I did get to sleep at three last night because I watched a three-episode docuseries called Don't Pick Up the Phone, about the McDonald's (and many others) strip-search hoax calls. Really shocking, but absolutely could have been two episodes if you cut out the repetition and the shots of leaves and bushes and junk. I'd seen a fictional film based on it, called Compliance. But this is really shocking and most of all is the guy getting away with it thanks to a shrewd attorney and a prosecution team that simply didn't do a good job in presenting the case. They had pretty damning evidence, but couldn't get the jury past reasonable doubt, thanks to the guy's attorney. One of the dead giveaways that the prosecution should have noted for the jury was the video of the guy purchasing phone cards in Walmart, cards that were directly tied to the phone calls he made. He had a big mustache in all the videos, including when he was arrested and then, some time later, extradited for trial. But for the trial his attorney obviously told him to shave it off, which he did. Had he not been allowed to do that, well, perhaps the outcome might have been different. The prosecution should have pointed it out and made him put on a fake mustache so the jury could see that.
But the truly shocking thing is that people, including the victims, went along with this outrageously disgusting stuff. At no point did anyone say to the pretend caller, "You know what, just come over here if you want to have a discussion." They just did whatever he asked them to do, and that included on several occasions things of a sexual nature.
