HBO’s The Mortician Ends with Convicted Felon’s Apparent Murder Confession

HBO's three-part documentary series The Mortician, directed by Joshua Rofé, follows David Sconce, a crematorium operator and convicted felon involved in illegal funeral home practices such as mass cremations, theft of valuables from corpses, and organ harvesting. The series ends with a chilling and ambiguous confession from Sconce, who hints at having killed three people, drawing immediate comparisons to the infamous HBO docuseries The Jinx. Rofé spent years gaining Sconce's trust, even picking him up upon his parole, and revealed the director's surprise and unease at the confession moment, emphasizing his refusal to keep secrets about crimes. The documentary explores the dark side of the family-run Lamb Funeral Home in Pasadena, which Sconce inherited and where he implemented illegal methods for profit, leading to 21 felony convictions. The series has been praised for its concise storytelling that avoids unnecessary padding typical of true-crime documentaries and for its ability to evoke the somber realities of grief exploited by the funeral industry. The Mortician's finale has been called one of the most remarkable TV moments of the year, highlighting the morbid and mysterious nature of Sconce's story and the broader implications of his alleged crimes.