"Murder 360" Killer in the Forest
ID | 13213134 |
---|---|
Movie Name | "Murder 360" Killer in the Forest |
Release Name | Murder.360.S01E07.Killer.in.the.Forest.720p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-FLUX |
Year | 2025 |
Kind | tv |
Language | English |
IMDB ID | 37807292 |
Format | srt |
1
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- All she's doing is,
on New Year's Day,
2
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<i>taking a hike with her dog.</i>
3
00:00:08,480 --> 00:00:09,680
<i>- The blood was wet.</i>
4
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It was fresh.
5
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That was disturbing.
6
00:00:13,120 --> 00:00:15,800
- It was a calm
place, she thought.
7
00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:19,240
<i>And then she was kidnapped.</i>
8
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<i>- The way in which
this person gets money</i>
9
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is by abducting these victims.
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- He fits the definition
of a serial killer, by far.
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- I mean, he's just pure evil.
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<i>♪</i>
14
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- It was too much
to even comprehend.
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<i>♪</i>
16
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<i>- And she kept repeating,
he's going to kill me.</i>
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- And he shoots my daughter.
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[gunshot]
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<i>- That's about the
only time in my career</i>
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that I just wanted
to shoot him.
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<i>♪</i>
22
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<i>- You can run.</i>
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You can't hide.
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<i>♪</i>
25
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[birds chirping]
26
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<i>[tense music]</i>
27
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<i>- North Georgia
is a really unique area.</i>
28
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<i>It's a very mountainous area.</i>
29
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<i>National Forest
land is abundant.</i>
30
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<i>Blood Mountain
is actually the highest</i>
31
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peak in Georgia that the
Appalachian Trail crosses.
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<i>- It's beautiful.</i>
33
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<i>There's waterfalls
and great mountain views.</i>
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And so we have lots
of tourism and lots
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of hikers and campers
in these areas.
36
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<i>- The forests, as they
are, are remote locations</i>
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throughout the United States.
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But they bring leisure
to most people,
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but sadly can be an
opportunity for those
40
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looking for
horrific activities,
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criminal activities
to take place.
42
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[birds chirping]
43
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<i>[tense music]</i>
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<i>♪</i>
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<i>- My name is Clay Bridges.</i>
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I was working for the
region 8 GBI office.
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And we would be
called in any time
48
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there was a missing
person, homicide,
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suicide, those type thing.
50
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<i>I was driving home
and received a telephone</i>
51
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call from the chief deputy of
Union County Sheriff's Office.
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He contacted me and said
that they had a missing
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person on Blood Mountain.
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So my first action was to
learn as much as I could
55
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about her, as to what
could have happened to her.
56
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<i>- Meredith Emerson
was 24 years old.</i>
57
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<i>She lived at the time in a
northern suburb of Atlanta.</i>
58
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<i>And she was an avid hiker.</i>
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By the next day, when Meredith
Emerson did not show up
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for work, and the fact that
the weather conditions on Blood
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<i>Mountain had deteriorated
greatly, we all were concerned</i>
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that even if it was an injured
hiker or just a lost hiker,
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or got off the
trail and was lost,
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<i>could anybody survive
that kind of environment?</i>
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<i>♪</i>
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<i>- We set up a command post
at the Vogel State Park,</i>
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which is right there
at the base of the mountain,
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just running down
any kind of leads.
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<i>So a lot of what we were
doing was making phone calls,</i>
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just trying to-- you
know, anybody in the area,
71
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trying to identify anyone
who may have seen anything.
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<i>- The tips we began to receive
were sightings of Meredith</i>
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<i>and her dog, Ella,
that she took with her</i>
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<i>that morning to go hiking.</i>
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I went to the parking
lot of the
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<i>Herbert Reese
Memorial Trailhead</i>
77
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<i>there at Blood Mountain.</i>
78
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<i>I call that
the approach trail.</i>
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<i>- When we discovered
her water bottles</i>
80
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<i>and some of her effects
at the trail,</i>
81
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<i>we felt like
something bad had happened.</i>
82
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There was also a police
baton found in the area.
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That was concerning for us.
84
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<i>- And, you know,
I wonder if someone</i>
85
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<i>had tried to strike
her with that.</i>
86
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The ground was so
disturbed in that area
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where the-- you could tell it
was a very violent fight that
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<i>had taken place right there.</i>
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- That was the trigger that
prompted them to contact
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my office, just in case
this was going to be
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more than an overdue hiker.
92
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- All she's doing is,
on New Year's Day,
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taking a hike with her dog.
94
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<i>♪</i>
95
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<i>- I was there on January 2nd
when all this came to light</i>
96
00:05:13,320 --> 00:05:17,280
and searches began to happen
there on Blood Mountain.
97
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<i>We needed to close the
trail and the parking lot</i>
98
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<i>and move down to the
state park, where</i>
99
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<i>we set up our search effort.</i>
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<i>- You can walk
for literally days</i>
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<i>and not come across a road.</i>
102
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<i>It's just vast amounts of--</i>
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<i>vast amounts of
woods, nothingness.</i>
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If someone disposes of a
body in a national forest,
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you'll never find them.
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<i>♪</i>
107
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<i>[tense music]</i>
108
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<i>- We have lots
of tourism and lots</i>
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<i>of hikers and campers
in these areas.</i>
110
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<i>So a lot of what we were
doing was making phone calls,</i>
111
00:06:01,200 --> 00:06:04,280
just trying to--
you know, anybody in the area,
112
00:06:04,400 --> 00:06:06,840
trying to identify anyone
who may have seen anything.
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<i>♪</i>
114
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- We pushed out
information asking
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the public to call our
tip line if they had
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seen Meredith on the trail.
117
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We began to get reports
of a strange-looking man
118
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with Meredith on the trail.
119
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<i>- They all described him
almost identical-- you know,</i>
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older gentleman, very fit,
wearing high-end hiking gear,
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but he has duct
tape on his shoes.
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He's got a dog with him.
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And they saw him
around a white van.
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<i>- The very first thing
I did, I checked her phone</i>
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records and her bank records.
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- We determined that
Meredith's debit card
127
00:06:51,520 --> 00:06:54,520
had been attempted
to be used at various ATMs
128
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<i>off the mountain.</i>
129
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<i>There was one attempt 45
miles away the first night.</i>
130
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There was another attempt 80
miles away from the abduction
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site the next day.
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<i>[phone rings]</i>
133
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- At that point,
we were actually contacted
134
00:07:10,680 --> 00:07:13,440
by law enforcement
in North Carolina
135
00:07:13,560 --> 00:07:17,480
and said, hey,
we had a couple just
136
00:07:17,600 --> 00:07:19,040
like that,
that were hiking, that
137
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went missing without a trace.
138
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<i>[dramatic music]</i>
139
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♪
140
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<i>- John and Irene Bryant were
in their late 70s, early 80s.</i>
141
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<i>They were experienced hikers.</i>
142
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And they took out one
afternoon to just do
143
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a day hike in the
Pisgah National Forest,
144
00:07:49,840 --> 00:07:53,040
<i>which is probably a
couple hours from our office</i>
145
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<i>here in Georgia.</i>
146
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<i>And the Pisgah National
Forest is extremely remote,</i>
147
00:07:58,520 --> 00:08:04,800
<i>consists of several thousand
acres of forest land.</i>
148
00:08:04,920 --> 00:08:09,360
<i>- John and Irene Bryant
were very friendly people,</i>
149
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well-liked in the community.
