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[ DOOR OPENS ]
HI, KAREN. COME ON IN.
SHE REALLY WAS THE LOCAL BABYSITTER.
Karen: HI, GIRLS!
HI!
ALL THE KIDS LOVED HER. ALL THE PARENTS LOVED HER.
SO, IF YOU NEED ANYTHING ELSE, GIVE US A CALL.
JUST A YOUNG GIRL BABYSITTING.
SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN SAFE.
[ GIGGLING ]
WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT?
SHE WAS GONNA GRAB A SNACK AND THEN CALL ME BACK.
WHEN SHE DIDN'T CALL ME BACK,
I JUST ASSUMED THAT SHE HAD FALLEN ASLEEP.
THE VICTIMS HAD THEIR FACES COVERED.
Licata: OUR WORST FEARS CAME TRUE.
WE HAD A SERIAL KILLER ON OUR HANDS.
Superdock: I WAS TERRIFIED.
WHAT IF HE COMES AFTER ME?
-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
Narrator: WILLIAM AND CAROLYN HELM'S ROMANTIC EVENING
IS COMING TO AN END.
ARRIVING HOME, THE COUPLE REVELS IN THE THOUGHT
THEIR TWO YOUNG CHILDREN ARE FAST ASLEEP.
BUT AS THEY APPROACH...
A HORRIBLE FEELING TAKES OVER.
SOMETHING'S WRONG.
WHEN THEY GOT TO THE FRONT DOOR, IT WAS ALREADY UNLOCKED.
THEY THOUGHT THAT THAT WAS STRANGE.
AS THEY CONTINUED ON INTO THE RESIDENCE,
THAT'S WHEN THEY SAW THE EVIDENCE OF THE ASSAULT.
[ SCREAMS ]
IT WAS A VERY GRAPHIC, SCARY SIGHT TO SEE.
THE AMOUNT OF BLOOD THAT WAS ON THE FLOOR
WAS EXTREMELY FRIGHTENING.
[ SCREAMS ]
Narrator: WILLIAM SENDS CAROLYN NEXT DOOR TO CALL THE POLICE.
GO, GO, GO! GO! GO!
HE STAYS OUTSIDE, PARALYZED
BY THE UNSPEAKABLE NIGHTMARE THAT MAY WAIT FOR HIM INSIDE.
[ SIREN WAILING ]
POLICE ARRIVE AN AGONIZING FIVE MINUTES LATER.
Licata: THE OFFICERS IMMEDIATELY WENT INSIDE THE HOUSE
AND CHECKED ON THE TWO CHILDREN.
Narrator: THEY'RE IN THEIR BEDS...
[ "ROCK-A-BYE, BABY" PLAYING ON MUSIC BOX ]
...UNHARMED.
OH, MY GOD!
WHERE'S THE BABYSITTER?
[ HEARTBEAT ]
Licata: HE WALKED BACK INTO THE BACK OF THE HOUSE,
INTO THE MASTER BEDROOM.
SHE WAS FOUND ON THE FLOOR --
THE 14-YEAR-OLD GIRL WHO HAD BEEN BABYSITTING FOR THE FAMILY.
Narrator: NINTH-GRADER KAREN SLATTERY LIES LIFELESS IN A POOL OF BLOOD.
SHE'S MURDERED DOING WHAT ALMOST ALL YOUNG GIRLS DO --
BABYSIT THE NEIGHBORHOOD KIDS.
Johnson: SHE REALLY WAS THE LOCAL BABYSITTER.
ALL THE KIDS LOVED HER. ALL THE PARENTS LOVED HER.
AND THEN SHE WENT BABYSITTING...
AND DIDN'T COME HOME.
Narrator: KAREN WAS A BRIGHT, ATHLETIC STUDENT
AT POPE JOHN PAUL II HIGH SCHOOL.
SHE TRAINED IN SPRINGBOARD DIVING
THREE HOURS A DAY, FOUR DAYS A WEEK,
HER HEART SET ON THE JUNIOR OLYMPICS.
SHE WAS ALREADY VERY FOCUSED ON SWIMMING AND DIVING.
SHE WAS FUNNY, FEISTY.
YOU JUST WANTED TO BE FRIENDS WITH HER.
SHE WAS JUST LIKE SUNSHINE.
Johnson: BEAUTIFUL SMILE.
VERY TENDER AND VERY SWEET.
SHE BABYSAT EVERYBODY.
AND THE MAIN THING THAT SHE ALWAYS DID FOR THE GIRLS
WAS FRENCH-BRAID THEIR HAIR.
SHE LOVED KIDS.
AND HER DREAM WAS TO BE A TEACHER.
Narrator: KAREN'S DREAMS HAVE ENDED BEFORE HER LIFE COULD EVEN GET STARTED.
THE GRUESOME CRIME FALLS
TO LIEUTENANT RICK LINCOLN AND DETECTIVE ROSS LICATA
FROM DELRAY BEACH P.D.
KAREN HAD BEEN DRAGGED FROM THE POINT OF ATTACK,
WHICH WAS THE KITCHEN, DOWN THE HALLWAY INTO THE MASTER BEDROOM.
[ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING ]
WE FOUND KAREN LAYING ON THE FLOOR ON HER BACK,
A PIECE OF GUM ON HER SHORTS.
HER LOWER GARMENTS WERE REMOVED.
IT APPEARED SHE WAS SEXUALLY ASSAULTED DURING THIS ATTACK.
Lincoln: THERE WAS SOME *** THAT WAS FOUND THERE.
HER FACE AND HEAD WERE COVERED WITH A TOWEL.
Narrator: THE AMOUNT OF BLOOD ON THE FLOOR
INDICATES KAREN IS STABBED MULTIPLE TIMES.
