Criminal Adaptations

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

• Criminal Adaptations • Season 5 • Episode 13

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If the rage, grief, and unanswered questions at the heart of Martin McDonagh’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) felt almost too real – that’s because they were. In this episode we start by discussing McDonagh’s critically acclaimed and Oscar winning film, which also happens to be one of co-host Ashley’s favorite movies. Next, we compare the case to the still-unsolved 1991 murder of Kathy Page, a case that has haunted her family and the community for decades. We break down the sticking parallels between the movie and Kathy Page’s story: a parent’s public protest, law enforcement failures, billboards demanding a resolution, and the emotional toll of living without justice. We also explore where the film diverges from reality, how fiction reshapes trauma, and what the movies leaves out about the long-term impact on victims’ families. Ultimately, this episode asks a difficult question – when a case goes cold, what does justice actually look like, and who gets to decide when the story is over?

If you or anyone you know has information about the murder of Kathy Page, visit the following websites: Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Rangers Cold Case, or Texas Crime Stoppers. Anonymous tips can also be placed by calling 1-800-252-TIPS (8477) or 1-800-346-3243.


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Theme: DARKNESS (feat. EdKara) by Ghost148


Remi:

Welcome to Criminal Adaptations, the show where we take a look at some of your favorite movies and the true crime stories that inspired them. I'm Remy. I spent over a decade working in the film and television industry in Los Angeles, California.

Ashley:

And I'm Ashley. I'm a clinical psychologist and forensic evaluator in the state of Oregon.

Remi:

Rise and shine campers. Don't forget to put your booties on because it's going to be cold out there today. Happy Groundhogs Day, everybody. That was a reference from the Bill Murray movie Groundhog's Day. We record these things a little bit in advance, so we don't know if Punxitawny Phil has seen his shadow yet, but we are happy to be here. Ashley, how are you doing?

Ashley:

I'm doing great. It was actually a gorgeous January Thursday here in Portland, Oregon, other than the very obnoxious construction that we're gonna have going on in our neighborhood for the next year. But other than that, life's good.

Remi:

Yeah, we are recording this podcast at 5 p.m. Usually we start much earlier in the day, but yeah, they were sawing wood and moving stuff around with the beep, beep, beeps, and it was uh just a little bit too loud for us to record until now, unfortunately. But we are here and we are excited to be here.

Ashley:

I personally am so excited. This might be the most excited I have ever been to talk about a film. I was thinking about it earlier. I think this is my second favorite movie ever.

Remi:

And in case you couldn't tell by the name of this episode, we will be covering Martin McDonough's Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. An Academy Award-winning film and a brilliant film with fantastic actors and a wonderful director. But this isn't really a traditional Who Done It. The movie isn't so much about solving the crime and finding out who did it, as much as it is about what happens when a crime goes unsolved and the ripple effect it can have across the community. And like I said before, this film was directed by Martin McDonough. Ashley, have you seen any of Mr. McDonough's previous films?

Ashley:

You know, after just hearing the name, my gut reaction said no, but I'm looking at your show notes and seeing the three movies you have listed. And yes, I have seen three of these because you have shown them to me. The first one is In Bruges, and that movie actually inspired us to go to Bruges on a European vacation when we were already gonna be in the area, and we stayed at the hotel that they stay in in that movie, and it's now one of our favorite places we've been in Europe.

Remi:

Yes, I was the one who encouraged us to stay in the same hotel that Colin Farrell stayed in in the film. It was sort of a detour trip, and it stole the show. So thank you, Mr. McDonough, for bringing this beautiful European town to my attention because we probably would have never heard of it if it weren't for this film, and it's maybe one of the best trips we've ever taken, at least top three in my mind. He also directed the film Seven Psychopaths, which I think I showed you, but you weren't really paying attention. And a much better film in my mind, The Banshees of Ineshiran.

Ashley:

I view that as a follow-up to Imbruges because it is Colin Farrell and Brandon Gleason again reunited together, just doing their thing. It is a fabulous, fabulous movie.

Remi:

I sort of separate his films into two different categories. He's only made four films total at the recording of this podcast. In Bruges and Banshees of Inashiran are what I consider his European-Irish films. And then his two American films are Seven Psychopaths and the film we are going to be discussing today.

Ashley:

Only four films, and those are really, really, really great movies. What an impressive director.

Remi:

He makes really original stuff, and I'm a huge fan. And speaking of huge fans, I know Ashley, you are a huge fan of the anchor of this film, I guess you could call her, Frances McDormand, who usually plays a tough, no-nonsense woman who doesn't really care about being charming or likable.

Ashley:

Honestly, before seeing this movie, I was more of a big fan of Woody Harrelson, but after Frances McDormant's performance in this role, she just had me sold. She just made my jaw drop. She made me laugh. She made me cry. She did it all.

Remi:

I think Francis McDormant is amazing. The films I know her best from are probably the ones she's made with her husband, Joel Cohen. That's Fargo, Raising Arizona, Burn After Reading. But she has had so many memorable supporting roles in movies like Moonrise Kingdom and Almost Famous, which her character reminded me a lot of my mom.

Ashley:

I haven't seen that movie in so long. I don't even remember her character. I remember Kate Hudson, obviously, and also the young reporter.

Remi:

She is the overprotective mom of the kid in the film. And she is amazing. We really have to re-watch that film. But this is a stacked cast in general. This film also has Woody Harrelson and Sam Rockwell, who are two actors that are like adding butter or salt to like any meal that you're having. It just makes it a little bit better.

Ashley:

They are two actors that no matter what they are in, I will watch.

Remi:

Woody Harrelson has, of course, starred in The People versus Larry Flint, which we covered a few seasons back. He also starred in Natural Born Killers, which was probably the film that first got me into Woody Harrelson as like a cinematic actor. And he has just time and time again been amazing in basically every performance he's done. Even going back to Woody and Cheers, I thought he was great on that show.

Ashley:

And then there's Sam Rockwell, who we actually just watched a trailer that he's in, and it has some sort of crazy title.

Remi:

Good luck, have fun, don't die is the movie he is coming out with this year, 2026. But he has been in so many amazing roles. I know he was like next in line to play Tony Stark in Iron Man. So if RDJ hadn't gotten the gig, it would have been Sam Rockwell. He was also in Moon, which I think is phenomenal. It's basically a one-man performance where he is playing against a clone of himself, as well as Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, which we have contemplated discussing on this podcast, but chalked it up to most of that story being bullshit, so decided against it.

Ashley:

We did because it has come out that it's all lies. And unlike Catch Me If You Can, from our knowledge, there's no crime that was committed at any point. Otherwise, I would have slotted that in so quickly.

Remi:

He's also in another one of my favorite films, Matchstick Men, starring Nicolas Cage, and Galaxy Quest, which I know a lot of people are really huge fans of. And I particularly like his character because he's playing someone who just thinks he's gonna die the entire time, so he's very, very nervous. But he's an amazing actor.

Ashley:

And he was also in the latest season of White Lotus, wasn't he, Remy?

Remi:

He was, and I debated on whether or not to play this clip on the podcast, but we had a drink before recording today. So I'm gonna just issue a warning before I play this. Sam Rockwell is a character in this series who has a very, very sordid backstory. And there is a scene between him and Walton Goggins where he is just explaining what he's been doing for the past few years since they've seen each other. And I want to play a clip of it, but I do want to warn everyone it is graphic.