150
00:08:12,040 --> 00:08:16,480
And they had told someone
that they were going hiking
151
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in the National Forest area.
152
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<i>- They disappeared.</i>
153
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<i>And so, when the
authorities began</i>
154
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to search for John and Irene,
they found the body of Irene,
155
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<i>but not--</i>
156
00:08:31,680 --> 00:08:34,040
<i>no signs of John.</i>
157
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- They stated that she had been
killed with blunt-force trauma.
158
00:08:37,720 --> 00:08:40,920
<i>And it was a cylindrical
object with what looked like</i>
159
00:08:41,040 --> 00:08:43,040
<i>maybe a ball at the end of it.</i>
160
00:08:43,160 --> 00:08:46,640
I immediately thought,
there's a police-style baton
161
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up here on this trail.
162
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<i>♪</i>
163
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- We believe John
tried to call 911.
164
00:08:54,560 --> 00:08:56,960
And the call
was almost immediately
165
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dropped because the
signal was too low.
166
00:08:59,320 --> 00:09:05,200
<i>Later on in the same
day, John's debit card</i>
167
00:09:05,320 --> 00:09:08,760
was used at an ATM
in an area called Ducktown,
168
00:09:08,880 --> 00:09:13,480
Tennessee, which is about
two hours from the Pisgah
169
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<i>National Forest.</i>
170
00:09:15,160 --> 00:09:16,920
- And that's when North
Carolina officials
171
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also told us about the Florida
case concerning Sherry Dunlap.
172
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<i>♪</i>
173
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<i>- My name is Gloria Tucker.</i>
174
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My cousin, Cheryl Dunlap,
which I referred to her
175
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as Sherry all the time,
she was a beautiful person
176
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<i>inside and out.</i>
177
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<i>- She had two grown children.</i>
178
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She was divorced.
179
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She was somebody who kept
herself busy, primarily
180
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serving other people.
181
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<i>- She was a devout Christian,
very involved in her church.</i>
182
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- Sherry loved her children.
183
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She had two boys.
184
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She took home the burden of
really caring for the boys
185
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totally all by herself.
186
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She was just
a very home-oriented
187
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<i>person who wanted to help
other people have a good life.</i>
188
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<i>♪</i>
189
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- She went for a day
hike in the Apalachicola
190
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National Forest in an
area called Leon Sinks.
191
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<i>♪</i>
192
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<i>It's very much like any
other national forest.</i>
193
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<i>There's hiking trails, you
know, just a very nice area</i>
194
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<i>to spend time.</i>
195
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- And then she was kidnapped.
196
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<i>♪</i>
197
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<i>- The search for Cheryl
was on down there,</i>
198
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<i>very similar to
the search for John</i>
199
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<i>and Irene Bryant
in North Carolina.</i>
200
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They had volunteers who
came into the forest
201
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to look for Cheryl.
202
00:10:47,240 --> 00:10:53,040
And not too far
into the search,
203
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Cheryl's car was found
just outside the forest.
204
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<i>And the driver's side rear
tire had been punctured.</i>
205
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<i>♪</i>
206
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- He had his face taped up.
207
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<i>He didn't want anyone
to recognize who he was.</i>
208
00:11:19,880 --> 00:11:23,640
The county, at that time,
was just in an uproar.
209
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<i>♪</i>
210
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<i>- Some hunters in the forest</i>
211
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saw some buzzards circling
in the area and went over
212
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and found
the remains of Cheryl.
213
00:11:43,480 --> 00:11:47,440
Her head had been removed,
as well as her hands.
214
00:11:47,560 --> 00:11:51,480
But they were able to
identify her through some DNA.
215
00:11:51,600 --> 00:11:56,720
- It was unnerving,
you know, the manner in which
216
00:11:56,840 --> 00:12:00,240
Cheryl Dunlap had been found.
217
00:12:00,360 --> 00:12:02,280
<i>- I didn't want to
know anything about it.</i>
218
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<i>But several people told my
sister and myself about it.</i>
219
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So, you know, it was--
220
00:12:09,320 --> 00:12:11,360
it wasn't a good thing.
221
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<i>It's just an overwhelming
feeling when you have to deal</i>
222
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with that much tragedy.
223
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Just a terrible thing.
224
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<i>♪</i>
225
00:12:25,880 --> 00:12:29,720
- When we learned
of those cases,
226
00:12:29,840 --> 00:12:32,800
then we began to talk
to both jurisdictions
227
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about the similarities.
228
00:12:35,840 --> 00:12:41,320
<i>The photographs of the
person walking up to the ATMs</i>
229
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<i>was very, very similar.</i>
230
00:12:43,120 --> 00:12:45,640
- The way in which
this person gets money
231
00:12:45,760 --> 00:12:47,880
is by abducting these victims.
232
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<i>♪</i>
233
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- And then, when we got our
photographs from our ATMs,
234
00:12:55,200 --> 00:12:57,960
there was no doubt that
it was the same person.
235
00:12:58,080 --> 00:13:05,080
<i>♪</i>
236
00:13:10,600 --> 00:13:14,360
We got a telephone
call to the tip line
237
00:13:14,480 --> 00:13:20,120
from a lady about 60 miles
south of Blood Mountain who
238
00:13:20,240 --> 00:13:25,160
said, I think I just
saw Meredith Emerson's
239
00:13:25,280 --> 00:13:29,640
<i>dog walk into a grocery store.</i>
240
00:13:29,760 --> 00:13:33,080
<i>- And the video surveillance
at the grocery store</i>
241
00:13:33,200 --> 00:13:37,600
shows it walking
around, almost--
242
00:13:37,720 --> 00:13:40,120
it almost looked like
it was asking for help.
243
00:13:40,240 --> 00:13:45,440
<i>- We were able to pick
up the dog very quickly</i>
244
00:13:45,560 --> 00:13:49,520
and identify the dog as
Ella through an ID chip
245
00:13:49,640 --> 00:13:51,160
<i>that she had in her.</i>
246
00:13:51,280 --> 00:13:55,360
<i>So we knew that Ella
was in an area 70 miles</i>
247
00:13:55,480 --> 00:13:56,800
<i>south of the abduction site.</i>
248
00:13:56,920 --> 00:13:59,400
And the agents
I sent down there found
249
00:13:59,520 --> 00:14:02,640
a dumpster in the parking lot.
250
00:14:02,760 --> 00:14:05,760
<i>And they decided
to look in the dumpster.</i>
251
00:14:05,880 --> 00:14:09,520
<i>And that's where we
found the things that</i>
252
00:14:09,640 --> 00:14:11,600
<i>I had hoped that we wouldn't.</i>
253
00:14:11,720 --> 00:14:13,480
We found bloody clothing.
254
00:14:13,600 --> 00:14:16,400
<i>♪</i>
255
00:14:16,520 --> 00:14:20,680
We found Meredith's
driver's license and wallet.
256
00:14:20,800 --> 00:14:22,840
We found other clothing,
257
00:14:22,960 --> 00:14:24,400
men's clothing
with blood on them.
258
00:14:24,520 --> 00:14:29,200
<i>♪</i>
259
00:14:29,320 --> 00:14:32,080
And this is not
just blood stains.
260
00:14:32,200 --> 00:14:35,600
This was blood that you could--
261
00:14:35,720 --> 00:14:38,440
so much, you could
wring it out.
