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A listener note, this episode contains references to sexual assault.

If you or someone you know is a survivor of sexual assault, you're not alone,

and will share a list of resources at the end of the episode.

Please take care while listening.

On a Friday evening, around 5 p.m., my co-reporter, Bianca Fortis,

got on a Brooklyn-bound train and headed home.

Cradled in her lap, was a backpack.

And I had my arms around it, sort of just like ripping it.

Her heart was racing. The backpack contained documents we'd just received.

Documents that answered questions we'd had for months.

I felt like I was carrying the holy grail.

It was as close to a smoking goddess we were going to find for the story.

Bianca got off at her stop. It was drizzling outside.

She quickly walked the few blocks home, trying to keep her bag as dry as she could.

As soon as she made it inside her apartment,

she started spreading papers across her kitchen counter.

Throughout the course of our reporting, we'd been trying to determine how much

Columbia knew about Haddon's crimes, when they knew it, and how much they had cooperated

with the district attorney's investigation.

And we knew that the DA might have answers.

...