Snowden Trailer:

And then this guy came over and railed the shit out of me. And then I got addicted to that. Some nights three four guys would come over and reel the shit out of me. Some I even had to pay. And at the same time, I'd hire an Asian girl to just sit there and watch the whole thing.

Same Rockwell - White Lotus clip:

I'd look in her eyes. Well, some guy was fucking me, and I'd think I am her and I'm fucking me.

Ashley:

Oh man. First off, if you do not watch White Lotus, jump on that bandwagon immediately. Two, if you haven't seen the latest season, watch it immediately. When Remy and I saw that Sam Rockwell was making a guest appearance on it, we were so excited. And we had the same facial expression that Walton Goggins has during his entire interaction with Sam Rockwell's character.

Remi:

Yeah, he's just meeting him for a drink after not seeing him for a while. I won't ruin the reason that they're meeting for a drink, but his expression is just pure shock and not even knowing what to say. It is an amazing show. And from what I had heard, Sam Rockwell wasn't even supposed to be in the show at all. But his partner, Leslie Bibb, was on the latest season and asked him to come on down for this cameo. And he ended up coming on for a few episodes and delivering one of the craziest monologues, if not the craziest monologue I have ever heard on any TV show. And that is just a brief clip of it, what I played for you. It is a great show, and I can't recommend it enough.

Ashley:

Well, Remy, we could talk about the cast and crew of three billboards for days, but I think it's time for us to get into the movie.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri clip:

Still no rest. How come I wonder? Cause there ain't no God and the whole world's empty, and it doesn't matter what we do to each other.

Remi:

Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri is a 2017 American film written, directed, and produced by Martin McDonough, starring Francis McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Caleb Landry Jones, Abby Cornish, and Peter Dinklage. While traveling through the southern United States in the late 1990s, Martin McDonough came across a set of accusatory billboards in Vitter, Texas, that alleged a woman named Kathy Page had been murdered by her husband and criticized the local police for failing to solve the case. McDonough later described the billboards, which he assumed had been put up by the victim's mother as raging, painful, and tragic. That experience, combined with his interest in writing strong female characters, are what ultimately inspired the story for three billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri.

Ashley:

Wow, what a coincidence that he just happened to be traveling not just by this town, but by this one single interstate, and came across these billboards. The interstate was just smack dab in between these two towns on land that the victim's dad just happened to own.

Remi:

Well, that image did really stick with Martin McDonough, and he said it took him nearly 10 years to settle on the idea that it was a mother behind the billboards. At which point the story became fiction loosely based on those memories of the real signs. The character of Mildred was specifically written with Frances McDormand in mind, but McDormond was initially hesitant to take on the role, largely because of her age at the time, which was 58.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri clip:

I was concerned about the character's age because I'm from a working class background, and I feel like a lot of women in from that socioeconomic world, as Mildred's, wouldn't wait till they were 38 to have children. So I was concerned about playing the mother of younger children, 16 and 18. And so I asked Martin to make Mildred their grandmother, knowing that a lot of grandmothers do raise their grandchildren. But he was really, and I think rightfully so, was really connected to the idea of her being a mother in kind of the Greek tradition of how mothers fight for their revenge. Well, yes, justice. It's justice. It's not revenge. Justice is larger.

Ashley:

I get her reservations if you're like digging real deep there. But when you're watching this movie, you're not thinking for a single second about how old Frances McDermott is.

Remi:

Not at all. I think that Frances McDormott perfectly captured that age range of a blue-collar mother raising her children. I never once thought of her as a 58-year-old woman.

Ashley:

Much less a grandmother. That would have just been too distracting.

Remi:

Well, it was ultimately McDormand's husband, Joel Cohen, who finally convinced her to take the part by bluntly telling her to just stop overthinking it and do it. In shaping her performance, McDorman drew inspiration from legendary Hollywood cowboy John Wayne, particularly his blunt tone and forceful screen presence. Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson, and Abby Cornish all previously worked with McDonough on his 2012 film Seven Psychopaths, with the role of Dixon in Three Billboards being written specifically with Rockwell in mind. According to dialect coach Elizabeth Heimelstein, Rockwell's process of getting Dixon's accent right was extremely hands-on, preferring to find real people, record them, then build the accent directly from those voices. Himmelstein also recalled watching an episode of Cops One Night that had been filmed in Springfield, Missouri, and on a whim, she tweeted the local police department asking if they'd be willing to talk. Not long after, she and Rockwell were Skyping with the chief of police, learning all about his life, his job, and the way he spoke.

Ashley:

Can you imagine being that chief of police just being like, yeah, sure, I'll talk to you? And then Sam Rockwell is on the Zoom call.

Remi:

Well, this guy went above and beyond. One specific detail from the officer that stuck with Rockwell was the word clank as a slang term for jail, which he later suggested to Martin McDonough, who liked it so much that he immediately wrote it into the script. The officer also went on to record himself reading all of Dixon's lines, giving Rockwell a full audio reference to work from, which Rockwell closely studied.

Ashley:

Okay, did this guy get paid then? Because he read all the lines? That's wild.

Remi:

I don't have that information. I'm assuming no, and it was just one of those things where they're making a movie, Sam Rockwell jumped on a call with me, and you know, why not? I got a little free time, I'm gonna read the script for him. Why not?

Ashley:

Yeah, I'd do it for free too.

Remi:

I don't know if I'd be happy that this particular character was being based on my voice, but we'll get into that when we get into the film. On top of the voice work, Rockwell purposefully gained weight and wore padding to give Dixon a heavier, softer build. Rockwell additionally modeled Dixon after Lee Marvin, who starred opposite John Wayne in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence, as a way to make Dixon feel like a counterweight to Mildred's character, who is being based on John Wayne. Since there is no real town in Missouri called Ebbing, the film was actually shot in the small mountain town of Silva, where principal photography began on May 2nd, 2016, and ran for about 33 days.

Ashley:

Okay, wow, two things. One, first off, good on them for actually going to a small town in Missouri. They did not have to do that. And two, 33 days? That is so quick.

Remi:

A lot of these smaller productions are done in about a month or less, and it's always surprising because of just the quality of work that comes from those 30 days. Local residents from Jackson County were encouraged to apply as extras, and many end up appearing in background roles throughout the film. Students from the stage and screen department at Western Carolina University were also brought in to serve as stand-ins for a lot of the main cast. The production was also very open to the community, with locals welcome to watch outdoor scenes being filmed in public areas as long as they stayed out of the way. On some days, crowds of well over a hundred people would gather, with cast members often coming over during filming breaks to sign autographs and take photos with anyone who had shown up to watch.

Ashley:

Oh my god, I'm so jealous of all these townsfolks. I would have been there every single day. Yeah, in fact, I probably wouldn't even have left. I would have just set up my little tent and just camped out.

Remi:

The billboards themselves were built by Allison Outdoor Advertising, a local company in Silva, grounding one of the film's most iconic elements firmly in the real town that brought Ebbing to life. Now, Ashley, are you ready to get into the three billboards? Ebbing, Missouri.

Ashley:

I'm already there, but let's go deeper.

