Evil Talks: Chilling Confessions (2018–…): Season 1, Episode 6 - The Torture Trap - full transcript
When two college football players go missing, detectives chase down leads and uncover a terrifying hostage crisis.
Narrator:
THE BODIES OF TWO WOMEN
FOUND MURDERED ONE YEAR APART --
ARE THESE TWO CASES CONNECTED?
IT IS POSSIBLE
IT WAS A SERIAL KILLER.
Narrator:
THE LIST OF POTENTIAL SUSPECTS
OVERWHELMS DETECTIVES.
THEY CAN BE DOCTORS.
THEY CAN BE LAWYERS.
THEY CAN BE A SOCCER DAD.
Narrator: POLICE ARE DESPERATE
TO CATCH A KILLER
HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT.
APPEARANCES AREN'T EVERYTHING.
YOU HAVE SOMEONE THAT LOOKS
LIKE HE COULD BE
THE NICEST, NORMAL PERSON,
AND HE'S GOT DEMONS
THAT HE JUST CAN'T GET OVER.
[ ELECTRICITY CRACKLES ]
Narrator:
IN THE INTERROGATION ROOM,
POLICE MUST CONFRONT EVIL...
WHEN DID YOU DECIDE THAT YOU
WERE GOING TO KILL THIS PERSON?
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE MURDER?
DO YOU THINK OF YOURSELF
AS A SERIAL KILLER?
Narrator:...SIFTING THROUGH
UNSPEAKABLE CRIMES
AND THE DARK SECRETS.
HAD THE KNIFE
AND PUT IT DOWN.
I AM A KILLER.
I KILLED THREE OTHER PEOPLE.
Narrator: THE TRUTH CAN ONLY BE
REVEALED WHEN EVIL TALKS.
♪♪
♪♪
Narrator: OCTOBER 4, 2011,
A MOTHER AND SON RIDING BIKES
ON THE OUTSKIRTS
OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI,
MAKE A DISTURBING DISCOVERY...
WHAT'S THAT?
Narrator:
...A DEAD BODY OF A WOMAN
LYING ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD.
♪♪
Taney: SHE WAS IN THE DITCH,
PANTS PULLED DOWN A LITTLE BIT.
HER SHIRT WAS PULLED UP.
SHE DIDN'T HAVE ANY OBVIOUS
SIGNS OF INJURY,
DIDN'T APPEAR TO HAVE
ANY GUNSHOT WOUNDS,
STAB WOUNDS
OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
♪♪
THERE'S DEFINITELY
NO MURDER WEAPON.
Narrator: DETECTIVES LOOK FOR
CLUES AT THE SCENE
TO DETERMINE
IF THIS WOMAN'S DEATH
WAS A TRAGIC ACCIDENT OR MURDER.
THERE ARE CERTAIN TIMES THAT
YOU CAN TELL CAUSE OF DEATH.
IN THIS CASE,
WE WEREN'T REAL SURE.
THERE DID APPEAR TO BE POSSIBLE
LIGATURE MARKS ON HER NECK,
SO WE DIDN'T KNOW
IF SHE WAS STRANGLED.
Narrator:
BUT ONE PIECE OF EVIDENCE
DRAWS DETECTIVES' ATTENTION.
WHAT'S THIS?
♪♪
THAT LOOKS LIKE BLEACH.
SHE DID APPEAR TO HAVE
SOME BLEACH POURED ON HER,
COULD EVEN KIND OF SMELL IT.
YOU COULD SEE THAT HER CLOTHING
HAD BEEN BLEACHED OR DISCOLORED.
WE FIGURED AT THAT POINT
THAT SOMEONE IS TRYING TO COVER
SOMETHING UP OR TRYING
TO COVER UP EVIDENCE.
Narrator: DETECTIVES FIND
ONE OTHER POTENTIAL CLUE
AT THE SCENE --
A SIZE-11 MEN'S CANVAS SHOE.
IT WAS RIGHT NEXT TO HER BODY,
AND THERE WASN'T A WHOLE LOT
OF OTHER THINGS AROUND HER
AT THAT POINT.
WAS THAT SHOE ALREADY THERE?
WAS IT JUST TRASH IN THE DITCH?
DID IT MEAN SOMETHING?
BUT IT HAD BLEACH ON IT AS WELL,
HAD LITTLE BITTY SPOTS
OF BLEACH.
WHOEVER'S PUT HER THERE,
THAT'S THEIR SHOE.
WE FELT PRETTY GOOD THAT
THE SHOE WAS PART OF THE SCENE.
♪♪
Narrator: A MEDICAL EXAMINER
WILL OFFICIALLY DETERMINE
CAUSE OF DEATH.[ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING ]
BUT DETECTIVES, CONVINCED
THE DETAILS ADD UP TO MURDER,
BEGIN THEIR INVESTIGATION.
WE GET CONFIRMATION
THROUGH FINGERPRINT I.D.
SHE HAD SEVERAL REPORTS
IN OUR SYSTEM.
Narrator:
THE VICTIM IS A 40-YEAR-OLD
KANSAS CITY RESIDENT NAMED
TAMARA SPARKS.
SHE IS KNOWN
TO LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT.
SHE WAS A KNOWN PROSTITUTE
ON WHAT WE HAVE IS CALLED
INDEPENDENCE AVENUE IN OUR CITY,
WHICH IS
A HIGH PROSTITUTION AREA,
AND WE KNEW SHE
FREQUENTED THE AVENUE
AND HAD SOME
PREVIOUS PROSTITUTION
ARRESTS AND CONTACT.
Narrator: FOR DETECTIVES,
TAMARA'S RECORD OF PROSTITUTION
DOESN'T CHANGE THE FACT
THAT SHE'S NOW A VICTIM.
♪♪
A LOT OF THINGS HAPPENED IN LIFE
FOR THEM TO BE IN THAT POSITION.
MIGHT HAVE CIRCUMSTANCE.
IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN
SOMETHING THAT THEY SAID,
"I HAVE TO DO THIS TO SURVIVE,"
BUT THE FACT REMAINS
THEY'RE ALSO A HUMAN BEING,
AND NO ONE SHOULD
BE KILLING THEM.
♪♪
Narrator: TAMARA'S LIFESTYLE
DOES PRESENT CERTAIN CHALLENGES
FOR THE INVESTIGATION.
IT WON'T BE EASY TO DETERMINE
THE LAST PERSON SHE WAS WITH
BEFORE SHE DIED.
A LOT OF THOSE GIRLS
ON THE AVENUE
KIND OF BOUNCE AROUND
FROM LOCATION TO LOCATION.
THEY STAY AT DIFFERENT PLACES.
THEY INTERACT
WITH DIFFERENT PEOPLE.
THIS IS ABOUT THE MURDER
OF ONE OF THE LADIES
WHO WORKS OUT HERE.
WE DON'T KNOW ANYONE
OR ABOUT ANYTHING,
SO IF YOU'RE NOT CHARGING ME,
I GOT PLACES TO BE.
THE BEGINNING OF
THE INVESTIGATION,
THEY DIDN'T WANT TO TALK TO US
OR DIDN'T FEEL COMFORTABLE
TALKING TO US
AND TELLING US ABOUT
WHAT THEY WERE DOING
OR WHAT ANY OF THEIR ASSOCIATES
OR FRIENDS WERE DOING.
Narrator:
A LACK OF TRUST BETWEEN POLICE
AND THOSE WORKING ON THE STREET
MAKES DEVELOPING LEADS
DIFFICULT.
♪♪
LOTS OF TIMES,
WOMEN HAVE INFORMATION
THAT THEY WANT
THE POLICE TO HAVE,
BUT THEY'RE AFRAID
TO GO THEMSELVES.
Narrator: KRIS WADE
WITH THE JUSTICE PROJECT
HAS MADE HER LIFE'S WORK
HELPING WOMEN ON THE STREETS
OF KANSAS CITY,
INCLUDING TAMARA.
- I'M KRIS.
- NICE TO MEET YOU.
HI.
I MET HER IN THE STREET
ON OUTREACH DOWN ON...
I BELIEVE WE WERE ON
ST. JOHN AVENUE WHEN WE MET HER.
THAT WAS KIND OF
HER LITTLE AREA.
♪♪
HERE YOU GO.
UM...THANK YOU.
I WORK WITH WOMEN AND GIRLS,
TRYING TO HELP THEM
BETTER THEIR LIVES,
GET OFF THE STREETS,
GET INTO HOUSING,
GET INTO TREATMENT,
GET MENTAL HEALTH CARE,
WHATEVER THEY HAPPEN TO NEED.
I WORK FOR AN ORGANIZATION
THAT HELPS WOMEN LIKE YOU.
SHE WAS 39, 40 YEARS OLD, IN
AND OUT OF THE LIFE FOR A WHILE.
SHE WANTED TO GET OUT,
BUT WANTING TO AND DOING IT
ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS.
Narrator: DESPITE HAVING HAD
A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP
OVER THE YEARS, KRIS DOESN'T
RECALL ANY REGULAR CLIENTS
WHO MIGHT BE SUSPECTS
IN TAMARA'S MURDER.
♪♪
♪♪
Narrator:
FORENSIC TECHNICIANS
HAVE MORE LUCK
DEVELOPING EVIDENCE.
TAMARA'S CLOTHES AND THE SHOE
FOUND AT THE CRIME SCENE
ARE BOTH PROCESSED
FOR D.N.A. EVIDENCE.
INSIDE THE SHOE,
THERE WAS A MIXTURE OF MALE
AND FEMALE D.N.A,
BUT THEY DIDN'T KNOW
WHO THE D.N.A. BELONGED TO.
Narrator:
POLICE CHECK THE D.N.A. PROFILES
AGAINST A DATABASE OF CRIMINALS
AND GET NO MATCHES.
THEY HAVE A COMPLETELY
UNKNOWN KILLER ON THEIR HANDS.
WHAT'S MORE, WHEN THE AUTOPSY
REPORT COMES BACK,
INVESTIGATORS ARE IN
FOR A SHOCK.
THE M.E. RULED HER DEATH
AN ACCIDENT
DUE TO OVERDOSE,
NARCOTICS OVERDOSE.
Narrator: OFFICIALLY, TAMARA'S
DEATH IS NOT A HOMICIDE.
YOU'RE SAYING SHE O.D.'ed
BY THE SIDE OF THE ROAD?
IT'S NOT UNCOMMON FOR WOMEN
TO DIE OF DRUG OVERDOSE
IN A PROSTITUTION INCIDENT,
AND THEIR DATE WILL GET
SCARED AND DUMP THEM.
SHE COULD'VE BEEN WITH A PERSON
THAT HAD PICKED HER UP.
SHE OVERDOSES AND DIES.
THAT PERSON PANICS,
"WHAT DO I DO?"
Narrator: THE OFFICIAL RULING
OF TAMARA'S CAUSE OF DEATH
DOESN'T SIT RIGHT
WITH INVESTIGATORS.
I WASN'T SURPRISED THAT SHE HAD
NARCOTICS IN HER SYSTEM,
BUT I WAS SURPRISED THAT
HER DEATH WAS AN OVERDOSE,
BLEACH POURED OVER HER BODY,
THE WAY SHE WAS POSITIONED,
YOU KNOW,
ON THE SIDE OF THE DITCH.
HOW ABOUT THE MARKS ON THE NECK?
POSSIBLE LIGATURE MARKS
ON HER NECK,
IT LOOKED TO ME
TO BE A HOMICIDE.
