03x02 - Knot for Everyone

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: sometime after

Midnight, in july of 1986,

Stephanie brown took some

Friends home who lived in an

Unfamiliar part of town.

Make sure you go i-5 north.

Don't go south, or you'll get

Lost.

Narrator: to get back to her

Apartment, brown was told to

Take interstate 5 north -- a

Major thoroughfare in

California.

I-5 north?

Narrator: despite the

Directions, stephanie brown made

The wrong turn.

It took both science and

Psychology to discover what

Happened next.

A fisherman walking down this

Trail in a remote mountain area

Outside of sacramento,

California, discovered the

Semi-nude body of a young woman

Lying facedown in a flooded

Irrigation ditch.

Around her neck, a band of

Purple discoloration -- the sign

Of ligature strangulation.

It was a very isolated,

Desolate area next to a

Cornfield.

There were no houses or lights

Or civilization anywhere around.

It was a very lonely spot to

Have been driven to.

And certainly, she was conscious

During the drive.

We don't know how long he toyed

With her.

We don't know how long he

Assaulted her -- how long it was

Before she was k*lled.

Narrator: the autopsy found

Traces of semen, but the samples

Were too badly degraded for dna

Testing.

The victim was identified as



Worked as a teller in a

Sacramento bank.

Stephanie was a very

Sensitive, loving, caring

Daughter, who wouldn't hurt

Anybody.

Monday, after work, she came by

And did laundry, she called a

Couple of friends on the phone,

And then, when she was through,

She came over and gave us a kiss

Goodbye.

And I just remember her walking

Out the family room -- out the

Door -- waving.

You know, her hair in a

Ponytail, waving.

"Bye, mom. I love you."

Narrator: when police learned

That stephanie's hair was long

And in a ponytail the day before

She died, they realized that her

k*ller had cut it.

Ray biondi headed sacramento's

Homicide unit.

The first thought is that

We're dealing with somebody with

A very perverse fetish --

Cutting hair.

And I had never seen this before

In hundreds of other m*rder

Investigations.

Did this person cut the hair and

Take it away as a trophy or a

Souvenir?

We didn't really know.

Narrator: brown's car was

Found 20 miles away on

Interstate 5 and was headed in

The opposite direction from her

Apartment.

The car was full of gas and

Operational.

Brown was probably lost and may

Have stopped to ask someone for

Directions.

Just one month later, there was

Another incident along

Interstate 5.



Her mother had been out to

Dinner and were heading home

When their car broke down along

A deserted stretch of

Interstate 5.

A man in a dark sports car

Stopped and offered help.

Having trouble with your car?

Yeah, I heard a noise, so I

Pulled over, and now the car

Won't start.

I'll be happy to give you a

Ride, but I can only take one.

This is only a two-seater.

I'll be back as soon as I

Can.

Narrator: that was the last

Time her mother saw her.

Narrator: in the foothills of

The sierra nevada mountains,

Outside of sacramento,

California, a hunter discovered

The badly decomposed remains of

A white female.

The remains had been scattered

By animals, but investigators

Recovered the skull, torso, and

Some clothing, which included a

Purple skirt, dark blouse, and a

Pair of alligator-heel shoes.

The clothes were similar to

Those worn by charmaine sobre,

Who disappeared without a trace

After accepting a ride three

Months earlier on interstate 5.

Dental x-rays confirmed that the

Remains were those of

Charmaine sobre.

The cause of death was

Strangulation.

The side seam from charmaine's

Blouse was cut and used as a

Ligature around her neck, along

With a piece of yellow nylon

Cord.

Her pantyhose had been cut in

Two places and tied around her

Wrists.

There were cuts made to the

Victim's slip and the shoulder

Straps of her bra.

Criminalist jim streeter

Analyzed the clothing from the

Crime scene.

I'd never seen

Clothes-cutting like that.

I've never seen any cutting like

That.

Talking with other

Investigators -- they've never

Seen cutting like this.

Cuttings would be for some

Function in any other cases we

Had seen.

But in this particular case, it

Was so unusual that it became

His calling card.

The initial cutting is what

He uses to arouse himself,

Initially -- sexually -- and

Then enables him to complete and

Perform the rest of the offense.

Narrator: like

Stephanie brown,

Charmaine sobre's body was found

Over 50 miles away from where

Her car broke down on

Interstate 5.

Charmaine's mother was not able

To provide a detailed

Description of the driver since

She did not see him clearly.

All she could say was that he

Was a white male in his 40s with

A large nose and pale skin.

It's hard to imagine that he

Would take charmaine -- planning

To k*ll her -- knowing that he

Left her mother as a witness

Behind.

That makes no sense to me.

Narrator: bruce henderson

Described the sophistication of

This serial k*ller in his book

"Trace evidence."

He was very good at

Confounding the police.