Remi:

Our story begins with Mildred Hayes, played by Frances McDormant, driving along a quiet rural road outside of Ebbing, Missouri, when she notices three old billboards standing in a row that catch her eye. After slowing her car to a stop, she looks them over for a moment, taking note of the advertising company listed on the signs, before driving away. Back in town, Mildred pulls up to the Ebbing Advertising Company and walks straight inside with a look of fierce determination. There she meets Red Welby, played by Caleb Landry Jones, the man responsible for renting out the billboards, who is clearly intimidated by Mildred's intense demeanor.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri clip:

Yes, ma'am, how am I helping? I hear those three billboards out on Drinkwater Road. You're in charge of renting a map, that right? I didn't know we had any billboards out on Drinkwater Road. Where is Drinkwater Road? There's a road out past size more turnoff. Nobody uses it since a free work I put in. You're right. We got three billboards out there. Nobody's put nothing up out there since 1986. That was huggies. How much to rent all three of them out for the year? Quick angel, Welby. Since what I say goes these days down at the Ebbing Advertising Desk, I'm gonna strike you a real good deal on those billboards. No, what was that your name was, Mrs. Rustle on what you can and cannot say on a billboard. I assume you can't say nothing defamatory and you can't say fuck piss or cunt, that right? Or Anis? I think I'll be all right then.

Remi:

Mildred pays Red five thousand dollars in cash to rent the billboards for one month, with the intention of keeping them up for the entire year. She hands him several pieces of paper with the messages she wants displayed, and Red reassures her that all three billboards will be up by Easter Sunday.

Ashley:

Ooh, wow, what a premiere date.

Remi:

Sometime later, Officer Dixon, played by Sam Rockwell, is casually patrolling the area in his police cruiser when he notices some activity near the billboards, so pulls over to investigate. Upon exiting his vehicle, Dixon sees that all three billboards have been newly installed, displaying the messages Raped while dying, and still no arrests. How come, Chief Willoughby? In bold black lettering against a blood-red background. Utterly aghast by the sight before him, Dixon immediately calls Chief Willoughby, played by Woody Harrelson, to promptly alert him of the offending billboards. The following day, Mildred drives past the billboards with her teenage son Robbie, played by Lucas Hedges, who is clearly uncomfortable with his mother's decision to publicly display a constant reminder of his sister's murder. Chief Willoughby arrives at Ebbing Advertising, accompanied by another officer to confront Welby about the billboards. Unfortunately for the fuzz, Red has already thoroughly looked into the matter and found out that the billboards do not violate any legal regulations, and would also not qualify as defamation, since the messages are phrased as questions rather than direct accusations. In short, this means that Red has absolutely no obligation whatsoever to take them down, despite the police department's objections. Ebbing advertising is also conveniently located directly across the street from the police station. So when Chief Willoughby returns and informs the department that the billboards cannot be taken down, Officer Dixon takes it upon himself to try and handle Red personally, with a bit of police brutality. But luckily he is restrained by Chief Willoughby before the altercation can escalate to an all-out fight in the middle of the street. Later that day, Mildred is interviewed on site at the Billboards by a local news channel, where she explains that her daughter was abducted, raped, and murdered seven months earlier along the same stretch of road where the billboards now stand. She goes on to criticize the Ebbing Police Department for failing to solve the case and accuses them of spending more time abusing black people than searching for her daughter's killer. The following morning, Chief Willoughby pays a little visit to Mildred's home in an attempt to reason with her about the billboards.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri clip:

And when there wasn't a single eyewitness from the time she left your house to the time we found her, well right now there ain't too much more we can do. Could pull blood from every man and boy in this town over the age of eight. Their civil rights laws prevent that, Mrs. Hayes. And what if he was just passing through town? Pull blood from every man in the country, man. Then what if he was just passing through the country? I start up a database. Every male baby was born, stick him on it. And as soon as he done something wrong, cross-reference it. Make 100% certain it was a correct match, then kill him.

Remi:

Willoughby tries appealing with Mildred on a personal level by revealing that he has terminal cancer, only to learn that Mildred was already well aware of that fact long before she decided to put up the billboards. Later that night at the town dive bar, Red is shooting a bit of pool with his friend James, played by Peter Dinklage, when they are rudely interrupted by Dixon, who is drunk as a skunk and begins belligerently harassing Red and openly making homophobic remarks. The confrontation dissipates when Mildred walks over and drops a few dollars on the pool table to call the next game against James, who is clearly a bit smitten with her. That week, Chief Willoughby, increasingly frustrated by his cancer treatments and the constant presence of Mildred's billboards, prompt him to revisit the case file of Mildred's daughter, Angela Hayes. As he reviews the materials, we see glimpses of graphic crime scene photos of Angela's corpse, documenting the horrifically burnt condition her body had been discovered. We then cut to Mildred at the dentist for a routine tooth extraction. While she waits for the Novicaine to kick in, the dentist casually mentions his friendship with Chief Willoughby. Then, in the blink of an eye, Mildred grabs the dental drill off the tray table and deeply drives it into the dentist's thumbnail, causing him to scream out in pain and fall to the floor. Mildred then calmly rinses her mouth out and spits on him before leaving the dentist with a warning to tell Chief Willoughby to do his fucking job.

Ashley:

I don't think this was clearly articulated, but everyone loves Chief Willoughby, and everyone is upset at Mildred.

Remi:

Yeah, Chief Willoughby is an upstanding member of the community who has a lot of friends, and Mildred is not. And unfortunately for Mildred, the dentist also decides to press charges. So she is taken into custody and brought down to the police station by Chief Willoughby soon after.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri clip:

I want to know something, Mildred. Why'd you drill a hole through poor Fat Jeffrey's thumbnail? Did he say I did it? I guess it's his word against mine then, huh? Kind of like in all those rape cases you hear about. Except this time? The chick ain't losing. You think I care about who wins or loses between the two of you? You think I care about dentists? I don't care about dentists. Nobody cares about dentists. What I do care about is tying you up in court so long that your hours at the gift shop be so shot to shit that you ain't gonna have a penny to pay for another month's billboard.

Remi:

The interrogation is abruptly cut short when Chief Willoughby is suddenly overcome by a violent coughing fit, splattering specks of blood directly into Mildred's face. Instead of anger, Mildred reacts with genuine concern and immediately runs to go get help. As he is loaded onto the ambulance by the paramedics, Wallaby makes it clear that Mildred is to be released without any further questioning. The switch of her personality here is brilliant. I think it speaks a lot about the character.

Ashley:

Mildred is not mad at Chief Willoughby. She's mad that someone is out in the community who murdered and killed her daughter, and she wants this person arrested.

Remi:

That night, after arguing with her son about the billboards, Mildred goes into her deceased daughter's room and reflects on the last time they saw each other. In a flashback, Mildred and her daughter Angela, played by Catherine Newton, argue over Angela wanting to borrow the car for the night, with the fight escalating until Mildred tells her she will just have to walk if she wants to go out. This results in Angela storming out of the house in anger, shouting that she hopes she gets raped along the way, only for Mildred to impulsively snap back by saying that she hopes she does too.

Ashley:

Ugh, I remember this scene, and it is just heartbreaking knowing what happens.

Remi:

Back in the present, Mildred is paid an unexpected visit by her ex-husband Charlie, a former police officer played by John Hawkes, while his 19-year-old girlfriend Penelope, played by Samara Weaving, waits in the car. Charlie is downright furious after learning that Mildred used his child support payment to help fund the controversial billboards he had only been recently made aware of. Unfazed, Mildred responds by mocking Charlie for dating a teenager, resulting in Charlie grabbing Mildred by the throat and shoving her against the wall, as her son Robbie rushes in with a kitchen knife and holds it to Charlie's neck to keep him at bay. The standoff is diffused when Penelope enters the room, unnoticed, and awkwardly asks if she can use the restroom. Just before leaving, Charlie adds insult to injury by revealing that Angela had asked to move in with him a week before she was murdered, after months of escalating altercations between her and Mildred. Things only get worse from there when Mildred arrives at work, only to learn that her coworker, Denise, has been arrested by Dixon for possession of two marijuana cigarettes. In response, Mildred storms right down to the police station to give old Dixon a piece of her mind.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri clip:

You get over here.