Narrator:
FOR THE MEDICAL EXAMINER,
THE EVIDENCE DOESN'T
CONCLUSIVELY ADD UP TO MURDER,
BUT THE BLEACH, THE SHOE,
THE MARKS ON TAMARA'S NECK
ALL NAG AT DETECTIVE TANEY.
OKAY, BOYS.
♪♪
THEY REFUSE TO DROP
THE INVESTIGATION.
THEIR INSTINCTS TELL THEM
TO CONTINUE CANVASSING PEOPLE
LIVING IN THE AREA NEAR
WHERE TAMARA'S BODY WAS FOUND.
GOOD MORNING.
I'M DETECTIVE NIEMEIER WITH THE
KANSAS CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT.
THEY THOUGHT THEY SAW
A PICKUP TRUCK
LEAVING THE AREA
AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED,
BUT THERE WAS NO
SUSPECT DESCRIPTION,
AND NO ONE SAW
ANYBODY DUMPING,
SO WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY
GOOD SUSPECTS DEVELOPED,
AND THERE WASN'T ANY ADDITIONAL
CREDIBLE INFORMATION COMING IN.
Narrator: AFTER FIVE MONTHS
WITH NO NEW LEADS,
THE CASE IS CLASSIFIED
AS INACTIVE.
I COULDN'T GO HOME
AND NOT THINK ABOUT IT.
I MEAN, IT DID STILL
SEEM SUSPICIOUS TO ME,
STILL THOUGHT
IT COULD BE A HOMICIDE.
Narrator:
DETECTIVES WORRY
A KILLER HAS GOTTEN AWAY
WITH MURDER.
♪♪
AUGUST 21, 2012,
POLICE IN KEARNEY, MISSOURI,
ARE NOTIFIED OF A BODY
FOUND ON THE SIDE OF A ROAD.
♪♪
[ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS ]
WHAT WE HAVE IS
THE BODY OF A FEMALE
THAT IS LYING IN A DITCH AREA
PARTIALLY DRESSED
AND BLEACH BEEN POURED
ON THE BODY.
FROM THE LOOKS OF THINGS,
SOMEBODY HAD OBVIOUSLY
DRAGGED HER AND PUT HER THERE.
♪♪
Narrator:
THE VICTIM IS IDENTIFIED
AS NICOLEONE "NIKKI" REED,
A 24-YEAR-OLD FROM KANSAS CITY.
POLICE LEARN SHE WORKED
AS A PROSTITUTE.
HER DEATH CATCHES THE ATTENTION
OF DETECTIVES IN KANSAS CITY
WHO HAD INVESTIGATED
THE DEATH OF TAMARA SPARKS
NOT EVEN A YEAR BEFORE.
♪♪
BOTH VICTIMS WERE PLACED
ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD.
CLOTHING IS IN THE SAME...
VERY SIMILAR.
THEY BOTH APPEARED TO HAVE
BLEACH HAD BEEN POURED ON 'EM.
VERY SIMILAR TO
THE FIRST SCENE THAT WE HAD.
NOW WE'RE THINKING, "UH-OH.
NOW WE MAY HAVE TWO DIFFERENT
VICTIMS WITH THE SAME KILLER."
IT IS POSSIBLE
IT WAS A SERIAL KILLER.
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
Narrator: 10 MONTHS AFTER
THE DEATH OF TAMARA SPARKS,
THE BODY OF 24-YEAR-OLD
NIKKI REED
IS FOUND AT ANOTHER CRIME SCENE
THAT LOOKS EERILY FAMILIAR.
♪♪
SHE WAS ALSO PLACED ON THE SIDE
OF A ROAD NEAR A DITCH.
SHE ALSO HAD WHAT APPEARED TO BE
BLEACH POURED OVER HER BODY.
YOU COULDN'T REALLY TELL
ON HER NECK AREA
IF THERE WAS ANYTHING
TO LEAD YOU
TO BELIEVE SHE'D BEEN STRANGLED
OR WHAT WAS THE CAUSE OF DEATH.
IT'S KIND OF, LIKE, GO BACK
TO THE VERY BEGINNING.
ARE THESE TWO CASES CONNECTED?
♪♪
Narrator: DETECTIVES BEGIN
SEARCHING NIKKI'S LIFE FOR CLUES
TO HER DEATH.
MS. REED -- SHE WAS BASICALLY
LIVING ON THE STREETS.
SHE WAS A PISTOL, AND YOU COULD
REALLY SEE IT IN HER FACE,
I THINK.
THIS PICTURE KIND OF CAPTURES
THAT LITTLE LOOK.
WHEN WE MET NIKKI,
SHE WAS IN FOSTER CARE,
IN AND OUT OF FOSTER CARE.
IT'S NOT UNCOMMON FOR PEOPLE
WHO AGE OUT OF FOSTER CARE,
OR PEOPLE RUN AWAY
FROM FOSTER CARE
TO END UP IN THE STREETS
AND FALLING INTO THE STREET LIFE
AND PROSTITUTION.
♪♪
Narrator: LIKE TAMARA, NIKKI
ALSO STRUGGLED WITH ADDICTION,
BUT WHILE TAMARA'S DEATH WAS
INITIALLY RULED AN OVERDOSE,
THE MEDICAL EXAMINER
ON THIS CASE
IMMEDIATELY SAYS
NIKKI WAS MURDERED.
♪♪
HOMICIDE BY ASPHYXIATION,
HER CASE WAS RULED A HOMICIDE
FROM THE BEGINNING.
Narrator: DETECTIVES WONDER IF
THE SIMILARITIES
ARE JUST A COINCIDENCE
UNTIL THEY GET THE REPORT
BACK FROM FORENSICS.
D.N.A. FROM NIKKI'S BODY MATCHES
D.N.A. FROM THE SHOE FOUND
NEXT TO TAMARA SPARKS.
THE SAME PERSON WAS
AT BOTH CRIME SCENES,
LESS THAN 15 MILES APART.
♪♪
FEMALE VICTIMS BEING PLACED
ON THE SIDE OF RURAL ROADS.
Taney: WE FELT LIKE THERE WERE
GOOD POSSIBILITY
WE MAY SEE ANOTHER VICTIM.
HE WASN'T GOING TO STOP,
SO WE WANTED TO GET
OUR SUSPECT IN CUSTODY
BEFORE WE HAD ANOTHER
HOMICIDE ON OUR HANDS.
♪♪
Narrator:
SERGEANT DOUG NIEMEIER
IS PUT IN CHARGE
OF A TASK FORCE.
POLICE FROM KANSAS CITY
AND KEARNEY
BEGIN WORKING
THE TWO DEATHS AS ONE CASE.
THEY BUILD A PROFILE
OF THE KILLER,
SOMEONE THEY BELIEVE MUST
BE FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA
WHERE TAMARA AND NIKKI
WORKED AND DIED.
WE FELT IT WAS SOMEONE
WHO FREQUENTED THE AVENUE,
PICKED UP PROSTITUTES
AND THEN FIGURED
IT WAS HIS OPPORTUNITY
TO DO WHAT HE DID.
INDEPENDENCE AVENUE IS KIND OF
IN THE DOWNTOWN OF KANSAS CITY.
BOTH OF THE BODIES
WERE DISCOVERED
15, 20 MINUTES NORTH
OF INDEPENDENCE AVENUE,
SO THAT'S WHY WE HAD
A STRONG FEELING
THAT HE HAD TIES
TO THE NORTHLAND
AND WOULD BE FAMILIAR
WITH THAT AREA.
SO FROM THESE TWO MURDERS,
WE'VE GOT A ZONE.
DREW A CIRCLE, HERE'S THE LAST
PLACE THE PERSON WAS SEEN.
THIS IS WHERE THEY WERE FOUND.
THESE ARE SOME OF
THE OTHER FACTORS INVOLVED.
WE DREW A CONE AND SAID,
"WE'RE GOING TO FOCUS
OUR ATTENTION ON THIS AREA."
Narrator: POLICE ZERO IN
ON ONE PART OF KANSAS CITY,
BUT THE SUSPECT LIST
REMAINS WIDE OPEN.
THE KILLER, THEY BELIEVE,
COULD BE ANY OF THE MEN
PICKING UP WOMEN
ON INDEPENDENCE AVENUE,
OR "TRICKS," AS THEY'RE
KNOWN ON THE STREET.
♪♪
HERE'S SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE
WHO HAVE NEVER BEEN INVOLVED
IN THE WORLD OF PROSTITUTION
NEED TO UNDERSTAND,
THAT TRICKS COME IN ALL SHAPES,
SIZES, FORMS, DEMOGRAPHICS.
THEY CAN BE DOCTORS.
THEY CAN BE LAWYERS.
THEY CAN BE A SOCCER DAD.
THEY CAN BE FROM
THE RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY.
THEY CAN BE ANYBODY.
Narrator: POLICE DON'T KNOW
WHO THE KILLER IS,
BUT THE POSSIBILITY
HE WILL CONTINUE TO KILL
IS TERRIFYINGLY REAL.
♪♪
FOR MONTHS, POLICE ARE FACED
WITH THOUSANDS OF SUSPECTS
BUT NO LEADS UNTIL THEY GET
A TIP FROM A WOMAN
WHO SAYS SHE HAD
A HARROWING ENCOUNTER
WITH SOMEONE
WHO TRIED TO KILL HER.
SHE'D BEEN TAKEN OFF
INDEPENDENCE AVENUE.
SHE'D BEEN PLACED IN A TRUCK.
SHE'D BEEN DRIVEN EVEN
FARTHER NORTH THAN KEARNEY.
SHE HAD PASSED OUT.
I THINK MAYBE SOMEONE PUT
SOMETHING OVER HER MOUTH.
SHE'D BEEN DROPPED OFF
ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD,
BUT SHE LIVED THROUGH IT,
SO WE THOUGHT MAYBE
WE HAD A LIVING VICTIM.
Narrator:
WITH THE EXCEPTION OF BLEACH,
THE WOMAN'S STORY FITS THE M.O.
OF TAMARA AND NIKKI'S KILLER,
AND SHE GIVES POLICE
MORE DETAILS.
SHE SAID IT WAS
AN OLDER WHITE MALE DRIVING,
LIKE, A WHITE PICKUP TRUCK
WITH, YOU KNOW, DISCOLORED DOOR
OR SOME STRIPE ON THE SIDE
OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
Narrator: DETECTIVES IMMEDIATELY
GET A LIST
OF ALL WHITE PICKUP TRUCKS
IN THE AREA.
IT WAS ASTRONOMICAL.
AFTER THE INITIAL SHOCK
OF SAYING, "OKAY.
WE HAVE 29,000 WHITE TRUCKS,"
AND THAT WAS ONLY
IN OUR TARGETED AREA,
EACH DETECTIVE GOT A LIST
AND WAS LIKE, "GO OUT AND LOOK."
♪♪
WE START DRIVING AROUND LOOKING
FOR THESE TYPES OF TRUCKS,
AND IF ANYTHING STOOD OUT,
AND SO IF WE CAME ACROSS
A TRUCK THAT WAS LIKE THAT,
WE WOULD GET AS MUCH
INFORMATION WE COULD.
♪♪
SIR, I NEED TO SPEAK
WITH YOU FOR A MINUTE.
WHAT'S THE MATTER?