262
00:14:38,560 --> 00:14:40,040
<i>- The blood was wet.</i>
263
00:14:40,160 --> 00:14:41,760
<i>It was fresh.</i>
264
00:14:41,880 --> 00:14:43,960
<i>That was disturbing,
because up</i>
265
00:14:44,080 --> 00:14:45,560
to this point,
we were all holding out
266
00:14:45,680 --> 00:14:47,160
the hope that Meredith's alive.
267
00:14:47,280 --> 00:14:49,720
We're going to, you
know, capture the bad guy
268
00:14:49,840 --> 00:14:51,080
and recover her.
269
00:14:51,200 --> 00:14:52,080
And it's going to
have a happy ending.
270
00:14:52,200 --> 00:14:56,200
<i>♪</i>
271
00:14:56,320 --> 00:14:58,160
<i>- My name is John Tabor.</i>
272
00:14:58,280 --> 00:15:00,840
<i>I own a telemarketing
operation.</i>
273
00:15:00,960 --> 00:15:05,960
I was working out and caught
the top of the news
274
00:15:06,080 --> 00:15:07,680
where they--
275
00:15:07,800 --> 00:15:11,000
they broke to cover
this case of the missing
276
00:15:11,120 --> 00:15:12,400
girl up in North Georgia.
277
00:15:12,520 --> 00:15:14,120
They said that
there was evidence
278
00:15:14,240 --> 00:15:15,600
<i>of a struggle in
the parking lot</i>
279
00:15:15,720 --> 00:15:18,240
<i>where they found
Meredith's vehicle.</i>
280
00:15:18,360 --> 00:15:21,040
But what really got
my attention was,
281
00:15:21,160 --> 00:15:24,720
they said they found an
expandable police baton.
282
00:15:24,840 --> 00:15:27,560
<i>That's what really made
me stop in my tracks.</i>
283
00:15:27,680 --> 00:15:31,040
I knew someone
who used to work for me
284
00:15:31,160 --> 00:15:32,640
who carried a police baton.
285
00:15:32,760 --> 00:15:35,920
And now I'm just staring
at the television.
286
00:15:36,040 --> 00:15:39,880
<i>I just remember
just going numb.</i>
287
00:15:40,000 --> 00:15:42,640
<i>- John Tabor
contacts us and says,</i>
288
00:15:42,760 --> 00:15:43,880
<i>I know who you're
talking about.</i>
289
00:15:44,000 --> 00:15:45,640
His name
is Gary Michael Hilton.
290
00:15:45,760 --> 00:15:49,800
<i>♪</i>
291
00:15:49,920 --> 00:15:52,800
<i>[light piano music]</i>
292
00:15:52,920 --> 00:15:55,920
<i>♪</i>
293
00:15:56,040 --> 00:16:00,360
- I first met Gary Hilton
when he replied to a help
294
00:16:00,480 --> 00:16:02,800
wanted ad for telemarketers.
295
00:16:02,920 --> 00:16:05,360
<i>He was very fond
of the outdoors.</i>
296
00:16:05,480 --> 00:16:08,280
<i>And he was a smart individual.</i>
297
00:16:08,400 --> 00:16:12,600
He could do rather
complex mathematics
298
00:16:12,720 --> 00:16:14,840
in his head and spit
numbers out that most
299
00:16:14,960 --> 00:16:16,160
people couldn't do.
300
00:16:16,280 --> 00:16:18,120
<i>He did his job.</i>
301
00:16:18,240 --> 00:16:21,080
<i>And my impression was just
that he never got along</i>
302
00:16:21,200 --> 00:16:24,160
<i>that well with other people
and just, therefore,</i>
303
00:16:24,280 --> 00:16:28,040
<i>seemed to prefer
the company of his dog</i>
304
00:16:28,160 --> 00:16:31,240
<i>rather than other humans.</i>
305
00:16:31,360 --> 00:16:34,800
He worked in that office
306
00:16:34,920 --> 00:16:38,200
uneventfully for a decade.
307
00:16:38,320 --> 00:16:42,280
<i>♪</i>
308
00:16:42,400 --> 00:16:48,400
<i>I got frustrated at some
point, where it just</i>
309
00:16:48,520 --> 00:16:54,480
became obvious that he had lost
interest in actually working.
310
00:16:54,600 --> 00:17:00,040
And then, suddenly,
within a matter of a few weeks,
311
00:17:00,160 --> 00:17:05,440
he became extremely
distant and belligerent.
312
00:17:05,560 --> 00:17:09,320
<i>I realized at that point
that this is a real problem.</i>
313
00:17:09,440 --> 00:17:14,200
The situation just
spiraled downward rapidly.
314
00:17:14,320 --> 00:17:16,040
<i>I decided to stop by
the office</i>
315
00:17:16,160 --> 00:17:17,520
<i>one evening unannounced.</i>
316
00:17:17,640 --> 00:17:18,800
<i>The first thing
I noticed, there were</i>
317
00:17:18,920 --> 00:17:21,120
<i>no lights on in the office.</i>
318
00:17:21,240 --> 00:17:24,800
<i>And the back door was wide
open, which was also unusual.</i>
319
00:17:24,920 --> 00:17:27,360
<i>I just had
this feeling of doom.</i>
320
00:17:27,480 --> 00:17:28,440
<i>Nothing seemed right.</i>
321
00:17:28,560 --> 00:17:30,120
Everything seemed out of order.
322
00:17:30,240 --> 00:17:35,120
And then suddenly,
he pops out of a doorway.
323
00:17:35,240 --> 00:17:36,840
So I immediately
noticed that he was much
324
00:17:36,960 --> 00:17:39,320
more disheveled than normal.
325
00:17:39,440 --> 00:17:41,440
And I noticed that several
of his teeth were missing.
326
00:17:41,560 --> 00:17:44,400
<i>♪</i>
327
00:17:44,520 --> 00:17:47,920
<i>And I was pretty
shocked by that.</i>
328
00:17:48,040 --> 00:17:52,320
And I just said, oh, well, you
know, what happened to you?
329
00:17:52,440 --> 00:17:55,680
He said, I pulled them out
with this pair of pliers.
330
00:17:55,800 --> 00:17:58,960
<i>He said he did it so it
would frighten people</i>
331
00:17:59,080 --> 00:18:00,800
<i>when they looked at him.</i>
332
00:18:00,920 --> 00:18:03,240
I knew at that point, I needed
to get the hell out of there
333
00:18:03,360 --> 00:18:05,120
as soon as I could.
334
00:18:05,240 --> 00:18:10,720
I felt like something bad
could happen at any moment.
335
00:18:10,840 --> 00:18:13,640
<i>♪</i>
336
00:18:13,760 --> 00:18:18,120
<i>It really hit home when</i>
337
00:18:18,240 --> 00:18:23,840
he demanded a certain
amount of money, $3,000.
338
00:18:23,960 --> 00:18:26,720
<i>And he said,
you know, John,</i>
339
00:18:26,840 --> 00:18:28,680
<i>you've got a great life,
beautiful wife,</i>
340
00:18:28,800 --> 00:18:32,360
this beautiful young son.
341
00:18:32,480 --> 00:18:35,800
It would be such a shame
for you to lose all that.
342
00:18:35,920 --> 00:18:40,040
<i>It's a hell of a thing
to be confronted with.</i>
343
00:18:40,160 --> 00:18:43,600
<i>I agreed to write
this check for him.</i>
344
00:18:43,720 --> 00:18:46,040
I told him I would put it by
the front door of my house,
345
00:18:46,160 --> 00:18:47,560
and he would come get it,
so I did.