Remi:

No!

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri clip:

You get over here. All right. What? Go, Dixon! Get out of my ass. Mrs. Hayes, have a seat. What is it I can do for you today? Where's Denise Watson? Denise Watson's in the clan. On what charge? Possession. Of what? Two marijuana cigarettes. Big ones. When's a bail hearing? I asked the judge not to give her bail on account of her previous marijuana violations, and the judge said, sure. You fucking prick. A fucking prick in his own station house, Mrs. A's. Or anywhere, actually. Was with a new attitude, Dixon. Your mama been coaching ya.

Remi:

My favorite part of that clip, which we did not play, is the part where she comes into the police station and just yells, Hey, fuckhead! And he responds, and one of the other officers is just like, Do not respond when someone calls you a fuckhead.

Ashley:

This is a dramatic movie, but that scene adds comedic relief.

Remi:

This movie has a lot of comedy.

Ashley:

Which is why I love it.

Remi:

In the end, Dixon stands his ground and Mildred is forced to leave, winning the battle while Mildred declares war. The next day, Mildred heads back to Ebbing Advertising to meet with Red, where he explains that after taking a closer look at their contract, he realized that her initial payment only covered the deposit, meaning that she actually still owed another month's rent on the billboards.

Ashley:

How convenient.

Remi:

Well, before the conversation can go any further, Red's secretary bursts into the room to announce that they have just received a special delivery containing a payment of $5,000, covering another full month's rent on Mildred's billboards from an anonymous party. Later that night, after spending the day fishing with his daughters and making love to his wife, Chief Willoughby places a black bag over his head and takes his own life in the family's horse stable.

Ashley:

I remember this scene from the movie, and it is heartbreaking.

Remi:

Yeah, I have never cried during this movie until this re-watching, and it's just because of certain personal events that have happened in our lives, but this scene in particular hit very close to the heart, and it was uh a hard watch for me personally. In the letter left behind for his wife, Willoughby explains that he could not bear the thought of her and their children watching him slowly wasting away over the next several months until his terminal cancer inevitably ended his life. He also expresses his deep love for his wife and daughters, thanking them for the life they shared together, and that his final day on Earth, which was spent entirely with his family, was the best day he had ever had. Mildred learns of Willoughby's death through the morning news, which also strongly suggests that the billboards may have been a contributing factor in pushing him over the edge. News of Willoughby's death spreads through Ebbing the following day, hitting Dixon especially hard. Overcome by grief and anger, Dixon grabs his baton and storms across the street to Ebbing Advertising, where he unleashes his rage onto Red Welby by brutally pistol whipping him multiple times, then tossing him out of a second floor window. As Red's secretary screams out in terror, Dixon pops her in the face on the way out, silencing her instantly before casually strolling across the street back into the police station. Right past the new police chief, Abercrombie, played by Clark Peters, who has just arrived and witnessed the entire confrontation unfold directly in front of him.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri clip:

What do you want? I've been sent down to take over from Chief Willoughby in light of last night's unfortunate event. You have got to be fucking kidding me. None of you cracker motherfuckers got no work to do. Yeah? You never taught me to have one at the academy. Which fucking academy you go to? Things coming along on that Angela Hayes case. That's things coming along in the mind your own fucking business case. Oh, the things coming along on the hammer your gun and your badge.

Ashley:

So in that clip, you can hear some obvious animosity, and what you cannot see is that the new police chief replacing Willoughby is a black man.

Remi:

And it has been pretty firmly established up until this point that Dixon is one of those racist cops that uses excessive force. In the end, despite Dixon being unable to locate his badge, he is officially relieved of duty.

Ashley:

Effective immediately.

Remi:

Concurrently, over at the gift shop, Mildred gets into an unusually tense confrontation with a customer that culminates with the man throwing a souvenir glass rabbit at her head, shattering into a million pieces. The man quickly leaves the moment that Anne Willoughby, played by Abby Cornish, enters the store to personally deliver a letter her husband had left for Mildred before taking his own life.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri clip:

Dear Mildred, dead man Willoughby here. Firstly, I wanted to apologize for dying without catching your daughter's killer. It's a source of great pain to me, and it would break my heart to think you thought I didn't care, because I did care. There are just some cases where you never catch a break. Then five years down the line, some guy hears some other guy bragging about it in a bar room or a jail. Cell and the whole thing is wrapped up through sheer stupidity. Second, I gotta admit, Mildred, the billboards were a great fucking idea. And although they had absolutely nothing to do with my dying, I'm sure that everyone in town will assume that they did. Which is why, for Willoughby's counter move, I decided to pay the next month's rental.

Ashley:

It's scenes like that that really put this movie a par above anything else.

Remi:

This was another scene that brought me to tears, the letter to Mildred, and just his understanding of the entire situation and no judgment or hate or animosity or anything. It was just a very beautifully written scene. Willoughby closes by wishing Mildred luck and telling her that despite everything, he genuinely hopes that someday she will find her daughter's killer. Later that night, while driving home with her son Robbie, Mildred discovers that all three billboards have been set on fire. She tries desperately to put out the flames on her own, but despite her best efforts, the billboards are completely destroyed. The next day, Dixon receives a call from the police station, letting him know that Chief Willoughby left a letter for him as well. Since Dixon still has his keys, he is told to come and retrieve the letter from his desk later that night, after everyone else has gone home. Then he can just leave his keys behind on the way out. Dixon returns after dark, just as instructed, and reads Willoughby's letter, filled with words of encouragement, telling Dixon that deep down, buried beneath all of the hatred and anger, he is still a good person, who could someday even become a great detective. Meanwhile, Mildred has just broken into ebbing advertising across the street and assembles several Molotov cocktails lined all in a row. She then proceeds to ignite and hurl each bottle one by one across the street at the police station, shattering into bursts of liquid fire engulfing the area and triggering an explosion, with Dixon still inside. As the building is being consumed by smoke and flames, Dixon makes a mad dash towards his desk to grab the Angela Hayes case file before launching himself through the fire and onto the sidewalk, setting his clothes ablaze in the process. Luckily, James had witnessed the entire series of events unfold from somewhere outside, so as there to quickly help extinguish Dixon by smothering the fire. Police and fire crews arrive moments later, and Mildred remains on the scene with James, who covers for her by telling the police that they were together when they first saw the fire already in progress. Once the coast is clear, Mildred agrees to go on a dinner date with James as a form of repayment for the unsolicited alibi. Later that day, Mildred learns that duplicate billboards are typically made in case of vandalism, so spends the rest of the afternoon putting the billboards back up with a little help from a few friends. A few days later, a badly burned Dixon is released from the hospital, then spends his entire evening at a local bar drinking himself into oblivion. While drowning his sorrows, two men enter, order a couple of beers, then take a seat in the booth directly behind him. Dixon overhears bits and pieces of the two men's conversation, which includes talk of a possible sexual assault using language that makes Dixon suspect that one of the men could be connected to Angela's case.

