The Psychological Profile Method | DOUBLE EPISODE | The FBI Files

foreign Southern Ohio's rural counties are perfect for outdoor recreation but the cop this quiet community was shattered in 1989 when a sniper gunned down an Outdoorsman without reason it was only the first in a string of random terrifying moves hiding in the distance behind a high-powered rifle a Madman was hunting humans along Ohio's County Roads [Music] [Applause] [Music] starting in the spring of 1989 a Madman proud the woods and Fields of rural Ohio he was a hunter a high-powered rifle was his weapon of choice joggers and fishermen were his Quarry the hunter roamed fire struck at random and left no clues he was as elusive as he was Lethal investigators knew he had to be stopped but no one knew how I'm Jim calstrom former director of the FBI's New York office most murderers have a connection to their victims and a motive for their crime but not a serial killer his victims were randomly chosen to fulfill an uncontrollable need to kill often he leads an ordinary life his family and friends unaware of his homicidal Passions but serial killers established profiles as distinct as fingerprints and when a match is made it is only a matter of time before they are caught [Music] the rural counties of Southern Ohio are hilly Rocky and wide open a quiet place for coal miners Factory workers and farmers the kind of place where people leave doors unlocked and where violent crime is almost unheard of [Music] foreign [Music] on April 1st 1989 35 year old Donald Welling did what he frequently did on Saturdays he went jogging along the back roads of Tuscarawas County [Music] it's quiet morning run ended [Music] the rifle bullet ripped through welling's heart killing him instantly [Music] local authorities could find no motive and not a shred of evidence [Music] the rifle was never [Music] found November 10 1990 another Saturday morning 19 months later 21 year old Jamie Paxton of Bannock Ohio Rose early to go bow hunting [Music] leaving his crossbow in the car he took a walk through the Tall Grass off state route 9. Paxton was alone and unarmed he didn't notice the red pickup truck that stopped a short distance away [Music] [Music] the gunman was quiet and careful [Music] Jamie Paxton was shot three times by a high-powered rifle [Music] there were no Witnesses The Killing horrified a quiet community that considered murder to be a problem for big cities hunting accidents are not uncommon in Southern Ohio but Belmont County Sheriff Tom McCord knew right away that this wasn't a hunting accident when we saw more than one wound we knew that it could not be an accident that uh an accidental death hunting accident is called the one shot plus we saw it was a bullet wound instead of of something from an arrow and the gun season was not in yet Sheriff Tom mccourt's jurisdiction is large geographically but the community is closely knit there people work hard and everyone seems to know everyone McCourt even knew Jamie Paxton what he didn't know was who killed him the gunman had left no clues we checked the area for spent empty cartridge cases for tire tracks for anything that in that area before we thought the shot came from we also checked the area around the body looking for the spent projectiles that had passed through the body we even took metal detectors in looking for the the projectiles at that time we were unable to find anything right over there that by the marina and uh see after interviewing Jamie Paxton's friends family and acquaintances they were unable to find anyone with a motive to kill him everyone in the area knew Jamie Paxton no one that we knew of or was able even to this day I've ever found anyone who disliked a young man Sheriff McCourt had an apparently random killing of a popular young man with no history of trouble they interviewed Fred and everything a seemingly unsolvable murder with no physical evidence and no Witnesses not even a plausible theory about what happened um I think that's about it after her son's death Gene Paxton's grief impelled her to action she began composing letters to a local paper the Martin's Ferry Times Leader designed to draw out the Killer there was just every time I would sit down to write a letter I would say a prayer and I would say please God just give me the words to get the to the person that killed my son the letters were at once Stern and passionate to the murderer of my son Jamie She Wrote would it be easier for you if I wrote words of hate I can't because I don't feel hate I feel deep sorrow at losing my son you took a light from my life last November and left me with many days of darkness have you thought of your own death it'll happen unless you confess your sin and ask for God's forgiveness you will face the fire and fury of Hell at your own death if the killer were reading Gene Paxton's letters he seemed unaffected by them on November 28 1990 just 18 days after Paxton's murder thirty-year-old Kevin Loring was on a hunting trip in muskegum County Ohio some 40 miles from where Jamie Paxton was killed friends finished eating lunch Kevin decided to get a head start [Music] walking across a field in search of game Loring himself became prey unknowingly moving into the sights of the gunman [Music] Loring was killed by a single gunshot wound to the Head foreign the killer had taken care to commit his murders in different counties to slow an investigation that would have to take place over hundreds of rural miles the result investigators in Muskingum County were unaware of the other sniper victims in nearby counties they decided that Lauren's death was probably a hunting accident Gene Paxton never gave up she kept writing throughout 1991 determined to draw out Jaime's killer and I always felt if I could get my letters into the hands of the person that killed my son I felt that I could get a response from them she turned out to be right [Music] I am the murderer of Jamie Paxton the type Written Letter read Jamie Paxton was a complete stranger to me I never saw him before in my life and he never said a word to me that Saturday Paxton was killed because of an irresistible compulsion that has taken over my life I knew when I left my house that day that someone would die by my hand I just didn't know who or where I'm an average looking person with a family a job and home just like yourself something in my head causes me to turn into a merciless killer with no conscience the letter arrived at the Martin's Ferry Times Leader a few days before the one-year anniversary of Jaime's death the letter described the Paxton murder in chilling detail I was very drunk and a voice in my head said do it I stopped my car behind Jamie's and got out [Music] Jamie started walking very slowly down the hill toward the road I raised my rifle to my shoulder and lined him up in the sights I took at least five seconds to take careful aim foreign was off a little bit and hit him in the right chest he groaned and went down I wanted to make sure he was finished so I fired a second shot aimed halfway between his hip and shoulder while he was prone on the ground I jerked the shot and hit him in the knee he never moved again five minutes after I shot Paxton I was drinking a beer and it blacked out all thoughts of what I had just done out of my mind I thought no more of shooting Paxton than shooting a bottle at the dump I know you hate Mike guts and rightfully so I think about Jamie every hour of the day as I'm sure you do for Sheriff McCourt the letter was a beginning evidence that might lead to a murderer but he needed more the typewriter used to write the letter while investigators searched the killer continued his own hunting [Music] Saturday March 14 1992. Claude Hawkins got off his midnight shift at the Pittsburgh plate and glass company about sunup it was a good time to fish and Hawkins went straight to a favorite spot on the river below Wills Creek Dam [Music] thank you [Music] Hawkins had a wife and four children another Outdoorsman had been killed while alone but this one took place on federal property the FBI stepped in [Music] the FBI joined the hunt for the roadside sniper who just killed his latest victim on federal property investigators from The Three Counties involved along with the FBI and the Ohio Division of Wildlife formed a task force it didn't take long to realize how few Clues they had in each case the killer had no contact with the victim no rifling of pockets no