PROFILER 1X08: CRUEL AND UNUSUAL ORIGINAL AIR DATE ON NBC: 12/14/1996
-Don't look at me like that, Ronnie. I'll only be gone a few hours.
-Stop pouting.
I mean it.
Ok?.
-When I get back, we'll go for a walk.
-Oh, he'll like this. It shows lots of cleavage.
-Yeah, but, Coop, I mean, how do you kill ninteen people and not have a fingerprint on file anywhere?
No, Jack's prints didn't match anything: Not military, not criminal, nothing.
Yeah, I miss you, too.
All right, I'll, uh. I'll talk to you over the weekend.
Ok. All right. Bye.
-Hey.
Oh, hey, Bailey.
No.
What kind of cage?
-A couple of horseback riders found her this afternoon.
Local police think it might be some kind of cult thing.
Pretty freaked. They're not used to this level of violence.
-And we're supposed to be? -How long has she been out here?
- She's been dead less than 12 hours and out here a few days before that.
-Any idea who she is?
-No I. D. On the body. Nothing yet off missing persons.
-Asphyxiated? - Well, it looks like it, but she's covered with wounds.
She's got burns on her feet, on her back, lacerations to her head.
-What's with her fingers?
-Looks like she was clawing the dirt.
-Trying to get out.
-Not with this lock.
-Looks like her hair.
-Was it cut off?
- I don't know. I have to examine it in the lab.
I think she was pulling it out. It's one big clump.
-What the hell is this?
- Ooh. Ooh, that would drive me crazy.
-Maybe that was the point. Someone wanted her to go insane.
- We found 6 prints on the dry cleaning bag. No matches yet.
-Any sexual abuse? - No, not unless he's into feet.
They've got third-degree burns from some kind of flame.
Maybe to stop her from running away?
-No, I think he probably did that after he got her into the cage.
- It started with a stun gun.
She's got 2 burns on her back from 50,000 volts.
-Well, maybe he had to knock her out to get control.
- Well, she's got severe head trauma, but it's not from blunt force.
I think she was banging her head against the cage.
-I think it was about torturing her mind as well as her body.
I mean, the lights, the noise, her feet.
- Looked like she had a pretty good life before this: Designer
clothes, the best dental work money could buy, cesarean scar.
-A mother.
- Do you think he knew her?
Or she just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time?
-No, the wounds are too specific.
I think that the killer knew her.
And I think that he wanted to hurt her before he killed her.
-It's almost as if it was an act of revenge.
-Just heard from Atlanta P.D.
Someone called in a bomb threat at the train station.
Said the device was in the handicapped stall.
That's the same stall we found Jack's last victim.
-That's a nice subtle message about Coop, isn't it?
No bomb, right?
-Just a note, to you.
-Looks like you could use a hand.
-I guess we're not moving fast enough for him.
- Sorry, we're busy. He's not the only sick-o on our minds.
-Well, he wants me totally focused on him.
-I called Coop. He's ok.
-Thanks, Bailey.
- We just got a hit on missing persons.
Cincinnati Bureau's faxing over the stats.
-Grace, could you -- -Oh, yeah, I'll get right on it.
- Her name is Phyllis Thompson. She's a clinical psychologist.
Husband reported her missing four days ago.
-She was a psychologist? - Yeah.
They've been harassed for the past two months, filed 8 police reports.
-What were they on?
- Well, the night she disappeared, this was painted on the house.
- A week before, broken windows, and the whole time, they were getting weird stuff in the mail, like this stuff.
-Any matching M. O.s? - Not this century.
-First impressions?
-Well, there are two things going on here.
Psychologically, we have someone who creates a total state of fear.
-He enjoys taunting and forecasting death.
And on a physical level, he tortures before he kills.
-A sadist? -Mmm, but it isn't sexual.
I think it's about control or revenge.
Where was Phyllis Thompson's practice?
- The outpatient clinic, St. James Hospital, Cincinnati.