Ashley:

Up until now, you kind of hate Dixon, and he hears something that he suspects is about the murder, and he still is invested in solving it.

Remi:

The letter really seems to have had an impact. I think that inspired him to be a better person. There's a scene that I didn't mention where he is brought into the hospital after he is horrifically burned, and he's in the same hospital room as Red Welby, the man he assaulted. And he apologizes to Red. And Red can't even recognize who he is because he's so badly bandaged and says that he is sorry for what he did to him, and Red accepts his apology. Like this is a turning point for Dixon. He wants to be a better person and he wants to be a better cop. And he sees the Angela Hayes case as the way for him to do that. When the men notice Dixon eavesdropping on them, they confront him, but Dixon deflects by pretending to show them a magic trick. Instead of pulling a rabbit out of his hat, Dixon scratches one of the men's faces like a feisty feline, prompting a punishing pummeling from the two men. We soon realize that there was some method behind his madness, as we see Dixon later on carefully collecting the skin and blood from beneath his fingernails to be tested against the DNA from the Angela Hayes crime scene. Elsewhere, Mildred is out on her date with James when she notices that her ex-husband Charlie has just arrived at the restaurant with his teenage girlfriend in tow. While James is in the restroom, Charlie approaches Mildred for a bit of tete tete consisting of verbal barbs aimed squarely at the other's date that night. Before returning to his table, Charlie offhandedly admits that he was the one who drunkenly set her billboards on fire. Charlie is an asshole, to say the least. When James returns, Mildred is clearly upset and immediately wants to leave. James, hurt by Mildred's behavior and the fact that she never even gave him a chance, pays the check and leaves the restaurant, clearly disappointed and heartbroken. Days later, Dixon and Mildred come to a truce when Dixon reveals that he may finally have a lead on Angela's killer. Unfortunately, when the DNA results come back from the sample taken from the man at the bar, it does not match any known crimes in the area, including Angela's. The man also has no arrest record and was even stationed overseas in the Middle East at the time of Angela's disappearance. That night, Dixon calls Mildred to deliver the bad news, but adds that he still believes that the man is guilty of something and will be paying him a little visit tomorrow morning if Mildred is still interested. The film ends with Dixon and Mildred driving to Idaho together with a shotgun in the trunk, heading toward an uncertain confrontation with no clear outcome. And that was Martin McDonough's Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. And I gotta ask, Ashley, what do you think this last scene means? Do you think that they're gonna go kill this guy? Do you think that they aren't? It's left very ambiguous.

Ashley:

It really is. And I don't know if they're driving out there to be vigilante killers, but they both are trying to fill a void and they're filling that void together.

Remi:

The fact that these two are together in search of this is kind of the more meaningful aspect that these two people who are on totally opposing sides yet going for the same goal, and I'm not sure what they're walking away realizing in the end, and it almost doesn't matter if they'll ever be able to do it.

Ashley:

Sam Rockwell's character arc through this movie where he is a like racist piece of shit. And then at the end, he ends up teaming up with the woman that caused him to have severe burns to the point where he almost died to go on this mission, whatever it is. I do think that he knows it'll be something that will heal both of them at some level in their lives. Like that is a huge character arc and a huge character development.

Remi:

I gotta pose the question: do you think that they went there and killed this man, or do you think they just turned around halfway?

Ashley:

I think they got there, tried to find this guy, couldn't, turned back, and just went on with life.

Remi:

I think that is the most realistic answer, and I'm betting that is probably how things would have turned out.

Ashley:

Well, speaking of realistic, what happened after this phenomenal movie was released to the public?

Remi:

Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri premiered in competition at the Venice International Film Festival on September 4th, 2017, and opened in the United States with a limited release through Fox Searchlight Pictures on November 10th before expanding nationwide on December 1st. Financially, the film performed extremely well, earning $54.5 million in the United States and Canada, along with another $105.7 million internationally, bringing its worldwide box office totaled to just over $160 million. So big hit. The film currently holds a 90% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with a critical consensus that reads, Three Billboards outside Eving, Missouri, deftly balances black comedy against searing drama and draws unforgettable performances from its veteran cast along the way.

Ashley:

I know people shit on Rotten Tomatoes, but I must say their critical consensus summary is kinda slay.

Remi:

A lot of the time their critical consensus does really summarize my feelings on the film pretty accurately. At the Golden Globe Awards, the film took home Best Motion Picture Drama, Best Actress for Francis McDormant, Best Supporting Actor for Sam Rockwell, and Best Screenplay, while also earning nominations for Best Director and Best Original Score. And we were just talking about buying the vinyl soundtrack to this album a little while ago. It's an amazing score. At the Academy Awards, the film received seven nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Original Screenplay, and two separate nominations for Best Supporting Actor for Sam Rockwell and Woody Harrelson, making it the first film since Bugsy to receive two nominations in the same supporting acting category. Something that has only happened most recently with McDonough's next film, The Banshees of Inishirin.

Ashley:

And rumor has it it might happen again this year with one battle after another with Sean Penn and Benicio Bel Toro.

Remi:

McDormand and Rockwell both won that night, but McDormand's Oscar win for Best Actress came with one of the stranger footnotes in awards history, when her statue was stolen at the Governor's Ball that night after the ceremony, but was recovered later on.

Ashley:

Yes, Frances McDormott did win for Best Actress this year, rightfully so. But this movie did not win Best Film of the Year.

Remi:

Instead, it went to The Shape of Water, Guillermo Del Toro's sea creature love story film, which I personally am not the biggest fan of. I know a lot of people like it, but I kind of thought it was weird. This movie is so much better.

Ashley:

Yeah, I was gonna say something, but I was just speechless as I am every single time this fact pops into my mind.

Remi:

I'm not a fan of Shape of Water. This film is so much better, and it does not have any cats being eaten or any weird sea creature sex scenes.

Ashley:

Well, speaking of this film being better, Remy, didn't it win lots and lots and lots of other awards?

Remi:

It certainly did. The film also dominated the British Academy Film Awards, where it earned nine nominations and won five major awards, including Best Film and Outstanding British Film, an accomplishment which had only been achieved once previously with The King's Speech. I'm assuming they're qualifying it as a British film because Martin McDonough is from Ireland?

Ashley:

That has to be it.

Remi:

Yeah, I would not qualify this as a British film in the traditional sense. McDormand and Rockwell again won for their performances, along with Best Original Screenplay. The film's winning streak continued through the SAG Awards, where it won three out of four nominations, including outstanding performance by a cast, as well as the Critics Choice Awards, where it picked up three wins, including Best Acting Ensemble. In short, three Billboards didn't just get nominated, it dominated. Total domination. And rightfully so. The film's influence didn't stop at award season either. The style and language of the billboards themselves were quickly adopted by protest movements around the world, with activists using similar signs to call out injustice and institutional failure. Martin McDonough has voiced his support by saying that you could not ask for more than to have an angry film taken up by real-world protests. Frances McDormant also commented, saying that she was thrilled that activists across the globe had been inspired by the visual language of the billboards in the film.

Ashley:

This film actually brought renewed interest to the case it is based on, which is from 1991. Because of this film, the reward was raised to $50,000, and media attention was brought to the murder of this woman, Kathy Page.

Remi:

But that was just a film based on some billboards that the director saw in Texas long ago. And that's about all I know of the true story. Ashley, can you help me fill in some of the gaps here and explain the true story behind the three billboards?