ONE OF THE PATROL OFFICERS
AT THE TIME
HAD STOPPED A TRUCK
ON THE AVENUE
THAT MATCHED
THIS DESCRIPTION OF,
YOU KNOW, THE SUSPECT,
OLDER WHITE MALE
DRIVING A WHITE PICKUP TRUCK.
HE WAS ABLE TO GET THE LICENSE
PLATE OFF OF THAT TRUCK.
WE KNEW IT WAS SOMEONE
THAT FREQUENTED THE AVENUE
WHO ATTEMPTED TO
PICK UP PROSTITUTES,
SO WE FOLLOWED UP ON THAT
AND THEN WERE ABLE TO GET
SOME D.N.A. FROM HIM.
THIS IS NECESSARY?
IT'S NECESSARY.
YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO COME
WITH ME RIGHT NOW.
FINE.
♪♪
Narrator:
DETECTIVES RUN THE MAN'S D.N.A.
WE FELT PRETTY CONFIDENT.
IT LOOKED GOOD FROM
THE INFORMATION THAT WE HAD.
HEY, DOUG.
- YEAH.
- IT'S NOT A MATCH.
NOTHING'S COMING UP.
Narrator: THEY LEARN IT'S NOT
A MATCH TO THE SAMPLES
FOUND AT THE CRIME SCENES.
I MEAN, YOU WORK THAT HARD
ON THESE CASES,
AND YOU FEEL LIKE, OKAY,
YOU FEEL REALLY GOOD.
THEN YOU FEEL LIKE
YOU'RE GOING TO GET 'EM,
AND THEN, ALL OF A SUDDEN, IT'S
JUST KIND OF A KICK IN THE GUT.
♪♪
OKAY. IF WE DON'T CATCH
THIS GUY SOON,
HE'S GOING TO KILL AGAIN.
- AND WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO?
Narrator: THE TASK FORCE,
NOW IN ITS FIFTH MONTH,
IS RUNNING OUT OF RESOURCES.
WITHOUT A BREAK, THE MURDERS OF
THESE TWO WOMEN MAY GO UNSOLVED.
SO WE SHAKE THINGS UP A BIT.
Narrator:
SERGEANT DOUG NIEMEIER DECIDES
TO TAKE A MASSIVE GAMBLE.
BESIDES THE PEOPLE THAT WERE
WORKING ON THE CASE,
THERE'S ONLY ONE PERSON
KNOWS THEIR SHOE IS MISSING,
AND IT'S MY JOB TO FIND HIM.
POLICE SAY THEY THINK
ONE PERSON KILLED TWO WOMEN
WHO WORKED AS PROSTITUTES
IN KANSAS CITY.
THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS
THAT THEY WANT YOU TO LOOK FOR
TO HELP THEM FIND THIS KILLER.
Narrator: LAW ENFORCEMENT TURNS
TO THE PUBLIC FOR HELP
AND REVEALS THEIR BEST EVIDENCE.
THE SHOE -- IT WAS
THE PIECE OF EVIDENCE
THAT LINKED THE TWO CASES
TOGETHER THROUGH D.N.A.
Woman: WE'RE TOLD THAT
THIS IS VERY UNIQUE
AND COULD BE KEY TO
CRACKING OPEN THIS CASE.
Narrator: BUT WILL IT BE ENOUGH
TO STOP A KILLER
BEFORE HE CLAIMS ANOTHER VICTIM?
♪♪
♪♪
Narrator: AFTER THE MURDERS OF
TAMARA SPARKS AND NIKKI REED
JUST ONE YEAR APART, POLICE KNOW
A KILLER IS AT LARGE.
DO WE HAVE A SERIAL KILLER?
I DON'T WANT ANOTHER VICTIM.
I DON'T WANT ANOTHER VICTIM.
♪♪
Narrator: BUT AS LEAD AFTER LEAD
GOES NOWHERE,
INVESTIGATORS TURN TO THE PUBLIC
TO PREVENT ANOTHER SLAYING.
THESE TWO WOMEN WERE MOTHERS.
THEY'RE DAUGHTERS.
THEY'RE FAMILY MEMBERS
TO SOMEONE,
AND THEY'RE OUR VICTIMS.
Narrator: THEY WARN A KILLER HAS
ALREADY CLAIMED TWO LIVES.
WITH THIS, IT WAS GOING TO BE,
YEAH,
YOU'RE GOING TO GET SOME TIPS,
BUT NOW YOU HAVE AN ENTIRE
METROPOLITAN AREA
THAT IS CONCERNED,
BUT THE PUBLIC NEEDED TO KNOW.
WE NEEDED A TIP.
THERE ARE NOW MORE THAN
A DOZEN POLICE OFFICERS
AND DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE WORKING
ON THIS CASE RIGHT NOW.
ULTIMATELY, THEY NEED YOUR HELP
TO FIND A TRUCK AS WELL
AS A SHOE AND A MURDERER.
Narrator:
AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE,
POLICE REVEAL
THE SIZE-11 MEN'S SHOE
FOUND NEXT TO THE BODY
OF TAMARA SPARKS.
INVESTIGATORS HOPE THE SHOE
IS SOMETHING A FRIEND
OR FAMILY MEMBER OF THE KILLER
MIGHT NOTICE IS MISSING.
WE WERE KIND OF HOPING
THAT MAYBE IT WOULD BRING
SOME RED FLAGS
TO A GIRLFRIEND
OR A WIFE OR ANYBODY THAT,
"HEY, WHERE ARE THESE SHOES?"
Woman: WE'RE TOLD THAT
THIS IS VERY UNIQUE
AND COULD BE KEY
TO CRACKING OPEN THIS CASE.
THE SHOE WAS BOUGHT IN 2010
AND WAS FOUND AT
THE FIRST MURDER SCENE.
♪♪
Narrator:
BUT THE MOVE COULD BACKFIRE,
USING UP MANPOWER
ON TIPS THAT GO NOWHERE
AND GIVE THE KILLER AN INSIDE
LOOK AT THE EFFORTS TO FIND HIM.
THAT WAS PRETTY RISKY, LETTING
THE SUSPECT KNOW WE HAD IT,
WHERE AS, YOU KNOW, BEFORE,
HE MAY NOT HAVE KNOWN IT.
NOW THE KILLER HAS SEEN
THAT WE GOT THAT SHOE,
HE'S NOW THINKING,
"OKAY. WHAT ELSE DO THEY KNOW?"
♪♪
Narrator: ONLY HOURS
AFTER THE PRESS CONFERENCE,
THE GAMBLE PAYS OFF.
[ TELEPHONE RINGS ]
DETECTIVE McENTIRE.
I GOT A PHONE CALL
FROM MY LIEUTENANT. HE SAID,
"THIS IS WHAT WE DISCOVERED,
THAT A LEAD HAS COME IN."
[ Whispers ] GOT SOMETHING.
Narrator: A MAN CALLS POLICE
ABOUT A NIGHT OUT WITH A FRIEND
AND A CONVERSATION THAT NOW
SEEMS PARTICULARLY CHILLING.
DID HE EXPLAIN WHY?
Taney: THERE WAS A NIGHT WHERE
THEY'RE OUT DRINKING,
AND IT'S JUST MADE A COMMENT OF,
"WHAT WOULD YOU SAY
IF, YOU KNOW,
I TOLD YOU
I KILLED A PROSTITUTE?"
EVEN DESCRIBED USING THE BLEACH.
THAT LOOKS LIKE BLEACH.
WE HADN'T TOLD ANYBODY
ABOUT BLEACH.
Narrator:
THE TIPSTER GIVES THE NAME
OF HIS FRIEND, A 27-YEAR-OLD
KEARNEY, MISSOURI, NATIVE
AND FATHER OF TWO,
DEREK RICHARDSON.
HE WAS DEFINITELY NOT SOMEONE
WHO WE THOUGHT FIT OUR PROFILE,
NOT THE PERSON WE WERE...
THE PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
OF A PERSON WHO WE THOUGHT
WE WERE LOOKING FOR AT
THE BEGINNING OF INVESTIGATION.
♪♪
RIGHT OVER HERE, MAN.
Narrator:
POLICE PICK UP RICHARDSON
AND BRING HIM TO THEIR PRECINCT
TO ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS.
Narrator:
DETECTIVES ASK THEIR SUSPECT
TO READ HIS RIGHTS ALOUD.
THEN THEY MAKE SMALL TALK
WITH RICHARDSON
FOR NEARLY AN HOUR AND A HALF.
JUST TRYING TO GET HIM
TO TALK AND RELAX,
GET JUST COMFORTABLE
WITH TALKING TO US
BECAUSE LATER IN THE INTERVIEW
IS WHEN SOME OF THE QUESTIONS
ARE GOING TO COME OUT
THAT HE'S NOT GOING TO BE
REAL COMFORTABLE WITH.
Narrator:
WITH RICHARDSON AT EASE,
DETECTIVES TURN THE CONVERSATION
TO TAMARA AND NIKKI.
Narrator:
THEY QUICKLY ESTABLISH
THAT RICHARDSON KNOWS THE AREA
WHERE TAMARA AND NIKKI
WORKED AS PROSTITUTES
BECAUSE HIS DAUGHTER'S
GRANDPARENTS LIVE NEARBY.
- THAT YOU HAD?
- YEAH.
Narrator:
DETECTIVES SHOW RICHARDSON
THE PHOTOS OF TAMARA AND NIKKI
AND WATCH HIS REACTION.
♪♪
SO YOU'LL NOTICE, WHEN HE'S
LOOKING THERE AT THOSE PHOTOS,
HE'S NO BEFORE HE'S EVER
EVEN LOOKING AT 'EM.
HE'S ALREADY, "NO, NO, NO," SO
HE WANTS TO STAY AWAY FROM THAT.
HE WANTS DISTANCE
FROM THOSE PHOTOS.
THAT'S WHAT I TOOK FROM IT.
AT NO TIME DURING THAT TIME
DID HE EVER SAY,
"I'M NOT RESPONSIBLE
FOR THOSE GIRLS' DEATH.
I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO THEM."
HE NEVER SAYS THAT.
MATTER OF FACT, WHEN I SAY,
"YOU KNOW,
YOUR NAME HAS COME UP
IN THE INVESTIGATION,"
HE SHAKES HIS HEAD,
YOU KNOW, KIND OF CONFIRMS
WITH PHYSICAL DEMEANOR,
YES, BUT, YOU KNOW, DOESN'T SAY,
"WELL, WHY WOULD
MY NAME COME UP?
HOW COME," YOU KNOW,
NEVER ASKED THAT QUESTION.
Narrator:
POLICE BELIEVE RICHARDSON'S
BEHAVIOR SUGGESTS HE KNOWS
MORE THAN HE'S SAYING,
BUT THE ONLY WAY TO
CONFIRM IT IS WITH D.N.A.
WE DON'T WANT TO JUST
KEEP PRESSURING HIM
TO WHERE HE SHUTS DOWN, BUT WE
WERE ANXIOUS TO GET HIS D.N.A.
AND GET IT COMPARED TO CONFIRM
THAT THIS WAS OUR SUSPECT.
Narrator:
WITHOUT A MATCH, THIS LEAD
IS JUST ANOTHER DEAD END.
♪♪
♪♪
Narrator: DETECTIVES FINALLY
HAVE THE D.N.A. SWAB
THAT COULD LINK A KILLER
TO THE DEATHS OF TAMARA SPARKS
AND NIKKI REED,
BUT EVEN IF DEREK RICHARDSON
IS THE MAN
WHOSE D.N.A. WAS FOUND
AT BOTH CRIME SCENES,
IT COULD TAKE A LAB
WEEKS TO CONFIRM IT.
