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When they confronted Mustafa with their evidence on camera, she was so upset she asked for a break.
Thats a big mistake for a journalist to make.
I have to own up to it.
I have to take responsibility for it.
Im a journalist and so truth is what I live and breathe.
The publisher handed Gary the phone and said, Man, have I got a writer for you.
That was his 500-page manuscript, right?Yeah, it was very extensive.
Was that your impression?Yes, he did.
I definitely wanted to investigate it further because it was so many stories intertwined into one.
There were all these connections that I felt were worthy of an investigation.
I was like, Really, Gary?
This sounds a little far-fetched.
And then he sends me an email from Bobby Beausoleil that says he was.
So, at a point, I quit questioning him.
That, to me, was the point that I lost my objectivity.
I should have questioned him on every detail.
I shouldve gone behind him and interviewed everybody he interviewed.
So I didnt question him.
Normally, when I write a book, I do all of the research myself.
But he did a large portion.
Thats a big mistake for a journalist to make.
I have to own up to it.
I have to take responsibility for it.
He is a very likable person, but hes also very filled with pain.And that pain draws you in.
You feel that pain.
And thats why he is so convincing, because he absolutely believes everything.
Do you think Gary made a mistake, or was this deliberate?I think he made a mistake.
I dont think Gary did any of this on purpose.
I would like to be very clear about that.
In the original police report, the sentence for his father for fraud by wire was 90-day observation.
Your father was in Atascadero.
When they tell you on camera about all the discrepancies, you obviously got very upset.
Can you tell me what that was like for you?
We had no clue that it had veered off.
But I had no clue that it wasnt true.
They separated us that day and he did his interview first.
They wanted my honest reaction.And so, they finished with Gary and they brought me in to the set.
And I realized my career was blowing up on me in front of the camera.
When I came back to Baton Rouge, I went into a really dark place.
Its a bad place to be.
I went back through all of my research, every email.
I wanted the truth.
The truth was all that mattered.
My integritys important to me, but Im also going to take total responsibility for my role in it.
What thats going to do to my career, I still dont know.
Do you have a relationship with Gary?Yes, I do.
When we were writing the book together, we were good friends.
And now were back in a rocky phase.
He hasnt tried to talk me out of speaking my truth.
The bottom line is Gary is a very complex person.
I know that his obsession was what was portrayed in the documentary.
While we saw one side of him, there is a completely different side.
And I care about him.
And I feel bad for him.
If that unravels, once again, he wont know who he is.
Thats a very hard thing for somebody whos been traumatized to deal with.
What do you make of that?Ive wondered about that myself.
I even asked him about it the first time I saw it.
More than anything Zodiacrelated, thats part of his identity.
Did you burn the book?
[Laughs] Oh, gosh, if there were ever words you wish you could take back.
Instead, I marked it up and went on a mission to find out whats true, whats not.
They were very fair.
Even though its not complimentary to me, they did their job much better than I did mine.
And Im very grateful to Ross and Kief for giving me the opportunity to redeem myself in the film.