I'VE BEEN IN LAW ENFORCEMENT FOR ALMOST 36 YEARS
AND HAVE NEVER BEEN TO THE SCENE OF A CRIME
THAT WAS ANYTHING SIMILAR
TO THE *** THAT I SAW OF KAREN SLATTERY.
Narrator: TWO MILES AWAY,
THE SLATTERY HOME IS ABOUT TO EXPLODE WITH ANGUISH AND PAIN.
[ KNOCK ON DOOR ]
Licata: AS YOU CAN IMAGINE,
IT WAS AN EXTREMELY DIFFICULT CONVERSATION,
HAVING TO GO AND MEET WITH THE PARENTS
OF THIS BEAUTIFUL, YOUNG 14-YEAR-OLD GIRL.
NO! NO! NO!
THEY WERE UNDERSTANDABLY VERY UPSET.
[ SOBBING ]
I JUST REMEMBER HEARING WAILING.
[ CRYING ]
NO!
AND COMING OUT OF MY ROOM,
MY MOM SAW ME, AND, "SHE'S DEAD. KAREN'S DEAD."
IT WAS GUT-WRENCHING.
ABSOLUTELY GUT-WRENCHING.
KAREN WAS DEAD. SHE WAS GONE.
[ Voice breaking ] AND I RAN THROUGH THE HOUSE,
AND I WAS JUST BAWLING.
AND I WOKE MY MOM UP, AND I SAID,
"YOU DON'T HAVE TO TAKE ME TO KAREN'S TOMORROW MORNING."
[ SNIFFLES ]
I'M S--
HE DRAGGED HER IN HERE.
Narrator: AT THE CRIME SCENE, POLICE PORE OVER THE HOUSE
AND FIND THE KILLER HAS LEFT SOME CLUES.
A CLAW HAMMER NEAR THE POOL OF BLOOD ON THE KITCHEN FLOOR.
A TRAIL OF SEVEN BLOODY FOOTPRINTS; NO SHOE TREADS.
SURPRISINGLY, NO FINGERPRINTS, EITHER.
IN THE BATHROOM OFF THE MASTER BEDROOM,
DETECTIVES FIND SOMETHING EVEN MORE UNSETTLING.
IT APPEARED AS THOUGH SOMEONE HAD RECENTLY TAKEN A SHOWER.
WE OBSERVED BLOOD STAINS ON THE BATHROOM-FLOOR CARPET.
WE OBSERVED A TOWEL WHICH HAD SOME BLOOD STAINS ON IT.
Narrator: OUTSIDE, POLICE DISCOVER
HOW THE KILLER GOT INTO THE HOUSE
WITHOUT ANYONE INSIDE NOTICING.
THE PERSON WHO ENTERED THE HOUSE DID SO
BY COMING INTO THE MASTER-BEDROOM WINDOW.
THEY HAD CUT THE SCREEN TO GET INSIDE.
Narrator: AND THEN AN AWFUL POSSIBILITY IS REVEALED.
Licata: THERE WERE NO WINDOW TREATMENTS ON THE FRONT OF THE HOUSE.
EVERYTHING WAS WIDE OPEN.
THE REST OF THE HOUSE SEEMED TO BE VERY VISIBLE
FROM THE OUTSIDE.
Narrator: COULD SOMEONE HAVE BEEN SPYING ON KAREN AND THE CHILDREN?
YOU COULD SEE THESE SNEAKER PRINTS
IN THE FLOWER BEDS.
AS WE LOOKED A LITTLE FURTHER,
WE SAW TOWARDS THE MASTER BEDROOM WHERE KAREN WAS FOUND
A FOOTPRINT, LIKE A BARE FOOTPRINT,
AS THOUGH SOMEONE HAD REMOVED THEIR SHOES
PRIOR TO GOING INSIDE.
Lincoln: WE ADDITIONALLY FOUND SOME TIRE TRACKS
FROM WHAT LOOKED TO BE A BICYCLE.
Narrator: IF THAT'S HOW THE KILLER GETS AWAY, HE'S LONG GONE BY NOW.
IN THE MORNING, THE HEARTBREAKING NEWS SPREADS.
A POPULAR YOUNG BABYSITTER HAS BEEN *** AND MURDERED.
HELLO?
A CLOSE-KNIT COMMUNITY IS STUNNED.
THERE WAS A SENSE OF SADNESS, SENSE OF OUTRAGE AND FEAR
ALL AT THE SAME TIME.
Narrator: IS A *** PREDATOR
PROWLING THE DARK STREETS OF DELRAY BEACH?
YOU SHOULD NEVER BE SCARED IN YOUR OWN HOUSE,
AND I WAS SCARED.
IN MY 10-YEAR-OLD MIND, I WAS SCARED TO DEATH.
Narrator: DELRAY BEACH AND BOCA RATON, FLORIDA.
NEIGHBORING CITIES ALONG FLORIDA'S ATLANTIC COAST,
THEY'RE MORE LIKE SUNNY SEASIDE VILLAGES
WHERE THE BEACH IS A SECOND HOME FOR LOCAL TEENAGERS.
DELRAY AND BOCA WERE PRETTY MUCH THE SIMPLE BEACH LIFE.
WE WERE ALL BEACH BUMS.
THE BEACH WAS DEFINITELY OUR PLAYGROUND.
Superdock: WE'D GET TO THE BEACH IN THE MORNING,
AND THEN AROUND LUNCHTIME MUNCH ON OUR CRAB CAKES OR WHATEVER.
Narrator: BUT ON MARCH 25, 1984,
LILLIAN AND PAM'S IDYLLIC LIFESTYLE IS SHATTERED
BY THE *** AND *** OF THEIR BEST FRIEND,
14-YEAR-OLD KAREN SLATTERY.
Licata: THIS SENT SHOCK WAVES THROUGH OUR COMMUNITY.