robbery shell casings had been carefully removed and the victim's cars were untouched Red Sox on special agent Harry trumbitas was stationed at the FBI's Columbus Ohio field office what we did know is that Mr Hawkins died from a gunshot and usually you would find some type of a shell casing in the area and I remember looking very hard metal detectors and hands and knees for any shell casings in that and none were ever found and so that was something that you know if in fact we had somebody who was evidence conscious enough to pick up the shell casing after they shot and killed somebody we were dealing with a different brand of person here hey hey the multi-jurisdictional task force concluded that the death of Kevin Loring first ruled accidental was actually a homicide what I got is um reviewing the four murders the investigative team saw plenty in common Outdoorsman Hunters fishing or joggers alone in a rural setting all shot with a high-powered rifle all but one of the murders occurred on a weekend and the killer was careful enough to leave no evidence it was more clear than ever that a single individual was responsible the task force was on the trail of a serial killer as they began to mobilize the killer struck again I know we could capture this person I know we can [Music] ten days after the task force meeting on April 5th 1992 44 year old steel worker Gary Brent had left his home in neighboring West Virginia to go pond fishing in Noble County [Music] laughs [Music] [Music] Bradley's wife and three children would never see him alive again the task force had another murder the road sniper had to be stopped the task force wanted to learn more about the personality of the sniper they asked the FBI to draw up a psychological profile of the serial killer such an outline would be invaluable in tracking him down [Music] major Dane shriac of the Coshocton County Sheriff's office headed the task force monster right after we didn't initially made an assessment that maybe these things might be linked the Columbus FBI office and set up a meeting to have the Behavioral Science unit come to Columbus Ohio and actually sit down and talk with the investigators of these five counties of the homicides the FBI's Behavioral Science unit in Quantico Virginia can accurately sketch personality profiles of individuals from sparse Clues Larry ankram is a member of the Behavioral Science unit assigned to the road sniper case he studied all the available evidence the investigative reports of the five murders and especially the letter that the killer had written to Gene Paxton then I I came back to Quantico and reviewed these cases more in detail and I came out with a formal profile we were probably looking for a white male we were looking for someone that was intelligent someone who was an Outdoorsman himself someone that wouldn't look at a place in the in the woods someone that was probably responding to some significant event in his life that was going wrong at that particular time one of the things that was apparent that it was a sniper type mentality here that we were dealing with someone that didn't want confrontation someone that was doing things from afar and this is something that we see many times with our arsonists we ought to be looking at some different types of activities that he might be involved in such as nuisance types of offenses shooting out windows shooting out tires of cars cruelty to animals arson fires ankron believed that the violence was triggered by stress and fueled by alcohol task force now had a psychological sketch of the roadside sniper and they had his letter FBI forensic scientists studied the letter intensely they found distinguishing features in the typeface if they could find the typewriter it was written on it would be easy to link the confessional letter to the owner and thus length a murder to the murderer they had to hurry the sniper was still out there on July 21 1992 two hunters in a state park in Muskegon County came face to face with the Killer as they move through the brush one of them noticed something terrifying a nearby figure with a gun pointed right at them [Music] they called out to him and the man scurried away to a red pickup truck it happened too quickly for the hunters to get a good look at the man or the vehicle's tag numbers bewildered they called local police who alerted the task force throughout 1992 desperate to catch a man still ready to kill the task force investigated and cleared more than 100 suspects by August 1992 after three years the investigation had hit a dead end the task force was badly in need of information and decided to go public it is in the opinion of this multi-agency task force that these homicides they held a press conference and issued a press release detailing the FBI profile of the man they wanted and asking anyone with information to come forward communities including the shocking the FBI made a press release and it was done at one time to mass you know it got everybody six o'clock news I mean everybody was showing this this case and the phone started ringing instantly one of those calls received a Task Force Headquarters on August 26 1992. the man on the phone was named Richard Fry he said he thought the task force should know about a high school friend of his named Thomas Dillon investigators had a name and someone willing to talk a task force member arranged to meet Richard Fry at a rest stop on Route 77. Tom Dillon I went to high school with him there fry talked about his old friend Tom Dillon they used to drive around rural Ohio shooting at road signs and small animals but fry eventually found Dylan too eccentric and violent for his taste obsessed with serial killers like Ted Bundy Dylan had taken to killing family pets and cattle and setting random fires before I got married and for most of the 1980s forgot about his strange friend but in 1989 fry ran into Thomas Dillon at a gun show in Cleveland Tom Thomas Dylan invited him to ride along with him again just like in the old days old friendships die hard and Richard Fry again found himself driving the back roads of rural Ohio drinking beer and shooting road signs but Dylan had deteriorated fry discovered Dylan asked whether fry thought Dylan had ever killed known each other for a long time 20 some years I guess yeah do you think I could ever kill anybody Tom you know we like you said we go way back I mean he discussed how to get away with random killings including the tactic of killing in different counties to thwart investigators yeah never connected and being at random they'd have no clues whatsoever not average that your average guy I said that when he read the press release he immediately thought of Tom Dillon what kind of vehicle he drives he gave a description of Dylan including the vehicle he drove a red pickup truck just like the one spotted by the Hunter Lieutenant Wilson of the Tuscarawas County Sheriff's Office was a task force member job was to follow up on leads and tips which were coming much more frequently as press coverage of the case increased he decided Tom Dillon fit the FBI profile and needed to be investigated I began to follow up on the information that Mr Fry had given us I went to Tom Dillon's workplace in the City of Canton employees Dylan had been employed for a dozen years as a draftsman at the Canton Ohio Wilson obtained Thomas Dillon's work schedule to compare Dylan's days off with the dates and times of the murders the purpose was to eliminate Dylan as a suspect but he couldn't he found that Dylan didn't work weekends when most of the incidents occurred but that didn't work however two weekdays Dylan took off from work caught Wilson's attention first July 21 1992 The Day The Hunters saw a man point a rifle at them and November 28 1990 the day Kevin Loring was killed 28th please Dylan Could Be the One [Music] as the other members of the task force followed up on hundreds of leaves detective Wilson began surveillance on Thomas Dunn maybe Dylan would return to a crime scene or lead investigators to more clues the surveillance began in October 1992. detective Wilson followed Tom Dillon on his weekend excursions driving the back roads of southern Ohio typically a day would start me around seven in the morning on Tom's days off the weekends usually and he would leave his home and he would sometimes he would stop at a convenience store and buy some beer and then he would go south of his home into other counties