346
00:18:47,680 --> 00:18:49,040
I wrote the check
347
00:18:49,160 --> 00:18:50,800
<i>put it by the front door
of my house.</i>
348
00:18:50,920 --> 00:18:53,080
<i>And Hilton came
out of the woods,</i>
349
00:18:53,200 --> 00:18:56,360
<i>out of nowhere,
at exactly the same time</i>
350
00:18:56,480 --> 00:18:57,960
<i>as I was walking
down the driveway.</i>
351
00:18:58,080 --> 00:19:00,440
So we literally are
now facing each other.
352
00:19:00,560 --> 00:19:03,760
<i>And all I can remember
thinking at that point was,</i>
353
00:19:03,880 --> 00:19:06,440
wow, I wish I had on a
bulletproof vest and a firearm
354
00:19:06,560 --> 00:19:07,720
right now.
355
00:19:07,840 --> 00:19:10,680
<i>I felt incredibly vulnerable.</i>
356
00:19:10,800 --> 00:19:14,720
I knew at that moment, I needed
to get inside that front door
357
00:19:14,840 --> 00:19:16,360
of my house
as quickly as possible,
358
00:19:16,480 --> 00:19:19,560
because I had a Glock
9-millimeter positioned
359
00:19:19,680 --> 00:19:21,480
close to the front door.
360
00:19:21,600 --> 00:19:24,880
<i>I dropped my belongings on
the floor, got my firearm,</i>
361
00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:28,120
chambered the round, and came
right back out the front door
362
00:19:28,240 --> 00:19:32,600
<i>with the gun pointing
in the direction he was in.</i>
363
00:19:32,720 --> 00:19:35,120
He was now
maybe a hundred feet away,
364
00:19:35,240 --> 00:19:40,400
and he was fleeing back
off into the woods.
365
00:19:40,520 --> 00:19:43,680
I believed that one of us
was going to end up dead.
366
00:19:43,800 --> 00:19:50,800
<i>♪</i>
367
00:20:03,080 --> 00:20:06,160
<i>- We found out of his
bizarre encounters</i>
368
00:20:06,280 --> 00:20:08,320
<i>with law enforcement
in the past.</i>
369
00:20:08,440 --> 00:20:10,960
For instance, he would be
confronted in the forest
370
00:20:11,080 --> 00:20:13,600
for camping
in an unauthorized area.
371
00:20:13,720 --> 00:20:15,640
That was captured on video.
372
00:20:15,760 --> 00:20:19,400
And he was acting
extremely bizarre.
373
00:20:19,520 --> 00:20:21,360
<i>- When we look at people
who have gotten in trouble</i>
374
00:20:21,480 --> 00:20:24,240
with the law,
they don't necessarily
375
00:20:24,360 --> 00:20:27,600
fit our idea as a society
of acceptable behavior.
376
00:20:29,760 --> 00:20:32,600
- That's where most serial
killers kill, in an area
377
00:20:32,720 --> 00:20:34,000
where they are the
most comfortable,
378
00:20:34,120 --> 00:20:35,160
and they feel
the most in control.
379
00:20:39,760 --> 00:20:41,000
- He has the upper hand.
380
00:20:41,120 --> 00:20:43,920
He knows this area
backwards and forwards.
381
00:20:49,080 --> 00:20:52,120
- So it was easy
for him to scout,
382
00:20:52,240 --> 00:20:54,760
to have this fantasy
of whatever he's doing.
383
00:20:57,440 --> 00:21:00,760
- He knows exactly what to
do to get these people to do
384
00:21:00,880 --> 00:21:02,120
what he wants them to do.
385
00:21:13,240 --> 00:21:18,280
<i>♪</i>
386
00:21:18,400 --> 00:21:21,120
<i>- Authorities hold out little
hope of finding 24-year-old</i>
387
00:21:21,240 --> 00:21:22,920
<i>Meredith Emerson alive.</i>
388
00:21:23,040 --> 00:21:26,160
<i>- At that time,
the newscast was,</i>
389
00:21:26,280 --> 00:21:30,760
<i>missing young girl up here
in North Georgia mountains.</i>
390
00:21:30,880 --> 00:21:33,600
I remember running upstairs
after watching that broadcast
391
00:21:33,720 --> 00:21:37,840
and telling my wife,
you know, hey,
392
00:21:37,960 --> 00:21:39,440
you're not going
to believe this.
393
00:21:39,560 --> 00:21:41,360
But did I just hear
an expandable police baton?
394
00:21:41,480 --> 00:21:43,040
Because that's
something that I knew
395
00:21:43,160 --> 00:21:46,240
Hilton had with
him all the time.
396
00:21:46,360 --> 00:21:49,720
<i>He used those to protect
his dog from other dogs</i>
397
00:21:49,840 --> 00:21:51,000
<i>approaching his dog.</i>
398
00:21:51,120 --> 00:21:53,200
And again,
I had never met anyone
399
00:21:53,320 --> 00:21:56,520
in my life that carried
around a police baton
400
00:21:56,640 --> 00:21:58,520
unless they were
a police officer.
401
00:21:58,640 --> 00:22:03,360
And I said, I think I
need to call the police.
402
00:22:03,480 --> 00:22:04,960
I basically just said--
403
00:22:05,080 --> 00:22:09,080
told them who I was
and that I knew someone
404
00:22:09,200 --> 00:22:11,880
who carried a police baton.
405
00:22:12,000 --> 00:22:18,400
He fit the description, had a
dog that fit that description.
406
00:22:18,520 --> 00:22:20,160
I told them his name.
407
00:22:20,280 --> 00:22:24,000
I told them the vehicle
that he was driving.
408
00:22:24,120 --> 00:22:27,720
- John Tabor says, I can give
you the tag number to the van
409
00:22:27,840 --> 00:22:32,200
because I bought it for him.
410
00:22:32,320 --> 00:22:35,080
So we pull a driver's
license photo of him
411
00:22:35,200 --> 00:22:38,400
<i>and put it out onto
the news media.</i>
412
00:22:38,520 --> 00:22:41,800
<i>- Maybe six hours after I
made that phone call, and--</i>
413
00:22:41,920 --> 00:22:46,160
this is the part
that still stuns me today--
414
00:22:46,280 --> 00:22:47,280
my phone rang.
415
00:22:47,400 --> 00:22:48,640
[phone buzzes]
416
00:22:48,760 --> 00:22:52,160
And it was him.
417
00:22:52,280 --> 00:22:54,120
<i>♪</i>
418
00:22:54,240 --> 00:22:57,320
<i>After seven months of
absolutely no communication,</i>
419
00:22:57,440 --> 00:23:00,520
<i>and there he was, on the
phone with me, out of nowhere,</i>
420
00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:04,000
<i>like a ghost.</i>
421
00:23:04,120 --> 00:23:08,320
I'm just, you know,
sitting in my car
422
00:23:08,440 --> 00:23:10,160
in a state of disbelief.
423
00:23:10,280 --> 00:23:12,480
<i>♪</i>
424
00:23:12,600 --> 00:23:14,440
<i>And I played along.</i>
425
00:23:14,560 --> 00:23:18,800
<i>And he said he needed some
money to get started,</i>
426
00:23:18,920 --> 00:23:20,560
you know, to get back
to work and whatnot.
