Evil Talks: Chilling Confessions (2018–…): Season 1, Episode 7 - Dead by Dawn - full transcript
An unsolved murder of a teenage girl in Wyoming is turned on its head when a phone call 23 years later reignites the cold case.
Narrator: THE BAFFLING MURDER
OF A TEENAGE GIRL...
THERE'S WHAT YOU THINK,
THERE'S WHAT YOU KNOW,
AND THERE'S WHAT YOU CAN PROVE.
Narrator:...AN UNSOLVED CASE
THAT HAUNTS DETECTIVES.
BUT IT WAS PERSONAL AND HAS BEEN
PERSONAL FOR A LONG TIME.
Narrator: DECADES LATER,
POLICE GET ONE LAST CHANCE
TO BRING A KILLER TO JUSTICE.
THERE'S A LOT OF EVIL IN THERE.
EVERY QUESTION
TURNS UP THE HEAT.
HE WAS GONNA GO OFF.
HE WAS GETTING SO MAD.
I DON'T GET PAID TO GET MAD.
I GET PAID TO GET CONFESSIONS.
Narrator:
IN THE INTERROGATION ROOM,
POLICE MUST CONFRONT EVIL...
WHEN DID YOU DECIDE THAT YOU
WERE GONNA 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.
I HAD A KNIFE AND WENT DOWN.
I AM A KILLER.
I'VE KILLED THREE OTHER PEOPLE.
Narrator:
THE TRUTH CAN ONLY BE REVEALED
WHEN EVIL TALKS.
♪♪
THERE'S ROLLING HILLS,
AND THEN YOU HIT THE MOUNTAINS.
SMALL-TOWN FEEL, MORE COWS
THAN PEOPLE. [ LAUGHS ]
PEOPLE LEFT THEIR DOORS
OPEN AT NIGHT.
YOU KNOW, YOU DIDN'T WORRY
ABOUT YOUR KIDS
PLAYING OUT AT NIGHT
IN THE DARK.
YOU KNEW WHERE EVERYONE WAS.
THERE'S NOT A LOT OF HOMICIDES
IN THE COUNTY.
[ BIRDS CHIRPING ]
♪♪
Narrator:
SEPTEMBER 29, 1985, THE
SMALL TOWN OF LANDER, WYOMING,
IS SHOCKED BY THE DISCOVERY OF A
BODY ALONGSIDE A RURAL ROAD.
DETECTIVE BILL LASSITER GETS THE
CALL TO BE LEAD INVESTIGATOR.
THE CAPTAIN CALLED ME AND SAID,
"HEY, WE'VE GOT
A HOMICIDE OUT HERE."
THE BODY WAS FOUND RIGHT
ALONGSIDE THE ROAD,
TOTALLY NUDE.
SHE DIDN'T LOOK LIKE AN ADULT,
BUT YET SHE DIDN'T
LOOK LIKE A CHILD --
SOMEWHERE IN-BETWEEN.
Narrator:
ALSO CALLED TO THE SCENE
IS DETECTIVE BILL BRADDOCK.
IT'S HIS FIRST HOMICIDE CASE.
AS I ARRIVED AT THE CRIME SCENE,
THE OTHER INVESTIGATORS
WERE ALREADY ON SCENE.
INVESTIGATOR LASSITER WAS
THE LEAD INVESTIGATOR,
BUT I WAS JUST WONDERING
WHAT I'M ACTUALLY GONNA SEE
AND JUST HOW BAD IT MIGHT BE.
♪♪
WE COULD SEE SHE HAD
NUMEROUS ABRASIONS,
SCRATCHES ON THE FRONT OF HER
BODY, CLEAR UP TO HER FOREHEAD.
THERE WAS NO OBVIOUS
SIGNS OF TRAUMA,
SUCH AS A KNIFE WOUND
OR A GUNSHOT.
Officer: DETECTIVE BRADDOCK,
YOU HAVE A CALL.
AND IT WAS WITHIN A VERY
SHORT TIME, WE WERE ADVISED
BY THE DISPATCH OF
THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE VIA RADIO
THAT THERE HAD BEEN
A RUNAWAY TEENAGE GIRL
REPORTED THE EVENING BEFORE.
COPY, ANY DETAILS?
THE RUNAWAY WAS FROM
THE GROUP HOME IN LANDER.
SHE WAS REPORTED MISSING
ABOUT BETWEEN 8:00 AND 9:00
THE EVENING BEFORE
WE FOUND THE BODY.
COPY. TELL THEM A DETECTIVE IS
GONNA BE IN TOUCH WITH THEM,
AND IF THEY HAVE
ANY OTHER INFORMATION,
GIVE ME A CALL BACK, OKAY?
WE GOT THE NAME
FROM THE GROUP HOME.
SHE WAS IDENTIFIED
AS TERESA JOANN BRADISH.
Narrator:
POLICE WONDER IF THE RUNAWAY
GIRL COULD BE THEIR VICTIM.
♪♪
HER FATHER, TERRY BRADISH,
SHOWED UP AT THE FUNERAL HOME.
♪♪
AND HE SAID HE HEARD
THEY FOUND A BODY.
AND HE SAID, "CAN I LOOK AT HER
AND SEE IF IT'S MY DAUGHTER?"
SO WE CLEANED HER FACE UP
A LITTLE BIT AND COVERED HER,
AND WE LET HIM IN THE ROOM TO
LOOK AT HER --
SEE IF IT WAS HER.
♪♪
AS A FATHER OF YOUNG CHILDREN,
I WAS SYMPATHIZING WITH THIS MAN
BECAUSE HE WAS REALLY
CRYING AND UPSET.
YES.
THAT'S MY DAUGHTER.
MM. I THOUGHT, "YOU KNOW,
HOW BAD COULD IT BE
TO FIND YOUR CHILD THAT WAY?"
♪♪
Narrator:
TERRI JO, AS SHE WAS KNOWN,
HAD BEEN LIVING IN THE
GROUP HOME FOR 5 MONTHS.
AFTER HER PARENTS DIVORCED,
HER FATHER HAD WON CUSTODY,
BUT HE FOUND THE 13-YEAR-OLD
DIFFICULT TO MANAGE.
SHE WAS RUNNING AWAY CONSTANTLY,
AND FINALLY,
HER PARENTS HAD HAD ENOUGH.
THEY TOOK HER INTO
JUVENILE COURT,
AND THE JUVENILE COURT
PUT HER IN THE GROUP HOME.
Narrator: TERRI JO'S COUSIN KECA
IS SHOCKED BY THE MURDER.
THE TWO GIRLS WERE
JUST A YEAR APART
AND HAD BEEN CLOSE
FROM AN EARLY AGE.
WE SPENT THE NIGHT
AT EACH OTHER'S HOUSES,
AND WE WOULD SLEEP OVER
IN HER LITTLE, LIKE,
PLAYHOUSE THAT HER DAD
HAD BUILT AND PUT TOGETHER.
I DO REMEMBER HIM MAKING SURE
THAT BEFORE WE WENT TO SLEEP,
THEN WE WERE NOT GOING
TO BE SNEAKING AROUND.
OH, THIS IS ANOTHER PICTURE
OF US ALL TOGETHER.
I WAS PROBABLY ABOUT
11 HERE, MAYBE.
IT WAS PROBABLY ONE OF THE TIMES
THAT WE WERE ALL TOGETHER.
JUST SO FULL OF LIFE,
SO MUCH ENERGY AROUND HER.
YOU KNOW, SHE WAS A LIGHT.
SO I SAID, "MY HOPE WAS,
THAT JUST THAT THEY WOULD,
YOU KNOW, SOLVE IT."
WHO WOULD DO SUCH A THING?
WHO HATED HER SO MUCH
THAT THEY WOULD DO
SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO HER?
♪♪
Narrator: THE DAY AFTER
TERRI JO'S BODY IS FOUND,
AN AUTOPSY REVEALS
A BRUTAL CRIME.
THE AUTOPSY DETERMINED THAT
THE CAUSE OF DEATH
WAS STRANGULATION.
IT ALSO LOOKS LIKE THEY FOUND
ALCOHOL IN HER SYSTEM.
SOMETIME PRIOR TO HER DEATH,
SHE HAD CONSUMED
AN ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE.
THEY DID A SEXUAL-ASSAULT KIT.
THERE WERE SIGNS OF
SEXUAL ACTIVITY, IF YOU WILL,
AND THE PRESENCE
OF SEMEN AND SPERM.
Narrator:
POLICE REALIZE THEY ARE
SEARCHING FOR SOMEONE
CAPABLE OF SEXUALLY ASSAULTING
AND MURDERING
A 13-YEAR-OLD GIRL.
♪♪
INVESTIGATORS BEGIN TO RETRACE
TERRI JO'S FINAL STEPS.
WE WENT TO THE GROUP HOME,
AND WE INTERVIEWED
ALL OF THE KIDS THERE,
AND WE INTERVIEWED SOME KIDS
THAT HAD BEEN THERE
THAT HAD JUST LEFT.
Narrator:
DETECTIVES LEARNED THAT
TERRI JO'S LAST EVENING ON EARTH
BEGAN AS AN ORDINARY
SATURDAY NIGHT.
Lassiter: THE NIGHT BEFORE,
IT WAS MOVIE NIGHT
AT THE LANDER GROUP HOME,
AND THEY WERE ALL DOWNSTAIRS
WATCHING A MOVIE --
ALL THE KIDS.
[ TELEPHONE RINGS ]
HELLO?
Narrator: THE OTHER RESIDENTS
AT THE HOME SAY
TERRI JO RECEIVED A PHONE CALL.
YOU GOT A PHONE CALL.
HELLO?
Braddock: AFTER TALKING ON
THE PHONE FOR A BIT,
SHE ADVISED THE GROUP PARENT
THAT HER FATHER HAD CALLED,
AND HE WAS COMING
TO SEE HER THE NEXT DAY,
AND SHE WAS REALLY
EXCITED TO THE POINT
WHERE SHE REALLY
DIDN'T WANT TO SIT DOWN
AND WATCH THE MOVIE ANYMORE,
SO SHE ASKED IF
SHE COULD GO OUTSIDE.