uh just driving all the back remote roadways on October 10th 1992 while tailing Dylan Wilson briefly lost track of the suspect's vehicle as Wilson crept around a corner he came face to face with Thomas Dillon his cover possibly blown his case in Jeopardy Wilson had to think fast I waved at him and he waved at me and we kept on going he stopped at the end of the drive to see if I was going to stay there or not Wilson couldn't risk being identified he let Dylan drive away my big concern was I hope he doesn't stop and ask me what I'm doing on that property because I had all of my gear laying in the car with me and I didn't want him to see my radios and and my gear that I had with me a few days later Larry Oller of Barnhill Ohio was hunting about 150 yards off a road in Tuscarawas County he heard a car stop through the trees he saw a stocking white male the man lifted a rifle Oller was unhurt and watched in Terror as the truck sped away although older's description of his assailant resembled Dylan he was unable to make a positive identification the task force realized that Thomas Dillon was their most likely suspect surveillance of him would have to be beefed up throughout October and November of 1992 the FBI coordinated a massive air and ground surveillance Dylan was observed shooting road signs and busting car windows with rocks exactly the sort of petty vandalism outlined in the FBI profile but if they arrested Dylan for vandalism they might never gather enough evidence to arrest him for the murders it is difficult to tell someone on an empty Rural Road in broad daylight the stakes were high if Dylan tried another shooting and the FBI weren't in the right spot they could have another murder if they crowded Dylan too much they might be found out and Dylan would slip into hiding the ground surveillance had to be well off of Dylan agent Trump Vitus and Captain troia relied on the air surveillance as their eyes and ears they would move in if something happened one day the surveillance team faced its worst fear provide us and try out Were Far Behind Dylan when the air surveillance called out an alert up ahead of them on the river was the classic profile of a road sniper victim a jogger female this time alone in a rural setting if Thomas Dillon were indeed the gunman this jogger may be irresistible bait better catch up to him trombite us and try out got nervous hoping for the best they sped forward Dylan continued to right toward the jogger driving at top speed trombitis and triac frantically called to the agents in the plane where is he is he stopping the airplane reported back Dylan is approaching her there is no one nearby the agent's car heard him float a call from the air Dylan is pulling up alongside the jogger the agents held their breath he passed without incident [Music] the feeling of relief the airplane radioed that Dylan had taken a right turn onto a smaller room the aerial unit stayed on him instructing from Vitus and tryock where to turn then a second right turn could he be circling back they called to the airplane is the jogger still there Dylan continued to make right turns until he was back on the road the jogger had been on as you turn Justified the agent's fear he was going back for him where is the joggers when bite is yelled into his radio cannot see the jogger came the reply but the agents knew she had to be somewhere ahead of Dylan if he came upon her again they were sure he would kill her the air unit called in the Dylan had stopped his truck and had gotten out he had something shiny in his hands would he kill her right under their noses the jogger couldn't be seen from the air but that didn't mean she wasn't there the agents in the car heard shots and feared that Dylan had struck again while under their surveillance but the airplane radio that Dylan was shooting a stop sign the jogger turned off the road she was safe unaware of her close encounter with Thomas Dillon the cat and mouse game with Thomas Dillon began to wear on the task force members a lot of pressure I mean you're wondering whether this guy today is going to go out and kill somebody in New York gonna be able to stop it and you know that that he's probably the one that is responsible for killing other people um you're working 14 16 hours a day you're living out of a car you're drinking coffee like placement you know and you aren't eating right and the stress is just is tremendous but the net continued to tighten around the suspect the murderer in his letter to the newspaper had admitted being bothered by the Paxton murder and visiting his grave investigators return to video footage of Jamie Paxton's grave recorded November 10 1991. the first anniversary of Jamie's murder many people paid their respects that day but curiosity rather than respect was the agenda of one visitor photographed Thomas Dillon investigators immediately recognized the man they had been tailing surely he was the sniper but to earn a conviction they needed direct incriminating evidence [Music] after the second anniversary of Jamie Paxton's death in 1992 surveillance observed Dylan entering a Times Leader building he bought a copy of the previous day's paper full of the details of the Paxton memorial service the FBI had good circumstantial evidence on Thomas Dillon but they still lacked physical evidence a bullet a gun or a typewriter to link him with just one of the victims hunting season was fast approaching Dylan was still out roaming the rural roads drunk armed deadly [Music] the communities of Southern Ohio had been terrorized for three years the people feared going outside but tried to live normal lives Dylan had to be taken off the streets the task force knew Dylan had been in trouble in the past for illegally owning a silencer and was forbidden to possess Firearms a stipulation he clearly violated during his vandalism sprees the task force had little Choice before he could kill again they would arrest Thomas Dillon the plan wasn't just to arrest him on a weapons fight but to convince him he was caught red-handed and get him to confess to murder lacking ballistic evidence and holding only a relatively minor weapons charge on Dylan the FBI badly needed to elicit a confession trimbitis had a plan since we knew what his routine was through the surveillances in that where he left his residence and he would go to this Dairy Mart every day before he left and went on his three four hundred mile drives we would try to make the Approach at the Dairy Mart and what we had was an office building right across from the Dairy Mart where we occupied we took over the basement of that building detective Wilson and I did was we went down into the basement where we were going to conduct the interview and we put up along the walls of the the whole room maps of the areas that he drove in crime scene photographs in newspaper articles we wanted to make that setting just irresistible to him then we're just gonna piece by piece start laying this out in front of him and see what kind of reaction we get from him he would be overwhelming and you know it would put him in the best frame of mind for us to be able to sit down and interview him and get a confession on November 27 1992 the plan went into effect their entire case so far rested on getting a confession the idea was for when he came out of the Dairy Mart we were going to approach him identify ourselves and basically request that that he follow us voluntarily over to this room where we wanted to share some information with him and show him some things that we knew that would interest him if Dylan refused trinvitis would raise his right hand to Signal ATF agents who are responsible for making arrests in weapons cases to Cuff Dylan and I can just remember his reaction I mean his jaw just for about five seconds and then he composed himself and he said I want to talk to my attorney first that was the cue from bitus gave the signal and the ATF agent stepped in and arrested Thomas Dillon here Dylan didn't realize it but it was a bitter defeat for the FBI from Midas thought he'd blown it despite all the evidence he'd get despite his certainty that they had the Rogue sticker he feared that he would see a five-time murderer quickly released on a minor weapons charge at the very time of Dylan's arrest other task force members were executing a search wand on Dylan's house finally the FBI felt they would come away with a physical evidence desperately needed to link him once and