-Check her patient list, John. Sam, let's talk to the husband.
-Mr.Thompson?
-Mr.Thompson, can you tell us where your wife was going when she disappeared?
- She got a call from a patient. Someone upset.
- It won't come off.
I got to get it off. I can't stand looking at it.
-You--you know what you could do? You know what you could do?
-You could paint over it.
- Yeah, maybe this wall. Just this section, yeah.
- That'd work. Thanks.
-The person who called your wife, was it a man, woman?
- Philly didn't say, but whoever it was, was a fake, the cops said.
-Can you show us where she was abducted?
- Um.
- The police said that.
it happened right here on the side of the road.
Just right around here.
- Dwayne! Dwayne! Calm down.
- Sorry about that.
-It's ok. We needed the adrenaline rush.
- It's ok, good boy.
-Was Dwayne out here the night Phyllis disappeared? - Yeah.
-Was he chained? - No. At night, we don't chain him.
-How did someone get past Dwayne?
- He probably threw a bone to Dwayne.
-Did your wife ever mention any patients that she was afraid of?
- She didn't talk much about her work -- um, professional ethics, I guess.
But there were a couple guys who kind of worried her.
Um, Monty was one, and--and--and, I don't' know, Jim or Jack or something.
- Where's Jenn? - She's out in the front.
- Jennifer Ann! What are you doing out here?
Told you never, never, never to go anywhere by yourself!
What is wrong with you?
-I've stopped being thrown every time someone mentions the name Jack.
-I get thrown too.
I wake up in the morning thinking about the Bastard.
-Please pass the mustard.
-Here. Do you know what's in those things?
-Sometimes, denial's a good thing. Let's get back on Phyllis Thompson.
-If it was a patient, I know how she must've felt.
One of my first patients was a guy named Jerry Pape.
After his first visit, I knew he was a little out there.
On his third visit, he gave me a lucky rabbit's foot and I thought. huh. He's a little sweetie,
he has a crush on me. Then, I saw the rest of the rabbit
over the pocket (she laughs). -True love.
-Hmm. Part of me was determined to stay and help him and the other part just wanted to run for the hills.
-What did you do?
-I passed him along to someone more experienced.
And I felt like a complete failure. -I'm glad you survived and.
-Ego.
-Malone.
-Did you have any luck at the clinic? -After I made a few threats.
What is it with these people?
You'd think it was the pentagon, the way they try and hide their files.
-Well, if you were a patient, you'd probably appreciate it.
-I'm investigating a murder, Sam.
-What time?
-Sorry.
-Give me the address again.
-Uh, she had a -- a violent patient named Lenny Krupak, hung himself a couple of days ago.
Sounds like he could've been the guy.
-Not unless he came back from the dead.
Just found another victim.
-Tennessee.
- She's got the same "X" on her back and burns from the stun gun.
-Is there anything on her feet?
- No, her feet are fine. The killer used the same kind of dry cleaning bag.
-Phyllis Thompson wasn't handcuffed.
- And she wasn't outside as long as Thompson was.
-Could be changing his M. O. , doing them quicker, less brutal.
- I don't think so. Take a look at this.
-Oh.
-What happened to her eyes?
-Why would he want to blind her?
- The same kind of cage. Company's called Sutherland equipment.
They sell wholesale to kennels and animal shelters.
-And then, occasional psychopaths.
- Women need to know about this, Bailey. He's going from state to state.
-I've already got it wired, Grace. We got to be careful.
We don't want to start a panic.
-The police found clothing fibers in the victim's car.
We also got a name here: Marilyn Norville.
She's a teacher from Chattanooga.
She and her car disappeared at the discount mart parking lot two days ago.
-Why here?
-Secluded.
far away from people. -Yeah, he doesn't do too well with people. He does better with animals.
Didn't have any trouble getting past Dwayne.
-Why these women?
What do they have in common?
-Maybe it's what they don't have in common.
Why would he try to blind one and drive the other one crazy?