COULD I GO OUT
AND GET SOME AIR?
SURE, JUST BE QUICK.
IT'S COLD OUT THERE.
♪♪
ABOUT 15, 20 MINUTES LATER,
SHE HADN'T SHOWED UP,
SO, THE KIDS AND HER
SHIFT SUPERVISOR
AT THE GROUP HOME WENT OUTSIDE,
AND THE ONLY THING THAT THEY SAW
WAS A CAR HEADING DOWN
THROUGH THE ROADS.
THEY COULDN'T REALLY
GIVE A DESCRIPTION OF HIM.
AND THEY NEVER FOUND
TERRI JO THAT NIGHT.
WELL, THE NEXT MORNING, WE DID.
♪♪
Narrator:
INVESTIGATORS ASK TERRI JO'S
FATHER, JERRY BRADISH,
ABOUT THE PHONE CALL
HIS DAUGHTER RECEIVED
THE NIGHT SHE SLIPPED AWAY.
HE DENIED MAKING THE CALL.
HE DIDN'T KNOW
ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
Narrator:
INVESTIGATORS SUSPECT TERRI JO
WAS TRYING TO HIDE A DATE.
IF SHE'D HAD SAID HER FATHER,
THE GROUP-HOME PARENT
WOULD'VE BEEN SOMEWHAT
UNDERSTANDING.
IF SHE HAD MENTIONED
SOME YOUNG BOY'S NAME
WHO WAS GONNA COME
TO PICK HER UP OR SOMETHING --
SEE HER, THAT WOULD'VE
BEEN A KIND OF A RED FLAG.
Narrator:
WHO LURED HER OUT OF THE
GROUP HOME THAT NIGHT?
INVESTIGATORS INTERVIEW
EVERYONE WHO KNEW TERRI JO.
NO ONE ADMITS TO CALLING
OR SEEING HER THE NIGHT
SHE LEFT THE GROUP HOME.
Braddock: YOU KNOW, WE TALKED
TO EVERYBODY,
HER FATHER, EVERY SINGLE
ONE OF THE FOLKS
THERE AT THE GROUP HOME --
TEACHERS, THE SCHOOL STAFF,
ETC., JUST NOTHING.
Narrator: DETECTIVES ARE PUZZLED
BUT STRUCK BY THE SIMILARITIES
TO ANOTHER UNSOLVED CASE --
A YOUNG WAITRESS MURDERED
19 MONTHS EARLIER.
WE FOUND HER BODY
ON MUSKRAT ROAD,
NUDE, BURIED, AND STRANGLED.
Narrator:
IS IT POSSIBLE THAT TERRI JO
WAS KIDNAPPED
AND MURDERED BY THE SAME KILLER?
Braddock:
WE COMPARED THE DESCRIPTION.
IT LOOKED LIKE
IT MIGHT BE POSSIBLE.
THE AGE WAS REAL CLOSE.
THOUGHT MAYBE WE HAD A
SERIAL KILLER OR SOMETHING.
Chapman:
I HAD A HARD TIME SLEEPING.
I DREAMT OF HER A LOT.
♪♪
AND I COULDN'T GO
TO SLEEP AT NIGHT
BECAUSE ALL I WOULD
SEE WOULD BE HER.
SHE WOULD JUST BE
TELLING ME TO HELP HER,
OR THAT SHE WAS ALONE,
AND SHE WAS SCARED.
Narrator:
POLICE ARE SEARCHING
FOR THE KILLER
OF 13-YEAR-OLD TERRI JO BRADISH.
THEY WONDER IF SHE
COULD'VE BEEN MURDERED
BY THE KILLER
OF A YOUNG WAITRESS
A YEAR AND HALF EARLIER.
SHE HAD BEEN SEXUALLY ASSAULTED.
SHE HAD BEEN STRANGLED.
SHE WAS NUDE.
THEY WERE ABOUT THE SAME
HEIGHT, SAME WEIGHT.
WE DIDN'T KNOW WHETHER
WE HAD A SERIAL KILLER.
♪♪
Narrator:
DETECTIVES HAVE A SUSPECT
FOR THE FIRST MURDER --
AN EMPLOYEE FROM THE DINER WHERE
THE SLAIN WAITRESS ALSO WORKED,
BUT HE HAS A SOLID ALIBI FOR
THE NIGHT OF TERRI JO'S MURDER.
HE WAS OUT OF THE AREA WHEN
TERRI JO DIED.
NO RELATION, NO WAY TO CONNECT.
♪♪
♪♪
Braddock: ANYBODY AND EVERYBODY
WE COULD TALK TO AND TRY
AND GET INFORMATION
ABOUT HER WAS INTERVIEWED
FOR THE NEXT
3 OR 4 MONTHS
'CAUSE WE WERE NEVER ABLE
TO COME UP WITH A SUSPECT
WE COULD DEVELOP
ANY EVIDENCE OR PROOF AGAINST.
Lassiter:
THE INVESTIGATION -- IT JUST
SEEMED LIKE WAS GOING NOWHERE.
YOU KNOW, WE WERE JUST NOWHERE,
AND IT WAS SO FRUSTRATING.
♪♪
ALL RIGHT.
WELL, IF YOU DO FIND ANYTHING
OUT, PLEASE GIVE ME A CALL.
Narrator:
WEEKS TURN INTO MONTHS
WITH NO PROGRESS.
UNFORTUNATELY, EVENTUALLY,
CASE WENT COLD.
SO THE OTHER JUNIOR INVESTIGATOR
AND I WERE BASICALLY
TAKEN FROM THIS CASE,
AND WE WENT BACK TO HANDLING
THE NORMAL CALL LOAD.
Narrator:
BUT THE UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
AROUND TERRI JO'S DEATH LINGER,
AND DETECTIVE LASSITER
OBSESSES OVER THE CASE.
Lassiter:
MY FAMILY SUFFERED FROM THIS.
I'M SURE THEY DID BECAUSE
I WORKED SO HARD AT IT.
WE BECAME INVOLVED IN IT, AND
AFTER I'D EXPLAIN IT TO THEM,
AND THEY'VE ALL FORGIVEN ME.
BUT I DON'T KNOW.
Narrator: AFTER YEARS WITH NO
BREAK IN THE CASE,
DETECTIVE LASSITER
EVENTUALLY RETIRES,
BUT HE STAYS IN TOUCH
WITH DETECTIVE BRADDOCK.
OH, EVERY TIME I TALKED
TO BILL, I'D SAY,
"HEY, ANYTHING ON
THE BRADISH YET?"
NOTHING.
WHEN I THINK, "MAN, HOW
OLD WOULD SHE BE NOW?
WOULD SHE HAD A FAMILY?
WOULD SHE HAD KIDS?"
Narrator:
YEARS ADD UP TO DECADES.
THE MURDER OF TERRI JO
REMAINS UNSOLVED,
BUT DETECTIVE BRADDOCK NEVER
FORGETS HIS FIRST HOMICIDE CASE.
I WANTED TO SOLVE IT,
BUT LIFE WENT ON.
I HAD A LOT OF OTHER CASES.
WE HAD HOMICIDES AFTER THAT, YOU
KNOW, THAT WE WERE ABLE TO WORK,
BUT ANYTHING I COULD DO,
I WOULD DO.
WE HAD A PHOTOGRAPH OF
TERRI JO BRADISH,
SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPH, I BELIEVE,
SUPPLIED BY THE FAMILY,
AND WE JUST MADE A POSTER,
AND WE PUT IT ALL OVER,
ANYWHERE WE COULD THINK OF,
AND I HAD ONE OF THOSE
POSTERS STILL ON MY WALL.
Narrator: PERIODICALLY,
BRADDOCK GETS A CALL,
BUT NONE OF THE LEADS PAN OUT.
THE CASE WAS ALWAYS OPEN.
♪♪
♪♪
Narrator: IN 2006, 2 DECADES
AFTER TERRI JO'S DEATH,
DETECTIVE BRADDOCK'S
PHONE RINGS.
YES. THIS IS
DETECTIVE BRADDOCK.
A PROSECUTOR HAS A CASE
WITH A POSSIBLE CONNECTION
TO TERRI JO BRADISH.
SHE WAS PROSECUTING A YOUNG MAN
WHO WOULD'VE BEEN A YOUNG MAN
ABOUT THE TIME
OF TERESA'S DEATH.
Narrator:
THIS MAN FITS THE PROFILE
OF SOMEONE
WHO MIGHT'VE COMMITTED
RAPE AND MURDER,
AND IN 1985, HE LIVED
NEAR TERRI JO BRADISH.
HE WAS AWAITING SENTENCING,
AND SOMEHOW,
WORD HAD GOT BACK TO HER
THAT THIS PERSON KNEW HER
OR KNEW ABOUT HER DEATH.
Narrator:
COULD HE HAVE BEEN INVOLVED
IN TERRI JO'S MURDER?
Braddock:
SHE WANTED TO KNOW IF THIS
PARTICULAR SUBJECT'S NAME
HAD EVER COME TO LIGHT AS PART
OF HER HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION,
AND I TOLD HER,
"NO, IT HADN'T,"
AND SHE ASKED ABOUT DNA, IF WE'D
EVER COME UP WITH ANY DNA.
DNA?
Narrator: DNA PROFILING WAS
VIRTUALLY UNKNOWN
AT THE TIME
OF TERRI JO'S MURDER.
THE RAPE KIT COLLECTED AT HER
AUTOPSY HAS NEVER BEEN TESTED,
BUT THE EVIDENCE STILL EXISTS.
DETECTIVE BRADDOCK
ASKS THE CRIME LAB
TO FAST TRACK THE RESULTS.
Braddock:
I HAD BEEN HOPING WE'D GET
SOMETHING DECLARED.
MAYBE THIS WAS OUR OPPORTUNITY.