PEOPLE WERE EXTREMELY FRIGHTENED.
PARENTS DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE THEIR KIDS ALONE.
EVERYONE WAS ON EDGE AND CONCERNED
THAT THERE WAS THIS VIOLENT, VICIOUS KILLER
ROAMING THE STREETS.
Narrator: KAREN'S AUTOPSY REVEALS THE SHEER BRUTALITY OF HER ATTACK.
THE MEDICAL EXAMINER
DETERMINED THAT SHE HAD BEEN STABBED 18 TIMES.
Licata: THE PERSON CUT HER ACROSS THE FRONT OF HER NECK,
WHICH COULD HAVE PREVENTED HER
FROM SCREAMING OUT AND CALLING FOR HELP.
Narrator: KAREN IS SEXUALLY ASSAULTED
EITHER AS SHE'S DYING OR AFTER HER DEATH.
Licata: YOU COULDN'T HELP BUT WONDER
WHAT KIND OF A MONSTER WOULD COMMIT SUCH A HORRIFIC ACT
AGAINST SUCH A SWEET, INNOCENT GIRL.
Murray: SOMEONE MUST HAVE BEEN WATCHING HER.
WHY WOULD THEY JUST PICK KAREN?
HOW DID THEY KNOW SHE WAS BABYSITTING AND SHE WAS ALONE?
WE WANTED TO KNOW WHY.
Narrator: AND SO DO THE POLICE.
KAREN'S FAMILY AND FRIENDS HELP DETECTIVES PIECE TOGETHER
THE LAST FEW HOURS OF HER LIFE.
Johnson: WE WENT SHOPPING THAT DAY.
WE ALL WENT TOGETHER TO THE MALL.
WE GOT NEW DRESSES AND HATS.
[ INDISTINCT TALKING ]
SHE WAS DROPPED OFF AROUND 6:00.
IT WAS JUST A TYPICAL SATURDAY NIGHT.
Licata: SHE SPENT 3 1/2 HOURS WHILE THEY WERE AWAKE
BEFORE SHE PUT THEM TO BED.
GOOD NIGHT.
[ "ROCK-A-BYE, BABY" PLAYING ON MUSIC BOX ]
Narrator: KAREN STEALS SOME QUIET MOMENTS TO CALL HER FRIEND PAM.
[ TELEPHONE RINGS ]
SHE'S BABYSITTING, TOO.
Superdock: WE WERE TALKING ABOUT MUSIC.
WE WERE TALKING ABOUT BOYS,
TALKING ABOUT OUR OTHER FRIENDS --
JUST THE NORMAL, TYPICAL STUFF THAT TEENAGE GIRLS TALK ABOUT.
WE HUNG UP THE PHONE.
AND SHE WAS GONNA GRAB A SNACK, AND I WAS GONNA GRAB A SNACK,
AND THEN SHE WAS GONNA CALL ME BACK.
Narrator: KAREN ALSO TAKES THE TIME
TO DO WHAT SHE ALWAYS DOES WHEN BABYSITTING.
SHE CALLS HER MOM TO LET HER KNOW EVERYTHING IS FINE.
UP UNTIL 10:00,
THERE WAS NO INDICATION THAT THERE WERE ANY PROBLEMS.
BYE.
WHEN SHE DIDN'T CALL ME BACK,
I JUST ASSUMED THAT SHE HAD FALLEN ASLEEP.
Narrator: THE HELMS COME HOME AT 12:15 A.M.
THAT LEAVES ALMOST TWO HOURS UNACCOUNTED FOR.
WHAT HAPPENED?
[ POLICE RADIO CHATTER ]
THE DAY AFTER KAREN'S ***, POLICE GET THEIR FIRST BREAK.
A BURGLAR NAMED DEVON CLARKSON IS CAUGHT IN THE ACT,
AND SEVERAL DETAILS OF THIS CRIME LINK HIM TO HER ATTACK.
Licata: THIS PERSON WAS ARRESTED COMMITTING A BURGLARY
DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS
WITHIN A FEW BLOCKS OF WHERE KAREN SLATTERY WAS MURDERED.
HE GOT TO THE CRIME SCENE ON A 10-SPEED BICYCLE.
THEY FOUND BLOOD ON THE HANDLEBARS.
THEY ALSO FOUND PINK GUM ON THE FRONT FORK OF THE BICYCLE.
Narrator: THE GUM IS SIMILAR
TO THE KIND FOUND ON KAREN'S SHORTS AT THE CRIME SCENE.
COULD CLARKSON BE THEIR KILLER?
DETECTIVES HOPE TO GET A CONFESSION.
PROBLEM IS HE'S NOT TALKING.
THEY DON'T BACK DOWN.
AN FBI PROFILE OF KAREN'S KILLER
PUTS THE PERPETRATOR BETWEEN 18 AND 25,
A LONER, AND A PROWLER WHO WOULD USE A BICYCLE.
IT FITS CLARKSON TO A "T."
WE OBTAINED A SEARCH WARRANT FOR BODY FLUIDS AND HAIR SAMPLES.
Narrator: IN 1984, THERE'S NO DNA TESTING,
BUT TESTS ON THE *** FOUND AT THE CRIME SCENE
ESTABLISH THE KILLER'S BLOOD TYPE.
DEVON CLARKSON...
IS NOT A MATCH.
THREE DAYS AFTER HER ***,
KAREN SLATTERY IS LAID TO REST BEFORE MORE THAN 1,000 PEOPLE.
THERE WAS NOT A SEAT AVAILABLE AND NOT A DRY EYE IN THE HOUSE.
Johnson: I STILL HAVE A HARD TIME
SITTING IN THAT FRONT PEW AT THAT CHURCH TODAY.