DETECTIVES HAVE JUST HOURS
BEFORE RICHARDSON CAN WALK FREE
AND POTENTIALLY KILL AGAIN.
♪♪
IF YOU HAVE EVIDENCE
THAT LEADS YOU TO BELIEVE
THAT A PERSON HAS
COMMITTED A CRIME,
THEN YOU CAN ACTUALLY PICK
THEM UP AND BRING THEM IN,
AND YOU HAVE 24 HOURS
TO COMPLETE YOUR INVESTIGATION
TO THE POINT YOU EITHER
CHARGE THEM OR LET THEM GO,
AND THAT'S WHAT WE DID
WITH MR. RICHARDSON.
MM-HMM.
Narrator: RICHARDSON ADMITS
HE'S FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA
WHERE TAMARA AND NIKKI
WORKED AS PROSTITUTES,
BUT TO CHARGE HIM IN THEIR
DEATHS IN THE NEXT 24 HOURS,
THEY'LL NEED A CONFESSION.
THEY BELIEVE A MAN'S SHOE FOUND
NEAR THE BODY OF TAMARA SPARKS
IS THE KEY TO GETTING ONE.
♪♪
HE SAYS THAT HE HAS
SHOES SIMILAR TO 'EM,
SO MY THOUGHT WAS,
I WANTED TO SEE HOW HE THOUGHT
THIS SHOE GOT THERE
AT THE SCENE.
HE'S GOT STRESS,
AND IT'S SHOWING,
AND AT EVERY POINT THAT
HE'S BEING TALKED TO,
HE ACTUALLY HAS TO GO
TO THE BATHROOM,
OR HE WANTS A DRINK, OR HE WANTS
A CIGARETTE, AND YOU'LL NOTICE.
YOU CAN JUST SEE
IN HIS BODY LANGUAGE
HIS STRESS LEVEL GOES WAY UP.
MM-HMM.
IT'S ANOTHER BATHROOM BREAK,
BUT, OKAY, WELL, STEP BACK.
WE'LL GO AHEAD AND LET HIM
HAVE THAT, TAKE BABY STEPS
JUST TO GET BACK
INTO THE QUESTIONING AGAIN,
EASE BACK INTO IT.
WE DON'T WANT TO LOSE HIM
AND FOR HIM TO SAY,
"LOOK, I'M DONE TALKING TO YOU,"
BECAUSE HE COULD DO
THAT AT ANY MINUTE.
♪♪
Narrator:
AFTER EVERY BREAK RICHARDSON
REQUESTS AND IS GRANTED,
DETECTIVES CONTINUE
TO RETURN TO THE SHOE.
YOU CAN TELL THIS WAS A POINT
HE'S TRYING TO THINK
OF OTHER THINGS
TO, YOU KNOW, DISTANCE HIMSELF
FROM THE SHOE A LITTLE BIT.
HE DIDN'T WANT TO BE CONNECTED
TO THOSE SHOES
IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM,
BUT LONG AS HE'S TALKING,
WE'RE HEADING THE RIGHT WAY.
Narrator:
DESPITE RICHARDSON'S DENIAL,
DETECTIVES CAN SENSE
HE'S STARTING TO CRACK.
♪♪
YOU CAN SEE HIM FIDGETING
AND MOVING AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
IT WAS JUST A MATTER OF TIME, SO
YOU KNEW IT WAS JUST A MATTER OF
WHEN HE'S GOING TO
LET HIMSELF TELL YOU
THAT HE DID IT.
WHEN HE ASKED FOR THE CIGARETTE,
I FIGURED, "OKAY.
NOW WE'RE GONNA GET SOMEWHERE."
NOTICE HE TOOK THE CIGARETTE,
TOOK A DRAG OFF THE CIGARETTE.
♪♪
Narrator:
FINALLY, DEREK RICHARDSON ADMITS
THAT THE SHOE LINKED
TO THE BODIES
OF TAMARA SPARKS
AND NIKKI REED BELONGS TO HIM.
NOW IS THE POINT WHERE, "OKAY,
IT'S ALL OVER NOW.
NOW YOU JUST GOT TO TELL US
ABOUT HOW YOU DID IT."
Narrator: NOW, TO PROVE BEYOND
A SHADOW OF A DOUBT
THAT RICHARDSON IS THE KILLER,
DETECTIVES MUST GET
A FULL ACCOUNT OF HIS CRIMES.
Narrator:
BUT AS HE CONTINUES TO TALK,
RICHARDSON'S CONFESSION SHOCKS
EVEN THESE HARDENED DETECTIVES.
UM...
THAT'S THE FIRST TIME I'VE EVER
WATCHED THE INTERVIEW
SINCE THE NIGHT IT HAPPENED,
JUST MAKES YOU START
THINKING AGAIN.
MOST CASES GET REMEMBERED
BECAUSE OF THE SUSPECT'S NAME.
WHY DON'T WE REMEMBER CASES
BECAUSE OF VICTIMS' NAMES?
THIS ISN'T
THE DEREK RICHARDSON CASE
'CAUSE HE'S THE ONE
THAT CAUSED ALL THIS.
THIS IS THE TAMARA SPARKS
AND NICOLEONE REED CASE.
♪♪
Narrator: AFTER SEVERAL HOURS
OF INTERROGATION,
27-YEAR-OLD DEREK RICHARDSON
ADMITS TO OWNING
A KEY PIECE OF EVIDENCE
THAT LINKS THE MURDERS
OF TWO WOMEN
WHO WORKED AS PROSTITUTES IN
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.
Narrator: RICHARDSON EVEN ADMITS
TO BEING AT THE CRIME SCENE
WHERE THE BODY OF
TAMARA SPARKS WAS FOUND.
I WAS KIND OF CAUGHT OFF GUARD
RIGHT THEN,
AND I WAS TRYING TO
HOLD BACK ANY EMOTION
I HAD, HAD TO KIND OF COLLECT
MY THOUGHTS FOR A MINUTE
AND THEN GO INTO DETAILS ABOUT,
YOU KNOW, THE HOMICIDE ITSELF.
[ KEYS JANGLE, CLATTER ]
♪♪
EVIDENCE CAN TELL US THAT, YES,
THIS IS THE GUY WHO DID IT.
EVIDENCE CAN TELL US,
YEAH, HE WAS THERE,
BUT EVIDENCE DOESN'T TELL US
WHY HE DID IT OR HOW HE DID IT,
AND THOSE ARE THE BLANKS
THAT WE'RE TRYING TO FILL IN.
♪♪
UM...
AAH!
[ GASPING ]
♪♪
Narrator:
EVEN FOR DETECTIVES WHO HAVE
BEEN ANXIOUS TO HEAR THE TRUTH,
DEREK RICHARDSON'S CONFESSION
IS TERRIFYING.
WHAT'S CHILLING IS THAT
HE DOESN'T SHOW ANY --
REALLY SHOW ANY EMOTION AT ALL,
AND THAT IS PRETTY DISTURBING.
Narrator:
AFTER THE MURDER,
RICHARDSON SAYS HE WAITS TO SEE
WHAT THE POLICE WILL DO.
HE WAS LIVING A FANTASY,
SO FOR HIM,
IT WAS LIKE
WAKING UP FROM A DREAM
AND NOT KNOW IF YOU'RE
STILL AWAKE OR NOT, YOU KNOW,
BECAUSE IT JUST DIDN'T HAPPEN
UNTIL SOMEBODY ACKNOWLEDGES IT.
Narrator: 10 MONTHS LATER,
HE PICKS UP NIKKI REED.
♪♪
UM...
♪♪
MY UNDERSTANDING,
IT'S IN THE BED
THAT HE AND HIS WIFE SLEEP IN
AND SO, AND ON THE SHEETS
THAT THEY WERE...
I MEAN, HE EVEN MENTIONS,
YOU KNOW,
HE HAD TO WASH THE SHEETS,
SO, YEAH, PRETTY DISTURBING.
Narrator: HE DUMPS HER BODY
AND, AS WITH TAMARA,
USES BLEACH TO GET RID
OF ANY EVIDENCE.
♪♪
Narrator: RICHARDSON CAN'T OFFER
HIS MOTIVE
FOR KILLING PROSTITUTES,
BUT HE DOES SEEM
TO HAVE HAD A PLAN.
♪♪
I'VE BEEN IN LAW ENFORCEMENT
PROBABLY 15 YEARS
BY THE TIME THIS HAD HAPPENED,
AND HE HAD AS MUCH READING
ON SERIAL KILLERS AS I HAD.
I'LL NEVER FORGET
DETECTIVE McENTIRE WALKING OUT
BECAUSE DEREK HAD TOLD HIM.
HE'S LIKE, "YEAH.
I PICKED HER UP."
HE GOES, "BUT I DIDN'T
HAVE ANY MONEY,
SO I GAVE HER MY WEDDING RING."
HE'S LIKE, "WELL, WHY
WOULD YOU DO THAT?"
AND HE KIND OF
CHUCKLED AND GOES,
"WELL, I WAS GOING TO
GET IT BACK."
YOU HAVE SOMEONE THAT LOOKS
LIKE HE COULD BE
THE NICEST, NORMAL PERSON,
AND HE'S GOT DEMONS
THAT HE JUST CAN'T GET OVER.
Narrator: RICHARDSON IS BOOKED
ON TWO COUNTS OF HOMICIDE,
BUT HE HINTS THERE
MAY BE MORE VICTIMS.
DETECTIVES HOPE THAT,
WITH TIME,
HE'LL OFFER MORE
DETAILED CONFESSIONS,
BUT INSTEAD, DEREK RICHARDSON
TAKES ONE MORE LIFE.
HE ENDED UP COMMITTING SUICIDE
WHILE HE WAS IN CUSTODY
IN THE COUNTY JAIL.
♪♪
Narrator:
FOR THE DETECTIVES WHO WORKED
MORE THAN TWO YEARS
TO BRING A KILLER TO JUSTICE,
IT'S NOT THE ENDING
THEY'D HOPED FOR.
Taney: IT WAS KIND OF
A DISAPPOINTING ENDING.
LET THE JUSTICE SYSTEM DECIDE
WHAT THEY'RE GOING
TO DO WITH HIM,
BUT YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE
ANYBODY TAKE THEIR OWN LIFE.
WE STILL DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S
OTHER VICTIMS OUT THERE,
AND UNFORTUNATELY, WE WON'T KNOW
COMING FROM HIM ANYMORE.
Narrator:
DESPITE RICHARDSON'S SUICIDE,
DETECTIVES ARE CONFIDENT
THAT THEY CAUGHT
A COLD-BLOODED KILLER.
WE ABSOLUTELY STOPPED
A SERIAL KILLER.
PART OF ME WANTED TO SAY,
"YOU GOT WHAT YOU GAVE
THOSE FAMILIES."
♪♪
YOU HAVE MIXED EMOTIONS
WHEN IT'S ALL SAID AND DONE
BECAUSE, IN THE END,
YEAH, THESE PEOPLE
HAVE LOST THEIR LIVES
THAT DIDN'T DESERVE IT.
THEY DID FIND OUT
WHO THE PERPETRATOR WAS.
HE DID CONFESS
TO WHAT HE HAD DONE,
SO AT LEAST THERE WAS
SOME COMFORT IN THAT.
TAMARA AND NIKKI -- THEY HAD
NOT LOST THEIR HUMANITY.