Narrator:
SEVERAL DAYS LATER, HE GETS
A CALL FROM THE CRIME LAB
THAT SENDS THE COLD CASE
INTO OVERDRIVE.
GOT A PROFILE MATCH.
SHE SAYS, "WE DID DEVELOP
A DNA PROFILE
FROM THE VAGINAL
SAMPLES OF TERRI JO."
I SAID, "GREAT, YOU KNOW,
NOW WE GOT MAYBE SOMETHING."
AND THEN SHE ASKED A QUESTION
THAT REALLY KIND OF FLOORED ME,
AND THAT KICKED
THE BALL OPEN BIG TIME,
AND IT WENT FROM
A COLD CASE TO NUMBER ONE
ON THE WHOLE DEPARTMENT'S LIST.
Narrator:
FOR THE FIRST TIME, 2 DECADES
AFTER THE 1985 MURDER
OF 13-YEAR-OLD TERRI JO BRADISH,
EVIDENCE IS SENT OUT
FOR DNA TESTING,
AND THE RESULTS BLOW
THE COLD CASE WIDE-OPEN.
HEY, KAREN?
HAVE WE GOT ANYTHING
TO WORK WITH?
BILL, WE SURE DO.
SHE WANTED TO KNOW IF WE HAD
ANY SUSPECTS, AND I SAID,
"WELL, YEAH,
EVERY MALE OF THIS AGE,
YOU KNOW, IN FREMONT COUNTY
AT THE TIME OF DEATH,"
'CAUSE WE JUST COULDN'T
NAIL IT DOWN.
AND THEN SHE ASKED
ME THE QUESTION
THAT REALLY OPENED THINGS UP.
SHE SAYS, "WAS ANY OF THEM
A FAMILY MEMBER?"
LIKE, THERE'S A 99.8% CHANCE
THAT IT'S A FAMILY MEMBER.
WOW.
Narrator:
DETECTIVE BRADDOCK DIRECTS
HIS ATTENTION TO THE MAN
WHO WAS CLOSEST
TO THE MURDERED GIRL
AT THE TIME OF HER DEATH,
HER FATHER, JERRY BRADISH.
I DETERMINED THAT HE WAS NOW
LIVING DOWN IN TEXAS,
AND THAT'S WHERE
WE WOULD HAVE TO GO.
♪♪
MARCH 6, 2007, DETECTIVE
BRADDOCK FLIES TO TEXAS.
WORKING WITH A LOCAL
TEXAS RANGER,
HE FOLLOWS JERRY BRADISH.
OUR PLAN WAS,
IF HE DISCARDED A COKE CAN
OR SEE ANYTHING WE MIGHT BE
ABLE TO GET A DNA SAMPLE FROM,
ONE OF US WOULD STAY THERE
AND KEEP EYES ON THAT
TO THE EXCLUSION
OF EVERYTHING ELSE.
I MEAN, JUST STARE IT DOWN, MAKE
SURE NOBODY ELSE GOT AROUND IT,
AND THE OTHER ONE OF US RUN DOWN
AND TRY TO SCOOP IT UP.
I GOT YOUR BACK.
Narrator: AFTER A WEEK
OF COVERT SURVEILLANCE,
BRADDOCK STRIKES GOLD
IN A BAG OF TRASH
OUTSIDE BRADISH'S HOME.
TOWARDS THE BOTTOM OF THAT BAG
WAS A PAIR OF LEATHER
WORK GLOVES.
I BAGGED THEM AS EVIDENCE
AND THREW THE REST
OF THE STUFF AWAY,
AND SHIPPED IT DIRECTLY
TO THE CRIME LAB.
Narrator:
WHEN THE DNA COMES BACK,
IT'S A MATCH FOR THE DNA
RECOVERED FROM TERRI JO'S
RAPE KIT,
BUT IT'S NOT ENOUGH.
THE DNA MATCH PROVES RAPE,
BUT IT DOESN'T PROVE MURDER.
I KNEW WE HAD HIM
ON SEXUAL ASSAULT.
THAT DOESN'T MEAN THE JURY WOULD
FIND HIM GUILTY OF THE HOMICIDE.
IT CERTAINLY MADE SENSE
TO ALL THE INVESTIGATORS
THAT TERRY BRADISH
PROBABLY MURDERED HER AS WELL.
PROBLEM IS, 20-SOME YEARS LATER,
THERE WOULD BE NO EVIDENCE
THAT WOULD SUPPORT THAT THEORY,
AND THEORIES ARE
JUST THAT, THEORIES.
IT'S GONNA BE
TOUGH WITH THIS.
THERE'S WHAT YOU THINK,
THERE'S WHAT YOU KNOW,
AND THERE'S WHAT YOU CAN PROVE.
Narrator:
THE DNA EVIDENCE ALONE ISN'T
ENOUGH FOR A MURDER CONVICTION,
BUT COULD IT CONVINCE
JERRY BRADISH TO CONFESS?
DETECTIVES FLY BACK TO TEXAS
FOR WHAT COULD BE THEIR LAST
CHANCE AT JUSTICE FOR TERRI JO.
Braddock: WE RENTED A MOTEL ROOM
IN FORT WORTH
AND GOT IT ALL SET UP
WITH THE CAMERA, SOUND SYSTEM.
THERE WERE PROSECUTORS
IN THE NEXT ROOM
LISTENING AND WATCHING,
AND WE HAD THE ARREST TEAM
THERE IN CASE THINGS WENT SOUTH.
Narrator:
THEY CONTACT JERRY BRADISH
WITH A STORY
INTENDED TO PUT HIM AT EASE.
WHAT WE HAD DECIDED ON WAS THAT
WE WERE IN THE AREA
WORKING ON ANOTHER CASE,
AND AS LONG AS WE WERE CLOSE,
WE WANTED TO TALK TO JERRY
ABOUT HIS DAUGHTER
AND ABOUT HER DEATH,
JUST IN CASE
AFTER 20-PLUS YEARS,
HE WOULD REMEMBER SOMETHING
THAT WE COULD JAR LOOSE.
Narrator:
BRADISH AGREES TO MEET THEM
AFTER WORK.
DESPITE THE HIGH STAKES,
DETECTIVES START OUT
WITH SMALL TALK.
WE'RE TRYING TO PUT HIM
AT EASE, YOU KNOW,
UNTIL WE GET READY
TO CONFRONT HIM.
I SAID, "YOU KNOW, I HAVE TO
ADVISE YOU OF YOUR RIGHTS,
JUST LIKE THEY DO ON TV.
YOU OKAY WITH THAT?"
AND HE AGREED TO WAIVE THEM
AND TALK TO US,
SO WE TALKED ABOUT EVERYTHING
BUT HIS DAUGHTER'S HOMICIDE
THERE FOR MAYBE AN HOUR,
AND THEN I SWUNG IT AROUND.
WE NEEDED TO TALK BUSINESS,
AND WE WANTED THAT TO BE
A PRETTY ABRUPT TRANSITION.
IT'S KIND OF LIKE A BOMB YOU
DROP, AND IT'S A SHOCK FACTOR,
AND YOU CAN SEE IT
IMMEDIATELY SOBERED HIM UP.
Narrator:
DETECTIVES HAVE CAREFULLY
PLANNED A STRATEGY
TO ELICIT A CONFESSION
FROM JERRY BRADISH.
Braddock:
WHAT WE WERE TRYING TO DO WAS,
GET HIM TO ADMIT NOT
THAT HE KILLED HER,
NOT THAT HE RAPED HER,
JUST THAT HE WAS EVEN THERE.
AND THEN ONCE YOU GET
THAT FIRST ADMISSION,
THEN WE CAN BUILD ON THAT
AND KEEP WORKING UP
TO WHERE HE GIVES US
THE FULL CONFESSION.
Narrator: TO GET HIM TALKING,
THEY START WITH A SERIES
OF BASIC STATEMENTS WITH WHICH
JERRY WILL EASILY AGREE.
YOU COULD SEE HE WAS
VERY UNCOMFORTABLE
TALKING ABOUT IT,
AND THAT WAS A GOOD THING.
THAT'S EXACTLY
WHAT WE WERE AFTER.
WE'RE TURNING UP THE HEAT
AT THIS POINT,
SLOWLY, A LITTLE BIT
MORE, EVERY TIME.
EVERY QUESTION
TURNS UP THE HEAT.
Narrator: EVEN THOUGH DETECTIVES
HAVE DNA FROM THE GLOVES
IN BRADISH'S GARBAGE,
THEY MUST BE ABSOLUTELY SURE
THAT THE MATCH WILL
HOLD UP IN COURT.
THE PROSECUTOR, LOOKING AT WAYS
TO CLOSE ANY DOORS
A DEFENSE ATTORNEY MIGHT HAVE,
REQUESTED THAT WE GET ANOTHER
DNA SAMPLE FROM THE SUSPECT.
Narrator:
IF BRADISH CATCHES ON THAT
HE'S A SUSPECT,
HE COULD CALL FOR AN ATTORNEY
AND SHUT DOWN
THE INTERVIEW COLD.
DID I RUSH IT?
DID I GO TOO FAR, TOO FAST?
IS THERE A BETTER WAY
I SHOULD'VE DONE THAT?
I WAS ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN,
"ATTORNEY,"
WAS GONNA BE THE WORDS
THAT CAME OUT OF HIS MOUTH.
Narrator:
DETECTIVES BELIEVE THAT
JERRY BRADISH RAPED AND MURDERED
HIS 13-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER
TERRI JO 23 YEARS EARLIER.
HE REALLY WAS NEVER A SUSPECT
OR AT LEAST A SERIOUS SUSPECT,
SO HE HAD REASON,
REALLY, IN HIS MIND,
TO BE PRETTY CONFIDENT THAT WE
HAD NO IDEA THAT IT WAS HIM.