Maybe he's angry at them for different reasons.
- I spoke to Marilyn Norville's husband. Past couple of months they've been harassed just like Phyllis Thompson.
Poor guy doesn't even leave his house anymore.
Basically, same thing: "X" spray painted on the house, broken windows.
-Thank you, Brad, thanks.
-Bailey, I need you to listen to this and tell me if it makes sense.
I think that these crimes are about prison.
I mean, everything the victims went through has something to do with
being in prison: The stun gun, the handcuffs, the bars on the cages.
-Keep going.
-Well, there's no connection between the victims -- I mean,
at least not an obvious one -- but look at Adam Thompson. I mean, he's a prisoner
in his own home. And all of the victims ended
up prisoners in cages. Now, who uses a stun gun?
-Cops, prison guards.
You think we're looking for someone who works at a prison?
-No, it's more like they're experiencing what it's like to be a prisoner.
I think that he's blaming them for his experience.
-Like it's their fault he once went to prison? -Yeah.
-Ok, so who's responsible for putting people in prison?
We've got police, prosecutors, judge, jury.
-Maybe they served on the same jury and convicted him.
-I'll have George check it out.
- Sam, you want to look at something?
-If I can keep my eyes open.
- Why? You couldn't sleep? -No.
My daughter Chloe has been having nightmares, and, I don't know, it just worries me.
- Well, how old is she? -She's seven.
- Aw, you know, 7-year-olds have nightmares all the time.
I used to have nightmares at 7 years old.
You know, you grow out of it. She'll be all right.
-Did you ever want to have kids?
- Yeah, I did.
But my ovaries, they had other plans.
But, you know, I got the last laugh.
I raised 3 poodles who think they are kids, except I get to put them out
in the backyard with a nice little bowl of water and go to the movies.
You can't do that with a kid, huh?
-No, you can't. - Now take a look at this.
This is a note from the train station, all right?
Ok, come here. Take a look at this.
- This is a perfect match to the print on the victim in the train station.
-Which matches nothing.
- It's got to be Jack's prints. What else could it match?
-Can you run all of the prints at all of his crime scenes?
Even the victims?
I don't know, maybe we missed something. - Sure, I can do that.
-Great. Thanks.
-Ow!
-Sam, the link between Norville and Thompson, you were right.
They were both involved in the same trial ten years ago.
A guy named Ronnie McDern.
He's on death row in North Carolina, set to be executed tomorrow at midnight pending a final appeal.
-Meet Ronnie McDern.
Norville and Thompson both lived in North Carolina.
In '85 and '86, both testified against him in his murder trial.
- He and a partner robbed a convenience store.
McDern blew away the clerk and a customer for no reason at all.
And neither one of them ever even saw McDern or his partner.
Their backs were to them the whole time.
-Clerk did everything they said.
Gave them the money, didn't move, didn't speak.
- Marilyn Norville saw the whole thing. She testified against him at his trial.
She nailed his ass.
- Against the wall!
- Turn around!
- Against the wall!
- Don't move!
-That's why he tried to blind her.
-And Phyllis Thompson testified that he was sane when he pulled the trigger, which wipes out his insanity plea.
-So he drove her insane. -He didn't.
He's behind bars thirty-six hours from meeting with the hangman.
-We'll see. He's already had a couple of trials and a string of appeals.
Thirty-six hours is a long time. -Especially if you're seeking revenge.
When was his last appeal denied?
- Two months ago. When the harassment started.
-What's the method of execution in North Carolina?
-Guess.
-Gas. It asphyxiates.
All right, so who's doing his killing for him?
- Well, his partner, Dan Parson. he did his time. He got out a year ago.
-John, talk with him.
If he's planning on killing anyone else, he's probably harassed them like the others.
George, contact everyone connected with his trials, from the judge to the
bailiffs who work the courtroom, anyone with the slightest harassment.
I don't care if they got bumped on line at a grocery store.
I want them under protective custody.