THE VIEWING WAS HARD. WE HAD AN OPEN CASKET.
I GOT IN TROUBLE BECAUSE I TOUCHED HER NOSE.
[ SNIFFLES ]
I WASN'T EXPECTING HER TO BE COLD.
SHE JUST LOOKED LIKE SHE WAS SLEEPING.
Narrator: FOLLOWING THE SERVICE, KAREN'S FATHER, EUGENE,
RALLIES THE COMMUNITY'S HELP IN FINDING THE KILLER.
VOLUNTEERS FLOOD THE COMMUNITY WITH FLIERS.
THERE'S AN IMMEDIATE PAYOFF.
WE RECEIVED A TIP FROM A HOMEOWNER
WHO LIVED ABOUT TWO BLOCKS AWAY FROM THE CRIME SCENE,
AND THIS PERSON FOUND SOME BLOOD DROPLETS
INSIDE THEIR HOUSE THE DAY THAT KAREN WAS MURDERED.
AND THEY FOUND A NOTE UNDERNEATH THEIR FRONT MAT.
Narrator: SOMEONE IS DESPERATELY TRYING TO REACH
THE HOMEOWNER'S NEPHEW, ALEC GIBSON.
BLOOD, A STRANGE NOTE --
COULD THIS BE CONNECTED TO KAREN'S ***?
ALEC GIBSON I.D.s THE WRITER OF THE CRYPTIC NOTE AS HIS FRIEND,
22-YEAR-OLD OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY STUDENT
ROBERT MIDKIFF.
WHAT DID THE NOTE SAY?
POLICE LEARN MIDKIFF HAS HAD SEVERAL RUN-INS WITH THE LAW --
PETTY THEFT, DISORDERLY CONDUCT, AND DRUNK DRIVING.
IT WAS DETERMINED THAT HE HAD LEFT THE SOUTH FLORIDA AREA
THE DAY AFTER KAREN SLATTERY WAS KILLED.
DETECTIVE LICATA FLEW UP TO OHIO
TO LOOK INTO HIM AND HIS BACKGROUND.
Narrator: MIDKIFF TELLS LICATA HE LEFT THE NOTE
BECAUSE GIBSON WAS SUPPOSED TO BE HIS RIDE BACK TO OHIO.
I DON'T REMEMBER ANYTHING ABOUT BLOOD.
HE CAN'T EXPLAIN THE MYSTERIOUS BLOOD DROPLETS
BUT SAYS HE DIDN'T KILL ANYBODY
AND THEN MAKES A SERIES OF STRANGE STATEMENTS.
I'M NOT DENYING THAT THERE WAS BLOOD THERE, BUT I JUST --
YOU GUYS DON'T FIND ANYTHING, LIKE, INCRIMINATING
'CAUSE I JUST DON'T LIKE MY CHANCES.
WE EVENTUALLY DID COLLECT SOME SPECIMENS
AND ARRANGE FOR A POLYGRAPH EXAM TO BE TAKEN.
YEAH. YEAH.
Narrator: MIDKIFF SOON DIGS HIMSELF AN EVEN DEEPER HOLE.
WHEN THE POLYGRAPH WAS SCHEDULED...
HE DIDN'T SHOW UP.
THAT SET OFF SOME RED FLAGS.
Narrator: WHAT IS ROBERT MIDKIFF HIDING?
Narrator: SIX DAYS AGO, 14-YEAR-OLD BABYSITTER KAREN SLATTERY
WAS *** AND MURDERED IN A DELRAY BEACH, FLORIDA, HOME.
ALL KAREN'S FAMILY AND FRIENDS WANT TO DO IS GRIEVE THEIR LOSS.
BUT THEY KNOW THAT OUT THERE, SOMEWHERE IN THE DARK,
A DEVIANT PREDATOR IS LURKING.
I WAS SCARED TO GO TO SLEEP AT NIGHT
'CAUSE I WAS SO SCARED HE WAS GONNA COME AFTER ME.
A REPORTER SNUCK ONTO CAMPUS.
AND SOMEBODY SAID THAT
"PAM SUPERDOCK WAS THE LAST PERSON TO SPEAK TO HER ALIVE."
AND THE REPORTER PRINTED THAT IN THE PAPER.
I WAS TERRIFIED.
NOW HE KNOWS MY NAME. WHAT IF HE COMES AFTER ME?
Narrator: EVEN MEMBERS OF THE POLICE FORCE
ARE CONCERNED ABOUT A MADMAN ON THE LOOSE.
AS A HUSBAND AND A FATHER,
IT WAS A DIFFICULT SITUATION TO GO THROUGH.
YOU HAVE A JOB TO DO,
BUT YOU CAN'T HELP BUT BE CONCERNED ABOUT YOUR FAMILY
AND LEAVING THEM HOME ALONE WHEN YOU'RE NOT THERE.
Narrator: DUTY CALLS FOR DETECTIVE LICATA.
IN OHIO, 1,000 MILES FROM HIS FAMILY,
HE TRIES TO LINK COLLEGE STUDENT ROBERT MIDKIFF
TO KAREN'S ***.
FIRST, MIDKIFF DODGES A POLYGRAPH TEST.
BUT LICATA GETS HIM TO AGREE TO SHOW UP THE NEXT DAY.
Licata: HE WAS ASKED SOME VERY DIRECT AND DELIBERATE QUESTIONS
RELATING TO HIS POTENTIAL INVOLVEMENT
IN THE *** OF KAREN SLATTERY.
THERE WERE SOME SIGNS OF DECEPTION.
Narrator: HE FAILS THE POLYGRAPH,
WHICH IS SUSPICIOUS... BUT NOT ENOUGH TO CHARGE HIM.