Narrator: TO PROVE BEYOND
A SHADOW OF A DOUBT
THAT BRADISH SEXUALLY ASSAULTED
HIS TEENAGE DAUGHTER
BEFORE HER MURDER,
THEY ASK HIM FOR A DNA SAMPLE.
MY THINKING AT THE TIME
WAS WE JUST CONVINCE HIM
THAT THIS WAS SOMETHING
THAT EVERYBODY DOES NOWADAYS.
WHY WOULD AN INNOCENT PERSON
DENY IT, YOU KNOW?
Wachsmuth: YOU COULD SEE HIM
STARING AT THOSE BOXES.
HE DIDN'T WANT TO LOOK
AWAY FROM THEM.
HE'S PRETTY WORRIED.
EVEN IF YOU'RE GETTING
STOPPED FOR A TRAFFIC,
AND YOU KNOW YOU REALLY
DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG,
YOU'RE SAYING,
"WHAT THE HECK DID I DO?"
THE ANXIETY LEVEL
GOES UP PRETTY HIGH.
SITTING DOWN IN A MOTEL ROOM
WITH TWO INVESTIGATORS,
HIS ANXIETY LEVEL WAS PROBABLY
ABOUT A 9 OUT OF 10 ALREADY.
Braddock:
I DON'T THINK HE WANTED TO,
BUT HE DIDN'T KNOW
HOW TO GET OUT OF IT GRACEFULLY
WITHOUT IMPLICATING
HIMSELF, MAYBE.
Narrator:
WITH A DNA SAMPLE SEALED,
DETECTIVES MOVE ON
TO THEIR NEXT STEP --
EXTRACTING A CONFESSION.
AND THE TIME TO GET DOWN
TO THE MAIN ISSUE HAD ARRIVED.
Narrator:
BRADISH DOESN'T RESPOND.
THAT WAS A VERY CRITICAL TIME
WITHIN THE INTERVIEW
TO SLOWLY EXPLAIN TO HIM
WHAT WAS GOING ON.
THE SEED WAS PLANTED
IN JERRY'S MIND
THAT EVEN IF SOMEBODY
JUST TOUCHES SOMEBODY NOW,
WE CAN TELL.
Narrator:
BRADISH HAS SWORN THAT HE HADN'T
SEEN HIS DAUGHTER FOR MONTHS
BEFORE HER DEATH.
WELL, IT WAS TIME FOR THE TRUTH
TO START HAPPENING.
THAT'S WHEN
OUR CONFRONTATION STARTED.
I ACTUALLY STARTED
ACCUSING HIM OF IT.
I THINK HE REALLY FELT
BACKED IN A CORNER THERE.
Braddock:
AND I JUST KEPT SAYING THAT,
"YOU KNOW, WE KNOW
YOU PUT HER BODY THERE.
NOBODY ELSE COULD'VE DONE IT.
YOU'RE THE ONE
THAT HAD TO DO IT.
THAT'S RIGHT, ISN'T IT?"
IF WE COULD JUST GET HIM ON THAT
FIRST LITTLE STEP OVER THE EDGE
AND ADMIT SOMETHING,
THEN WE HAD IT.
YOU DON'T KNOW HOW BAD
I WANTED TO JUMP AND GO,
"YEAH!" WHEN HE SAID THAT, BUT I
DIDN'T, BUT I SURE WANTED TO.
Narrator: WITH THIS ADMISSION,
COPS HAVE JERRY BRADISH
ON A SLIPPERY SLOPE.
THEY ALREADY KNOW FROM THE DNA
HE RAPED HIS OWN DAUGHTER.
NOW, HE'S ADMITTING
TO MOVING HER BODY.
IT'S TIME TO PUSH FOR
A FULL CONFESSION.
HE'S ASKING HIMSELF,
"WHAT DO THEY REALLY KNOW?"
AND I THINK BILL AND I
DID A REAL GOOD JOB
OF KEEPING HIM
IN THE DARK THERE.
Braddock: I'M PRETTY SURE JERRY
WAS THINKING
THAT THE WORLD
WAS COMING TO AN END.
TRYING TO STAY CALM
ON THE SURFACE, ANYWAY,
BUT YEAH, I WAS
SWEATING BLOOD, TOO.
AND WE HAD TO GET HIM
TO THE POINT WHERE HE BELIEVED
THAT TELLING THE WHOLE TRUTH
WOULD BE IN HIS BEST INTEREST.
Wachsmuth:
THE CHALLENGE THERE WAS
OBVIOUSLY TO KEEP HIM TALKING,
AND HE WAS ABOUT TO SHUT DOWN.
THERE WAS NO QUESTION.
HE'S ABOUT TO SHUT DOWN.
ALMOST ALWAYS, PEOPLE NEED
TO TELL THEIR SIDE OF THE STORY.
IF SOMEBODY IS GONNA TELL
THAT STORY, BY GOD,
IT'S GOT TO BE HIM,
AND SO, HENCE THE COMMENT ABOUT
A PROSECUTOR TELLING A JURY,
AND YOU GONNA JUST HAVE TO
SIT THERE AND LISTEN TO IT.
HE IS SO TORN RIGHT NOW.
WHAT DO THEY KNOW?
AM I GONNA SCREW MYSELF HERE
BY IF I KEEP TALKING?
Narrator: FOR 23 YEARS,
THE KILLER OF 13-YEAR-OLD
TERRI JO BRADISH
HAS ELUDED DETECTIVES.
THAT IT WAS PERSONAL AND HAS
BEEN PERSONAL FOR A LONG TIME.
WHEN THERE'S A HOMICIDE,
NEVER GIVE UP ON IT.
NEVER GIVE UP ON IT.
THE VICTIM IS DEAD.
YOU CAN'T HELP THEM ANYMORE,
BUT YOU CAN DO SOMETHING --
YOU CAN BRING JUSTICE TO THE
PERSON WHO COMMITTED THE CRIME.
Narrator:
JERRY BRADISH HAS ADMITTED
TO DROPPING TERRI JO'S BODY
BY THE SIDE OF A ROAD.
NOW, DETECTIVES ARE PUSHING HIM
TO FINALLY ADMIT
HE MURDERED HIS OWN DAUGHTER.
GETTING HIM TO CONFESS WAS
THE ONLY WAY I COULD BE ASSURED
THAT THIS PROBABLY
WOULDN'T GO TO A TRIAL
WHERE A JURY WOULD DECIDE
WHETHER HE'S GUILTY
OR INNOCENT OF MURDER.
HE IMMEDIATELY STARTED
TURNING A BRIGHT RED,
JUST LIKE HE WAS
GONNA GO OFF.
HE WAS GETTING SO MAD.
Narrator:
SENSING THE CHANGE IN BRADISH,
DETECTIVE BRADDOCK
RESETS THE QUESTION.
Wachsmuth: THE HARDEST THING
AS AN INTERVIEWER
IS UNDERSTANDING
HOW IMPORTANT PAUSES ARE --
TO SHUT UP AND LET IT HAPPEN.
WHEN YOU HIT THE BALL
INTO THEIR COURT SOMETIMES,
YOU GOT TO LET THEM HIT IT BACK.
YOU CAN'T GO OVER THERE
AND HIT IT FOR THEM.
Narrator: JERRY BRADISH HAS JUST
CONFESSED TO RAPING
AND MURDERING HIS
13-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER
TO GET $10,000
IN INSURANCE MONEY.
AFTER 23 YEARS, DETECTIVES HAVE
FINALLY LEARNED THE TRUTH
ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO TERRI JO.
WE HAD OUR CONFESSION.
Braddock:
HIS WORK HAD DROPPED OFF,
AND THERE WAS A LOT OF EXPENSES,
AND SHE WAS BEING
A REAL PROBLEM,
AND, IN HIS MIND, HE DECIDED
THE BEST THING HE COULD DO
WOULD BE COLLECT
HER LIFE INSURANCE.
Narrator: ON SEPTEMBER 28, 1985,
JERRY BRADISH CALLED HIS
DAUGHTER AT THE GROUP HOME
AND PERSUADED HER
TO COME OUT TO SEE HIM.
Wachsmuth:
HE HAD BOUGHT SOME WINE.
HE SAID THAT HE GOT
TERRI JO DRUNK.
AND AFTER SHE GOT DRUNK, HE GOT
INTO THE BACKSEAT WITH HER.
Bradish: COME ON, GIRL.
GET IN.
♪♪
HE WANTED HER FOUND RIGHT AWAY
SO THAT SHE'D BE GIVEN A FUNERAL
AND HE COULD COLLECT
THE LIFE INSURANCE QUICKER.
Wachsmuth:
THERE'S A LOT OF EVIL IN THERE.
I BELIEVE THAT JERRY BRADISH HAD
BEEN SEXUALLY ABUSING TERRI JO
FOR A LONG TIME.
Lassiter:
I DIDN'T SEE ANY REMORSE
IN HIS VOICE.
I DIDN'T SEE IT IN HIS ACTIONS.
IN MY OPINION,
THE ONLY REMORSE HE HAD
WAS FINALLY GETTING CAUGHT.
I DON'T GET PAID TO GET MAD.
I GET PAID TO GET CONFESSIONS.
Narrator: FOR TERRI JO'S FAMILY,
HER FATHER'S ARREST
IS A SHOCKING CONCLUSION
TO DECADES OF GRIEF.
Chapman: SOMETIMES, I WISH...
I DON'T KNOW, WE WOULD'VE KNOWN
WHAT KIND OF PERSON HE WAS.
Narrator:
JERRY BRADISH PLEADS GUILTY
TO FIRST-DEGREE MURDER
AND IS SENTENCED
TO LIFE IN PRISON
WITH ADDED TIME FOR
SECOND-DEGREE SEXUAL ASSAULT
AGAINST A MINOR.
THERE'S JUST NOT REALLY A DAY
THAT GOES BY THAT I,
YOU KNOW, DON'T THINK OF HER.
I FEEL SAD THAT SHE DIDN'T
GET TO GROW UP.