427
00:23:20,680 --> 00:23:21,760
And I said, hey,
that's no problem.
428
00:23:21,880 --> 00:23:23,360
How much do you need?
429
00:23:23,480 --> 00:23:25,000
We discussed an amount.
430
00:23:25,120 --> 00:23:26,120
And I said, yeah,
I'll be more than
431
00:23:26,240 --> 00:23:27,760
happy to give you the check.
432
00:23:27,880 --> 00:23:28,720
I tried to meet him
right then and there.
433
00:23:28,840 --> 00:23:30,080
I said, well, where are you?
434
00:23:30,200 --> 00:23:34,120
I'll bring you
a check right now.
435
00:23:34,240 --> 00:23:35,640
<i>He just said that
that's not possible.</i>
436
00:23:35,760 --> 00:23:37,360
<i>I can't meet you.</i>
437
00:23:37,480 --> 00:23:39,440
He could not meet me then
under any circumstances.
438
00:23:39,560 --> 00:23:41,480
But within the next
couple of days,
439
00:23:41,600 --> 00:23:44,480
he would come get the check.
440
00:23:44,600 --> 00:23:46,800
<i>- Once we learned that there
was a possibility that Hilton</i>
441
00:23:46,920 --> 00:23:48,640
would go to pick up the check,
442
00:23:48,760 --> 00:23:52,440
we got with the local
jurisdiction in Atlanta.
443
00:23:52,560 --> 00:23:57,480
And they deployed their SWAT
team around the business.
444
00:23:57,600 --> 00:24:00,360
<i>And they were prepared to
grab him if he showed up.</i>
445
00:24:00,480 --> 00:24:04,240
<i>They stayed all night, into
the next day, and into Friday,</i>
446
00:24:04,360 --> 00:24:06,200
and he didn't show up.
447
00:24:06,320 --> 00:24:11,400
<i>♪</i>
448
00:24:11,520 --> 00:24:17,320
It wasn't that long until a
citizen called 911 in that
449
00:24:17,440 --> 00:24:19,520
jurisdiction
in Atlanta and said,
450
00:24:19,640 --> 00:24:21,280
I think I'm looking
at the guy that y'all
451
00:24:21,400 --> 00:24:24,000
have been looking for all
week with the missing hiker.
452
00:24:24,120 --> 00:24:25,360
<i>- DeKalb 911.</i>
453
00:24:25,480 --> 00:24:27,080
<i>What's the exact location?</i>
454
00:24:41,240 --> 00:24:44,560
<i>♪</i>
455
00:24:48,440 --> 00:24:51,320
<i>[tense music]</i>
456
00:24:51,440 --> 00:24:55,080
<i>♪</i>
457
00:25:11,560 --> 00:25:13,040
- Basically stayed
on the phone,
458
00:25:13,160 --> 00:25:16,520
watching him, while the
officers were responding
459
00:25:16,640 --> 00:25:17,840
to take him into custody.
460
00:25:17,960 --> 00:25:19,760
<i>♪</i>
461
00:25:19,880 --> 00:25:22,120
<i>- He was not talking.</i>
462
00:25:22,240 --> 00:25:27,840
But we knew that there
were answers to some
463
00:25:27,960 --> 00:25:30,000
of our questions in the van.
464
00:25:30,120 --> 00:25:33,160
<i>- Three bloody fleece tops and
a bloodstained piece of a car</i>
465
00:25:33,280 --> 00:25:35,360
<i>seat belt were
found in a trash bin</i>
466
00:25:35,480 --> 00:25:36,880
<i>beside a convenience
store where</i>
467
00:25:37,000 --> 00:25:38,600
<i>Hilton had used a pay phone.</i>
468
00:25:38,720 --> 00:25:40,680
<i>Hilton had attempted
to vacuum and wash</i>
469
00:25:40,800 --> 00:25:42,400
<i>portions of his van.</i>
470
00:25:42,520 --> 00:25:45,960
- Basically, everything that
had blood on it, or he thought
471
00:25:46,080 --> 00:25:48,720
had blood on it, or anything
that could tie him to Meredith,
472
00:25:48,840 --> 00:25:52,520
he was trying to rid his
van of it, basically.
473
00:25:52,640 --> 00:25:55,840
We had DeKalb County transport
him to our headquarters.
474
00:25:55,960 --> 00:25:59,480
<i>♪</i>
475
00:25:59,600 --> 00:26:03,320
<i>- When I arrived at the scene,
Gary's vehicle was there.</i>
476
00:26:03,440 --> 00:26:06,200
There were witnesses that had
seen Gary taking items out
477
00:26:06,320 --> 00:26:08,280
of his vehicle and throwing
them in the dumpster
478
00:26:08,400 --> 00:26:10,040
at the convenience store.
479
00:26:10,160 --> 00:26:12,160
So I had a long
night ahead of me.
480
00:26:12,280 --> 00:26:13,840
<i>I had to go through
the dumpster,</i>
481
00:26:13,960 --> 00:26:15,680
<i>process every item
in the dumpster</i>
482
00:26:15,800 --> 00:26:17,640
<i>behind a convenience store.</i>
483
00:26:17,760 --> 00:26:20,400
<i>I then had Gary's van,
which we made the decision</i>
484
00:26:20,520 --> 00:26:23,160
to tow the van and process it
in a controlled environment
485
00:26:23,280 --> 00:26:25,080
back in our lab.
486
00:26:25,200 --> 00:26:28,720
- When I first met him, he was
on the floor in a conference
487
00:26:28,840 --> 00:26:32,400
room in GBI headquarters.
488
00:26:32,520 --> 00:26:36,520
<i>- Gary was lying on the
floor in a fetal position</i>
489
00:26:36,640 --> 00:26:40,640
<i>and kept saying that he
had multiple sclerosis,</i>
490
00:26:40,760 --> 00:26:44,240
and he needed an immediate shot
of folic acid,
491
00:26:44,360 --> 00:26:47,840
and just kind of talking crazy.
492
00:26:47,960 --> 00:26:52,160
<i>- He had a fingernail
gouge into his nose,</i>
493
00:26:52,280 --> 00:26:57,320
<i>a pretty substantial cut on
his nose from a fingernail.</i>
494
00:26:57,440 --> 00:27:00,640
It looked to be a
defensive wound someone
495
00:27:00,760 --> 00:27:02,680
else had inflicted on him.
496
00:27:02,800 --> 00:27:05,480
And his hand
was obviously broken.
497
00:27:05,600 --> 00:27:10,000
<i>And I said, hey,
I just want to talk</i>
498
00:27:10,120 --> 00:27:11,840
<i>to you a little bit about
where Meredith Emerson is.</i>
499
00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:34,720
- He said, I believe
verbatim, he said,
500
00:27:34,840 --> 00:27:36,000
I'm answering no questions.
501
00:27:36,120 --> 00:27:37,920
I'm waiving no rights.
502
00:27:38,040 --> 00:27:40,560
I want an attorney present
with me before any questioning.
503
00:27:40,680 --> 00:27:44,680
<i>♪</i>
504
00:27:44,800 --> 00:27:46,400
<i>- In Georgia,
police are questioning</i>
505
00:27:46,520 --> 00:27:49,640
<i>the man last seen with missing
hiker Meredith Emerson.</i>
506
00:27:49,760 --> 00:27:51,560
<i>Emerson disappeared
on New Year's Day</i>
507
00:27:51,680 --> 00:27:54,840
<i>after going to a state park
for a hike with her dog.</i>
508
00:27:54,960 --> 00:28:00,000
- Once we had his van,
we had tons of evidence.
