream house was under stress she had been experiencing abnormal activities in her
home she claimed to have seen the image of a woman roaming her property and when she saw alicia she immediately
connected her as that woman that could have been her mind playing tricks on her but the
question remains how could alicia know every detail of the house without having been there before unless
of course we made the whole thing out next we'll find out which stories are inspired by actual events
and which are fabrications on beyond belief fact or fiction [Music] let's look back on tonight's stories and
see how good we are at separating fact from fiction remember some stories are inspired by
actual events and others are completely fictitious have we been able to fool you tonight
let's find out our first story was about the woman who was haunted by the apparition in the
mirror did this seem like something that you might have read about in the papers
well you might have the events took place and what about the condemned man who was
saved from certain death by an electric chair that wouldn't work [Music] time did this story seem impossible to you
congratulations is total fiction vicky then there was the story of the family brought together
by a message that may have come from the other side what's up man what kind of excellent oh is vicky okay
just tell me what happened did this story seem to be real did you think it was based on truth not
this time it's fiction and how about our tale of the wronged wife the flandering husband and the avenging
bullet did you think this story was false you're absolutely wrong the bullet did find its mark
our final plot told of the couple who were searching for their dream house and found something totally unexpected
oh mrs simes i'd like you to meet the young couple who bought your home it's you you're the ghost
do you think that you've got this one figured out did the events take place yes they did so how did you do at
separating the real from the unreal tonight three of our stories were inspired by
actual events and two were complete works of fiction we hope you found tonight's stories both
entertaining and thought-provoking and the next time you sense something is an absolute lie
at least take a moment to consider it might just be strange truth goodnight join us next time on beyond
belief fact or fiction this is don lafontaine [Music] foreign you

This episode features the following cases: The Apparition; The Electric Chair; On the Road; Number One with a Bullet; Dream House.

Brief Summary

This episode features stories of hallucinations, wrongful convictions, family ties, and a haunted house, blurring fact and fiction.

Key points

Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction. Explore the thin line between reality and illusion in tonight's stories.
Mona's Hallucination. Mona Watson struggles with terrifying visions that blur the line between reality and illusion.
Raymond Michael Edmondson's Execution. A man faces execution for a crime he didn't commit, leading to a shocking twist.
The Tragic Plane Crash. A family reunion turns tragic as they learn of a devastating accident.
Fate's Revenge. A tale of love, betrayal, and the ironic twist of fate that leads to a tragic end.
Alicia's Dream House. Alicia dreams of the perfect house, but is it just a figment of her imagination?

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I was terrified about my mental state.

Mona's fear about her hallucinations.

2:24WatchJan 7, 2021

Tension

65/ 100Some tension

More from True Crime Files

Solve the Crime

Read a real case one clue at a time, then see how your call held up against the investigators.