-What about McDern? Who's talking to him?
-I'm going to check the visitor's list. I'll meet you inside. -Okay.
-Yes, I have it right here.
-Thank you.
-Mr. McDern?
- I hope this doesn't offend you.
- Women's lib: In. or out these days? -If you don't mind, I'd
like to ask you a few questions. - That's fine by me.
-I understand that you've had a pretty rough time in here.
You filed a civil suit after some guards burned your feet on the asphalt.
- They're all healed now, ma'am.
Not that it makes any difference.
-I saw some similar burns on a murder victim in Ohio.
Phyllis Thompson.
-You don't remember her?
- Should I?
-Well, she testified against you at your trial along with Marilyn Norville.
They were both murdered recently.
- I'm sorry, ma'am. I. I don't know anything about it.
I mean, if they were at my trial. I don't remember them.
- I don't think about it much at all, honestly.
I try to keep my sights on the future, not the past.
- Maybe someone read about me and got some crazy ideas.
-Maybe it was someone you know.
- I have a lot of supporters.
but they've been trying to get justice through the court.
-And what is your idea of justice, Ronnie?
- Truth.
People not lying about me.
I was a hothead.
I'll give you that.
But I didn't kill nobody.
It was Dan who pulled that trigger.
-Well, the jury didn't see it that way.
- Well, they don't always see the truth.
- And I'm paying for that with my life.
But I didn't kill anybody.
-Excuse me.
-It's a woman.
If anyone is killing for him, it's a woman.
-Are you sure?
-He's very charming, in a scary sort of way.
What else would explain the stun gun? She needed to knock them out first.
-Then she just killed his Public Defender.
We couldn't get there quick enough.
-Did you find anything?
-"Dear Ronnie, I miss you so much I've decided to do it.
I'm leaving my husband.
You were so right about everything. He doesn't understand.
Even my kids don't understand, but I know you do.
" I don't.
-There's a lot of lonely women out there.
Look at this. Ronnie McDern fan club.
-You'd think she'd touch up her roots for the picture, if she really cared.
-Bailey.
-Look at this.
-What do you think they are? Proof she did the job for him?
-Or proof of her love for him.
It's probably the way they consummated their relationship.
-Well, which one is she? There's dozens of them.
- What do you think you're doing?
-Bailey Malone, Sam Waters, FBI.
-And you are?
- Katherine Evers, Mr. McDern's attorney.
He just informed me of your little visit.
Get this straight: I don't like little visits with my clients when I'm not present.
-Your client's a suspect in a double homicide investigation.
- Really? How convenient.
You pin a couple of cases you can't solve on someone who's about to be executed.
-Both victims helped convict McDern in his original trial fifteen years ago.
What do you call that, Miss Evers, a coincidence?
- If he is under investigation for a crime, he had a right to counsel when you talked to him.
Now, your behavior's outrageous.
-Give me a break.
He's a convicted murderer.
- That is my client's personal property. I'd advise you not to take it.
- You just bought yourself a lawsuit. -Why bother?
McDern's not going to be around to collect the damages.
-Excuse me.
- I just finished McDern's enemy list.
three other people were harassed. The jury foreman, the judge from his
second trial, and the prosecuting attorney. -You brought 'em
under protective custody? - Oh, yeah, it's taken care of.
Yeah, we've been reading McDern's letters from these women - -One second.
- Some of them need to be locked away.
-You know, well, nine times out of ten, these women have been abused.
And a lot of them don't think that their men are guilty.
I mean, Carol Bruth, she didn't.
She fell for Ted Bundy at his trial, married him and had his child.
-You're kidding me.
One of the hillside stranglers, Kenneth Bianchi's girlfriend tried to copycat a crime.
Make the police think the real killer was still on the loose.
She tried to kill a woman for him.
-But she botched the murder, and he married someone else.
-Let's meet McDern's fan club.
-Number one is Rita Herrera. 32, divorced, works as a manicurist.