LICATA FLIES MIDKIFF'S BLOOD SAMPLES BACK TO FLORIDA,
HOPING FORENSIC EVIDENCE WILL TIE HIM TO THE CRIME.
DELRAY BEACH RALLIES IN SUPPORT OF THE SLATTERY FAMILY.
Plum: IT WAS UNBELIEVABLE.
EVERYBODY FELT LIKE THEY HAD TO DO SOMETHING.
WE DECIDED TO START A REWARD FUND TO TRY AND FIND THIS GUY.
Narrator: KAREN'S GRIEF-STRICKEN FATHER, EUGENE,
IS TIRELESS IN HIS EFFORTS TO FIND KAREN'S KILLER.
HE WAS DOGGEDLY DETERMINED AND ANGRY.
HE WAS ANGRY THAT HIS BELOVED DAUGHTER WAS TAKEN FROM HIM.
HE WAS SEEKING JUSTICE.
Narrator: THE REWARD FUND GROWS TO $50,000.
MEANWHILE, ROBERT MIDKIFF'S LAB RESULTS COME IN.
Licata: WE WERE ABLE TO DETERMINE
THAT HE WAS NO LONGER A SUSPECT IN THIS CASE.
BACK TO ZERO.
WE WERE FRUSTRATED.
IT WAS A LONG SHOT, ANYWAY.
WHAT APPEARED TO BE SOME GOOD LEADS LED TO A DEAD END.
Narrator: TWO MONTHS SINCE KAREN'S *** AND NO ANSWERS.
DELRAY BEACH P.D.'s INVESTIGATION
COMES TO A STANDSTILL.
8 MILES SOUTH, IN BOCA RATON,
DETECTIVE KEVIN McCOY LEADS AN INVESTIGATION
THAT'S JUST GETTING STARTED.
WE HAD A BURGLARY UP IN THE NORTH END OF TOWN,
WHERE A HOMEOWNER DISCOVERED
AN INDIVIDUAL ATTEMPTING TO GAIN ENTRY INTO THE HOME,
IN WHICH A FEMALE WAS SLEEPING RIGHT UNDERNEATH
THE WINDOW WHERE HE WAS TRYING TO GET IN.
Man: HEY! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!
THE SUSPECT FLED.
Narrator: THE BURGLAR ESCAPES, JUMPING INTO A NEARBY CANAL.
ALL POLICE HAVE TO GO ON IS WHAT HE LEAVES BEHIND --
HIS HIGH-TOP SNEAKERS...
...AND A 12-SPEED BIKE.
TWO NIGHTS LATER, THERE'S ANOTHER BURGLARY IN BOCA RATON,
ONLY THIS ONE TURNS VIOLENT.
A YOUNG LADY WAS SLEEPING IN HER BEDROOM.
HER ROOMMATES HEARD HER SCREAM.
AND THEY FOUND HER ON THE FLOOR, BLEEDING FROM A HEAD WOUND.
THIS WOMAN WAS HIT OVER THE HEAD WITH AN IRON.
Narrator: McCOY DISCOVERS A DISTURBING PATTERN.
TWO MONTHS EARLIER, THERE WAS A SIMILAR ATTACK.
THE VICTIM'S MOTHER TELLS DETECTIVES
SHE FOUND HER 17-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER IN HER BEDROOM
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT,
BLEEDING FROM THE BACK OF HER HEAD.
HER DAUGHTER IS LEFT WITH PERMANENT BRAIN DAMAGE.
ALL THREE ATTACKS ARE WITHIN A FEW MILES OF EACH OTHER,
LEADING McCOY TO BELIEVE IT'S THE SAME PROWLER.
McCoy: IT'S A SPECIAL TYPE OF CRIMINAL THAT WILL BREAK INTO A HOME
WHEN HE, IN FACT, KNOWS SOMEBODY'S THERE.
WE CALL THEM CAT BURGLARIES.
MOST BURGLARIES ARE DONE WHEN THE PEOPLE ARE AWAY
TO AVOID ANY KIND OF CONFRONTATION.
WE KNEW THERE WAS A *** COMPONENT TO THE BURGLARIES
BECAUSE ONE THING THEY HAD IN COMMON
IS THERE WERE FEMALES IN THE RESIDENCE.
Narrator: TRACKING THE *** ANGLE, McCOY HITS ON A POSSIBLE LEAD.
AT NEARBY FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY,
A MAN HAS EXPOSED HIMSELF TO FEMALE STUDENTS TWICE
IN THE PAST WEEK.
ONE OF THE VICTIMS MAKES A CRUDE SKETCH OF THE MAN.
IS THIS FLASHER THE CAT BURGLAR POLICE ARE LOOKING FOR?
WE HAVE A SEX-OFFENDER MUG BOOK.
I STARTED GOING THROUGH THE MUG BOOK
AND CAME ACROSS A PICTURE
THAT LOOKED PRETTY CLOSE TO THE SKETCH.
I MADE A PHOTO LINEUP
TO SEE IF WE COULD GET A POSITIVE IDENTIFICATION.
UNFORTUNATELY, IT WAS A MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND,
AND EVERYBODY WAS PRETTY MUCH OUT OF TOWN,
INCLUDING THE GIRL
THAT WE WANTED TO LOOK AT THE PHOTO LINEUP.
Narrator: THERE'S NO WAY FOR McCOY TO TEST HIS HUNCH.
HE'LL HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL THE END OF THE LONG WEEKEND.
BUT BEFORE THE WEEKEND'S UP, THERE'S ANOTHER ATTACK.
[ WOMAN SCREAMS ]
GEORGIANNA WORDEN, AN EXECUTIVE SECRETARY AND MOTHER OF TWO,
IS *** AND MURDERED IN HER BOCA RATON HOME.
McCoy: SHE WAS FOUND DECEASED IN HER BEDROOM,
THE OBVIOUS VICTIM OF A HOMICIDE.