THEY WERE STILL
GOOD GIRLS AT HEART.
THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO MISS THEM.
♪♪
THE BODIES OF TWO WOMEN
FOUND MURDERED ONE YEAR APART --
ARE THESE TWO CASES CONNECTED?
IT IS POSSIBLE
IT WAS A SERIAL KILLER.
Narrator:
THE LIST OF POTENTIAL SUSPECTS
OVERWHELMS DETECTIVES.
THEY CAN BE DOCTORS.
THEY CAN BE LAWYERS.
THEY CAN BE A SOCCER DAD.
Narrator: POLICE ARE DESPERATE
TO CATCH A KILLER
HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT.
APPEARANCES AREN'T EVERYTHING.
YOU HAVE SOMEONE THAT LOOKS
LIKE HE COULD BE
THE NICEST, NORMAL PERSON,
AND HE'S GOT DEMONS
THAT HE JUST CAN'T GET OVER.
[ ELECTRICITY CRACKLES ]
Narrator:
IN THE INTERROGATION ROOM,
POLICE MUST CONFRONT EVIL...
WHEN DID YOU DECIDE THAT YOU
WERE GOING TO KILL THIS PERSON?
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE MURDER?
DO YOU THINK OF YOURSELF
AS A SERIAL KILLER?
Narrator:...SIFTING THROUGH
UNSPEAKABLE CRIMES
AND THE DARK SECRETS.
HAD THE KNIFE
AND PUT IT DOWN.
I AM A KILLER.
I KILLED THREE OTHER PEOPLE.
Narrator: THE TRUTH CAN ONLY BE
REVEALED WHEN EVIL TALKS.
♪♪
♪♪
Narrator: OCTOBER 4, 2011,
A MOTHER AND SON RIDING BIKES
ON THE OUTSKIRTS
OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI,
MAKE A DISTURBING DISCOVERY...
WHAT'S THAT?
Narrator:
...A DEAD BODY OF A WOMAN
LYING ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD.
♪♪
Taney: SHE WAS IN THE DITCH,
PANTS PULLED DOWN A LITTLE BIT.
HER SHIRT WAS PULLED UP.
SHE DIDN'T HAVE ANY OBVIOUS
SIGNS OF INJURY,
DIDN'T APPEAR TO HAVE
ANY GUNSHOT WOUNDS,
STAB WOUNDS
OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
♪♪
THERE'S DEFINITELY
NO MURDER WEAPON.
Narrator: DETECTIVES LOOK FOR
CLUES AT THE SCENE
TO DETERMINE
IF THIS WOMAN'S DEATH
WAS A TRAGIC ACCIDENT OR MURDER.
THERE ARE CERTAIN TIMES THAT
YOU CAN TELL CAUSE OF DEATH.
IN THIS CASE,
WE WEREN'T REAL SURE.
THERE DID APPEAR TO BE POSSIBLE
LIGATURE MARKS ON HER NECK,
SO WE DIDN'T KNOW
IF SHE WAS STRANGLED.
Narrator:
BUT ONE PIECE OF EVIDENCE
DRAWS DETECTIVES' ATTENTION.
WHAT'S THIS?
♪♪
THAT LOOKS LIKE BLEACH.
SHE DID APPEAR TO HAVE
SOME BLEACH POURED ON HER,
COULD EVEN KIND OF SMELL IT.
YOU COULD SEE THAT HER CLOTHING
HAD BEEN BLEACHED OR DISCOLORED.
WE FIGURED AT THAT POINT
THAT SOMEONE IS TRYING TO COVER
SOMETHING UP OR TRYING
TO COVER UP EVIDENCE.
Narrator: DETECTIVES FIND
ONE OTHER POTENTIAL CLUE
AT THE SCENE --
A SIZE-11 MEN'S CANVAS SHOE.
IT WAS RIGHT NEXT TO HER BODY,
AND THERE WASN'T A WHOLE LOT
OF OTHER THINGS AROUND HER
AT THAT POINT.
WAS THAT SHOE ALREADY THERE?
WAS IT JUST TRASH IN THE DITCH?
DID IT MEAN SOMETHING?
BUT IT HAD BLEACH ON IT AS WELL,
HAD LITTLE BITTY SPOTS
OF BLEACH.
WHOEVER'S PUT HER THERE,
THAT'S THEIR SHOE.
WE FELT PRETTY GOOD THAT
THE SHOE WAS PART OF THE SCENE.
♪♪
Narrator: A MEDICAL EXAMINER
WILL OFFICIALLY DETERMINE
CAUSE OF DEATH.[ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING ]
BUT DETECTIVES, CONVINCED
THE DETAILS ADD UP TO MURDER,
BEGIN THEIR INVESTIGATION.
WE GET CONFIRMATION
THROUGH FINGERPRINT I.D.
SHE HAD SEVERAL REPORTS
IN OUR SYSTEM.
Narrator:
THE VICTIM IS A 40-YEAR-OLD
KANSAS CITY RESIDENT NAMED
TAMARA SPARKS.
SHE IS KNOWN
TO LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT.
SHE WAS A KNOWN PROSTITUTE
ON WHAT WE HAVE IS CALLED
INDEPENDENCE AVENUE IN OUR CITY,
WHICH IS
A HIGH PROSTITUTION AREA,
AND WE KNEW SHE
FREQUENTED THE AVENUE
AND HAD SOME
PREVIOUS PROSTITUTION
ARRESTS AND CONTACT.
Narrator: FOR DETECTIVES,
TAMARA'S RECORD OF PROSTITUTION
DOESN'T CHANGE THE FACT
THAT SHE'S NOW A VICTIM.
♪♪
A LOT OF THINGS HAPPENED IN LIFE
FOR THEM TO BE IN THAT POSITION.
MIGHT HAVE CIRCUMSTANCE.
IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN
SOMETHING THAT THEY SAID,
"I HAVE TO DO THIS TO SURVIVE,"
BUT THE FACT REMAINS
THEY'RE ALSO A HUMAN BEING,
AND NO ONE SHOULD
BE KILLING THEM.
♪♪
Narrator: TAMARA'S LIFESTYLE
DOES PRESENT CERTAIN CHALLENGES
FOR THE INVESTIGATION.
IT WON'T BE EASY TO DETERMINE
THE LAST PERSON SHE WAS WITH
BEFORE SHE DIED.
A LOT OF THOSE GIRLS
ON THE AVENUE
KIND OF BOUNCE AROUND
FROM LOCATION TO LOCATION.
THEY STAY AT DIFFERENT PLACES.
THEY INTERACT
WITH DIFFERENT PEOPLE.
THIS IS ABOUT THE MURDER
OF ONE OF THE LADIES
WHO WORKS OUT HERE.
WE DON'T KNOW ANYONE
OR ABOUT ANYTHING,
SO IF YOU'RE NOT CHARGING ME,
I GOT PLACES TO BE.
THE BEGINNING OF
THE INVESTIGATION,
THEY DIDN'T WANT TO TALK TO US
OR DIDN'T FEEL COMFORTABLE
TALKING TO US
AND TELLING US ABOUT
WHAT THEY WERE DOING
OR WHAT ANY OF THEIR ASSOCIATES
OR FRIENDS WERE DOING.
Narrator:
A LACK OF TRUST BETWEEN POLICE
AND THOSE WORKING ON THE STREET
MAKES DEVELOPING LEADS
DIFFICULT.
♪♪
LOTS OF TIMES,
WOMEN HAVE INFORMATION
THAT THEY WANT
THE POLICE TO HAVE,
BUT THEY'RE AFRAID
TO GO THEMSELVES.
Narrator: KRIS WADE
WITH THE JUSTICE PROJECT
HAS MADE HER LIFE'S WORK
HELPING WOMEN ON THE STREETS
OF KANSAS CITY,
INCLUDING TAMARA.
- I'M KRIS.
- NICE TO MEET YOU.
HI.
I MET HER IN THE STREET
ON OUTREACH DOWN ON...
I BELIEVE WE WERE ON
ST. JOHN AVENUE WHEN WE MET HER.
THAT WAS KIND OF
HER LITTLE AREA.
♪♪
HERE YOU GO.
UM...THANK YOU.
I WORK WITH WOMEN AND GIRLS,
TRYING TO HELP THEM
BETTER THEIR LIVES,
GET OFF THE STREETS,
GET INTO HOUSING,
GET INTO TREATMENT,
GET MENTAL HEALTH CARE,
WHATEVER THEY HAPPEN TO NEED.
I WORK FOR AN ORGANIZATION
THAT HELPS WOMEN LIKE YOU.
SHE WAS 39, 40 YEARS OLD, IN
AND OUT OF THE LIFE FOR A WHILE.
SHE WANTED TO GET OUT,
BUT WANTING TO AND DOING IT
ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS.
Narrator: DESPITE HAVING HAD
A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP
OVER THE YEARS, KRIS DOESN'T
RECALL ANY REGULAR CLIENTS
WHO MIGHT BE SUSPECTS
IN TAMARA'S MURDER.
♪♪
♪♪
Narrator:
FORENSIC TECHNICIANS
HAVE MORE LUCK
DEVELOPING EVIDENCE.
TAMARA'S CLOTHES AND THE SHOE
FOUND AT THE CRIME SCENE
ARE BOTH PROCESSED
FOR D.N.A. EVIDENCE.
INSIDE THE SHOE,
THERE WAS A MIXTURE OF MALE
AND FEMALE D.N.A,
BUT THEY DIDN'T KNOW
WHO THE D.N.A. BELONGED TO.
Narrator:
POLICE CHECK THE D.N.A. PROFILES
AGAINST A DATABASE OF CRIMINALS
AND GET NO MATCHES.
THEY HAVE A COMPLETELY
UNKNOWN KILLER ON THEIR HANDS.
WHAT'S MORE, WHEN THE AUTOPSY
REPORT COMES BACK,
INVESTIGATORS ARE IN
FOR A SHOCK.
THE M.E. RULED HER DEATH
AN ACCIDENT
DUE TO OVERDOSE,
NARCOTICS OVERDOSE.
Narrator: OFFICIALLY, TAMARA'S
DEATH IS NOT A HOMICIDE.
YOU'RE SAYING SHE O.D.'ed
BY THE SIDE OF THE ROAD?
IT'S NOT UNCOMMON FOR WOMEN
TO DIE OF DRUG OVERDOSE
IN A PROSTITUTION INCIDENT,
AND THEIR DATE WILL GET
SCARED AND DUMP THEM.
SHE COULD'VE BEEN WITH A PERSON
THAT HAD PICKED HER UP.
SHE OVERDOSES AND DIES.
THAT PERSON PANICS,
"WHAT DO I DO?"
Narrator: THE OFFICIAL RULING
OF TAMARA'S CAUSE OF DEATH
DOESN'T SIT RIGHT
WITH INVESTIGATORS.
I WASN'T SURPRISED THAT SHE HAD
NARCOTICS IN HER SYSTEM,
BUT I WAS SURPRISED THAT
HER DEATH WAS AN OVERDOSE,
BLEACH POURED OVER HER BODY,
THE WAY SHE WAS POSITIONED,
YOU KNOW,
ON THE SIDE OF THE DITCH.
HOW ABOUT THE MARKS ON THE NECK?
POSSIBLE LIGATURE MARKS
ON HER NECK,
IT LOOKED TO ME
TO BE A HOMICIDE.