FOR THOSE WHO HAVE KNOWN HER
AND FOR THOSE WHO LOVED HER,
SHE'S STILL VERY MUCH
A PART OF THEIR LIFE...
AND ALWAYS WILL BE.
OF A TEENAGE GIRL...
THERE'S WHAT YOU THINK,
THERE'S WHAT YOU KNOW,
AND THERE'S WHAT YOU CAN PROVE.
Narrator:...AN UNSOLVED CASE
THAT HAUNTS DETECTIVES.
BUT IT WAS PERSONAL AND HAS BEEN
PERSONAL FOR A LONG TIME.
Narrator: DECADES LATER,
POLICE GET ONE LAST CHANCE
TO BRING A KILLER TO JUSTICE.
THERE'S A LOT OF EVIL IN THERE.
EVERY QUESTION
TURNS UP THE HEAT.
HE WAS GONNA GO OFF.
HE WAS GETTING SO MAD.
I DON'T GET PAID TO GET MAD.
I GET PAID TO GET CONFESSIONS.
Narrator:
IN THE INTERROGATION ROOM,
POLICE MUST CONFRONT EVIL...
WHEN DID YOU DECIDE THAT YOU
WERE GONNA 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.
I HAD A KNIFE AND WENT DOWN.
I AM A KILLER.
I'VE KILLED THREE OTHER PEOPLE.
Narrator:
THE TRUTH CAN ONLY BE REVEALED
WHEN EVIL TALKS.
♪♪
THERE'S ROLLING HILLS,
AND THEN YOU HIT THE MOUNTAINS.
SMALL-TOWN FEEL, MORE COWS
THAN PEOPLE. [ LAUGHS ]
PEOPLE LEFT THEIR DOORS
OPEN AT NIGHT.
YOU KNOW, YOU DIDN'T WORRY
ABOUT YOUR KIDS
PLAYING OUT AT NIGHT
IN THE DARK.
YOU KNEW WHERE EVERYONE WAS.
THERE'S NOT A LOT OF HOMICIDES
IN THE COUNTY.
[ BIRDS CHIRPING ]
♪♪
Narrator:
SEPTEMBER 29, 1985, THE
SMALL TOWN OF LANDER, WYOMING,
IS SHOCKED BY THE DISCOVERY OF A
BODY ALONGSIDE A RURAL ROAD.
DETECTIVE BILL LASSITER GETS THE
CALL TO BE LEAD INVESTIGATOR.
THE CAPTAIN CALLED ME AND SAID,
"HEY, WE'VE GOT
A HOMICIDE OUT HERE."
THE BODY WAS FOUND RIGHT
ALONGSIDE THE ROAD,
TOTALLY NUDE.
SHE DIDN'T LOOK LIKE AN ADULT,
BUT YET SHE DIDN'T
LOOK LIKE A CHILD --
SOMEWHERE IN-BETWEEN.
Narrator:
ALSO CALLED TO THE SCENE
IS DETECTIVE BILL BRADDOCK.
IT'S HIS FIRST HOMICIDE CASE.
AS I ARRIVED AT THE CRIME SCENE,
THE OTHER INVESTIGATORS
WERE ALREADY ON SCENE.
INVESTIGATOR LASSITER WAS
THE LEAD INVESTIGATOR,
BUT I WAS JUST WONDERING
WHAT I'M ACTUALLY GONNA SEE
AND JUST HOW BAD IT MIGHT BE.
♪♪
WE COULD SEE SHE HAD
NUMEROUS ABRASIONS,
SCRATCHES ON THE FRONT OF HER
BODY, CLEAR UP TO HER FOREHEAD.
THERE WAS NO OBVIOUS
SIGNS OF TRAUMA,
SUCH AS A KNIFE WOUND
OR A GUNSHOT.
Officer: DETECTIVE BRADDOCK,
YOU HAVE A CALL.
AND IT WAS WITHIN A VERY
SHORT TIME, WE WERE ADVISED
BY THE DISPATCH OF
THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE VIA RADIO
THAT THERE HAD BEEN
A RUNAWAY TEENAGE GIRL
REPORTED THE EVENING BEFORE.
COPY, ANY DETAILS?
THE RUNAWAY WAS FROM
THE GROUP HOME IN LANDER.
SHE WAS REPORTED MISSING
ABOUT BETWEEN 8:00 AND 9:00
THE EVENING BEFORE
WE FOUND THE BODY.
COPY. TELL THEM A DETECTIVE IS
GONNA BE IN TOUCH WITH THEM,
AND IF THEY HAVE
ANY OTHER INFORMATION,
GIVE ME A CALL BACK, OKAY?
WE GOT THE NAME
FROM THE GROUP HOME.
SHE WAS IDENTIFIED
AS TERESA JOANN BRADISH.
Narrator:
POLICE WONDER IF THE RUNAWAY
GIRL COULD BE THEIR VICTIM.
♪♪
HER FATHER, TERRY BRADISH,
SHOWED UP AT THE FUNERAL HOME.
♪♪
AND HE SAID HE HEARD
THEY FOUND A BODY.
AND HE SAID, "CAN I LOOK AT HER
AND SEE IF IT'S MY DAUGHTER?"
SO WE CLEANED HER FACE UP
A LITTLE BIT AND COVERED HER,
AND WE LET HIM IN THE ROOM TO
LOOK AT HER --
SEE IF IT WAS HER.
♪♪
AS A FATHER OF YOUNG CHILDREN,
I WAS SYMPATHIZING WITH THIS MAN
BECAUSE HE WAS REALLY
CRYING AND UPSET.
YES.
THAT'S MY DAUGHTER.
MM. I THOUGHT, "YOU KNOW,
HOW BAD COULD IT BE
TO FIND YOUR CHILD THAT WAY?"
♪♪
Narrator:
TERRI JO, AS SHE WAS KNOWN,
HAD BEEN LIVING IN THE
GROUP HOME FOR 5 MONTHS.
AFTER HER PARENTS DIVORCED,
HER FATHER HAD WON CUSTODY,
BUT HE FOUND THE 13-YEAR-OLD
DIFFICULT TO MANAGE.
SHE WAS RUNNING AWAY CONSTANTLY,
AND FINALLY,
HER PARENTS HAD HAD ENOUGH.
THEY TOOK HER INTO
JUVENILE COURT,
AND THE JUVENILE COURT
PUT HER IN THE GROUP HOME.
Narrator: TERRI JO'S COUSIN KECA
IS SHOCKED BY THE MURDER.
THE TWO GIRLS WERE
JUST A YEAR APART
AND HAD BEEN CLOSE
FROM AN EARLY AGE.
WE SPENT THE NIGHT
AT EACH OTHER'S HOUSES,
AND WE WOULD SLEEP OVER
IN HER LITTLE, LIKE,
PLAYHOUSE THAT HER DAD
HAD BUILT AND PUT TOGETHER.
I DO REMEMBER HIM MAKING SURE
THAT BEFORE WE WENT TO SLEEP,
THEN WE WERE NOT GOING
TO BE SNEAKING AROUND.
OH, THIS IS ANOTHER PICTURE
OF US ALL TOGETHER.
I WAS PROBABLY ABOUT
11 HERE, MAYBE.
IT WAS PROBABLY ONE OF THE TIMES
THAT WE WERE ALL TOGETHER.
JUST SO FULL OF LIFE,
SO MUCH ENERGY AROUND HER.
YOU KNOW, SHE WAS A LIGHT.
SO I SAID, "MY HOPE WAS,
THAT JUST THAT THEY WOULD,
YOU KNOW, SOLVE IT."
WHO WOULD DO SUCH A THING?
WHO HATED HER SO MUCH
THAT THEY WOULD DO
SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO HER?
♪♪
Narrator: THE DAY AFTER
TERRI JO'S BODY IS FOUND,
AN AUTOPSY REVEALS
A BRUTAL CRIME.
THE AUTOPSY DETERMINED THAT
THE CAUSE OF DEATH
WAS STRANGULATION.
IT ALSO LOOKS LIKE THEY FOUND
ALCOHOL IN HER SYSTEM.
SOMETIME PRIOR TO HER DEATH,
SHE HAD CONSUMED
AN ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE.
THEY DID A SEXUAL-ASSAULT KIT.
THERE WERE SIGNS OF
SEXUAL ACTIVITY, IF YOU WILL,
AND THE PRESENCE
OF SEMEN AND SPERM.
Narrator:
POLICE REALIZE THEY ARE
SEARCHING FOR SOMEONE
CAPABLE OF SEXUALLY ASSAULTING
AND MURDERING
A 13-YEAR-OLD GIRL.
♪♪
INVESTIGATORS BEGIN TO RETRACE
TERRI JO'S FINAL STEPS.
WE WENT TO THE GROUP HOME,
AND WE INTERVIEWED
ALL OF THE KIDS THERE,
AND WE INTERVIEWED SOME KIDS
THAT HAD BEEN THERE
THAT HAD JUST LEFT.
Narrator:
DETECTIVES LEARNED THAT
TERRI JO'S LAST EVENING ON EARTH
BEGAN AS AN ORDINARY
SATURDAY NIGHT.
Lassiter: THE NIGHT BEFORE,
IT WAS MOVIE NIGHT
AT THE LANDER GROUP HOME,
AND THEY WERE ALL DOWNSTAIRS
WATCHING A MOVIE --
ALL THE KIDS.
[ TELEPHONE RINGS ]
HELLO?
Narrator: THE OTHER RESIDENTS
AT THE HOME SAY
TERRI JO RECEIVED A PHONE CALL.
YOU GOT A PHONE CALL.
HELLO?
Braddock: AFTER TALKING ON
THE PHONE FOR A BIT,
SHE ADVISED THE GROUP PARENT
THAT HER FATHER HAD CALLED,
AND HE WAS COMING
TO SEE HER THE NEXT DAY,
AND SHE WAS REALLY
EXCITED TO THE POINT
WHERE SHE REALLY
DIDN'T WANT TO SIT DOWN
AND WATCH THE MOVIE ANYMORE,
SO SHE ASKED IF
SHE COULD GO OUTSIDE.