IT WAS A PRETTY HORRIFIC CRIME SCENE.
SHE WAS LYING IN BED, WHICH WAS RIGHT UNDERNEATH A WINDOW.
[ BREATHES DEEPLY ]
AND AT SOME POINT IN TIME,
SHE FELL ASLEEP WITH A BOOK NEXT TO HER.
WE FOUND A HAMMER
THAT WAS LOCATED ON THE FLOOR THAT WAS COVERED WITH BLOOD.
Narrator: THERE'S ALSO A BUTCHER KNIFE ON THE NIGHTSTAND.
McCOY IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZES SIMILARITIES
TO THE KAREN SLATTERY CASE
AND CALLS IN THE DELRAY BEACH DETECTIVES.
ALTHOUGH THERE WAS A GREAT AGE DIFFERENCE,
THEY WERE BOTH PETITE.
IN BOTH SCENES,
THERE WAS A KNIFE USED TO CUT THE WINDOW SCREEN.
THE VICTIMS BOTH HAD THEIR FACES COVERED.
THE OFFENDER APPARENTLY SHOWERED BOTH TIMES.
FOLLOWING HER DEATH,
GEORGIANNA WORDEN WAS ALSO SEXUALLY ASSAULTED.
IN THE SLATTERY CASE, THE KNIFE WAS THE PRIMARY WEAPON USED.
THERE WAS A HAMMER FOUND NEARBY.
IN THE WORDEN CASE, THE HAMMER WAS THE PRIMARY WEAPON,
AND A KNIFE WAS FOUND NEARBY.
TO US, IT WAS MORE THAN COINCIDENCE.
Narrator: TWO MONTHS AFTER KAREN SLATTERY'S ***,
DETECTIVES WONDER, HAS HER KILLER STRUCK AGAIN?
WE HAD A POTENTIAL SERIAL KILLER ON OUR HANDS.
OUR WORST FEARS CAME TRUE.
Narrator: DETECTIVES IN DELRAY BEACH AND BOCA RATON, FLORIDA,
BELIEVE A SINGLE *** PREDATOR IS RESPONSIBLE
FOR THE *** AND MURDERS
OF TEENAGE-BABYSITTER KAREN SLATTERY
AND MOTHER-OF-TWO GEORGIANNA WORDEN.
AND WITH HIM STILL ON THE LOOSE,
THE FEAR GRIPPING THE SEASIDE COMMUNITIES INTENSIFIES.
JUST SHEER TERROR.
ABSOLUTE TERROR.
I COULD NOT STAY HOME ALONE.
Licata: IT WAS A CHILLING THOUGHT
TO THINK THAT THIS PERSON WAS STILL OUT AND ABOUT
AND WHAT POTENTIAL DANGERS PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITIES FACED.
Murray: PEOPLE WERE LOCKING DOORS AND INSTALLING SECURITY ALARMS.
THE COMMUNITY WAS ON HIGH ALERT.
Narrator: FOR KAREN SLATTERY'S TIGHT-KNIT CIRCLE OF FRIENDS,
THE TERROR IS PERSONAL.
THEY FEAR THE KILLER IS STALKING THEM.
THE WEEK BEFORE GEORGIANNA WAS KILLED,
LILLIAN BABYSAT FOR GEORGIANNA.
I BABYSAT FOR HER, AND A FEW DAYS AFTER, SHE WAS MURDERED.
MY FRIENDS AND I GOT REALLY SCARED.
WAS HE WATCHING US?
Narrator: ARE THEY TARGETS, OR IS IT JUST A COINCIDENCE?
AFTER THE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND,
DETECTIVE KEVIN McCOY IS FINALLY ABLE TO CONDUCT A PHOTO LINEUP
TO IDENTIFY
THE MAN FLASHING FEMALE STUDENTS AT FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY.
SHE WENT THROUGH THE MUG BOOK.
IT'S HIM.
McCoy: SHE PICKED OUT DUANE OWEN.
YOU'RE SURE THIS IS THE ONE THAT CAME AFTER YOU?
Narrator: IT'S THE SAME MAN McCOY PICKED OUT
JUST DAYS BEFORE GEORGIANNA WORDEN IS MURDERED.
WE RAN A CRIMINAL-HISTORY CHECK ON MR. OWEN,
FOUND OUT THAT OWEN HAD AN EXTENSIVE PAST FOR BURGLARY,
FOR SEX OFFENSES, FOR INDECENT EXPOSURE.
Narrator: BUT THEY UNCOVER NO HISTORY OF VIOLENCE.
THE FACT DUANE OWEN IS A THIEF AND A SEX OFFENDER
DOESN'T MEAN HE'S A MURDERER.
[ SIREN WAILING ]
WITH THE COMMUNITY IN A STATE OF PANIC,
THE POLICE NEED TO FIND OUT IF OWEN'S CRIMES ARE ESCALATING.
WE LEARNED WHERE MR. OWEN HAD BEEN STAYING WITH HIS BROTHER --
PRETTY CLOSE TO A COUPLE OF THE ASSAULTS.
AND WE WENT UP THERE IN THE HOPES OF LOCATING MR. OWEN.
COULDN'T FIND HIM OR HIS BROTHER.
Narrator: IF OWEN IS THE KILLER, IS HE OUT TRACKING HIS NEXT VICTIM?
McCoy: LATER IN THE AFTERNOON,
I RECEIVED A CALL FROM ONE OF THE ROAD OFFICERS.
YOU GOT A SUSPECT THAT MATCHES THE DESCRIPTION?
SHE HAD STOPPED AN INDIVIDUAL ON A BICYCLE,
AND HE APPEARED TO FIT THE PHOTOGRAPH FROM THAT MUG BOOK,
BUT HE SAID HIS NAME WAS DANA BROWN.