She's been corresponding with McDern for the last eight years.
- I just don't get it. I don't know. Call me crazy.
-A lot of these women associate violence with masculinity.
The more violent the man is, the more feminine they feel.
- Take Charles Manson. never hard up for a date.
-He could mesmerize women. Sort of like McDern.
-Heard you thought he was charming. - How did they do it?
-Well, they're natural psychologists.
They're experts at manipulating human emotion.
All that time in prison, they learn how to read people.
-Let's try to read these women.
We've got a lot of letters and not a lot of time.
-Ok, uh, number 2 is a doctor, Leslie Ryan, and why she's
going for a guy like him when she could have me, I don't know.
- You know, here's something. She moved to North Carolina to be closer to the prison two years ago.
-Did any of the others? - Yes, four of the others.
-Let's concentrate on them.
- And they all showed up on his visitors list for the past two months.
Barbara Minetta, she's a nurse at park hills hospital.
Ilene Klinger she's been protesting one thing or another ever since Vietnam.
Helen Oaks is 35. She's unemployed since her move to Raleigh.
And Corporal Mackensie Sutton.
Stationed at an army base in Greensboro.
-Let's check their alibis.
-That's not everyone.
Katherine Evers is in love with him, too.
LAWYER: Just tell him we don't have until tomorrow.
We need another stay.
-Did he ever mention any of these women to you: Uh, Barbara
Minetta, Helen Oaks, Mackenzie Sutton, or Ilene Klinger?
- Uh, no. -You're sure about that? - Yes.
-Would you mind just looking at these letters?
- Do I look somewhat busy to you?
I'm waiting for the ruling on an appeal that could save a man's life.
Now, I don't have the time, nor the inclination to look at his correspondence at the moment.
-These aren't just pen pals.
They're in love with him.
- Get this crap out of here.
-Miss Evers, I'm trying to save lives, too.
One of these women may have killed for McDern.
I think that he knew it and probably encouraged it.
- Well, I think that's impossible because, you see, I know my client.
And he wouldn't do that.
-He used these women.
And I think he's using you.
- Get out!
Now.
-Sam!
-Any luck?
-Sutton was at an officer training camp the day Thompson was kidnapped.
We haven't found Helen or Barbara. We've got agents at their homes waiting.
-What about Ilene Klinger? -Her son said she'd be here.
She's been crusading against the death penalty for years.
-She got to know McDern fighting his cause.The, uh, love came later.
-Look, uh, check the perimeter. Meet me back here in five minutes.
-George found a match on the fingerprints from the Atlanta Train Station.
They're not Jack's.
-Whose were they?
-His 11th victim. Dr. Nelson. -The doctor who delivered me?
-I'd say he's winning, Bailey.
- Free Ronnie McDern! Free Ronnie McDern!
-That's Klinger.
-Ilene Klinger. -We're with the FBI.
We'd like to talk to you about your relationship with Ronnie McDern.
- Yes, what about it?
-Well, we understand that you have very deep feelings for Ronnie.
- I didn't know it was illegal to care about another human being.
-Depends on how far your caring went.
Where were you Tuesday night?
- Tuesday night I was at the prayer vigil, why?
Would you like to know what I did every other night this week?
Wednesday there was a demonstration in front of city hall, and Thursday there
was a letter-writing campaign, and yesterday I spent with my divorce attorney.
I was hoping it would come through.
I want to marry Ronnie.
I don't expect you to understand, but when you love someone, you make sacrifices.
-Like killing for him? - What?
Ronnie's not capable of murder.
So why would he want someone else to? He's the kindest, gentlest man I have ever met.
- Ilene? Look at this.
- They've denied his stay. They're going to kill him at midnight.
-No sign of Helen or Barbara. Just a lot of unhappy campers.
-The execution goes on at midnight.
-Which judge denied the appeal and lifted the stay?
-Oh, some federal judge. I got it covered, surrounded the courthouse just in case.