Ashley:

Oh, I cannot wait to do so. Inside it was the deceased body of 34-year-old Kathy Page. At first glance, it looked like a tragic accident, the kind of late-night crash where a driver simply veers off the road. But almost immediately, Mosley realized the scene didn't make sense. The car only had minimal damage, and the roadway showed no tire marks, indicating Kathy hadn't tried to brake or swerve. Inside, the details were more troubling. Despite not wearing a seatbelt, Kathy's head was still leaning against the headrest, and her feet were pulled back towards the seat instead of extended toward the pedals. Her purse sat upright, and a drink in the center console hadn't spilled. All signs that the supposed crash had little to no force. Then there were Kathy's injuries. Her nose appeared broken, and there was blood only in her hair. And she had distinct marks around her neck that suggested she'd been strangled. It was obvious this was no ordinary car accident. As luck would have it, the crash site was just a hundred yards away from Kathy's home, where she lived with her two daughters, seven-year-old Aaron and twelve-year-old Monica, and her husband Steve Page. Around 5 a.m., Sergeant Mosley walked up to the house and knocked on the door. Steve answered wearing only his underwear, and his behavior immediately raised red flags. Mosley described the interaction in a 1997 episode of Unsolved Mysteries.

Sergeant Moseley:

Steve seemed to be quite upset. He began to cry at times and at times threw himself on the couch crying, but yet he would it would jump right back up and we would talk, and there would be no signs of tears in his eyes.

Ashley:

This back and forth between calmness and dramatic, tearless outbursts continued even after Mosley told Steve he believed Kathy had been strangled and the crash staged. Stranger still, the detective noticed a pile of clothes on the living room floor, but couldn't get a clear look at them because Steve refused to turn on any lights. Through all of this, Steve never once asked to see Kathy or to be taken to the crash site.

Remi:

He refused to turn on any lights. So the officer was like, It's kind of dark in here. Would you mind turning on some lights? And he just said, No.

Ashley:

Yep. And through all of this, Steve never once asked to see Kathy or to be taken to the crash site. Even though the flashing lights from the first responders were plainly visible from his doorstep. Shortly after Sergeant Mosley left around 6 a.m., Steve called Kathy's parents, James and Dorothy Fulton, to tell them something terrible happened to their daughter. They rushed to the house only to find Steve acting strangely. Despite just learning his wife had likely been murdered, he was obsessively wiping his hands with a washcloth and doing laundry, insisting that one of the girls wet the bed. Throughout the day, family members arrived to offer their support and condolences. When one relative asked Steve what happened to Kathy, he casually suggested she had been drunk and driven into the ditch, later even accusing her of being high on Valium and cocaine. Even though police told him just hours earlier. That they believed she'd been murdered. Later that day, Kathy's sister, Sherry Valentine, stopped by and immediately noticed a strong chemical smell in the house. Steve explained that he'd spilled fish grease on the living room carpet while carrying it outside to the trash. He repeated this story on Saturday, May 18th, when Kathy's mom visited and saw him burning something in the backyard. Even though he had denied mention anything about this grease when speaking with police days earlier. Come Sunday, when Kathy's family returned once more, they found Steve's mom and sister shampooing a single spot on the living room carpet, again repeating the fish grease story. But you see, this story never made sense. Based on the layout of the house, Steve had a clear direct path from the kitchen to the outside trash cans, a route that wouldn't have taken him through the living room or out the front door at all.

Remi:

Yeah, you're not gonna be taking a detour when you're hauling the fish grease outside.

Ashley:

In days prior, Steve told police he didn't want Kathy's body autopsied. Not for cultural or religious reasons, he just didn't want one. Given the suspicious nature of her death, investigators asked her father, who authorized the autopsy and overrode Steve's request. The findings confirmed Sergeant Mosley's suspicions. Kathy's cause of death was strangulation. There were bloodstains on her underwear and skin, but none on her outer clothing. Examiners also found grass stuck to her clothes, suggesting she'd been dragged. Her time of death was estimated at around 2 30 a.m., roughly two hours before her body was found. Taken together, the autopsy and scene led to a clear working theory. Kathy was killed elsewhere, cleaned up, redressed, and put in her vehicle after it was rolled into the ditch. In the first few days of the investigation, law enforcement interviewed Kathy's friends and family to build a timeline and understand who might have wanted to harm her. One of the first things they learned was Kathy asked Steve for a separation just two days before her death. Steve claimed they had simply drifted apart, later stating. Kathy's sister Sherry offered a different version of events, insisting the marriage was over long ago.

Kathy’s sister Sherry:

Kathy was definitely uh moving on in her life at that point, um because a decision was made for the divorce, and that in itself, having a decision like that finally be resolved in itself was a relief off her back. And she was making plans.

Remi:

Well, that is a pretty different version of how things were.

Ashley:

And I didn't mention this, but Kathy and Steve had been married for a long time. It was like over ten years at this point. The night Kathy was found was supposed to be Steve's first night in the new apartment he rented because of the separation. Those plans changed when Kathy asked him to stay at the house and watch their daughters while she went out with Charlotte, a friend and fellow waitress from the Hof Bra restaurant in Beaumont. Steve told police he last saw Kathy as she was leaving around 11:15 or 11:30. It's a late night start to kick it with some friends.

Remi:

Yeah, I'm usually in bed by then.

Ashley:

If this account was accurate, it meant Kathy went out for the evening without makeup or jewelry. Something her family said was completely out of character. When they found her body, she had no makeup or jewelry on.

Remi:

So it didn't really seem like she was getting dressed to go out and hang out with friends.

Ashley:

Detectives next spoke with Charlotte to verify Steve's version of events. She told them his story wasn't exactly a lie, but it wasn't the full truth either. Perhaps because Steve didn't know Kathy's actual plans that night. Charlotte recalled that around 9 30 or 10 in the evening, Kathy called and asked her not to answer the phone, concerned it would be Steve since she told him she would be meeting with Charlotte. In reality, Kathy was planning on meeting a man she had been seeing at a motel in Beaumont. Sure enough, Charlotte's phone rang around 2 a.m. When she instinctively picked up, the caller said nothing and promptly hung up. Her first thought it was Steve checking on Kathy, but there was no way for her to know for sure.

Remi:

This was before Star 69 or caller ID.

Ashley:

I assume so, yeah, it's 1991.

Remi:

Yeah, believe it or not, it used to be a lot harder to find out who was calling you back in the day.

Ashley:

Around 6 a.m., Steve called Charlotte, asking where Kathy was. Even though by that point, according to the timeline, he would have already known she was dead. He of course denied making the first call and admitted to the second, but insisted it was before he knew what happened to his wife. The next stop was to talk to the man Kathy was supposedly seeing. He voluntarily gave a statement and passed a polygraph. He confirmed that Kathy left the motel around 2 30 a.m., which matched the autopsy's estimate of her time of death. The autopsy also revealed that Kathy had sex shortly before she died. Something her lover cooperated. Now you might be thinking, well, here's our culprit. Not so fast. Semen found in Kathy's body contained no spermatosa, meaning it came from someone who had undergone a vasectomy. Kathy's lover didn't have one, but Steve did several months earlier. Another detail from the autopsy suggested the killer was likely left-handed. Another tick in the column for Steve. By this point, all eyes and suspicions were on Steve Page. Kathy's family was convinced he murdered their daughter, and law enforcement considered him the prime suspect. And yet, he continued to insist he was innocent. When questioned about the semen sample, Steve admitted to having sex with Kathy, but claimed it happened before she left for the evening, after she got out of the shower and on the living room floor. Sister Sherry had this to say about Steve's story.