509
00:28:00,120 --> 00:28:03,080
<i>The first obvious blood
pattern that was located</i>
510
00:28:03,200 --> 00:28:05,840
<i>was on the back
of the driver's seat.</i>
511
00:28:05,960 --> 00:28:08,040
So we cut it out.
512
00:28:08,160 --> 00:28:12,440
- We had blood in the van
that matched Meredith Emerson.
513
00:28:12,560 --> 00:28:15,040
<i>Cheryl Dunlap's
car had a flat tire.</i>
514
00:28:15,160 --> 00:28:18,080
<i>And there was a bayonet
that we recovered,</i>
515
00:28:18,200 --> 00:28:20,480
<i>like a
military-style bayonet knife.</i>
516
00:28:20,600 --> 00:28:23,400
<i>And Florida forensics
were able to match that</i>
517
00:28:23,520 --> 00:28:26,200
<i>to the puncture in the tire.</i>
518
00:28:26,320 --> 00:28:30,120
In a couple of the videos,
519
00:28:30,240 --> 00:28:34,000
where Gary is trying to get
money out of the ATM,
520
00:28:34,120 --> 00:28:36,240
<i>he's wearing a yellow
jacket with a piece</i>
521
00:28:36,360 --> 00:28:38,520
<i>of reflective material on it.</i>
522
00:28:38,640 --> 00:28:41,560
<i>That jacket was in the van.</i>
523
00:28:41,680 --> 00:28:45,080
- In Georgia,
there is a criminal statute
524
00:28:45,200 --> 00:28:48,440
called kidnapping
with bodily injury,
525
00:28:48,560 --> 00:28:50,440
which carries a life sentence.
526
00:28:50,560 --> 00:28:53,920
So we knew that we
had him for that.
527
00:28:54,040 --> 00:28:55,240
<i>- We got a call
from the prosecutor</i>
528
00:28:55,360 --> 00:28:57,960
and said, OK, he's
willing to meet and tell
529
00:28:58,080 --> 00:28:59,320
you where Meredith is.
530
00:29:05,880 --> 00:29:08,200
<i>- He is such a narcissist</i>
531
00:29:08,320 --> 00:29:13,040
that he believes that he
is the best at what he does.
532
00:29:13,160 --> 00:29:18,280
<i>And I believe that
for him to be caught</i>
533
00:29:18,400 --> 00:29:21,720
<i>was almost humiliating
to him, because he was</i>
534
00:29:21,840 --> 00:29:23,160
<i>smarter than anybody,</i>
535
00:29:23,280 --> 00:29:26,080
smarter than any of us
in the room with him.
536
00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:42,480
<i>- Everything I've studied
throughout my career</i>
537
00:29:42,600 --> 00:29:46,440
tells me that he's probably
a sexual sadist psychopath.
538
00:29:46,560 --> 00:29:47,800
<i>♪</i>
539
00:29:47,920 --> 00:29:50,640
<i>One thing that he
wanted very much</i>
540
00:29:50,760 --> 00:29:52,200
<i>was to have the death
penalty taken off the table</i>
541
00:29:52,320 --> 00:29:54,080
<i>before he would talk.</i>
542
00:29:54,200 --> 00:29:57,080
At that point,
we knew we had John Bryant
543
00:29:57,200 --> 00:30:02,120
<i>DNA in that van.</i>
544
00:30:02,240 --> 00:30:06,560
<i>Some boots had Cheryl
Dunlap's blood on it.</i>
545
00:30:06,680 --> 00:30:08,800
So we knew we had a couple
of more bites at the apple
546
00:30:08,920 --> 00:30:10,840
of giving him
the death penalty,
547
00:30:10,960 --> 00:30:14,120
<i>and agreed to go ahead
and take</i>
548
00:30:14,240 --> 00:30:15,640
<i>the death penalty off
the table for Meredith</i>
549
00:30:15,760 --> 00:30:18,600
and recover her body.
550
00:30:18,720 --> 00:30:20,160
<i>- Went up to the jail.</i>
551
00:30:20,280 --> 00:30:22,640
<i>And Clay and I
went into a room.</i>
552
00:30:22,760 --> 00:30:24,280
<i>And they brought him in.</i>
553
00:30:24,400 --> 00:30:26,840
<i>And I said, I understand
that you want to tell</i>
554
00:30:26,960 --> 00:30:28,520
<i>us where Meredith is now.</i>
555
00:30:28,640 --> 00:30:30,560
<i>And so he began
to tell us the story.</i>
556
00:30:34,440 --> 00:30:38,080
<i>[tense music]</i>
557
00:30:38,200 --> 00:30:42,840
- Meredith decided to go for a
hike and a jog on New Year's.
558
00:30:42,960 --> 00:30:46,040
<i>Gary sat up in the woods
and surveyed the parking lot</i>
559
00:30:46,160 --> 00:30:47,960
<i>and made the decision on
who he was going to abduct</i>
560
00:30:48,080 --> 00:30:50,080
<i>and carried out his plan.</i>
561
00:30:50,200 --> 00:30:53,680
- Hilton basically
saw her on the trail.
562
00:30:53,800 --> 00:30:56,120
<i>♪</i>
563
00:30:56,240 --> 00:30:57,120
<i>She had a dog.</i>
564
00:30:57,240 --> 00:30:58,800
<i>He had a dog.</i>
565
00:30:58,920 --> 00:30:59,560
<i>He knew that he could
strike up a conversation</i>
566
00:30:59,680 --> 00:31:02,080
<i>about the dogs.</i>
567
00:31:02,200 --> 00:31:04,200
<i>Eventually, she said, OK,
I'll talk to you later.</i>
568
00:31:04,320 --> 00:31:06,080
<i>And she pretty much
ran up the trail.</i>
569
00:31:06,200 --> 00:31:08,280
<i>And she probably
sensed that there</i>
570
00:31:08,400 --> 00:31:10,960
<i>was something-- something
wasn't good about it,</i>
571
00:31:11,080 --> 00:31:13,600
<i>and left him behind.</i>
572
00:31:13,720 --> 00:31:19,160
So he concealed himself
along the trail.
573
00:31:19,280 --> 00:31:21,480
Some people had actually
seen him hiding,
574
00:31:21,600 --> 00:31:23,080
crouching behind the rocks.
575
00:31:23,200 --> 00:31:25,920
- Gary Hilton waited
on Meredith as she was
576
00:31:26,040 --> 00:31:27,880
coming back down the trail.
577
00:31:28,000 --> 00:31:30,360
And he attacked her.
578
00:31:30,480 --> 00:31:33,040
<i>♪</i>
579
00:31:47,080 --> 00:31:49,040
- Meredith was trained
in martial arts.
580
00:31:49,160 --> 00:31:50,640
And Gary Hilton
would later tell
581
00:31:50,760 --> 00:31:52,960
us that she almost took him.
582
00:31:53,080 --> 00:31:55,680
In other words,
she almost beat him up.
583
00:31:55,800 --> 00:31:58,720
- He finally got control of her
by convincing her he had a gun.
584
00:32:04,920 --> 00:32:08,520
- And so he makes his way
back down to the parking lot
585
00:32:08,640 --> 00:32:12,400
and forces Meredith into
the van, along with Ella,
586
00:32:12,520 --> 00:32:14,120
and they leave.