-Was that Ilene? Shouldn't we stay on her?
-No. She's not going anywhere.
It's got to be either Helen or Barbara. -If she can't get to the judge, who does she go after?
-Who else is to blame? -The person who lost the appeal. Katherine Evers.
-They're keeping him down here. He's on death watch.
-Wouldn't want to cheat the hangman.
-Some of the other prisoners were egging him on. I wouldn't mind it myself.
I'd get home for a hot meal that much quicker.
- I don't want no trouble, but I don't feel like talking to you right now.
Get me my chaplain? -Yeah. Just relax and talk to these guys.
- What do you want? -Ronnie, where's Katherine?
- She's supposed to be here. What do you mean?
-Why don't you tell us where she is?
- I don't know. She's ok, isn't she?
-When are you going to stop, Ronnie?
Is this how you want to spend the last few hours of your life.
a liar? -I know you're scared.
- Yeah, but I want my family.
-I think what you want is some peace.
And you're never going to have that unless you start telling the truth.
- If anyone's going psycho, it's--it's Barbara.
-And why is that?
- She can't deal with the fact that I'm going to die.
About six months ago, she -- she started to get weird.
Asking me all kinds of things about the trial.
I didn't realize why until.
well, until you came by. -Why didn't you say something before? - I wasn't sure.
You have to find Katherine, I mean.
no one deserves to get killed. Not her.
Not me.
Not anyone.
-Eternity is a long time, McDern. For the sake of your soul.
I hope you're telling the truth.
- Ma'am?
- You believe me, don't you?
-It's Helen, not Barbara. -Why?
-Because from the moment I met him, he was trying to manipulate me.
And he still is. -How'd he know to turn in Barbara?
-I mentioned their names to Katherine. She must have told him.
-We've got 68 minutes.
-Be my guest.
-Ok.
-Good boy.
-You get bit as a kid? -Atta boy.
That's it, good boy.
-She's a rescuer.
-McDern's not the only one who got off on those pictures.
-Guys!
-Look at this.
-Reserved for the judge?
-And the D. A. -What are those for?
Don't take me there. -How about Katherine?
Where's her cage?
Didn't Ray say that these were sold at kennels and pet shops?
-Maybe she works at one. -No, she's unemployed.
-These animals are from the pound. -She volunteered.
She couldn't stand to see them killed, so she brought them home.
-Don't they kill stray animals with gas? -Yeah.
-She's going to kill Katherine the same way Ronnie's going to die.
-They're from the Blue Ridge Animal Shelter.
-Let's go.
-I'll go around back.
-You know there are dogs in here. -Don't worry, John, they're in cages.
-Can I help you?
-Helen, where's Katherine? -You can try all you want.
You're never going to separate me and Ronnie. Our love is too strong.
Last week we went roller skating. He wanted me to get some color in my cheeks.
And we watched the sunset together. It's one of Ronnie's favorite things to do.
He's so romantic.
-Helen, we'd like you to come with us.
-Use it. Then I'll be with Ronnie tonight.
-John! -I got her.
-Helen!
-Hold it!
-Roll over! Roll over!
-Your arm! Your other arm!
-It's over, Helen.
-Turn off the gas!
-Come on. Breathe! Breathe!
-It's ok.
You're ok.
-Ok.
-She's ok.
-Move back, folks, move back.
-What would you do if you only had 12 minutes left to live? -I can't even think about it.
How about you? -I don't know.
Guess I'd try to settle that age old question of redemption.
-What about McDern?
Think he cares about redemption?
-If this day ever comes for Jack, would you want to be there?
-I don't know.
-No, mom. mom, you got to keep the heat on. The nights are getting too cold.
If you need some money, I can send you some money. Yeah.
no, uh, as a matter of fact, I'm feeling pretty cozy.
You know, I'm wearing those flannel PJs you sent me.
-Yeah. Ha ha!
-Uh, no, mama. Yeah.
I--I love you. I love you, too, mom.
-Bye.