Kathy’s sister Sherry:

I personally don't believe that that happened. She wouldn't have been with Steve before being with another man. She hadn't been with Steve in a long time. He's already sleeping on the couch. Him coming over to take care of the kids was more of a j a kindness gesture for him to be around his kids.

Ashley:

Investigators asked to search the house, but Steve refused. He told Kathy's family he didn't want investigators to search because he was concerned they might detect blood on the living room floor carpet caused by her shaving her legs. Blood that in turn could incriminate him. Now, Remy, I know you don't shave your legs, but I have never once shaved them in the middle of the living room floor. That is not something people do.

Remi:

No, you need access to water to rinse the blade out. Doing it in the living room would be incredibly impractical.

Ashley:

Well, the spot he identified as suspicious just so happened to be the exact same area where he claimed to have spilled fish grease and had sex with Kathy before she left the house. What are the odds? It's a very active spot of the house. Despite what I believe is overwhelming circumstantial evidence, a search warrant for the home wasn't obtained until 1994, three full years after Kathy's murder. Samples of the questionable carpet spot were taken, but the results were never released to the public.

Remi:

Is there any reason why it took so long to get the warrant?

Ashley:

I have no doubt that they would have been able to get a judge to sign off on this. I do not know why they waited so so long. And by that point, three years, what are you expecting to find?

Remi:

Everything is long gone by that point. Three full years. That's inexcusable.

Ashley:

Kathy's family now had a clear theory of what happened. They believe Steve discovered Kathy wasn't with Charlotte that night, as she claimed, and realized she was with another man. They suspected he woke up when she returned home, perhaps hearing her in the bathroom removing her makeup before bed. From there, they believe an argument escalated, with Steve demanding sex, and when Kathy refused, he raped and strangled her in the process. Once he realized what he'd done, he staged the murder, trying to make it look like a car accident. During a civil trial years later, the family pointed to a history of alleged domestic violence. Neighbors also testified to often hearing the couple arguing, along with loud banging coming from the house. Steve's theory of the murder was quite different.

Steve Page:

There was a name of a certain person here in Beaumont that was bandied about as a person who may have been involved. It's a very prominent family, uh an Italian family, even, uh, to let you know that they're considered part of the Beaumont Mafia.

Remi:

Wow, so blaming it on the Beaumont Mafia, the highly prolific and notorious Beaumont Mafia.

Ashley:

You don't think the Beaumont Mafia would want to knock off a 34-year-old waitress and mother of two?

Remi:

No, nothing about this story makes any sense whatsoever.

Ashley:

In July 1991, the Vidor Police Department released a statement identifying Steve as the primary and only suspect in the death of Kathy Page. They also asked for witnesses to come forward, but didn't learn any new information. As the weeks turned to months, the rift between the Fulton and Page families deepened. Kathy's daughters were raised by the Pages and saw her side of the family less and less. Along with Steve, the Fultons also blamed the police for conducting a shoddy investigation. At this point, they hadn't gotten a search warrant, and reportedly there wasn't even any film in the camera used to photograph the crime scene.

Remi:

What?

Ashley:

Like they didn't realize it or And to make matters worse, Steve's parents were supposedly close friends with the chief of police, which convinced the Fultons that the entire case had been covered up. Around 1993, frustrated with the handling of the investigation, James Fulton posted signs, followed by billboards, on property he owned alongside Interstate 10, just outside of Vador in Rose City, Texas. Over the years, the billboards remained a constant presence, but the messages changed. Some allege the Vador Police Department of taking bribes, others featured a picture of Steve with the claim he brutally murdered his wife in 1991, while others accuse the police of simply not wanting to solve the case at all. Regardless of what is written on them, the main message is always the same. Kathy's family demands justice for their daughter. The presence of these billboards deepened the divide between the families irreparably, with the pages responding by not allowing the Fultons to see the girls at all. And if you go over to our Instagram at criminal adaptations, I have pictures of the Fultons billboards.

Remi:

I'll have to check that out. I have not seen the real billboards. Do they look at all like the ones in the film?

Ashley:

No. Let's pull them up.

Remi:

Alright, I just pulled them up here. And yeah, they look very different. These look like sections of a newspaper kind of blown up in billboard form. They're all black and white with a lot of text.

Ashley:

Despite no arrest being made, the Fultons filed a wrongful death suit against Steve Page in 1995. The goal was twofold to hold him financially responsible and to ensure Kathy's life insurance payout went to her daughters instead of him. The lawsuit would also be the first time Steve would testify under oath, forcing him to stick to a single story for the first time. The trial kicked off on June 14th. Detective Mosley testified that Steve remained the prime suspect, explaining how he refused to allow a search of his home because he feared investigators would, quote, find something that might make it look like he did it.

Remi:

Well, yeah, Steve.

Ashley:

A private investigator hired by the Fultons also testified, presenting video of Steve kicking and throwing flowers recently put on Kathy's grave. Steve claimed he did this because the flowers were, quote, oh so cheap.

Remi:

Seriously, Steve, that's the excuse you come up with.

Ashley:

He was convicted of vandalism, sentenced to probation, and fined. Kathy's sister Sherry was one of the last witnesses to testify. Toward the end of her testimony, she mentioned that Steve had refused to take a polygraph. Because she was instructed to not bring this up in court, Steve's lawyer successfully motioned for a mistrial.

Remi:

And polygraphs are never 100% accurate.

Ashley:

The second trial began in November 1995, with family members recounting the events that led them to suspect Steve of murder. Steve finally testified under oath, claiming there were no problems in the marriage and that they were still intimate despite the separation. He denied all the strange behavior alleged by the Fultons, adding that the grave vandalism was anger directed at them. On November 18th, after just four hours of deliberation, the jury told the judge they were hopelessly deadlocked. Four hours is not a lot of time.

Remi:

No, we just saw Avatar recently, and that was just shy of four hours. I have a question though. Did the man that Kathy was seeing behind Scott's back testify during the trial?

Ashley:

I didn't see anything about that.

Remi:

Because that would be a big hole in his story saying they were living a happy marriage and everything was okay if they brought in the guy that she was having an affair with.

Ashley:

The third and final trial finally made it to the courtroom in October 1999. Most of the testimony was the same, but Erin took the stand to defend her father, claiming she never saw her parents argue or sleep separately. She was also seven when this happened. On October 16th, the jury ruled in favor of the Fultons, 11 to 1, and ordered Steve to pay $150,000 in damages, in addition to turning over Kathy's $50,000 life insurance policy to their daughters. He tried to appeal the verdict a year later, but the judgment was upheld. The appellate judge cited Steve's motive of jealousy, his suspicious behavior before and after Kathy's death, and his implausible explanations for the blood and supposed fish grease on the carpet. Ultimately, the judge interpreted Steve's behavior as indicators of guilt and believed he was the only person with both motive and opportunity. And I also want to point out here the burden of proof that has to be met for civil lawsuits is less than criminal. So just because someone is convicted in a civil suit, it doesn't mean they can immediately be charged because the jury just has to believe less that Steve had responsibility in civil cases. Despite being found civilly responsible for Kathy's death, Steve was never criminally charged. In 2016, Rod Carroll became the fifth police chief in Vidor since Kathy's murder and looked into the case after seeing James Fulton's billboards. Carroll said he doesn't mind that the movie put the case back into the spotlight. In 2018, the case was profiled in an episode of Cold Justice. Dozens of witnesses were interviewed, including Steve, who continued to deny any involvement. The show also featured a new witness who claimed he saw Steve crossing the street away from the ditch where Kathy's car was found on the night of her death. He said he hadn't come forward sooner because he was with his mistress on the night in question. Unfortunately, this sighting was never verified.