COULD I GO OUT
AND GET SOME AIR?
SURE, JUST BE QUICK.
IT'S COLD OUT THERE.
♪♪
ABOUT 15, 20 MINUTES LATER,
SHE HADN'T SHOWED UP,
SO, THE KIDS AND HER
SHIFT SUPERVISOR
AT THE GROUP HOME WENT OUTSIDE,
AND THE ONLY THING THAT THEY SAW
WAS A CAR HEADING DOWN
THROUGH THE ROADS.
THEY COULDN'T REALLY
GIVE A DESCRIPTION OF HIM.
AND THEY NEVER FOUND
TERRI JO THAT NIGHT.
WELL, THE NEXT MORNING, WE DID.
♪♪
Narrator:
INVESTIGATORS ASK TERRI JO'S
FATHER, JERRY BRADISH,
ABOUT THE PHONE CALL
HIS DAUGHTER RECEIVED
THE NIGHT SHE SLIPPED AWAY.
HE DENIED MAKING THE CALL.
HE DIDN'T KNOW
ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
Narrator:
INVESTIGATORS SUSPECT TERRI JO
WAS TRYING TO HIDE A DATE.
IF SHE'D HAD SAID HER FATHER,
THE GROUP-HOME PARENT
WOULD'VE BEEN SOMEWHAT
UNDERSTANDING.
IF SHE HAD MENTIONED
SOME YOUNG BOY'S NAME
WHO WAS GONNA COME
TO PICK HER UP OR SOMETHING --
SEE HER, THAT WOULD'VE
BEEN A KIND OF A RED FLAG.
Narrator:
WHO LURED HER OUT OF THE
GROUP HOME THAT NIGHT?
INVESTIGATORS INTERVIEW
EVERYONE WHO KNEW TERRI JO.
NO ONE ADMITS TO CALLING
OR SEEING HER THE NIGHT
SHE LEFT THE GROUP HOME.
Braddock: YOU KNOW, WE TALKED
TO EVERYBODY,
HER FATHER, EVERY SINGLE
ONE OF THE FOLKS
THERE AT THE GROUP HOME --
TEACHERS, THE SCHOOL STAFF,
ETC., JUST NOTHING.
Narrator: DETECTIVES ARE PUZZLED
BUT STRUCK BY THE SIMILARITIES
TO ANOTHER UNSOLVED CASE --
A YOUNG WAITRESS MURDERED
19 MONTHS EARLIER.
WE FOUND HER BODY
ON MUSKRAT ROAD,
NUDE, BURIED, AND STRANGLED.
Narrator:
IS IT POSSIBLE THAT TERRI JO
WAS KIDNAPPED
AND MURDERED BY THE SAME KILLER?
Braddock:
WE COMPARED THE DESCRIPTION.
IT LOOKED LIKE
IT MIGHT BE POSSIBLE.
THE AGE WAS REAL CLOSE.
THOUGHT MAYBE WE HAD A
SERIAL KILLER OR SOMETHING.
Chapman:
I HAD A HARD TIME SLEEPING.
I DREAMT OF HER A LOT.
♪♪
AND I COULDN'T GO
TO SLEEP AT NIGHT
BECAUSE ALL I WOULD
SEE WOULD BE HER.
SHE WOULD JUST BE
TELLING ME TO HELP HER,
OR THAT SHE WAS ALONE,
AND SHE WAS SCARED.
Narrator:
POLICE ARE SEARCHING
FOR THE KILLER
OF 13-YEAR-OLD TERRI JO BRADISH.
THEY WONDER IF SHE
COULD'VE BEEN MURDERED
BY THE KILLER
OF A YOUNG WAITRESS
A YEAR AND HALF EARLIER.
SHE HAD BEEN SEXUALLY ASSAULTED.
SHE HAD BEEN STRANGLED.
SHE WAS NUDE.
THEY WERE ABOUT THE SAME
HEIGHT, SAME WEIGHT.
WE DIDN'T KNOW WHETHER
WE HAD A SERIAL KILLER.
♪♪
Narrator:
DETECTIVES HAVE A SUSPECT
FOR THE FIRST MURDER --
AN EMPLOYEE FROM THE DINER WHERE
THE SLAIN WAITRESS ALSO WORKED,
BUT HE HAS A SOLID ALIBI FOR
THE NIGHT OF TERRI JO'S MURDER.
HE WAS OUT OF THE AREA WHEN
TERRI JO DIED.
NO RELATION, NO WAY TO CONNECT.
♪♪
♪♪
Braddock: ANYBODY AND EVERYBODY
WE COULD TALK TO AND TRY
AND GET INFORMATION
ABOUT HER WAS INTERVIEWED
FOR THE NEXT
3 OR 4 MONTHS
'CAUSE WE WERE NEVER ABLE
TO COME UP WITH A SUSPECT
WE COULD DEVELOP
ANY EVIDENCE OR PROOF AGAINST.
Lassiter:
THE INVESTIGATION -- IT JUST
SEEMED LIKE WAS GOING NOWHERE.
YOU KNOW, WE WERE JUST NOWHERE,
AND IT WAS SO FRUSTRATING.
♪♪
ALL RIGHT.
WELL, IF YOU DO FIND ANYTHING
OUT, PLEASE GIVE ME A CALL.
Narrator:
WEEKS TURN INTO MONTHS
WITH NO PROGRESS.
UNFORTUNATELY, EVENTUALLY,
CASE WENT COLD.
SO THE OTHER JUNIOR INVESTIGATOR
AND I WERE BASICALLY
TAKEN FROM THIS CASE,
AND WE WENT BACK TO HANDLING
THE NORMAL CALL LOAD.
Narrator:
BUT THE UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
AROUND TERRI JO'S DEATH LINGER,
AND DETECTIVE LASSITER
OBSESSES OVER THE CASE.
Lassiter:
MY FAMILY SUFFERED FROM THIS.
I'M SURE THEY DID BECAUSE
I WORKED SO HARD AT IT.
WE BECAME INVOLVED IN IT, AND
AFTER I'D EXPLAIN IT TO THEM,
AND THEY'VE ALL FORGIVEN ME.
BUT I DON'T KNOW.
Narrator: AFTER YEARS WITH NO
BREAK IN THE CASE,
DETECTIVE LASSITER
EVENTUALLY RETIRES,
BUT HE STAYS IN TOUCH
WITH DETECTIVE BRADDOCK.
OH, EVERY TIME I TALKED
TO BILL, I'D SAY,
"HEY, ANYTHING ON
THE BRADISH YET?"
NOTHING.
WHEN I THINK, "MAN, HOW
OLD WOULD SHE BE NOW?
WOULD SHE HAD A FAMILY?
WOULD SHE HAD KIDS?"
Narrator:
YEARS ADD UP TO DECADES.
THE MURDER OF TERRI JO
REMAINS UNSOLVED,
BUT DETECTIVE BRADDOCK NEVER
FORGETS HIS FIRST HOMICIDE CASE.
I WANTED TO SOLVE IT,
BUT LIFE WENT ON.
I HAD A LOT OF OTHER CASES.
WE HAD HOMICIDES AFTER THAT, YOU
KNOW, THAT WE WERE ABLE TO WORK,
BUT ANYTHING I COULD DO,
I WOULD DO.
WE HAD A PHOTOGRAPH OF
TERRI JO BRADISH,
SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPH, I BELIEVE,
SUPPLIED BY THE FAMILY,
AND WE JUST MADE A POSTER,
AND WE PUT IT ALL OVER,
ANYWHERE WE COULD THINK OF,
AND I HAD ONE OF THOSE
POSTERS STILL ON MY WALL.
Narrator: PERIODICALLY,
BRADDOCK GETS A CALL,
BUT NONE OF THE LEADS PAN OUT.
THE CASE WAS ALWAYS OPEN.
♪♪
♪♪
Narrator: IN 2006, 2 DECADES
AFTER TERRI JO'S DEATH,
DETECTIVE BRADDOCK'S
PHONE RINGS.
YES. THIS IS
DETECTIVE BRADDOCK.
A PROSECUTOR HAS A CASE
WITH A POSSIBLE CONNECTION
TO TERRI JO BRADISH.
SHE WAS PROSECUTING A YOUNG MAN
WHO WOULD'VE BEEN A YOUNG MAN
ABOUT THE TIME
OF TERESA'S DEATH.
Narrator:
THIS MAN FITS THE PROFILE
OF SOMEONE
WHO MIGHT'VE COMMITTED
RAPE AND MURDER,
AND IN 1985, HE LIVED
NEAR TERRI JO BRADISH.
HE WAS AWAITING SENTENCING,
AND SOMEHOW,
WORD HAD GOT BACK TO HER
THAT THIS PERSON KNEW HER
OR KNEW ABOUT HER DEATH.
Narrator:
COULD HE HAVE BEEN INVOLVED
IN TERRI JO'S MURDER?
Braddock:
SHE WANTED TO KNOW IF THIS
PARTICULAR SUBJECT'S NAME
HAD EVER COME TO LIGHT AS PART
OF HER HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION,
AND I TOLD HER,
"NO, IT HADN'T,"
AND SHE ASKED ABOUT DNA, IF WE'D
EVER COME UP WITH ANY DNA.
DNA?
Narrator: DNA PROFILING WAS
VIRTUALLY UNKNOWN
AT THE TIME
OF TERRI JO'S MURDER.
THE RAPE KIT COLLECTED AT HER
AUTOPSY HAS NEVER BEEN TESTED,
BUT THE EVIDENCE STILL EXISTS.
DETECTIVE BRADDOCK
ASKS THE CRIME LAB
TO FAST TRACK THE RESULTS.
Braddock:
I HAD BEEN HOPING WE'D GET
SOMETHING DECLARED.
MAYBE THIS WAS OUR OPPORTUNITY.
Narrator:
SEVERAL DAYS LATER, HE GETS
A CALL FROM THE CRIME LAB
THAT SENDS THE COLD CASE
INTO OVERDRIVE.