587
00:32:31,280 --> 00:32:36,480
- The bank should have known
that her PIN and her card
588
00:32:36,600 --> 00:32:38,200
was used.
589
00:32:38,320 --> 00:32:44,320
For whatever reason,
since no money was taken out,
590
00:32:44,440 --> 00:32:49,880
they didn't classify that
as being used, or something.
591
00:32:50,000 --> 00:32:54,120
<i>But I feel confident
that in Meredith's mind,</i>
592
00:32:54,240 --> 00:32:57,160
<i>she was doing that</i>
593
00:32:57,280 --> 00:33:01,760
in hopes that we would
be able to track her
594
00:33:01,880 --> 00:33:03,440
and be able to find her sooner.
595
00:33:16,800 --> 00:33:18,000
- She was thinking,
well, if I can just
596
00:33:18,120 --> 00:33:21,080
keep him at bay just
a little bit longer,
597
00:33:21,200 --> 00:33:22,080
they're going to find me.
598
00:33:22,200 --> 00:33:23,000
They're going to find me.
599
00:33:59,400 --> 00:34:01,120
<i>- I listened to
all that and him</i>
600
00:34:01,240 --> 00:34:02,960
<i>describe how he took her life.</i>
601
00:34:03,080 --> 00:34:08,200
And once he was taken away,
it all flooded in on me,
602
00:34:08,320 --> 00:34:09,760
and I just began to cry.
603
00:34:09,880 --> 00:34:12,520
It was nothing
I've ever experienced
604
00:34:12,640 --> 00:34:16,760
<i>before, nothing like anything
I've ever been around.</i>
605
00:34:16,880 --> 00:34:19,920
<i>[somber music]</i>
606
00:34:26,840 --> 00:34:31,640
- It was too much to even
comprehend,
607
00:34:31,760 --> 00:34:36,840
how he could be that cruel,
608
00:34:36,960 --> 00:34:43,080
that evil, and commit
the horrific acts that he did.
609
00:34:43,200 --> 00:34:44,840
<i>It's sickening.</i>
610
00:34:44,960 --> 00:34:47,880
<i>It makes me sick today,
just thinking about it.</i>
611
00:34:48,000 --> 00:34:51,320
<i>I'm sick to my stomach.</i>
612
00:34:51,440 --> 00:34:57,920
<i>♪</i>
613
00:34:58,040 --> 00:34:59,680
I wish I had killed him.
614
00:34:59,800 --> 00:35:02,240
<i>♪</i>
615
00:35:02,360 --> 00:35:07,440
- After the fact,
finding out
616
00:35:07,560 --> 00:35:12,480
everything that she did and how
close we came to catching him
617
00:35:12,600 --> 00:35:15,600
on numerous occasions,
and she was still alive,
618
00:35:15,720 --> 00:35:20,640
to this day,
it breaks my heart.
619
00:35:35,240 --> 00:35:37,240
- He agreed to tell
us where the body was.
620
00:35:37,360 --> 00:35:40,200
<i>And he started
showing us on a map.</i>
621
00:35:40,320 --> 00:35:43,400
<i>And he said,
the head will be missing.</i>
622
00:35:43,520 --> 00:35:47,200
<i>- So we took Hilton
to that area.</i>
623
00:35:47,320 --> 00:35:49,320
<i>We take him with us
down there because I</i>
624
00:35:49,440 --> 00:35:55,440
was not sure at all that
we could find both scenes.
625
00:35:55,560 --> 00:36:00,800
And so we were able
to find Meredith's body.
626
00:36:00,920 --> 00:36:02,480
<i>♪</i>
627
00:36:02,600 --> 00:36:05,520
- Well, the body was
covered with leaves
628
00:36:05,640 --> 00:36:07,320
and limbs and debris.
629
00:36:07,440 --> 00:36:09,600
Literally, you could be
standing a couple of feet away
630
00:36:09,720 --> 00:36:11,320
and not know there
was a body there.
631
00:36:11,440 --> 00:36:14,520
So he had done a very good
job of concealing the body.
632
00:36:14,640 --> 00:36:16,400
<i>♪</i>
633
00:36:16,520 --> 00:36:20,120
- He had taken her
head off and moved it
634
00:36:20,240 --> 00:36:25,320
to another location about
a mile away from her body.
635
00:36:25,440 --> 00:36:31,240
And we walked him down a
little road inside the forest.
636
00:36:31,360 --> 00:36:36,560
And he told me to walk
up over a small bank
637
00:36:36,680 --> 00:36:40,120
<i>to a dead tree that would
be lying on the ground.</i>
638
00:36:40,240 --> 00:36:42,040
<i>On one end of the tree
would be some</i>
639
00:36:42,160 --> 00:36:43,960
<i>of Meredith's clothing.</i>
640
00:36:44,080 --> 00:36:48,200
<i>And toward the other
end would be her head.</i>
641
00:36:48,320 --> 00:36:50,520
<i>♪</i>
642
00:36:50,640 --> 00:36:53,640
And we secured both
scenes and went to work
643
00:36:53,760 --> 00:36:55,400
that night in the forest.
644
00:36:55,520 --> 00:36:57,880
<i>♪</i>
645
00:36:58,000 --> 00:36:59,880
<i>Gary Hilton was very arrogant.</i>
646
00:37:00,000 --> 00:37:03,360
He was very nonchalant
about what he had done
647
00:37:03,480 --> 00:37:06,440
<i>and why he had done it.</i>
648
00:37:06,560 --> 00:37:11,760
I asked him why he
had removed her head.
649
00:37:11,880 --> 00:37:16,600
And he said,
for forensic purposes.
650
00:37:16,720 --> 00:37:19,520
<i>Gary Hilton didn't do that
for forensic purposes.</i>
651
00:37:19,640 --> 00:37:22,360
<i>He did it because he liked it.</i>
652
00:37:22,480 --> 00:37:24,520
As soon as I was able to find
653
00:37:24,640 --> 00:37:30,080
Meredith's head
654
00:37:30,200 --> 00:37:32,880
I guess that's about the
only time in my career
655
00:37:33,000 --> 00:37:34,200
that I just wanted
to shoot him.
656
00:37:34,320 --> 00:37:36,320
<i>♪</i>
657
00:37:36,440 --> 00:37:40,520
<i>He has absolutely no
redeeming features at all.</i>
658
00:37:40,640 --> 00:37:43,000
So we got him out
of there very quickly
659
00:37:43,120 --> 00:37:44,640
and took him back
up to the jail.
660
00:38:01,480 --> 00:38:07,200
- It was the most horrific
thing I think I had ever heard.
661
00:38:07,320 --> 00:38:09,160
<i>- You really start
getting a sense</i>
662
00:38:09,280 --> 00:38:15,440
of this dehumanization and
complete lack of any ability
663
00:38:15,560 --> 00:38:16,960
to care about anybody else.
664
00:38:28,120 --> 00:38:32,040
- He seemed to have no trouble
whatsoever murdering Meredith.
665
00:38:32,160 --> 00:38:36,080
But he cannot murder Ella.
666
00:38:36,200 --> 00:38:38,600
<i>And I think that's
very, very significant.</i>
667
00:38:38,720 --> 00:38:41,880
<i>It just speaks to the
lack of attachment</i>
668
00:38:42,000 --> 00:38:44,440
that Gary Hilton seems
to have with anybody.
