So here’s one for you: a New York Times reporter loses his job for making up details of a story. Later, he finds out a man has been impersonating him. Turns out that man is on the run, implicated in the murder of his wife and three children.
Sounds like the makings of a good book, or movie, or “48 Hours” episode, right?
Well, it’s all three.
It’s the story of journalist Michael Finkel; a strange call he got from a reporter in Oregon; a man named Christian Longo, who fled to Mexico and pretended to be Finkel; and the bizarre story that unfolded from there.
Finkel, the journalist, saw Longo’s tale for what it was – a great story. The relationship resulted in a book, True Story, which has been turned into a major motion picture starring Jonah Hill and James Franco.
Tomorrow night, correspondent Maureen Maher fills in the blanks of “The Pretender” on “48 Hours.”