for all to the murders but they didn't to their surprise the search turned up nothing more incriminating than some area maps marked with arson and vandalism sites Dylan was refusing to talk they were holding him but there was nothing they could do with him was pretty much over when he said he wanted to talk to his attorney so we went back to the restaurant uh and we're going to have a cup of coffee and all of a sudden we got the word that he wanted to talk to us and so Walt and I jumped into our car and we made a beeline to Stark County Jail attitude drambitis and Wilson confronted Dylan with one piece of evidence after another photographs videotapes newspaper clippings showing his link to the murders I would pull out one piece at a time and show him and just as we had suspected he just was keenly interested in the information that we had the surveillance pictures the crime scene photos you know just the animal you know the shots of the animals that we had along the roadways and that he's you could just see that he was just fascinated by that fascinated but not talkative Dylan said it would serve no purpose to admit anything now another dead end for the FBI Dillon's attorney is arguing that he should be spared jail time on the weapons charge now unless something turned up on him very quickly Thomas Dillon would have to be released the task force was now fighting the clock desperate for physical evidence they held another press conference appealing to the public for any information about guns they may have bought or sold with Thomas Dillon have it had any contact with Mr Dillon meanwhile Task Force member Jerry Wade of the Ohio Division of Wildlife was following up on a tip a witness steered Wade to a spot where he'd seen Thomas Dillon firing his rifle a couple of years back Wade hoped that would lead him to some ballistic evidence to link Dylan to one of the killings this individual brought us to her attention that he'd seen Thomas Lee Dillon shoot this deer with a rifle thought the rifle might be one of them that was used and if we could locate some physical evidence the shell casings per se and if we could get those and match them to the murder weapon we could put that rifle in Thomas Lee Dillon's hand prior to the murders which would really give us a lot stronger case far as him possessing the rifle prior to the murders the chances of finding small shells in such a wide area were Slim it had been two years since the rifle had been fired there determined Wade patiently combed inch by inch through a grassy field where the anonymous witness said he saw Dylan shoot the deer beginning at the tree described by the witness Wade searched the area in a circular pattern by hand and with a metal detector carefully marking off the territory miraculously Wade hit the jackpot he found two rifle shell casings later identified as coming from the same gun that killed Gary Bradley and Claude Hawkins thank you finally a physical link to the murders I felt like celebrating it was just unbelievable that I found them because after the time the length of time that had been since the shooting and the incident and the individual wasn't sure the location of the tree exactly the scene had changed since he had been there they'd done removed a fence row and and pushed out the area so I felt very very much fortunate to find him and I felt like a celebration at the time it was just like you know it was a gift handed to you meanwhile the publicity from the press conference asking the public for help was about to bear fruit on December 4th Captain shryak was Manning the phones at Task Force Headquarters a man named Al cope was on the phone can you give me that he said he bought a weapon from someone who may have been Thomas Dillon at a gun show the previous spring the date April 5th the same day Gary Bradley was murdered the rifle was sent to the FBI laboratory in Washington for ballistics testing special agent Paul schrecker is a ballistics expert for the FBI as the bullet passes down the barrel of the weapon that Bullet by coming in direct contact with the interior of the barrel of the weapon picks up the microscopic imperfections the microscopic features of that Barrel so that bullet is marked with the fingerprint of that Barrel fragments of bullets taken from the bodies of victims Claude Hawkins and Gary Bradley were examined at FBI labs a bullet fragment may still be a value for comparison even though a bullet May fragment may break up as a result of striking a victim and maybe only fragments are ever recovered those fragments are still marked they still bear the impressions of the inside of the barrel of the weapon and those fragments can still be used to make a positive Association or an identification when the weapon was submitted to our laboratory the weapon was test-fired and the test fire bullets from this weapon were then compared to the bullet fragments taken from the victims alcove's gun was test-fired and the bullets examined for characteristics they may have in common with the bullet fragments taken from Gary Bradley and Claude Hawkins the conclusion alcope's gun sold to him by Thomas Dillon matched the gun used to kill both Gary Bradley and Claude Hawkins the FBI finally had the goods on Thomas Dillon [Music] close door please agent trumpitis visited Dylan in jail and confronted him with the evidence he and his truck fit the descriptions of a few Witnesses he had been off work when each murder had occurred he had a history of random violence and gun play and the FBI could prove in court that a gun he once owned killed at least two of the victims what kind of proof all the proof we need but to invite his knew Dylan was guilty of all five murders and he wanted closure for the victim's families he offered Dylan a deal as leveraged from bite is reminded Dylan that he faced Ohio's electric chair Dylan got nervous and he began to negotiate I still can't believe you got that part of evidence oh we have happiness Thomas Dillon met with the prosecutors in June of 1993. he agreed to admit to five killings if the death penalty were dropped as a possible sentence one each for each of the acts committed on July 9th Dylan confessed to prosecutors in order to save his life on July 12 1993 a smirking Thomas Dillon walked into the Noble County Courthouse to make his plea Mr Dillon at this time do you plead to count one in the indictment in case number 93 cr4 involving the death of the aggravated murder charge involving the death of Gary Bradley how do you plead guilty with the families of the victims watching Dylan confessed to murdering Donald Welling Kevin Loring Claude Hawkins Gary Bradley and Jamie Paxton he was still smirking and unrepentant as he left court hello Thomas yeah Dylan's incredibly Cavalier attitude was detailed by a local reporter whom Dylan repeatedly called from prison marveling at his own violence reveling in his celebrity and laughing off the murders it's about the other guys I mean except one he would not discuss the murder of Jamie Paxton forget it all right just forget it Gene Paxton Jamie's mother was in court the day Dylan pleaded guilty I just want to talk to him me the kind of person Jamie was Jamie was everything Thomas Dillon could never be he is Dylan is a coward he hid behind a gun and Jamie was Jamie was not that way little did I know that on the evening news he was watching that and it made him very angry that I had called him a pathetic coward we talked to him about remorse and how did you feel after these homicides and and the only one that he said that it really bothered him about was Jamie Paxton he said I didn't realize the kid was so young Gene Paxton had looked forward to confronting Dylan in court but his guilty plea cost her that opportunity she asked Sheriff McCourt to arrange a conversation that evening Gene paxman's phone rang she found herself speaking with the murderer of her son when I picked up the phone that evening it was just like somebody calling up to sell me something he said Mrs Paxton this is Tom Dillon it was just almost more than I could comprehend the tone of his voice the way he came across still the arrogance was there you really hurt my feelings this afternoon when Dylan told Gene Paxton that when she called him a coward she had hurt his feelings I really don't think he expected to get what he got from me I think that Thomas Dillon could have handled the crying the screaming the saying of calling names the the