GOT A PROFILE MATCH.
SHE SAYS, "WE DID DEVELOP
A DNA PROFILE
FROM THE VAGINAL
SAMPLES OF TERRI JO."
I SAID, "GREAT, YOU KNOW,
NOW WE GOT MAYBE SOMETHING."
AND THEN SHE ASKED A QUESTION
THAT REALLY KIND OF FLOORED ME,
AND THAT KICKED
THE BALL OPEN BIG TIME,
AND IT WENT FROM
A COLD CASE TO NUMBER ONE
ON THE WHOLE DEPARTMENT'S LIST.
Narrator:
FOR THE FIRST TIME, 2 DECADES
AFTER THE 1985 MURDER
OF 13-YEAR-OLD TERRI JO BRADISH,
EVIDENCE IS SENT OUT
FOR DNA TESTING,
AND THE RESULTS BLOW
THE COLD CASE WIDE-OPEN.
HEY, KAREN?
HAVE WE GOT ANYTHING
TO WORK WITH?
BILL, WE SURE DO.
SHE WANTED TO KNOW IF WE HAD
ANY SUSPECTS, AND I SAID,
"WELL, YEAH,
EVERY MALE OF THIS AGE,
YOU KNOW, IN FREMONT COUNTY
AT THE TIME OF DEATH,"
'CAUSE WE JUST COULDN'T
NAIL IT DOWN.
AND THEN SHE ASKED
ME THE QUESTION
THAT REALLY OPENED THINGS UP.
SHE SAYS, "WAS ANY OF THEM
A FAMILY MEMBER?"
LIKE, THERE'S A 99.8% CHANCE
THAT IT'S A FAMILY MEMBER.
WOW.
Narrator:
DETECTIVE BRADDOCK DIRECTS
HIS ATTENTION TO THE MAN
WHO WAS CLOSEST
TO THE MURDERED GIRL
AT THE TIME OF HER DEATH,
HER FATHER, JERRY BRADISH.
I DETERMINED THAT HE WAS NOW
LIVING DOWN IN TEXAS,
AND THAT'S WHERE
WE WOULD HAVE TO GO.
♪♪
MARCH 6, 2007, DETECTIVE
BRADDOCK FLIES TO TEXAS.
WORKING WITH A LOCAL
TEXAS RANGER,
HE FOLLOWS JERRY BRADISH.
OUR PLAN WAS,
IF HE DISCARDED A COKE CAN
OR SEE ANYTHING WE MIGHT BE
ABLE TO GET A DNA SAMPLE FROM,
ONE OF US WOULD STAY THERE
AND KEEP EYES ON THAT
TO THE EXCLUSION
OF EVERYTHING ELSE.
I MEAN, JUST STARE IT DOWN, MAKE
SURE NOBODY ELSE GOT AROUND IT,
AND THE OTHER ONE OF US RUN DOWN
AND TRY TO SCOOP IT UP.
I GOT YOUR BACK.
Narrator: AFTER A WEEK
OF COVERT SURVEILLANCE,
BRADDOCK STRIKES GOLD
IN A BAG OF TRASH
OUTSIDE BRADISH'S HOME.
TOWARDS THE BOTTOM OF THAT BAG
WAS A PAIR OF LEATHER
WORK GLOVES.
I BAGGED THEM AS EVIDENCE
AND THREW THE REST
OF THE STUFF AWAY,
AND SHIPPED IT DIRECTLY
TO THE CRIME LAB.
Narrator:
WHEN THE DNA COMES BACK,
IT'S A MATCH FOR THE DNA
RECOVERED FROM TERRI JO'S
RAPE KIT,
BUT IT'S NOT ENOUGH.
THE DNA MATCH PROVES RAPE,
BUT IT DOESN'T PROVE MURDER.
I KNEW WE HAD HIM
ON SEXUAL ASSAULT.
THAT DOESN'T MEAN THE JURY WOULD
FIND HIM GUILTY OF THE HOMICIDE.
IT CERTAINLY MADE SENSE
TO ALL THE INVESTIGATORS
THAT TERRY BRADISH
PROBABLY MURDERED HER AS WELL.
PROBLEM IS, 20-SOME YEARS LATER,
THERE WOULD BE NO EVIDENCE
THAT WOULD SUPPORT THAT THEORY,
AND THEORIES ARE
JUST THAT, THEORIES.
IT'S GONNA BE
TOUGH WITH THIS.
THERE'S WHAT YOU THINK,
THERE'S WHAT YOU KNOW,
AND THERE'S WHAT YOU CAN PROVE.
Narrator:
THE DNA EVIDENCE ALONE ISN'T
ENOUGH FOR A MURDER CONVICTION,
BUT COULD IT CONVINCE
JERRY BRADISH TO CONFESS?
DETECTIVES FLY BACK TO TEXAS
FOR WHAT COULD BE THEIR LAST
CHANCE AT JUSTICE FOR TERRI JO.
Braddock: WE RENTED A MOTEL ROOM
IN FORT WORTH
AND GOT IT ALL SET UP
WITH THE CAMERA, SOUND SYSTEM.
THERE WERE PROSECUTORS
IN THE NEXT ROOM
LISTENING AND WATCHING,
AND WE HAD THE ARREST TEAM
THERE IN CASE THINGS WENT SOUTH.
Narrator:
THEY CONTACT JERRY BRADISH
WITH A STORY
INTENDED TO PUT HIM AT EASE.
WHAT WE HAD DECIDED ON WAS THAT
WE WERE IN THE AREA
WORKING ON ANOTHER CASE,
AND AS LONG AS WE WERE CLOSE,
WE WANTED TO TALK TO JERRY
ABOUT HIS DAUGHTER
AND ABOUT HER DEATH,
JUST IN CASE
AFTER 20-PLUS YEARS,
HE WOULD REMEMBER SOMETHING
THAT WE COULD JAR LOOSE.
Narrator:
BRADISH AGREES TO MEET THEM
AFTER WORK.
DESPITE THE HIGH STAKES,
DETECTIVES START OUT
WITH SMALL TALK.
WE'RE TRYING TO PUT HIM
AT EASE, YOU KNOW,
UNTIL WE GET READY
TO CONFRONT HIM.
I SAID, "YOU KNOW, I HAVE TO
ADVISE YOU OF YOUR RIGHTS,
JUST LIKE THEY DO ON TV.
YOU OKAY WITH THAT?"
AND HE AGREED TO WAIVE THEM
AND TALK TO US,
SO WE TALKED ABOUT EVERYTHING
BUT HIS DAUGHTER'S HOMICIDE
THERE FOR MAYBE AN HOUR,
AND THEN I SWUNG IT AROUND.
WE NEEDED TO TALK BUSINESS,
AND WE WANTED THAT TO BE
A PRETTY ABRUPT TRANSITION.
IT'S KIND OF LIKE A BOMB YOU
DROP, AND IT'S A SHOCK FACTOR,
AND YOU CAN SEE IT
IMMEDIATELY SOBERED HIM UP.
Narrator:
DETECTIVES HAVE CAREFULLY
PLANNED A STRATEGY
TO ELICIT A CONFESSION
FROM JERRY BRADISH.
Braddock:
WHAT WE WERE TRYING TO DO WAS,
GET HIM TO ADMIT NOT
THAT HE KILLED HER,
NOT THAT HE RAPED HER,
JUST THAT HE WAS EVEN THERE.
AND THEN ONCE YOU GET
THAT FIRST ADMISSION,
THEN WE CAN BUILD ON THAT
AND KEEP WORKING UP
TO WHERE HE GIVES US
THE FULL CONFESSION.
Narrator: TO GET HIM TALKING,
THEY START WITH A SERIES
OF BASIC STATEMENTS WITH WHICH
JERRY WILL EASILY AGREE.
YOU COULD SEE HE WAS
VERY UNCOMFORTABLE
TALKING ABOUT IT,
AND THAT WAS A GOOD THING.
THAT'S EXACTLY
WHAT WE WERE AFTER.
WE'RE TURNING UP THE HEAT
AT THIS POINT,
SLOWLY, A LITTLE BIT
MORE, EVERY TIME.
EVERY QUESTION
TURNS UP THE HEAT.
Narrator: EVEN THOUGH DETECTIVES
HAVE DNA FROM THE GLOVES
IN BRADISH'S GARBAGE,
THEY MUST BE ABSOLUTELY SURE
THAT THE MATCH WILL
HOLD UP IN COURT.
THE PROSECUTOR, LOOKING AT WAYS
TO CLOSE ANY DOORS
A DEFENSE ATTORNEY MIGHT HAVE,
REQUESTED THAT WE GET ANOTHER
DNA SAMPLE FROM THE SUSPECT.
Narrator:
IF BRADISH CATCHES ON THAT
HE'S A SUSPECT,
HE COULD CALL FOR AN ATTORNEY
AND SHUT DOWN
THE INTERVIEW COLD.
DID I RUSH IT?
DID I GO TOO FAR, TOO FAST?
IS THERE A BETTER WAY
I SHOULD'VE DONE THAT?
I WAS ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN,
"ATTORNEY,"
WAS GONNA BE THE WORDS
THAT CAME OUT OF HIS MOUTH.
Narrator:
DETECTIVES BELIEVE THAT
JERRY BRADISH RAPED AND MURDERED
HIS 13-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER
TERRI JO 23 YEARS EARLIER.
HE REALLY WAS NEVER A SUSPECT
OR AT LEAST A SERIOUS SUSPECT,
SO HE HAD REASON,
REALLY, IN HIS MIND,
TO BE PRETTY CONFIDENT THAT WE
HAD NO IDEA THAT IT WAS HIM.
Narrator: TO PROVE BEYOND
A SHADOW OF A DOUBT
THAT BRADISH SEXUALLY ASSAULTED
HIS TEENAGE DAUGHTER
BEFORE HER MURDER,
THEY ASK HIM FOR A DNA SAMPLE.