Narrator:
FOR THE MEDICAL EXAMINER,
THE EVIDENCE DOESN'T
CONCLUSIVELY ADD UP TO MURDER,
BUT THE BLEACH, THE SHOE,
THE MARKS ON TAMARA'S NECK
ALL NAG AT DETECTIVE TANEY.
OKAY, BOYS.
♪♪
THEY REFUSE TO DROP
THE INVESTIGATION.
THEIR INSTINCTS TELL THEM
TO CONTINUE CANVASSING PEOPLE
LIVING IN THE AREA NEAR
WHERE TAMARA'S BODY WAS FOUND.
GOOD MORNING.
I'M DETECTIVE NIEMEIER WITH THE
KANSAS CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT.
THEY THOUGHT THEY SAW
A PICKUP TRUCK
LEAVING THE AREA
AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED,
BUT THERE WAS NO
SUSPECT DESCRIPTION,
AND NO ONE SAW
ANYBODY DUMPING,
SO WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY
GOOD SUSPECTS DEVELOPED,
AND THERE WASN'T ANY ADDITIONAL
CREDIBLE INFORMATION COMING IN.
Narrator: AFTER FIVE MONTHS
WITH NO NEW LEADS,
THE CASE IS CLASSIFIED
AS INACTIVE.
I COULDN'T GO HOME
AND NOT THINK ABOUT IT.
I MEAN, IT DID STILL
SEEM SUSPICIOUS TO ME,
STILL THOUGHT
IT COULD BE A HOMICIDE.
Narrator:
DETECTIVES WORRY
A KILLER HAS GOTTEN AWAY
WITH MURDER.
♪♪
AUGUST 21, 2012,
POLICE IN KEARNEY, MISSOURI,
ARE NOTIFIED OF A BODY
FOUND ON THE SIDE OF A ROAD.
♪♪
[ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS ]
WHAT WE HAVE IS
THE BODY OF A FEMALE
THAT IS LYING IN A DITCH AREA
PARTIALLY DRESSED
AND BLEACH BEEN POURED
ON THE BODY.
FROM THE LOOKS OF THINGS,
SOMEBODY HAD OBVIOUSLY
DRAGGED HER AND PUT HER THERE.
♪♪
Narrator:
THE VICTIM IS IDENTIFIED
AS NICOLEONE "NIKKI" REED,
A 24-YEAR-OLD FROM KANSAS CITY.
POLICE LEARN SHE WORKED
AS A PROSTITUTE.
HER DEATH CATCHES THE ATTENTION
OF DETECTIVES IN KANSAS CITY
WHO HAD INVESTIGATED
THE DEATH OF TAMARA SPARKS
NOT EVEN A YEAR BEFORE.
♪♪
BOTH VICTIMS WERE PLACED
ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD.
CLOTHING IS IN THE SAME...
VERY SIMILAR.
THEY BOTH APPEARED TO HAVE
BLEACH HAD BEEN POURED ON 'EM.
VERY SIMILAR TO
THE FIRST SCENE THAT WE HAD.
NOW WE'RE THINKING, "UH-OH.
NOW WE MAY HAVE TWO DIFFERENT
VICTIMS WITH THE SAME KILLER."
IT IS POSSIBLE
IT WAS A SERIAL KILLER.
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
Narrator: 10 MONTHS AFTER
THE DEATH OF TAMARA SPARKS,
THE BODY OF 24-YEAR-OLD
NIKKI REED
IS FOUND AT ANOTHER CRIME SCENE
THAT LOOKS EERILY FAMILIAR.
♪♪
SHE WAS ALSO PLACED ON THE SIDE
OF A ROAD NEAR A DITCH.
SHE ALSO HAD WHAT APPEARED TO BE
BLEACH POURED OVER HER BODY.
YOU COULDN'T REALLY TELL
ON HER NECK AREA
IF THERE WAS ANYTHING
TO LEAD YOU
TO BELIEVE SHE'D BEEN STRANGLED
OR WHAT WAS THE CAUSE OF DEATH.
IT'S KIND OF, LIKE, GO BACK
TO THE VERY BEGINNING.
ARE THESE TWO CASES CONNECTED?
♪♪
Narrator: DETECTIVES BEGIN
SEARCHING NIKKI'S LIFE FOR CLUES
TO HER DEATH.
MS. REED -- SHE WAS BASICALLY
LIVING ON THE STREETS.
SHE WAS A PISTOL, AND YOU COULD
REALLY SEE IT IN HER FACE,
I THINK.
THIS PICTURE KIND OF CAPTURES
THAT LITTLE LOOK.
WHEN WE MET NIKKI,
SHE WAS IN FOSTER CARE,
IN AND OUT OF FOSTER CARE.
IT'S NOT UNCOMMON FOR PEOPLE
WHO AGE OUT OF FOSTER CARE,
OR PEOPLE RUN AWAY
FROM FOSTER CARE
TO END UP IN THE STREETS
AND FALLING INTO THE STREET LIFE
AND PROSTITUTION.
♪♪
Narrator: LIKE TAMARA, NIKKI
ALSO STRUGGLED WITH ADDICTION,
BUT WHILE TAMARA'S DEATH WAS
INITIALLY RULED AN OVERDOSE,
THE MEDICAL EXAMINER
ON THIS CASE
IMMEDIATELY SAYS
NIKKI WAS MURDERED.
♪♪
HOMICIDE BY ASPHYXIATION,
HER CASE WAS RULED A HOMICIDE
FROM THE BEGINNING.
Narrator: DETECTIVES WONDER IF
THE SIMILARITIES
ARE JUST A COINCIDENCE
UNTIL THEY GET THE REPORT
BACK FROM FORENSICS.
D.N.A. FROM NIKKI'S BODY MATCHES
D.N.A. FROM THE SHOE FOUND
NEXT TO TAMARA SPARKS.
THE SAME PERSON WAS
AT BOTH CRIME SCENES,
LESS THAN 15 MILES APART.
♪♪
FEMALE VICTIMS BEING PLACED
ON THE SIDE OF RURAL ROADS.
Taney: WE FELT LIKE THERE WERE
GOOD POSSIBILITY
WE MAY SEE ANOTHER VICTIM.
HE WASN'T GOING TO STOP,
SO WE WANTED TO GET
OUR SUSPECT IN CUSTODY
BEFORE WE HAD ANOTHER
HOMICIDE ON OUR HANDS.
♪♪
Narrator:
SERGEANT DOUG NIEMEIER
IS PUT IN CHARGE
OF A TASK FORCE.
POLICE FROM KANSAS CITY
AND KEARNEY
BEGIN WORKING
THE TWO DEATHS AS ONE CASE.
THEY BUILD A PROFILE
OF THE KILLER,
SOMEONE THEY BELIEVE MUST
BE FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA
WHERE TAMARA AND NIKKI
WORKED AND DIED.
WE FELT IT WAS SOMEONE
WHO FREQUENTED THE AVENUE,
PICKED UP PROSTITUTES
AND THEN FIGURED
IT WAS HIS OPPORTUNITY
TO DO WHAT HE DID.
INDEPENDENCE AVENUE IS KIND OF
IN THE DOWNTOWN OF KANSAS CITY.
BOTH OF THE BODIES
WERE DISCOVERED
15, 20 MINUTES NORTH
OF INDEPENDENCE AVENUE,
SO THAT'S WHY WE HAD
A STRONG FEELING
THAT HE HAD TIES
TO THE NORTHLAND
AND WOULD BE FAMILIAR
WITH THAT AREA.
SO FROM THESE TWO MURDERS,
WE'VE GOT A ZONE.
DREW A CIRCLE, HERE'S THE LAST
PLACE THE PERSON WAS SEEN.
THIS IS WHERE THEY WERE FOUND.
THESE ARE SOME OF
THE OTHER FACTORS INVOLVED.
WE DREW A CONE AND SAID,
"WE'RE GOING TO FOCUS
OUR ATTENTION ON THIS AREA."
Narrator: POLICE ZERO IN
ON ONE PART OF KANSAS CITY,
BUT THE SUSPECT LIST
REMAINS WIDE OPEN.
THE KILLER, THEY BELIEVE,
COULD BE ANY OF THE MEN
PICKING UP WOMEN
ON INDEPENDENCE AVENUE,
OR "TRICKS," AS THEY'RE
KNOWN ON THE STREET.
♪♪
HERE'S SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE
WHO HAVE NEVER BEEN INVOLVED
IN THE WORLD OF PROSTITUTION
NEED TO UNDERSTAND,
THAT TRICKS COME IN ALL SHAPES,
SIZES, FORMS, DEMOGRAPHICS.
THEY CAN BE DOCTORS.
THEY CAN BE LAWYERS.
THEY CAN BE A SOCCER DAD.
THEY CAN BE FROM
THE RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY.
THEY CAN BE ANYBODY.
Narrator: POLICE DON'T KNOW
WHO THE KILLER IS,
BUT THE POSSIBILITY
HE WILL CONTINUE TO KILL
IS TERRIFYINGLY REAL.
♪♪
FOR MONTHS, POLICE ARE FACED
WITH THOUSANDS OF SUSPECTS
BUT NO LEADS UNTIL THEY GET
A TIP FROM A WOMAN
WHO SAYS SHE HAD
A HARROWING ENCOUNTER
WITH SOMEONE
WHO TRIED TO KILL HER.
SHE'D BEEN TAKEN OFF
INDEPENDENCE AVENUE.
SHE'D BEEN PLACED IN A TRUCK.
SHE'D BEEN DRIVEN EVEN
FARTHER NORTH THAN KEARNEY.
SHE HAD PASSED OUT.
I THINK MAYBE SOMEONE PUT
SOMETHING OVER HER MOUTH.
SHE'D BEEN DROPPED OFF
ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD,
BUT SHE LIVED THROUGH IT,
SO WE THOUGHT MAYBE
WE HAD A LIVING VICTIM.
Narrator:
WITH THE EXCEPTION OF BLEACH,
THE WOMAN'S STORY FITS THE M.O.
OF TAMARA AND NIKKI'S KILLER,
AND SHE GIVES POLICE
MORE DETAILS.
SHE SAID IT WAS
AN OLDER WHITE MALE DRIVING,
LIKE, A WHITE PICKUP TRUCK
WITH, YOU KNOW, DISCOLORED DOOR
OR SOME STRIPE ON THE SIDE
OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
Narrator: DETECTIVES IMMEDIATELY
GET A LIST
OF ALL WHITE PICKUP TRUCKS
IN THE AREA.
IT WAS ASTRONOMICAL.
AFTER THE INITIAL SHOCK
OF SAYING, "OKAY.
WE HAVE 29,000 WHITE TRUCKS,"
AND THAT WAS ONLY
IN OUR TARGETED AREA,
EACH DETECTIVE GOT A LIST
AND WAS LIKE, "GO OUT AND LOOK."
♪♪
WE START DRIVING AROUND LOOKING
FOR THESE TYPES OF TRUCKS,
AND IF ANYTHING STOOD OUT,
AND SO IF WE CAME ACROSS
A TRUCK THAT WAS LIKE THAT,
WE WOULD GET AS MUCH
INFORMATION WE COULD.
♪♪
SIR, I NEED TO SPEAK
WITH YOU FOR A MINUTE.
WHAT'S THE MATTER?
ONE OF THE PATROL OFFICERS
AT THE TIME
HAD STOPPED A TRUCK
ON THE AVENUE
THAT MATCHED
THIS DESCRIPTION OF,
YOU KNOW, THE SUSPECT,
OLDER WHITE MALE
DRIVING A WHITE PICKUP TRUCK.