DANA BROWN.
Narrator: IS DANA BROWN ACTUALLY DUANE OWEN?
POLICE BRING HIM INTO THE STATION TO FIND OUT.
MR. BROWN...
HE IDENTIFIED HIMSELF TO ME AS DANA BROWN.
I DID SHOW HIM THE PICTURE OF HIMSELF,
AND I SAID, "DO YOU RECOGNIZE THIS GUY?"
AND HE SAYS NO.
NO.
AND THERE WAS NO DOUBT IN MY MIND WHO HE WAS.
Narrator: McCOY RUNS HIS PRINTS AGAINST OWEN'S OLD ARREST RECORDS.
THEY MATCH.
DANA BROWN IS DUANE OWEN.
TO KEEP OWEN OFF THE STREET,
HE'S BOOKED ON OUTSTANDING WARRANTS
WHILE McCOY DIGS FOR SOMETHING TO TIE HIM TO THE MURDERS.
SO, I DID AN INTERVIEW WITH HIS BROTHER.
HIS BROTHER TOLD ME SHORTLY AFTER THE SLATTERY HOMICIDE
DUANE HAD ENLISTED IN THE UNITED STATES ARMY
UNDER THE NAME OF "DANA BROWN."
Narrator: AFTER JUST A MONTH,
OWEN IS MEDICALLY DISCHARGED FROM THE ARMY FOR FLAT FEET.
THE LATEST ROUND OF PROWLER ATTACKS
BEGINS FOUR DAYS AFTER HIS RETURN FROM THE ARMY.
A WEEK LATER, GEORGIANNA WORDEN IS MURDERED.
McCOY ALSO LEARNS SOMETHING INTERESTING
THAT COULD TIE OWEN TO THE BOTCHED BURGLARY BY THE CANAL.
HIS BROTHER TOLD ME HE CAME HOME WITHOUT SNEAKERS THAT NIGHT
AND HAD TO BUY A NEW PAIR OF SNEAKERS.
Narrator: ARE DUANE OWEN'S MISSING SNEAKERS
THE ONES POLICE RECOVERED THAT NIGHT BY THE CANAL?
McCOY ASKS OWEN ABOUT THE MYSTERY FOOTWEAR.
I ASKED HIM WHAT KIND OF SNEAKERS DID HE HAVE,
AND HE GAVE THAT UP LIKE THAT.
HE FESSED UP TO THE DOVER STREET BURGLARY RIGHT OFF THE BAT.
HE IDENTIFIED THE BIKE AS HIS.
MR. OWEN SEEMED QUITE INTRIGUED ABOUT ME DOING MY HOMEWORK,
AND HE SEEMED INTERESTED IN TALKING.
AND HE WANTED TO KNOW IF HE COULD GET HIS SNEAKERS BACK.
HE ASKED ME FOUR OR FIVE TIMES
ABOUT GETTING THOSE SNEAKERS BACK.
THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT KIND OF STUCK OUT IN MY MIND --
LIKE, HE WANTS THESE SNEAKERS BACK TOO BAD.
Narrator: TURNS OUT DETECTIVE McCOY IS THAT IDIOT.
HE COMPARES THE SHOEPRINTS
FROM OUTSIDE THE HOUSE WHERE KAREN IS KILLED
WITH THE TREADS ON OWEN'S SNEAKERS.
McCoy: WE NOTICED THE PATTERNS WERE THE SAME.
ALTHOUGH IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO MAKE A POSITIVE I.D.,
IT JUST GAVE YOU THAT FEELING LIKE,
"I THINK HE WAS WEARING THOSE SHOES."
Narrator: IT'S NOT ENOUGH TO THINK IT.
OWEN ONLY CONFESSES TO THE BURGLARIES.
HE DENIES ANY VIOLENT ATTACKS AGAINST WOMEN,
INCLUDING THE TWO MURDERS.
IT'LL TAKE CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE OR A CONFESSION
TO NAIL OWEN FOR ***.
POLICE TAKE BLOOD AND SALIVA SAMPLES,
THEN INTERROGATE HIM MULTIPLE TIMES OVER THE NEXT FIVE DAYS.
HE DOESN'T BREAK.
THE DETECTIVES ARE STUCK.
UNLESS THEY FIND A WAY TO CRACK OWEN, HE'LL WALK FREE.
IT WAS LIKE, "WHAT DO WE DO?"
WE REALLY NEED A CONFESSION.
Narrator: OWEN IS AWARE OF THAT FACT, AS WELL.
IT BECAME VERY CLEAR
THAT OWEN REALLY ENJOYED THIS GAME
AND ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, WROTE LITTLE POEMS
TO KIND OF TAUNT LAW ENFORCEMENT.
Narrator: BOCA RATON POLICE CHARGE CAT-BURGLAR DUANE OWEN
WITH BREAKING AND ENTERING, ASSAULT, AND INDECENT EXPOSURE.
THESE CASES HE CONFESSES TO.
THEY BELIEVE HE'S ALSO RESPONSIBLE
FOR THE *** AND MURDERS OF 14-YEAR-OLD KAREN SLATTERY
AND 38-YEAR-OLD GEORGIANNA WORDEN.
WE FOUND YOUR FOOTPRINTS...
HE REFUSES TO CONFESS TO THESE MURDERS,
AND THEY HAVE NO HARD EVIDENCE.
FINALLY, FORENSICS COMES UP
WITH A BREAKTHROUGH FROM THE WORDEN CRIME SCENE.
McCoy: OUR CRIME-SCENE TECH
WAS ABLE TO DEVELOP A PRINT ON THE VERY CORNER OF A BOOK.