669
00:38:44,560 --> 00:38:47,640
<i>♪</i>
670
00:38:47,760 --> 00:38:51,960
- John Bryant
was taken, held captive
671
00:38:52,080 --> 00:38:53,920
<i>in the back of Hilton's van.</i>
672
00:38:54,040 --> 00:38:56,720
He chained him around the
neck and padlocked the chain.
673
00:38:56,840 --> 00:38:59,400
<i>- And takes him
to another park.</i>
674
00:38:59,520 --> 00:39:05,960
And then he kills him, uses
his bank card, and gets $300.
675
00:39:06,080 --> 00:39:09,160
And that is what he gets
in exchange for, you know,
676
00:39:09,280 --> 00:39:12,000
just a beautiful couple's life.
677
00:39:12,120 --> 00:39:15,560
<i>- And it was later
on that John's body</i>
678
00:39:15,680 --> 00:39:20,240
was found in the
Nantahala National Forest.
679
00:39:20,360 --> 00:39:23,240
- And he was identified by
his pacemaker, I believe.
680
00:39:23,360 --> 00:39:25,000
He had a pacemaker inserted.
681
00:39:25,120 --> 00:39:29,640
And it was still
within his remains.
682
00:39:29,760 --> 00:39:32,360
<i>- I do think,
once he crossed the line,</i>
683
00:39:32,480 --> 00:39:38,440
once he murders Irene and John,
I think there is no going back.
684
00:39:38,560 --> 00:39:40,000
And I think he
would have continued
685
00:39:40,120 --> 00:39:43,440
to kill until he was caught.
686
00:40:00,240 --> 00:40:03,800
- It tells us a lot about Gary
Hilton in terms of how he views
687
00:40:03,920 --> 00:40:07,080
his victims,
essentially as objects
688
00:40:07,200 --> 00:40:10,720
that he's got to now figure out
how to disguise and get rid of.
689
00:40:26,880 --> 00:40:28,800
- We know he allegedly
had a psychotic break.
690
00:40:28,920 --> 00:40:31,800
And there have been several
people who've said that perhaps
691
00:40:31,920 --> 00:40:33,560
he had some severe
mental illness,
692
00:40:33,680 --> 00:40:35,400
like schizoaffective disorder
and those kinds of things.
693
00:40:35,520 --> 00:40:40,000
<i>♪</i>
694
00:40:58,960 --> 00:41:00,760
- He goes in all these rants.
695
00:41:00,880 --> 00:41:02,440
<i>He talks about all
these things that</i>
696
00:41:02,560 --> 00:41:05,680
<i>don't seem to have anything
to do with the reason</i>
697
00:41:05,800 --> 00:41:07,760
<i>he's being interrogated about.</i>
698
00:41:07,880 --> 00:41:12,000
<i>He absolutely does
seem to be, you know,</i>
699
00:41:12,120 --> 00:41:16,080
<i>disturbed in some respects.</i>
700
00:41:16,200 --> 00:41:17,960
- There is no doubt
in my mind that he
701
00:41:18,080 --> 00:41:21,160
killed many other people.
702
00:41:21,280 --> 00:41:23,200
- You don't wake
up at 61 and start
703
00:41:23,320 --> 00:41:26,640
doing these kinds of crimes
the way he does them.
704
00:41:26,760 --> 00:41:28,960
Dismembering bodies
is not something
705
00:41:29,080 --> 00:41:31,760
you just decide to do.
706
00:41:31,880 --> 00:41:34,560
<i>- There's no way to know that
unless he tells you that,</i>
707
00:41:34,680 --> 00:41:36,000
unless you can prove
to him that you
708
00:41:36,120 --> 00:41:37,760
can prove that he did do it.
709
00:41:37,880 --> 00:41:41,680
<i>♪</i>
710
00:41:41,800 --> 00:41:45,520
- I think
that Gary Michael Hilton
711
00:41:45,640 --> 00:41:50,640
is a coward.
712
00:41:50,760 --> 00:41:56,320
<i>What he did to Meredith
and what he did to Sherry,</i>
713
00:41:56,440 --> 00:41:59,280
<i>just absolutely,
totally wicked.</i>
714
00:41:59,400 --> 00:42:06,360
<i>♪</i>
715
00:42:17,280 --> 00:42:20,080
<i>- Gary Hilton's
absolutely evil.</i>
716
00:42:20,200 --> 00:42:22,440
<i>You look in his eyes,
and you can tell that.</i>
717
00:42:22,560 --> 00:42:27,240
He brags about being the
smartest guy in the room.
718
00:42:27,360 --> 00:42:31,960
<i>Yeah, even though he
has a fairly high IQ,</i>
719
00:42:32,080 --> 00:42:34,520
<i>he made some serious
mistakes in these cases</i>
720
00:42:34,640 --> 00:42:38,920
<i>that helped us prosecute him.</i>
721
00:42:39,040 --> 00:42:43,920
But he's a typical serial
killer, very narcissistic,
722
00:42:44,040 --> 00:42:47,680
holds himself in
very high regard,
723
00:42:47,800 --> 00:42:51,360
has to be the center of
attention when you talk to him.
724
00:42:51,480 --> 00:42:54,400
He fits the definition of
a serial killer, by far.
725
00:42:54,520 --> 00:42:58,080
<i>♪</i>
726
00:42:58,200 --> 00:43:02,280
- I honestly believe that
there's countless victims that
727
00:43:02,400 --> 00:43:05,280
fell victim to Gary Hilton.
728
00:43:05,400 --> 00:43:09,480
But he will never
say anything about it
729
00:43:09,600 --> 00:43:15,240
unless his execution date is
set and the time draws near.
730
00:43:15,360 --> 00:43:19,760
He may bring something
up just to remain alive.
731
00:43:19,880 --> 00:43:24,520
So I'm holding out hope
that when that day comes,
732
00:43:24,640 --> 00:43:27,200
and hopefully in the
near future, that he will
733
00:43:27,320 --> 00:43:29,160
start to open up a little bit.
734
00:43:29,280 --> 00:43:34,400
But unless you can show Gary
Hilton that he is caught,
735
00:43:34,520 --> 00:43:39,400
he will admit to nothing.
736
00:43:39,520 --> 00:43:41,600
<i>He's just pure evil.</i>
737
00:43:41,720 --> 00:43:43,640
<i>You can see it in his eyes.</i>
738
00:43:43,760 --> 00:43:46,120
I've never met
anybody that you could
739
00:43:46,240 --> 00:43:49,800
literally look in their
eyes and see evil, but him.
740
00:43:49,920 --> 00:43:50,800
<i>And he is.</i>
741
00:43:50,920 --> 00:43:54,360
<i>He's truly evil.</i>
742
00:43:54,480 --> 00:44:01,480
<i>♪</i>
743
00:44:18,720 --> 00:44:21,440
- He called himself
a sick ripper.
744
00:44:21,560 --> 00:44:23,960
<i>- He was an affable
southern gentleman,</i>
745
00:44:24,080 --> 00:44:26,480
had a good sense of humor,
and was very easygoing
746
00:44:26,600 --> 00:44:27,480
and laid back.
747
00:44:32,280 --> 00:44:36,200
<i>- He shows that picture and
tells a jailhouse inmate,</i>
748
00:44:36,320 --> 00:44:38,080
I'm the one that murdered
this young woman.
749
00:44:45,200 --> 00:44:47,600
- She was stepping
into a death chamber.
749
00:44:48,305 --> 00:45:48,326
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