HE WAS ABLE TO GET THE LICENSE
PLATE OFF OF THAT TRUCK.
WE KNEW IT WAS SOMEONE
THAT FREQUENTED THE AVENUE
WHO ATTEMPTED TO
PICK UP PROSTITUTES,
SO WE FOLLOWED UP ON THAT
AND THEN WERE ABLE TO GET
SOME D.N.A. FROM HIM.
THIS IS NECESSARY?
IT'S NECESSARY.
YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO COME
WITH ME RIGHT NOW.
FINE.
♪♪
Narrator:
DETECTIVES RUN THE MAN'S D.N.A.
WE FELT PRETTY CONFIDENT.
IT LOOKED GOOD FROM
THE INFORMATION THAT WE HAD.
HEY, DOUG.
- YEAH.
- IT'S NOT A MATCH.
NOTHING'S COMING UP.
Narrator: THEY LEARN IT'S NOT
A MATCH TO THE SAMPLES
FOUND AT THE CRIME SCENES.
I MEAN, YOU WORK THAT HARD
ON THESE CASES,
AND YOU FEEL LIKE, OKAY,
YOU FEEL REALLY GOOD.
THEN YOU FEEL LIKE
YOU'RE GOING TO GET 'EM,
AND THEN, ALL OF A SUDDEN, IT'S
JUST KIND OF A KICK IN THE GUT.
♪♪
OKAY. IF WE DON'T CATCH
THIS GUY SOON,
HE'S GOING TO KILL AGAIN.
- AND WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO?
Narrator: THE TASK FORCE,
NOW IN ITS FIFTH MONTH,
IS RUNNING OUT OF RESOURCES.
WITHOUT A BREAK, THE MURDERS OF
THESE TWO WOMEN MAY GO UNSOLVED.
SO WE SHAKE THINGS UP A BIT.
Narrator:
SERGEANT DOUG NIEMEIER DECIDES
TO TAKE A MASSIVE GAMBLE.
BESIDES THE PEOPLE THAT WERE
WORKING ON THE CASE,
THERE'S ONLY ONE PERSON
KNOWS THEIR SHOE IS MISSING,
AND IT'S MY JOB TO FIND HIM.
POLICE SAY THEY THINK
ONE PERSON KILLED TWO WOMEN
WHO WORKED AS PROSTITUTES
IN KANSAS CITY.
THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS
THAT THEY WANT YOU TO LOOK FOR
TO HELP THEM FIND THIS KILLER.
Narrator: LAW ENFORCEMENT TURNS
TO THE PUBLIC FOR HELP
AND REVEALS THEIR BEST EVIDENCE.
THE SHOE -- IT WAS
THE PIECE OF EVIDENCE
THAT LINKED THE TWO CASES
TOGETHER THROUGH D.N.A.
Woman: WE'RE TOLD THAT
THIS IS VERY UNIQUE
AND COULD BE KEY TO
CRACKING OPEN THIS CASE.
Narrator: BUT WILL IT BE ENOUGH
TO STOP A KILLER
BEFORE HE CLAIMS ANOTHER VICTIM?
♪♪
♪♪
Narrator: AFTER THE MURDERS OF
TAMARA SPARKS AND NIKKI REED
JUST ONE YEAR APART, POLICE KNOW
A KILLER IS AT LARGE.
DO WE HAVE A SERIAL KILLER?
I DON'T WANT ANOTHER VICTIM.
I DON'T WANT ANOTHER VICTIM.
♪♪
Narrator: BUT AS LEAD AFTER LEAD
GOES NOWHERE,
INVESTIGATORS TURN TO THE PUBLIC
TO PREVENT ANOTHER SLAYING.
THESE TWO WOMEN WERE MOTHERS.
THEY'RE DAUGHTERS.
THEY'RE FAMILY MEMBERS
TO SOMEONE,
AND THEY'RE OUR VICTIMS.
Narrator: THEY WARN A KILLER HAS
ALREADY CLAIMED TWO LIVES.
WITH THIS, IT WAS GOING TO BE,
YEAH,
YOU'RE GOING TO GET SOME TIPS,
BUT NOW YOU HAVE AN ENTIRE
METROPOLITAN AREA
THAT IS CONCERNED,
BUT THE PUBLIC NEEDED TO KNOW.
WE NEEDED A TIP.
THERE ARE NOW MORE THAN
A DOZEN POLICE OFFICERS
AND DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE WORKING
ON THIS CASE RIGHT NOW.
ULTIMATELY, THEY NEED YOUR HELP
TO FIND A TRUCK AS WELL
AS A SHOE AND A MURDERER.
Narrator:
AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE,
POLICE REVEAL
THE SIZE-11 MEN'S SHOE
FOUND NEXT TO THE BODY
OF TAMARA SPARKS.
INVESTIGATORS HOPE THE SHOE
IS SOMETHING A FRIEND
OR FAMILY MEMBER OF THE KILLER
MIGHT NOTICE IS MISSING.
WE WERE KIND OF HOPING
THAT MAYBE IT WOULD BRING
SOME RED FLAGS
TO A GIRLFRIEND
OR A WIFE OR ANYBODY THAT,
"HEY, WHERE ARE THESE SHOES?"
Woman: WE'RE TOLD THAT
THIS IS VERY UNIQUE
AND COULD BE KEY
TO CRACKING OPEN THIS CASE.
THE SHOE WAS BOUGHT IN 2010
AND WAS FOUND AT
THE FIRST MURDER SCENE.
♪♪
Narrator:
BUT THE MOVE COULD BACKFIRE,
USING UP MANPOWER
ON TIPS THAT GO NOWHERE
AND GIVE THE KILLER AN INSIDE
LOOK AT THE EFFORTS TO FIND HIM.
THAT WAS PRETTY RISKY, LETTING
THE SUSPECT KNOW WE HAD IT,
WHERE AS, YOU KNOW, BEFORE,
HE MAY NOT HAVE KNOWN IT.
NOW THE KILLER HAS SEEN
THAT WE GOT THAT SHOE,
HE'S NOW THINKING,
"OKAY. WHAT ELSE DO THEY KNOW?"
♪♪
Narrator: ONLY HOURS
AFTER THE PRESS CONFERENCE,
THE GAMBLE PAYS OFF.
[ TELEPHONE RINGS ]
DETECTIVE McENTIRE.
I GOT A PHONE CALL
FROM MY LIEUTENANT. HE SAID,
"THIS IS WHAT WE DISCOVERED,
THAT A LEAD HAS COME IN."
[ Whispers ] GOT SOMETHING.
Narrator: A MAN CALLS POLICE
ABOUT A NIGHT OUT WITH A FRIEND
AND A CONVERSATION THAT NOW
SEEMS PARTICULARLY CHILLING.
DID HE EXPLAIN WHY?
Taney: THERE WAS A NIGHT WHERE
THEY'RE OUT DRINKING,
AND IT'S JUST MADE A COMMENT OF,
"WHAT WOULD YOU SAY
IF, YOU KNOW,
I TOLD YOU
I KILLED A PROSTITUTE?"
EVEN DESCRIBED USING THE BLEACH.
THAT LOOKS LIKE BLEACH.
WE HADN'T TOLD ANYBODY
ABOUT BLEACH.
Narrator:
THE TIPSTER GIVES THE NAME
OF HIS FRIEND, A 27-YEAR-OLD
KEARNEY, MISSOURI, NATIVE
AND FATHER OF TWO,
DEREK RICHARDSON.
HE WAS DEFINITELY NOT SOMEONE
WHO WE THOUGHT FIT OUR PROFILE,
NOT THE PERSON WE WERE...
THE PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
OF A PERSON WHO WE THOUGHT
WE WERE LOOKING FOR AT
THE BEGINNING OF INVESTIGATION.
♪♪
RIGHT OVER HERE, MAN.
Narrator:
POLICE PICK UP RICHARDSON
AND BRING HIM TO THEIR PRECINCT
TO ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS.
Narrator:
DETECTIVES ASK THEIR SUSPECT
TO READ HIS RIGHTS ALOUD.
THEN THEY MAKE SMALL TALK
WITH RICHARDSON
FOR NEARLY AN HOUR AND A HALF.
JUST TRYING TO GET HIM
TO TALK AND RELAX,
GET JUST COMFORTABLE
WITH TALKING TO US
BECAUSE LATER IN THE INTERVIEW
IS WHEN SOME OF THE QUESTIONS
ARE GOING TO COME OUT
THAT HE'S NOT GOING TO BE
REAL COMFORTABLE WITH.
Narrator:
WITH RICHARDSON AT EASE,
DETECTIVES TURN THE CONVERSATION
TO TAMARA AND NIKKI.
Narrator:
THEY QUICKLY ESTABLISH
THAT RICHARDSON KNOWS THE AREA
WHERE TAMARA AND NIKKI
WORKED AS PROSTITUTES
BECAUSE HIS DAUGHTER'S
GRANDPARENTS LIVE NEARBY.
- THAT YOU HAD?
- YEAH.
Narrator:
DETECTIVES SHOW RICHARDSON
THE PHOTOS OF TAMARA AND NIKKI
AND WATCH HIS REACTION.
♪♪
SO YOU'LL NOTICE, WHEN HE'S
LOOKING THERE AT THOSE PHOTOS,
HE'S NO BEFORE HE'S EVER
EVEN LOOKING AT 'EM.
HE'S ALREADY, "NO, NO, NO," SO
HE WANTS TO STAY AWAY FROM THAT.
HE WANTS DISTANCE
FROM THOSE PHOTOS.
THAT'S WHAT I TOOK FROM IT.
AT NO TIME DURING THAT TIME
DID HE EVER SAY,
"I'M NOT RESPONSIBLE
FOR THOSE GIRLS' DEATH.
I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO THEM."
HE NEVER SAYS THAT.
MATTER OF FACT, WHEN I SAY,
"YOU KNOW,
YOUR NAME HAS COME UP
IN THE INVESTIGATION,"
HE SHAKES HIS HEAD,
YOU KNOW, KIND OF CONFIRMS
WITH PHYSICAL DEMEANOR,
YES, BUT, YOU KNOW, DOESN'T SAY,
"WELL, WHY WOULD
MY NAME COME UP?
HOW COME," YOU KNOW,
NEVER ASKED THAT QUESTION.
Narrator:
POLICE BELIEVE RICHARDSON'S
BEHAVIOR SUGGESTS HE KNOWS
MORE THAN HE'S SAYING,
BUT THE ONLY WAY TO
CONFIRM IT IS WITH D.N.A.
WE DON'T WANT TO JUST
KEEP PRESSURING HIM
TO WHERE HE SHUTS DOWN, BUT WE
WERE ANXIOUS TO GET HIS D.N.A.
AND GET IT COMPARED TO CONFIRM
THAT THIS WAS OUR SUSPECT.
Narrator:
WITHOUT A MATCH, THIS LEAD
IS JUST ANOTHER DEAD END.
♪♪
♪♪
Narrator: DETECTIVES FINALLY
HAVE THE D.N.A. SWAB
THAT COULD LINK A KILLER
TO THE DEATHS OF TAMARA SPARKS
AND NIKKI REED,
BUT EVEN IF DEREK RICHARDSON
IS THE MAN
WHOSE D.N.A. WAS FOUND
AT BOTH CRIME SCENES,
IT COULD TAKE A LAB
WEEKS TO CONFIRM IT.