Remi:

Did he try sticking to the whole Beaumont mafia thing in 2018?

Ashley:

I'm not sure. Around this time, Chief Carroll announced that the department had obtained new information through modern technology and handed the case over to the DA's office. Still, to this day, no charges have been filed. In 2021, Crime Stoppers added $50,000 to the $6,000 reward offered by the Texas Department of Public Safety. It is the largest ever by the agency in that area. Additional tips came in, but only reinforce what the police already knew.

Remi:

That Steve did it.

Ashley:

Steve Page is now in his 60s living in Houston. In a recent interview with the Daily Mail, he claimed the police bungled the case and told Kathy's family he was the one to blame because they couldn't figure out what actually happened. Monica Page, Steve and Kathy's oldest daughter, died of a prescription pill overdose in 2011. She was just 28 years old and is buried next to her mother at West Lawn Memorial Park. Aaron Page lives in Nashville with her two kids. She's been vocal about just wanting the truth, expressing hope that the film brought much needed attention to the case. James Fulton is in his 90s. He believes in Chief Carroll and will keep the billboards up until he dies. If you or someone you know has information about the murder of Kathy Page, please check the show notes for details on anonymous reporting or call Crime Stoppers at 409-833-TIPS. And that is the true story of Martin McDonough's three billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri.

Remi:

Wow, so the billboards are still up to this day.

Ashley:

Yeah, he has said he's gonna keep paying for him until he dies or the case is solved.

Remi:

I'm not optimistic that justice will be served in this instance, but I admire the man's perseverance and continued hope, even into his 90s, that justice will be served.

Ashley:

Yeah, it's been over 30 years, and I really don't think there is any more evidence to find. I think it's pretty clear Steve did this, and by kind of dragging their feet with the search warrant and really not being more aggressive with him, I sadly think the police lost their chance.

Remi:

Waiting three years for the search warrant is so absurd. And yeah, just allowing Steve to do things like not turn on the lights in his house and so many shady things with the flimsiest excuses.

Ashley:

Well, with that, let's get to our objection, shall we? Your Honor, I object!

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri clip:

And why is that, Mr. Reed? Because it's devastating to my case! Overrule. Good call!

Ashley:

I'll kick us off with this one. Before I do, as a quick reminder, our objection of the week is the most superfluous change taken from the true story to the big screen. It's always hard to pick an objection when the movie is so different from the true story, so I kind of struggled here. Really, the only one I could think of is that in the real story, it was dad James Fulton, who was the driving source behind the billboards. And in the movie, it's of course the mom played by Francis McDormant.

Remi:

That was the first one that leaped out at me as well. I'm gonna give it to you regardless, because mine's weaker, but the one I had picked out for this week was in the film, the daughter's body was discovered burned, and in real life it was discovered in a staged car accident. Didn't seem necessary to have her body be incinerated in the film. So that's my objection, but I feel like yours is more in line with what this category is. So you get the objection for this week, Ashley. So now that we have gotten our objections out of the way and everyone has heard both sides of the story, it is time to deliberate and give our audiences the verdict.

Verdict:

At the conclusion of each episode, our hosts will deliver a verdict based on the film's accuracy. If the film is an honest portrayal of the events, then it will earn a not guilty verdict. If the adaptation is mostly factual, but creative liberties were taken for the sake of entertainment, the film will be declared a mistrial. But if the film ultimately strays too far from the truth, then it will be condemned as guilty and sentenced to a life behind bars.

Remi:

I will begin this week because you started with the verdict this week. I think this is sort of a no-duh. It's clearly a guilty. I love the film, but the film was really inspired by the idea of the billboards. The director, Martin McDonough, was just driving along and saw the billboards and sort of created his own story based off of that, with almost nothing in common with the real-world events. I still love the film, and it is one of the best movies made in the past several years, but they were not trying for accuracy here, so it's pretty obvious that this film gets a guilty verdict.

Ashley:

I completely agree. This is a no-duh guilty verdict. It's also an interesting one for us to discuss because it is inspired by this. But yeah, like you said, I don't think Martin McDonough really sought out to tell the story of Kathy Page. He didn't. He, like you pointed out, saw these billboards and was like, this would make an interesting story.

Remi:

Yeah, he just assumed that the billboards came from a mother. He didn't even really look into the backstory, as far as I know.

Ashley:

So, in conclusion, it is guilty, but an affectionate guilty. We don't want this one to go to jail for long.

Remi:

So, two guilties for three billboards. A great film based very loosely on a tragic real-world case. And next week, we are going to be shifting things in a new direction with our two season finale episodes based on whistleblowers, starting things off with one of the most notorious whistleblowers, at least here in the United States, Snowden, starring Joseph Gordon Levitt. Have you seen this film, Ashley?

Ashley:

I have not, but the poster for it really sticks out in my mind. It's just Joseph Gordon Levitt staring at you.

Remi:

Ashley has been reading the Snowden book every night before bed, and the cover of the book is just Edward Snowden's face in black and white staring at you. Really, I don't know, it's just sort of creepy. And she always will scare me by having the book like right next to my face when I turn around suddenly. And I'm just like, ah, Edward Snowden. So I will be glad when you finish this book, and I no longer have to fear for seeing Mr. Snowden pop up and freak me out on occasion before bed.

Ashley:

It never, never gets old. After we do Snowden, two weeks from that, we're actually gonna be doing two movies, a drama and a comedy, about another whistleblower who also worked for the NSA, reality winner.

Remi:

I have not seen either of these films. I know that one of them is starring Sidney Sweeney, and the film was a box office bomb this past year. And the other one is sort of completely different. It's a upbeat comedy of sorts. So we will be combining those into one episode. And honestly, I had never heard of Reality Winner before this. And when I saw these two separate films when we were scrolling through Netflix or whatever, I thought one movie was just called Reality and the other one was just called Winner. I did not realize it was based on a person named Reality Winner. So but that will be very exciting to cover four weeks from now, and we will be leaving you with a trailer for the film Snowden, which we will be covering two weeks from now.

Ashley:

And until then, everyone.

Remi:

Court is adjourned.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri clip:

Best I can tell, you've been walking around with two broken legs for weeks. When do I go back?

Snowden Trailer:

You ever again land on those legs of yours? Those bones turned to powder. Plenty other ways to serve your country. You want it to be special forces? Yes, sir.

Verdict:

Why do you want to join the CIA?

Snowden Trailer:

I'd like to help my country make a difference in the world.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri clip:

The average test time is five hours.

Snowden Trailer:

Um that's been 40 minutes. 38 minutes. What should I do now? Whatever you want. The deputy director of the NSA offered me a new position. Can you tell me anything about you know I can't?

Verdict:

Find the terrorist in the internet haste act.

Snowden Trailer:

You're making people very happy. Thank you. You ready for a little act? Oh, this looks cheesy. How is this all possible? Think of it as a Google search, except instead of searching only what people make public, we're also looking at everything they don't. Emails, chats, SMS, whatever. Yeah, but which people? The whole kingdom's no way.

Contributor

Ashley

Host
Contributor

Remi

Host