cursing I think he could handle that but I did not lower myself to that level I talked to him as a mother and I really feel that through this whole thing that is what got to Thomas Dillon well I I understand after three years Gene Paxton felt Vindicated I walked out on my front porch and I just felt like for the first time in three years that I was free I was free of Thomas Dillon I felt that I had defeated him by words and I did it all for Jamie Thomas Dillon made it clear he did not want to go to Lucasville prison the toughest in Ohio so Gene Paxton saw to it with a petition drive that that was exactly where Dylan was sent in August 1993 Gene Paxton won a 25 million dollar wrongful death judgment against any future money Dylan might make Dylan's wife had been trying to sell his story to Hollywood Paxton and state Senator Bob Nye passed the Paxton Bill barring kills or their relatives from profiting from the crime Thomas Dillon remains in Lucasville prison he is eligible for parole in 165 years [Music] a sleepy southern town becomes a place of unimaginable heart as young girls begin disappearing a cunning serial killer is on the loose tormenting a family while evading capture until investigators could find a way to stop it he would continue his hunt for more victims get out [Applause] [Music] [Music] he was a predator abducting girls and young women from their own front yards in broad daylight he was a sadist phoning one victims family taunting them boosting then dashing their hope and he wouldn't stop until we stopped him I'm Jim calstrom former head of the FBI's New York office this serial killer whoever he was could pass unnoticed in society yet he craved the attention his crimes provided somewhere in this contradiction lay the key to his exposure May 31st 1985. the afternoon sun over South Carolina roasted the town of Lexington to a blistering 100 degrees Sherry Fay Smith had found relief from the heat at a pool party with her boyfriend and fellow High School seniors she was looking forward to the Carefree days between her final exams and graduation all of Summer and the rest of her life awaited the ambitious 17 year old [Music] she lived with her family in a quiet rural community a safe place tucked away from the edge of town The Smith's home sat on a generous lot of dense Woods the house was about 200 yards from the road Sherry's dad Robert Smith served as a local pastor this Friday afternoon he worked at home in his second floor office he looked up from his studies to see his daughter pulling into the driveway and stopping to get the mail in the next few moments life in Lexington South Carolina changed forever [Music] expecting Sherry to walk in the house Mr Smith looked out the window again he noticed her car remained near the mailbox but she was nowhere in sight immediately he felt something was off he decided to take a look Sherry suffered from diabetes with her blood sugar out of balance she might become disoriented or incapacitated when he arrived at the bottom of the driveway Mr Smith found Sherry's car still running and the door swung open but his daughter was gone there was no response to his goal [Music] his mind began to race as he imagined the possibilities could she be lying in the woods somewhere on current shock Sherry he yelled louder as he grew more frantic with work there was no sign of her anywhere Sherry was gone [Music] Mr Smith immediately called for help the assistant Sheriff of Lexington County responded to the call the distraught father explained that Sherry was not the type to just run off foreign warm and well adjusted not the sort of teenager to run away but the sheriff took nothing for granted question Smith about his relationship with his daughter today more than a decade later assistant Sheriff Lewis McCarty vividly recalls his impressions of the Smith family during his first conversation with Sherry's father we discussed his daughter's grades what kind of child she was it was determined that there was no animosity between mother and father and daughter the Smith family was a very very close-knit family a very religious family you just have the sixth sense that that they were extremely close that this child would not have have run away on her own the investigator couldn't shake the feeling that something bad had happened to Sherry Smith and the same intuition told him it had nothing to do with her medical condition every minute that passed increased the likelihood that Sherry might never be found knowing this the sheriff called for assistance bypassing the 24-hour waiting period required before officially classifying an individual as a missing person while waiting for the other officers to arrive the sheriff and Robert Smith retraced Sherry's steps careful not to destroy any possible evidence but the naked eye search yielded nothing they had to wait for more equipment and expertise [Music] within minutes officers from the South Carolina law enforcement division known as sled arrived at the Smith home investigators combed the scene looking for tire tracks foot Impressions or fingertips they found nothing knowing the next few hours were critical the authorities assembled a task force and organized a massive ground search the possibility of an abduction prompted a swift response foreign s like this simply did not happen surrounding counties sent every available officer to him [Music] word of Sherry's disappearance spread quickly through the close-knit community of Lexington hundreds of local residents offered to participate in the search still they found no trace of the young ones though there was no direct evidence that a federal crime had been committed State investigators called on the expertise of the FBI they wanted the bureau to unofficially advise in the search and to assist in the investigation special agent John Vollmer from the FBI's Columbia office was dispatched to the Smith's house the next morning The Disappearance had even baffled the experts she was nowhere to be found and she was not from a type of family background where that would readily indicate she'd run off with somebody she was from a very stable good family background and they immediately thought obviously something had happened to her but we had no idea at that point what the search urgently continued with hundreds of volunteers and officers working around the clock was a daunting task the Heat and terrain hindered the hunt you're talking about looking in a county of 500 square miles it's almost like looking for a needle in a haystack it's extremely difficult because you don't know where to begin and where to go two long hot days of searching past and still there was no sign of sharing it grew more and more likely that this was an abduction horrified that a crime like this could happen in their town the residents of Lexington were gripped by fear children were not seen without their parents no one went anywhere alone with every hour that passed investigators hoped there was still enough time to find Sherry unharmed [Music] on June 3 days after Sherry Faye's disappearance at about 2 30 in the morning a call Disturbed The Smith's Restless sleep Robert answered the phone a voice he did not recognize asked for his wife Hilda hello the caller claimed to be Sherry's abduction yes the captor apologized for taking Sherry and insisted that you would eventually be returned he made clear this was not a ransom call he told Hilda that she would receive a letter in the mail later that day just he promised he'd call back and hung up [Music] though a phone tap had been set up earlier the call was too short to get a Trace sled officers who were at the Smith home called Agent volmer immediately it really was unclear whether she was alive or dead the caller was indicating that she was alive that he would see that she was returned safely and I think at that point everyone was hopeful that he was truthful and that in fact she was not dead and would be returned to her home and family [Music] a letter hopefully containing Clues to Sherry's whereabouts would be a welcome break but first they had to find out if the letter promised by the caller really did exist not wasting any time they woke the town's postmaster and ordered him to open the post office before Daybreak then they went to work sifting letter by letter through the piles of outgoing mail [Music] after a half hour the postmaster found an envelope addressed to The Smiths slipped it into an Evidence Bank and