DETECTIVES HAVE JUST HOURS
BEFORE RICHARDSON CAN WALK FREE
AND POTENTIALLY KILL AGAIN.
♪♪
IF YOU HAVE EVIDENCE
THAT LEADS YOU TO BELIEVE
THAT A PERSON HAS
COMMITTED A CRIME,
THEN YOU CAN ACTUALLY PICK
THEM UP AND BRING THEM IN,
AND YOU HAVE 24 HOURS
TO COMPLETE YOUR INVESTIGATION
TO THE POINT YOU EITHER
CHARGE THEM OR LET THEM GO,
AND THAT'S WHAT WE DID
WITH MR. RICHARDSON.
MM-HMM.
Narrator: RICHARDSON ADMITS
HE'S FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA
WHERE TAMARA AND NIKKI
WORKED AS PROSTITUTES,
BUT TO CHARGE HIM IN THEIR
DEATHS IN THE NEXT 24 HOURS,
THEY'LL NEED A CONFESSION.
THEY BELIEVE A MAN'S SHOE FOUND
NEAR THE BODY OF TAMARA SPARKS
IS THE KEY TO GETTING ONE.
♪♪
HE SAYS THAT HE HAS
SHOES SIMILAR TO 'EM,
SO MY THOUGHT WAS,
I WANTED TO SEE HOW HE THOUGHT
THIS SHOE GOT THERE
AT THE SCENE.
HE'S GOT STRESS,
AND IT'S SHOWING,
AND AT EVERY POINT THAT
HE'S BEING TALKED TO,
HE ACTUALLY HAS TO GO
TO THE BATHROOM,
OR HE WANTS A DRINK, OR HE WANTS
A CIGARETTE, AND YOU'LL NOTICE.
YOU CAN JUST SEE
IN HIS BODY LANGUAGE
HIS STRESS LEVEL GOES WAY UP.
MM-HMM.
IT'S ANOTHER BATHROOM BREAK,
BUT, OKAY, WELL, STEP BACK.
WE'LL GO AHEAD AND LET HIM
HAVE THAT, TAKE BABY STEPS
JUST TO GET BACK
INTO THE QUESTIONING AGAIN,
EASE BACK INTO IT.
WE DON'T WANT TO LOSE HIM
AND FOR HIM TO SAY,
"LOOK, I'M DONE TALKING TO YOU,"
BECAUSE HE COULD DO
THAT AT ANY MINUTE.
♪♪
Narrator:
AFTER EVERY BREAK RICHARDSON
REQUESTS AND IS GRANTED,
DETECTIVES CONTINUE
TO RETURN TO THE SHOE.
YOU CAN TELL THIS WAS A POINT
HE'S TRYING TO THINK
OF OTHER THINGS
TO, YOU KNOW, DISTANCE HIMSELF
FROM THE SHOE A LITTLE BIT.
HE DIDN'T WANT TO BE CONNECTED
TO THOSE SHOES
IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM,
BUT LONG AS HE'S TALKING,
WE'RE HEADING THE RIGHT WAY.
Narrator:
DESPITE RICHARDSON'S DENIAL,
DETECTIVES CAN SENSE
HE'S STARTING TO CRACK.
♪♪
YOU CAN SEE HIM FIDGETING
AND MOVING AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
IT WAS JUST A MATTER OF TIME, SO
YOU KNEW IT WAS JUST A MATTER OF
WHEN HE'S GOING TO
LET HIMSELF TELL YOU
THAT HE DID IT.
WHEN HE ASKED FOR THE CIGARETTE,
I FIGURED, "OKAY.
NOW WE'RE GONNA GET SOMEWHERE."
NOTICE HE TOOK THE CIGARETTE,
TOOK A DRAG OFF THE CIGARETTE.
♪♪
Narrator:
FINALLY, DEREK RICHARDSON ADMITS
THAT THE SHOE LINKED
TO THE BODIES
OF TAMARA SPARKS
AND NIKKI REED BELONGS TO HIM.
NOW IS THE POINT WHERE, "OKAY,
IT'S ALL OVER NOW.
NOW YOU JUST GOT TO TELL US
ABOUT HOW YOU DID IT."
Narrator: NOW, TO PROVE BEYOND
A SHADOW OF A DOUBT
THAT RICHARDSON IS THE KILLER,
DETECTIVES MUST GET
A FULL ACCOUNT OF HIS CRIMES.
Narrator:
BUT AS HE CONTINUES TO TALK,
RICHARDSON'S CONFESSION SHOCKS
EVEN THESE HARDENED DETECTIVES.
UM...
THAT'S THE FIRST TIME I'VE EVER
WATCHED THE INTERVIEW
SINCE THE NIGHT IT HAPPENED,
JUST MAKES YOU START
THINKING AGAIN.
MOST CASES GET REMEMBERED
BECAUSE OF THE SUSPECT'S NAME.
WHY DON'T WE REMEMBER CASES
BECAUSE OF VICTIMS' NAMES?
THIS ISN'T
THE DEREK RICHARDSON CASE
'CAUSE HE'S THE ONE
THAT CAUSED ALL THIS.
THIS IS THE TAMARA SPARKS
AND NICOLEONE REED CASE.
♪♪
Narrator: AFTER SEVERAL HOURS
OF INTERROGATION,
27-YEAR-OLD DEREK RICHARDSON
ADMITS TO OWNING
A KEY PIECE OF EVIDENCE
THAT LINKS THE MURDERS
OF TWO WOMEN
WHO WORKED AS PROSTITUTES IN
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.
Narrator: RICHARDSON EVEN ADMITS
TO BEING AT THE CRIME SCENE
WHERE THE BODY OF
TAMARA SPARKS WAS FOUND.
I WAS KIND OF CAUGHT OFF GUARD
RIGHT THEN,
AND I WAS TRYING TO
HOLD BACK ANY EMOTION
I HAD, HAD TO KIND OF COLLECT
MY THOUGHTS FOR A MINUTE
AND THEN GO INTO DETAILS ABOUT,
YOU KNOW, THE HOMICIDE ITSELF.
[ KEYS JANGLE, CLATTER ]
♪♪
EVIDENCE CAN TELL US THAT, YES,
THIS IS THE GUY WHO DID IT.
EVIDENCE CAN TELL US,
YEAH, HE WAS THERE,
BUT EVIDENCE DOESN'T TELL US
WHY HE DID IT OR HOW HE DID IT,
AND THOSE ARE THE BLANKS
THAT WE'RE TRYING TO FILL IN.
♪♪
UM...
AAH!
[ GASPING ]
♪♪
Narrator:
EVEN FOR DETECTIVES WHO HAVE
BEEN ANXIOUS TO HEAR THE TRUTH,
DEREK RICHARDSON'S CONFESSION
IS TERRIFYING.
WHAT'S CHILLING IS THAT
HE DOESN'T SHOW ANY --
REALLY SHOW ANY EMOTION AT ALL,
AND THAT IS PRETTY DISTURBING.
Narrator:
AFTER THE MURDER,
RICHARDSON SAYS HE WAITS TO SEE
WHAT THE POLICE WILL DO.
HE WAS LIVING A FANTASY,
SO FOR HIM,
IT WAS LIKE
WAKING UP FROM A DREAM
AND NOT KNOW IF YOU'RE
STILL AWAKE OR NOT, YOU KNOW,
BECAUSE IT JUST DIDN'T HAPPEN
UNTIL SOMEBODY ACKNOWLEDGES IT.
Narrator: 10 MONTHS LATER,
HE PICKS UP NIKKI REED.
♪♪
UM...
♪♪
MY UNDERSTANDING,
IT'S IN THE BED
THAT HE AND HIS WIFE SLEEP IN
AND SO, AND ON THE SHEETS
THAT THEY WERE...
I MEAN, HE EVEN MENTIONS,
YOU KNOW,
HE HAD TO WASH THE SHEETS,
SO, YEAH, PRETTY DISTURBING.
Narrator: HE DUMPS HER BODY
AND, AS WITH TAMARA,
USES BLEACH TO GET RID
OF ANY EVIDENCE.
♪♪
Narrator: RICHARDSON CAN'T OFFER
HIS MOTIVE
FOR KILLING PROSTITUTES,
BUT HE DOES SEEM
TO HAVE HAD A PLAN.
♪♪
I'VE BEEN IN LAW ENFORCEMENT
PROBABLY 15 YEARS
BY THE TIME THIS HAD HAPPENED,
AND HE HAD AS MUCH READING
ON SERIAL KILLERS AS I HAD.
I'LL NEVER FORGET
DETECTIVE McENTIRE WALKING OUT
BECAUSE DEREK HAD TOLD HIM.
HE'S LIKE, "YEAH.
I PICKED HER UP."
HE GOES, "BUT I DIDN'T
HAVE ANY MONEY,
SO I GAVE HER MY WEDDING RING."
HE'S LIKE, "WELL, WHY
WOULD YOU DO THAT?"
AND HE KIND OF
CHUCKLED AND GOES,
"WELL, I WAS GOING TO
GET IT BACK."
YOU HAVE SOMEONE THAT LOOKS
LIKE HE COULD BE
THE NICEST, NORMAL PERSON,
AND HE'S GOT DEMONS
THAT HE JUST CAN'T GET OVER.
Narrator: RICHARDSON IS BOOKED
ON TWO COUNTS OF HOMICIDE,
BUT HE HINTS THERE
MAY BE MORE VICTIMS.
DETECTIVES HOPE THAT,
WITH TIME,
HE'LL OFFER MORE
DETAILED CONFESSIONS,
BUT INSTEAD, DEREK RICHARDSON
TAKES ONE MORE LIFE.
HE ENDED UP COMMITTING SUICIDE
WHILE HE WAS IN CUSTODY
IN THE COUNTY JAIL.
♪♪
Narrator:
FOR THE DETECTIVES WHO WORKED
MORE THAN TWO YEARS
TO BRING A KILLER TO JUSTICE,
IT'S NOT THE ENDING
THEY'D HOPED FOR.
Taney: IT WAS KIND OF
A DISAPPOINTING ENDING.
LET THE JUSTICE SYSTEM DECIDE
WHAT THEY'RE GOING
TO DO WITH HIM,
BUT YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE
ANYBODY TAKE THEIR OWN LIFE.
WE STILL DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S
OTHER VICTIMS OUT THERE,
AND UNFORTUNATELY, WE WON'T KNOW
COMING FROM HIM ANYMORE.
Narrator:
DESPITE RICHARDSON'S SUICIDE,
DETECTIVES ARE CONFIDENT
THAT THEY CAUGHT
A COLD-BLOODED KILLER.
WE ABSOLUTELY STOPPED
A SERIAL KILLER.
PART OF ME WANTED TO SAY,
"YOU GOT WHAT YOU GAVE
THOSE FAMILIES."
♪♪
YOU HAVE MIXED EMOTIONS
WHEN IT'S ALL SAID AND DONE
BECAUSE, IN THE END,
YEAH, THESE PEOPLE
HAVE LOST THEIR LIVES
THAT DIDN'T DESERVE IT.
THEY DID FIND OUT
WHO THE PERPETRATOR WAS.
HE DID CONFESS
TO WHAT HE HAD DONE,
SO AT LEAST THERE WAS
SOME COMFORT IN THAT.
TAMARA AND NIKKI -- THEY HAD
NOT LOST THEIR HUMANITY.
THEY WERE STILL
GOOD GIRLS AT HEART.
THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO MISS THEM.
♪♪