HE WAS ABLE TO IDENTIFY MR. OWEN'S FINGER
AS THE PRINT THAT WAS ON THE BOOK.
Narrator: HE CAN'T BELIEVE IT.
HE WAS PRETTY WELL BAFFLED ABOUT THE PRINT.
OUT OF THE BLUE, HE SAYS, "WHERE WAS THE BOOK?"
Narrator: OWEN KNOWS HE MESSED UP.
HIS DEFENSES CRUMBLE.
HE SAYS HE WOULD TAKE THE SOCKS OFF HIS FEET,
PUT THEM ON HIS HANDS SO HE WOULDN'T LEAVE ANY FINGERPRINTS,
AND HE SAYS IT'S THE ONLY PLACE HE WENT WITHOUT --
AND HE DID THIS --
WITHOUT THE SOCKS ON HIS HANDS.
[ SCREAMING ]
[ THUDDING ]
HE HAD RUN INTO THE BATHROOM AND SQUEEZED OUT HIS SOCKS.
WHEN HE WENT BACK TO *** HER,
IT'S THE ONLY PLACE HE WENT WITHOUT HIS HANDS BEING COVERED.
Narrator: OWEN'S GOING DOWN FOR GEORGIANNA'S ***.
BUT CAN DELRAY DETECTIVES GET HIM TO ADMIT
HE ALSO KILLED KAREN SLATTERY TWO MONTHS EARLIER?
HAD HE CHOSEN NOT TO TALK TO US,
WE NEVER WOULD'VE HAD ENOUGH TO CONVICT HIM.
BUT IT WAS,
"I'M SMARTER THAN YOU GUYS, AND HERE'S WHAT I DID."
Narrator: DUANE OWEN LAYS OUT THE GRIM DETAILS
OF THE NIGHT OF MARCH 24, 1984.
HE HAD BEEN OUT ON HIS BICYCLE, CRUISING AND CASING.
HIS TERMINOLOGY.
HE FINALLY SELECTED THE HELM RESIDENCE AFTER SEEING
KAREN FRENCH-BRAIDING THE CHILDREN'S HAIR.
[ INDISTINCT TALKING ]
HE ACTUALLY CAME INTO THE HOUSE EARLIER THAT EVENING
WITH THE INTENTIONS OF ATTACKING HER.
OKAY, I THINK IT'S TIME FOR BED.
BUT BECAUSE THE GIRLS WERE STILL AWAKE,
HE ROLLED DOWN TO ONE OF THE LOCAL BARS
FOR A COUPLE OF DRINKS BEFORE RETURNING LATER ON.
THIS WAS CERTAINLY WELL THOUGHT OUT.
IT WAS NOT AN IMPULSE CRIME.
HE TOOK HIS CLOTHES OFF...
...WITH THE EXCEPTION OF HIS SHORTS,
PUT HIS SOCKS OVER HIS HANDS...
HI, MOM.
YEAH.
...AND CAME IN THROUGH THE CUT SCREEN IN THE MASTER BEDROOM.
HE WALKED DOWN THE HALLWAY...
...HEARD KAREN TALKING ON THE PHONE.
UH, YEAH. I'LL CALL YOU BACK IN 10 MINUTES.
AND AS SHE WAS FINISHING HER CONVERSATION,
HE APPROACHED HER FROM BEHIND.
BYE.
[ RECEIVER CLICKS ]
[ SCREAMS ]
HE STARTED TO STAB HER AND SLASH HER.
[ PANTING ]
HE THEN DRAGS HER DOWN THE HALLWAY,
INTO THE MASTER BEDROOM.
THEN HE WENT INTO THE CHILDREN'S ROOM
TO VERIFY THEY WERE ASLEEP...
[ "ROCK-A-BYE, BABY" PLAYING ON MUSIC BOX ]
...THEN WENT DOWN THE HALLWAY TO THE MASTER BEDROOM
WHERE KAREN WAS AND SEXUALLY ASSAULTED HER.
Narrator: DUANE OWEN'S CONFESSIONS
ARE ENOUGH TO CONVICT HIM FOR THE THE MURDERS
OF KAREN SLATTERY AND GEORGIANNA WORDEN.
HE'S SENTENCED TO DIE IN FLORIDA'S ELECTRIC CHAIR.
DECADES AFTER KAREN'S DEATH,
OWEN CONTINUES TO APPEAL HIS SENTENCE.
HE REMAINS ON DEATH ROW.
IT WAS VERY GRATIFYING
TO FINALLY SEE HIM CONVICTED OF THIS HEINOUS CRIME.
Lincoln: SHE SEEMED LIKE SUCH A BRIGHT YOUNG LADY
WHO HAD HER WHOLE LIFE IN FRONT HER,
AND IT WAS JUST TAKEN BY THIS ANIMAL.
Narrator: USING THE UNCLAIMED REWARD MONEY,
AN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION CENTER
IS ESTABLISHED IN KAREN'S NAME
AT FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY IN JULY 1989.
TRAGICALLY, KAREN'S BIGGEST SUPPORTER, HER DAD, EUGENE,
DIES IN A PLANE CRASH
JUST TWO WEEKS BEFORE CONSTRUCTION BEGINS.
GENERATIONS OF YOUNG CHILDREN
WILL BENEFIT FROM THE CENTER NAMED IN KAREN'S HONOR.
Johnson: IT'S THE BEST POSSIBLE LEGACY.
[ Voice breaking ] SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN...
A REALLY CARING AND LOVING TEACHER.
HER GRADUATING CLASS WANTED TO DO SOMETHING
BECAUSE SHE WASN'T THERE.
SO THEY PLANTED A TREE.
THE TREE IS HUGE NOW.
IT'S HUGE. [ CHUCKLES ]
[ SNIFFLES ] IT'S HAD A LOT OF TIME TO GROW.