sent it to the sled forensic labs for analysis [Music] inside the envelope examiners found a two-page letter written on yellow legal paper their excitement melted into horror as they began reading the letter it was entitled last will and testament it began I love you mommy daddy Robert Dawn and Richard and everyone else and all other friends and relatives my thoughts will always be with and in you casket closed I am sorry if I ever disappointed you in any way I only wanted to make you proud of me because I have always been proud of my family the letter ended with all my love always Sharon Sherry Fay Smith with the help of the Smith family investigators confirmed that the handwriting was Shari's lab examiners began the painstaking task of analyzing the letter searching for Prince hairs fibers and other Clues would take weeks while investigators hope the document might provide other valuable leads they were alarmed by the letters content we were shocked we were concerned for her well-being there were several phrases in the letter that um she refers to one would be casket closed is you know why would why would a child make a statement casket closed Sherry's fate was unclear the abductor had all the answers he had promised to call again until he did the Smith family clung desperately to Hope just days after Sherry Faye's disappearance her abductor had called to taunt the family since then agents and detectives set up a voice recorder in addition to the tap already on the Smith phone having the abductive voice on tape would be invaluable if the suspect called again they would be ready [Music] the weight was excruciating [Music] at eight o'clock on the evening of June 3rd the phone rang go ahead answer try to stay on the phone as long as possible hello it was the voice from the night before he spoke to Hilda did you receive the letter today ah yes I did okay so you know now that this is not a hoax call yes I know that okay listen listen real carefully I got to hurry uh I know these calls are being traced uh is she with you sure he is now a part of me physically mentally emotionally spiritually our souls are one now your souls are one now with Sherry yes and we're trying to work this out so please do what we ask Ed the trace had been successful go ahead US-1 the suspect had called from a phone booth about 20 miles away from the Smith Hall a network of sheriff's deputies staking out the area race to the scene hoping to catch the calls but when they arrived all they found was a phone dangling hurry up any cars give me flights any cars leaving the immediate area right now he had slipped away leaving nothing behind not even fingerprints they just messed up Sherry's older sister Dawn recollects the agonizing uncertainty I didn't really understand what was going on at the time I didn't understand that he was a very sick person I'd never dealt with anybody like that in my life um but I really believe that he was taking care of her and that there had to be some reason for The Madness of Sherry being taken [Music] on the surface the abductor's phone conversations revealed nothing about Sherry's whereabouts however for the FBI the phone calls offered the first Glimpse Inside the Mind of this Twisted predator it would be up to FBI profilers in the investigative support unit at Quantico Virginia to penetrate this criminal's mind John Douglas pioneered behavioral profiling for the FBI he and others developed the investigative tool from over 25 years of interviews with convicted Killers arsonists rapists and bombers when someone asked your profile what they're looking for are characteristics which includes a gender includes age race sometimes body typing educational level occupational type to determine these characteristics the profiler attempts to think like the Killer he tries to uncover his motivations examining every aspect of a crime reveals patterns of behavior what emerges is a profile describing the type of person the killer will most likely be after scrutinizing every detail of Sherry's abduction Douglas generated a 22-point profile of the suspect he painted the abductor as a white male in his late 20s to early 30s with above average intelligence he would most likely work as a blue-collar day laborer because it sounded as if the killer had electronically distorted his voice he probably worked in electrical contracting he would have a prior criminal record Douglas also suggested he lived locally the tone and content of his phone calls indicated he was an asocial obsessive compulsive if the stress of everyday life became too great he would break down he would then feel compelled to compensate for his own inadequacies through violent actions he's a type of guy that that feels like one grain of sand on a beach with her billions and billions of grains of sand he feels like nothing he feels like a nobody and how can there's nobody this personality this person who's probably overweight low self-esteem doesn't unattractive how can he become somebody he'll go after victims that there was no chance that he would ever come in contact with someone like like a Sherry Faith Smith and so for the first time in their life they can be be powerful on Wednesday June 5th the Smiths received another call this time he gave the family directions to where they would find Sherry listen carefully take Highway 378 West to traffic circle turn left at wide frame building six feet Beyond we're waiting God chose us investigators race to the location hoping they might still find her alive [Music] six days after her mysterious disappearance investigators found the butt of Sherry Faye Smith when the Smith family received the call to the location of the body we went immediately there and and our worst fears came true Sherry's body had been laid in the woods of Saluda County some 17 miles from the home from which she vanished yeah her abductor was now wanted for first degree murder a week of hundred degree heat had taken its toll the body's Advanced State of Decay worked in the Killer's favor a medical examiner could not determine the exact cause in time of death for John Douglas the location and condition of the crime scene provided further insight into the suspect's mind he had some criminal sophistication because I believe what he did is he waited he waited for her to now go into advanced stages of decomposition which would make it more difficult for law enforcement to to determine cause and method of death in this state of decomposition the confirmation of Sherry's murder devastated the Lexington community that Saturday a crowd of a thousand mourners attended a funeral service at the town's First Baptist Church that evening following Sherry's funeral the killer could not resist inflicting more torment Mr Smith Sherry's and Beverly answered the phone I want to speak to Dawn I'm sorry she's not available either Beverly stole him hoping to gain valuable time for the phone trace but the suspect threatened to hang up if he couldn't immediately speak to Don hello [Music] to Dawn I've been watching her for a couple to who okay I'm sorry to share it Don I hope you and your family forgive me when you killed Cherry was she at peace she wasn't afraid or anything she knew that God was with her and she was going to become an angel overwhelmed with grief Sherry's mother insisted on talking to her daughter's murderer did you tell her you were going to kill her yeah not escape the attention of the FBI and local investigators that the killer had mistakenly used Dawn's name when he spoke of Sherry they braced themselves for the possibility that this killer might be turning his murderous Obsession towards Dawn but the suspect would make only one more call before falling ominously silent though he wasn't talking they knew he was still out there terrifying a community and the profile predicted that if he killed once he would kill again in June 1985 FBI investigators continued to hunt the kidnapper and killer of seventeen-year-old Sherry Smith [Applause] while investigators focused on the Smith murder The elusive Predator pursued other plans [Music] on Friday June 14th two weeks after Sherry's abduction a man grabbed Deborah may help from her front yard in Richland County as she played with her brother she was just nine years old the child's screaming alerted a neighbor is not the fastest the doctor managed to slip away [Applause] [Music] helmick's neighbor could only provide vague information however the general