MY THINKING AT THE TIME
WAS WE JUST CONVINCE HIM
THAT THIS WAS SOMETHING
THAT EVERYBODY DOES NOWADAYS.
WHY WOULD AN INNOCENT PERSON
DENY IT, YOU KNOW?
Wachsmuth: YOU COULD SEE HIM
STARING AT THOSE BOXES.
HE DIDN'T WANT TO LOOK
AWAY FROM THEM.
HE'S PRETTY WORRIED.
EVEN IF YOU'RE GETTING
STOPPED FOR A TRAFFIC,
AND YOU KNOW YOU REALLY
DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG,
YOU'RE SAYING,
"WHAT THE HECK DID I DO?"
THE ANXIETY LEVEL
GOES UP PRETTY HIGH.
SITTING DOWN IN A MOTEL ROOM
WITH TWO INVESTIGATORS,
HIS ANXIETY LEVEL WAS PROBABLY
ABOUT A 9 OUT OF 10 ALREADY.
Braddock:
I DON'T THINK HE WANTED TO,
BUT HE DIDN'T KNOW
HOW TO GET OUT OF IT GRACEFULLY
WITHOUT IMPLICATING
HIMSELF, MAYBE.
Narrator:
WITH A DNA SAMPLE SEALED,
DETECTIVES MOVE ON
TO THEIR NEXT STEP --
EXTRACTING A CONFESSION.
AND THE TIME TO GET DOWN
TO THE MAIN ISSUE HAD ARRIVED.
Narrator:
BRADISH DOESN'T RESPOND.
THAT WAS A VERY CRITICAL TIME
WITHIN THE INTERVIEW
TO SLOWLY EXPLAIN TO HIM
WHAT WAS GOING ON.
THE SEED WAS PLANTED
IN JERRY'S MIND
THAT EVEN IF SOMEBODY
JUST TOUCHES SOMEBODY NOW,
WE CAN TELL.
Narrator:
BRADISH HAS SWORN THAT HE HADN'T
SEEN HIS DAUGHTER FOR MONTHS
BEFORE HER DEATH.
WELL, IT WAS TIME FOR THE TRUTH
TO START HAPPENING.
THAT'S WHEN
OUR CONFRONTATION STARTED.
I ACTUALLY STARTED
ACCUSING HIM OF IT.
I THINK HE REALLY FELT
BACKED IN A CORNER THERE.
Braddock:
AND I JUST KEPT SAYING THAT,
"YOU KNOW, WE KNOW
YOU PUT HER BODY THERE.
NOBODY ELSE COULD'VE DONE IT.
YOU'RE THE ONE
THAT HAD TO DO IT.
THAT'S RIGHT, ISN'T IT?"
IF WE COULD JUST GET HIM ON THAT
FIRST LITTLE STEP OVER THE EDGE
AND ADMIT SOMETHING,
THEN WE HAD IT.
YOU DON'T KNOW HOW BAD
I WANTED TO JUMP AND GO,
"YEAH!" WHEN HE SAID THAT, BUT I
DIDN'T, BUT I SURE WANTED TO.
Narrator: WITH THIS ADMISSION,
COPS HAVE JERRY BRADISH
ON A SLIPPERY SLOPE.
THEY ALREADY KNOW FROM THE DNA
HE RAPED HIS OWN DAUGHTER.
NOW, HE'S ADMITTING
TO MOVING HER BODY.
IT'S TIME TO PUSH FOR
A FULL CONFESSION.
HE'S ASKING HIMSELF,
"WHAT DO THEY REALLY KNOW?"
AND I THINK BILL AND I
DID A REAL GOOD JOB
OF KEEPING HIM
IN THE DARK THERE.
Braddock: I'M PRETTY SURE JERRY
WAS THINKING
THAT THE WORLD
WAS COMING TO AN END.
TRYING TO STAY CALM
ON THE SURFACE, ANYWAY,
BUT YEAH, I WAS
SWEATING BLOOD, TOO.
AND WE HAD TO GET HIM
TO THE POINT WHERE HE BELIEVED
THAT TELLING THE WHOLE TRUTH
WOULD BE IN HIS BEST INTEREST.
Wachsmuth:
THE CHALLENGE THERE WAS
OBVIOUSLY TO KEEP HIM TALKING,
AND HE WAS ABOUT TO SHUT DOWN.
THERE WAS NO QUESTION.
HE'S ABOUT TO SHUT DOWN.
ALMOST ALWAYS, PEOPLE NEED
TO TELL THEIR SIDE OF THE STORY.
IF SOMEBODY IS GONNA TELL
THAT STORY, BY GOD,
IT'S GOT TO BE HIM,
AND SO, HENCE THE COMMENT ABOUT
A PROSECUTOR TELLING A JURY,
AND YOU GONNA JUST HAVE TO
SIT THERE AND LISTEN TO IT.
HE IS SO TORN RIGHT NOW.
WHAT DO THEY KNOW?
AM I GONNA SCREW MYSELF HERE
BY IF I KEEP TALKING?
Narrator: FOR 23 YEARS,
THE KILLER OF 13-YEAR-OLD
TERRI JO BRADISH
HAS ELUDED DETECTIVES.
THAT IT WAS PERSONAL AND HAS
BEEN PERSONAL FOR A LONG TIME.
WHEN THERE'S A HOMICIDE,
NEVER GIVE UP ON IT.
NEVER GIVE UP ON IT.
THE VICTIM IS DEAD.
YOU CAN'T HELP THEM ANYMORE,
BUT YOU CAN DO SOMETHING --
YOU CAN BRING JUSTICE TO THE
PERSON WHO COMMITTED THE CRIME.
Narrator:
JERRY BRADISH HAS ADMITTED
TO DROPPING TERRI JO'S BODY
BY THE SIDE OF A ROAD.
NOW, DETECTIVES ARE PUSHING HIM
TO FINALLY ADMIT
HE MURDERED HIS OWN DAUGHTER.
GETTING HIM TO CONFESS WAS
THE ONLY WAY I COULD BE ASSURED
THAT THIS PROBABLY
WOULDN'T GO TO A TRIAL
WHERE A JURY WOULD DECIDE
WHETHER HE'S GUILTY
OR INNOCENT OF MURDER.
HE IMMEDIATELY STARTED
TURNING A BRIGHT RED,
JUST LIKE HE WAS
GONNA GO OFF.
HE WAS GETTING SO MAD.
Narrator:
SENSING THE CHANGE IN BRADISH,
DETECTIVE BRADDOCK
RESETS THE QUESTION.
Wachsmuth: THE HARDEST THING
AS AN INTERVIEWER
IS UNDERSTANDING
HOW IMPORTANT PAUSES ARE --
TO SHUT UP AND LET IT HAPPEN.
WHEN YOU HIT THE BALL
INTO THEIR COURT SOMETIMES,
YOU GOT TO LET THEM HIT IT BACK.
YOU CAN'T GO OVER THERE
AND HIT IT FOR THEM.
Narrator: JERRY BRADISH HAS JUST
CONFESSED TO RAPING
AND MURDERING HIS
13-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER
TO GET $10,000
IN INSURANCE MONEY.
AFTER 23 YEARS, DETECTIVES HAVE
FINALLY LEARNED THE TRUTH
ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO TERRI JO.
WE HAD OUR CONFESSION.
Braddock:
HIS WORK HAD DROPPED OFF,
AND THERE WAS A LOT OF EXPENSES,
AND SHE WAS BEING
A REAL PROBLEM,
AND, IN HIS MIND, HE DECIDED
THE BEST THING HE COULD DO
WOULD BE COLLECT
HER LIFE INSURANCE.
Narrator: ON SEPTEMBER 28, 1985,
JERRY BRADISH CALLED HIS
DAUGHTER AT THE GROUP HOME
AND PERSUADED HER
TO COME OUT TO SEE HIM.
Wachsmuth:
HE HAD BOUGHT SOME WINE.
HE SAID THAT HE GOT
TERRI JO DRUNK.
AND AFTER SHE GOT DRUNK, HE GOT
INTO THE BACKSEAT WITH HER.
Bradish: COME ON, GIRL.
GET IN.
♪♪
HE WANTED HER FOUND RIGHT AWAY
SO THAT SHE'D BE GIVEN A FUNERAL
AND HE COULD COLLECT
THE LIFE INSURANCE QUICKER.
Wachsmuth:
THERE'S A LOT OF EVIL IN THERE.
I BELIEVE THAT JERRY BRADISH HAD
BEEN SEXUALLY ABUSING TERRI JO
FOR A LONG TIME.
Lassiter:
I DIDN'T SEE ANY REMORSE
IN HIS VOICE.
I DIDN'T SEE IT IN HIS ACTIONS.
IN MY OPINION,
THE ONLY REMORSE HE HAD
WAS FINALLY GETTING CAUGHT.
I DON'T GET PAID TO GET MAD.
I GET PAID TO GET CONFESSIONS.
Narrator: FOR TERRI JO'S FAMILY,
HER FATHER'S ARREST
IS A SHOCKING CONCLUSION
TO DECADES OF GRIEF.
Chapman: SOMETIMES, I WISH...
I DON'T KNOW, WE WOULD'VE KNOWN
WHAT KIND OF PERSON HE WAS.
Narrator:
JERRY BRADISH PLEADS GUILTY
TO FIRST-DEGREE MURDER
AND IS SENTENCED
TO LIFE IN PRISON
WITH ADDED TIME FOR
SECOND-DEGREE SEXUAL ASSAULT
AGAINST A MINOR.
THERE'S JUST NOT REALLY A DAY
THAT GOES BY THAT I,
YOU KNOW, DON'T THINK OF HER.
I FEEL SAD THAT SHE DIDN'T
GET TO GROW UP.
FOR THOSE WHO HAVE KNOWN HER
AND FOR THOSE WHO LOVED HER,
SHE'S STILL VERY MUCH
A PART OF THEIR LIFE...
AND ALWAYS WILL BE.