description of the suspect and his method appeared eerily similar to the man the FBI wanted for the murder of Sherry Richland County Sheriffs immediately contacted the task force in nearby Lexington within moments of that abduction we were aware of it and begin to focus on that case also we were pretty much in our minds I think that everybody knew these two cases were connected for John Douglas the case took on an even greater sense of urgency Deborah May helmick's fate seemed almost certain once they get the urge they're out looking for the preferential victim but if they cannot find the victim of choice they will go after whoever is available and that was the case here with Deborah May Hellman news of the second abduction brought Douglas down from Quantico Virginia to South Carolina the FBI hoped they could find nine-year-old Deborah May helmick before her young life was cut short in the Smith case the Killer's phone calls had been a critical link for the investigators it had been nearly a week since Deborah's disappearance and they hadn't heard from him to get him to call Douglas devised a planet with the help of the local media he would set a trap [Music] and the way one key element of the plan Place Dawn Smith in jeopardy Douglas had to ask the Smiths to put their other daughter at risk to catch Sherry's killer and hopefully find young Deborah Don agreed a lot of times people thought we were twins we looked a lot alike and so they came up with this plan that if I were to answer the phone maybe he would turn that Fascination from Sherry to me and if I could keep him on the phone talking long enough about Sherry about himself about anything to keep him on the phone then they could trace the call and catch him allow him Douglas's strategy centered around a memorial service for Sherry investigators promoted the service in the local press the agents hoped the attention to his first victim would rekindle the Killer's fascination with Dawn [Music] Douglas needed something else to bait the Trap personal item from Sherry's room based on experience Douglas knew that sexual predators are often attracted to personal items of their victims she likes koala they want mementos that they can keep even display as trophies he noticed the koala bear it was the mascot of the University she planned to attend in the fall [Music] the day of the memorial service plain clothed agents swarmed the grounds hoping their suspect would visit the cemetery as the family's Minister delivered a eulogy Dawn and her parents huddled close though Dawn had willingly volunteered to lure the killer to the Trap the danger it presented weighed on everyone's mind there was no telling what the suspect might do the security around down was was heightened we were extremely extremely concerned about Dawn becoming a victim then as planned Don placed some flowers in the koala on her sister's grave [Music] now all that was left to do was wait ing using Douglas's profile FBI agents coach Don on how to handle the suspect when he called I was told to never be threatening to never be harsh to be real understanding and sympathetic and compassionate and I was with him and I think he liked that because he felt like he was very much in charge which is something that he thrived on several calls came to the Smith home following the memorial service [Music] not knowing if it was Sherry's killer Dawn had to answer everyone [Music] shortly after midnight the phone at the Smith house rang again yes as Douglas had hoped the culprit took the bait and as anticipated the killer had turned his Focus to Dawn you can't be protected all he made it clear to her that she was going to be his next victim you know uh God wants you to join Cherry Bay it's just a matter of time despite the threat Dawn kept him on the line enduring abuse from the man who murdered her sister while officials traced the origin of the call Richland County yeah then before hanging up the killer offered directions turn right Deborah May is waiting God forgive us all special agent John Vollmer feared that the killer would not stop there once the he called about Deborah helmick then you're leading into the possibility that you now are dealing with a possible serial killer who has killed now at least two he suspect maybe others before and may continue to kill others despite Douglas's success at getting the suspect to call no one had anticipated just how far away the killer would go to avoid detection [Music] tracing the call from outside the area took additional time [Music] spec left the we were very very close to catching him on a number of occasions and it's almost as if he sensed this and began to move further in making his phone calls other investigators followed the caller's directions there they found nine-year-old Deborah May helmick murdered the gamble had failed with every missed opportunity the probability of more victims increased and now Dawn was the most likely Target investigators feared the killer would make an attempt to abduct her an elusive serial killer had already killed two girls around Lexington South Carolina the slim amount of evidence frustrated FBI investigators as well as local law enforcement but the forensic analysis was about to generate the biggest break in the investigation the last will and testament of Sherry Smith was examined by Gail Heath director of the question document section of the South Carolina law enforcement labs using an esda machine Heath hoped to find Hard Evidence the esda an acronym for electrostatic detection apparatus can pick up images that are invisible to the naked eye it works on the opposite principle of a printing press instead of coding raised letters with ink to create an image the esda fills in the indentations on the document in question with graphite when an Imaging film similar to Saran Wrap is pulled tight over the document a readable image comes through after hours of examining the document Heath found indented writing it appeared to be a phone number and a name the particular name and phone number in question we were able to bring up the entire area code the first three numbers of the prefix the next two numbers the third number we were unsure of and then we had the fourth number the name on the pad was Joe from the area code investigators determined the number was from Alabama to fill in the missing digit investigators called every combination of the phone number until they reached a party who had the same name as the one found on the leading man they finally made a match the number belonged to a man named Joe Shepard investigators scrutinized his phone records they found that he had received a call from an address just outside of Lexington in Lake Murray South Carolina either of these addresses could belong to the killer [Music] armed with the FBI profile local police visited the Alabama address [Music] they met Joe Shepard he didn't match the Killer's profile even though he was not a suspect he could still be an important link to the killer police had to find out the connection between him and the Lake Murray South Carolina phone call Shepard explained it came from his parents home South Carolina officers verified that the address belonged to Joe Shepard's parents Ellis and Sharon Shepard investigators went to the Lake Murray address to question the residents the house was just two miles from where police found the body of nine-year-old Deborah Mayhill or they learned that Ellis worked as an electrician in home construction it was a profession the FBI profile predicted as the officers knocked on the door a cop pulled into the driveway [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] when investigators saw the Shepherds they immediately felt they'd hit another dead end besides Ellis Shepard's profession nothing else seemed to fit the profile questioned them anyway the Shepherds told them that they had recently returned from a six-week trip the officers casually asked if the couple knew about the Smith and helmet murders with every question the police noticed Mrs Shepard becoming more concerned the Shepherds were beginning to suspect their house sitter Larry Jean Bell as they described Bell elements of the profile fell into place he was a white male in his 30s who lived with his parents he sometimes assisted Ellis in home construction just days earlier when the Shepherds returned from the vacation Bell had picked them up from the airport he talked to the Shepherds at length about the cases [Music] he was closely following the news of the murders it was more evidence of a meticulous mind and behavior consistent with the profile they said that he had saved the newspaper articles um told them all about the case and in great detail from the airport back to their residence again it was uncanny how much this this profile was on track the detectives asked if they could see the inside of the house suspecting the killer had used a weapon to force Sherry Smith into the car they asked Ella Shepard if he owned a gun Shepherd LED them to a drawer where he kept his revolver the last time I used this one to his surprise the gun was gone got a good idea the officers asked the couple to accompany them to the precinct they wanted the Shepherds to listen to recordings of the Killer's calls to the Smith family the investigators needed to know if the voice on the recordings belonged to their house and then they'd find out I'm saying and then I'd get tried and get sent to Legacy or put in prison restaurant I'm not going to stay in prison alive electronically altered his voice to the Shepherds it was clear that the man on the tape was their house sitter Larry Jean Bell we were all extremely elated we could not show any emotion but we we knew that we had the case at that point we had our man the Shepherds told the police that the expected Bell to return to their home at 7 30 the next morning for work [Music] investigators staked out Bell's residence this time there was no way he could elude capture [Music] Larry Gene Bell headed down the highway to the Shepherds he failed to notice the unmarked police car following behind him he officers radioed to another car waiting to cut him off the approaching intercession [Applause] June 26 1985 at 7 19 am investigators finally trapped The elusive Larry Jean Bell this time it was the investigators who were one step ahead [Music] Bell was arrested without resistance and taken to the precinct for questioning with Bell now and custody investigators still needed to build an airtight case to make sure he would never be free to kill again combining hard forensic evidence with the FBI profile South Carolina police arrested Larry Jean Bell on suspicion of kidnapping and murder but now they had to prove Beyond any doubt that he was indeed the killer of Sherry Smith and Deborah May helmet it was up to Lexington County solicitor Donald Myers to a career prosecutor Myers was determined to convict the killer who had so horrifically taunted his victim's family I did not like Larry Gene Bell even before I knew him and I knew that this was probably the most publicized case that we would ever had for the most publicized in South Carolina at that time and I pretty much committed myself to go after him with everything I had all right guys come on though there was powerful evidence against Bell it was only circumstantial still in the state of South Carolina a confession could guarantee the maximum sentence Myers needed to make sure that Bell would never be able to take another night he wanted a confession again they call on the FBI to help they recommended setting up an interrogation room that would elicit a self-incriminating statements for instance a map showing where the phone calls were made uh some pictures of the victim so that he's aware as he looks about the room to remind him of the victim you might have fingerprint cards on the table you might have notebooks or file cabinets that would have his name on them all to make him think you obviously have narrowed in on him you've got the goods on him he might as well go ahead and and give it up while the officers prepared to question Bill other detectives secured a search warrant for the shepherd's house for the next 12 hours the forensic team combed every square inch of the home looking for anything that would firmly connect Bell to the crimes as the profile predicted the house was in perfect order it was meticulously cleaned vacuumed and dusted particularly in the room where Larry Jean Bell had been staying but beneath the orderly exterior the team uncovered evidence of his deviance the bed's pristine sheets concealed A Thin Dirty mattress and beneath that lay a porn magazine and a handgun that matched the description of Mr Shepard's missing 38. [Music] despite the freshly vacuumed carpets an investigator retrieved a blonde hair in the space where a vacuum cleaner wouldn't reach a lab would match the Strand to Sherry Smith [Music] while the investigators continued the search for evidence of the shepherd's home detectives at the interrogation carried out the FBI's strategy first they made sure Bell was comfortable as advised by Douglas they spoke to the suspect in a non-threatening way they pretended to empathize with him okay to understand his pain in order to pry him they walked their suspect through the growing mound of evidence condemning him at every chance they reminded him of the victims Bill denied everything however he did make a curious request he wanted to meet Dawn and Hilda Smith hoping the mother and sister of his first victim might stir a confession The Smiths agreed [Music] Hilda and Dawn tried to mentally prepare themselves [Music] finally they stepped into the room and came face to face with Sherry's killer [Music] began to mumbled and he began to speak about how he was sorry that the person sitting in that chair couldn't have been the one that had done this um but another Larry Belle could have been the one just he really didn't make a lot of sense and so I remember sitting there I remember looking at him I remember listening to him and I really just felt disgust that I knew this was the man and he wasn't even man enough to say I did it I'm sorry I'm just trying to make excuses but but my mom said the most incredible thing to him she said I know you're the man that killed my daughter and um I can honestly say that I don't hate you and he he got teary but Belle's emotional break went only to the point of Tears he never made the confession authorities wanted after weeks of compiling evidence Myers and the investigators began to piece together the sequence of events of May 31st 1985. Bell noticed Sherry Smith after dropping his mother off at a doctor's appointment something about the young woman triggered his lecherous cravings as she left the parking lot Bell followed his desire shattered with little restraint he possessed [Music] he never let her out of his sight Sherry did not notice the comment she pulled into the driveway and stopped at the mailbox [Applause] [Music] Bell wasted no time he had taken Sherry completely by surprise come on you're going with me he brought Sherry to the shepherd's House on Lake Murray Bell then canceled dinner with friends he told them he wanted to stay at the Shepherds and watch a baseball game he had already tied Sherry to the bed the evidence showed that Sherry had been raped before killing her Bell coerced Sherry to write her last will and testament [Music] 12 hours after she disappeared he covered her mouth with duct tape and suffocated her investigators believed that she was dead by 4 58 am the time Bell claimed that their souls became one it took less than one hour for 12 South Carolinians to find Belle guilty of first-degree murder Myers prosecuted Bell in a separate trial for the murder of nine-year-old Deborah May helmick he was found guilty a second time with Belle's conviction the Smith family could begin to rebuild their lives there was a sense of relief that okay now he can't do this to me he can't do this to anybody else and and he will be put away Larry Jean Bell paid the ultimate price for his sadistic crimes on October 4th 1996 he was put to death in South Carolina's electric chair though the loss of Sherry Smith and Deborah May helmick will always be felt life in Lexington has slowly returned to normal with skill and determination the South Carolina law enforcement community and the FBI brought closure to a grieving town by ending the deadly game of cat and mouse [Music]

Channel: The FBI Files

Views: 1,628,444

Keywords: FBI, FBI Files, FBI Documentary, Documentary, Crime, Crime Documentary, Crime Patrol, True Crime, True crime daily, Unsolved, Crime Stories, Crime Documentaries Full Episodes, Full Episode, unsolved true crime, fbi files full episodes, we got him, mystery, solved, investigation, police, criminal, prison, jail

Id: tI6-Q1Yfc1s

Length: 102min 13sec (6133 seconds)

Published: Sat Mar 04 2023