This k*ller didn't leave behind

Easy clues, and he took his

Victims great distances, and he

Left clean crime scenes --

Meaning no fingerprints or

Anything that could connect him

To the crime or to the victim.

Narrator: two weeks later,

Police were called to another

Homicide, 35 miles southeast of

Sacramento.

She was hog-tied with her own

t*nk top -- a victim of ligature

Strangulation, wherein her arms

Were bent up behind her back and

Then the t*nk top was looped

Over her neck.

Narrator: her halter top and

Socks had been cut in the same

Nonfunctional way as the other

Victims.

Dental records identified the

Remains as 20-year-old

Laura hedick.

The last time anyone saw her was

In an area frequented by

Prostitutes.

Why don't you go with this

Guy for a little while.

Narrator: laura was with her

Boyfriend, james driggers.

Okay.

Narrator: they needed money

For dr*gs, and driggers told

Police that laura agreed to

Prostitution.

Yeah, I know a place to go.

Hop in.

Narrator: laura left with a

Customer in a white car.

Driggers said he never saw her

Again.

But driggers took a lie-detector

Test and failed.

Is it the boyfriend, or is it

Not the boyfriend?

The first people you must

Eliminate are those all around

The victim.

Narrator: police were

Convinced that the murders were

All related.

But if driggers had a hand in

His girlfriend's m*rder, what

Was his connection to the other

Victims?

Narrator: a serial m*rder*r

Was on the loose in central

California, at first abducting

Women along interstate 5 and

Later prowling for prostitutes

In downtown sacramento.

Police decoys dressed as

Prostitutes in an attempt to

Lure the k*ller into their trap.

And they also posed as motorists

In distress along interstate 5.

Despite these efforts, the

Murders continued.

On sunday, june 21, 1987, in the

Remote woods of deer creek,

Amador county, a family on a

Hiking trip found blood on the

Trail.

The victim was identified as



She was divorced and the mother

Of a 2-year-old daughter.

Her car was found near

Interstate 5 fully operational.

Her sandals were still in the

Car.

If she walked barefoot, she

Hadn't planned to walk far.

There was a fragment of

Duct tape in her hair.

The light bulbs went on at the

Time, thinking this is what

Happened in the stephanie brown

Case.

That's why her hair was cut.

Narrator: the k*ller used

Duct tape to gag his victims and

Always cut it off before leaving

The scene.

He may have known that the

Sticky side of tape is a rich

Source of fingerprints.

But this time, something went

Wrong.

Karen finch probably fought

Back.

And when she did, the k*ller

Used what he had in his hand,

The scissors, to s*ab her.

The k*ller left the scene

Without removing all of the

Tape.

Unfortunately, there were no

Fingerprints on the piece of

Tape he left behind.

The bodies were found some

Distance from where he would

Have been able to park his

Vehicle.

Some of these distances were too

Far that he would've carried

Them, so we're certain that they

Were made to walk.

They may have had their hands

Bound at that time.

Narrator: a few weeks later,

Police had yet another victim.

The nude decomposed body of



Was found in a deserted area off

Highway 50 near lake tahoe.

The cause of death was

Strangulation.

Her blouse was tied around her

Neck with a wood garrote.

Two pieces of rope were found

Near her clothing.

The rope was made of nylon.

And after checking with several

Rope suppliers, police

Discovered that it was the type

Of rope used in parachute cords.

Cutting the victim's clothing

Was important to the k*ller, for

Some reason -- so important

That he did this in all of his

Murders.

So important, he would carry a

Pair of scissors to every crime

To carry out the ritual.

I cried for all the victims.

It was just so emotional.

After a year and a half of

Working on all this physical

Evidence, trying to link

Everyone together, and trying to

Find the person that did this so

That it wouldn't happen again

Can just be overwhelming at

Times.

Narrator: the k*ller was

Experienced.

He knew exactly what he was

Doing.

And he perfected his technique

With every case.

Narrator: the only lead

Police had in their search for

The serial k*ller was the way in

Which he carried out the

Murders.

His signature characteristics

Included the rope and the

Clothes-cutting.

A few months later, an unrelated

Incident caught homicide's

Attention.

Deborah guffey was a street

prost*tute in downtown

Sacramento who told police an

Interesting story.

Hey, you working tonight?

Been here waiting for you.

Get in.

We'll go for a ride.

Narrator: when he parked the

Car, he turned violent, smashing

Guffey's head into the

Dashboard, and tried to handcuff

Her.

Guffey managed to escape.

A policeman was driving nearby,

Saw the altercation, and stopped

To investigate.



Charged with the as*ault.

He was the manager of a public

Storage facility, married, and

Had a daughter from an earlier

Marriage.

A background check on

Roger kibbe revealed an arrest





Underwear off their clotheslines

And cutting it in a random,

Nonfunctional way with a pair of

His mother's scissors.

Kibbe told police, at the time,

He had a terrible relationship

With his mother.

Roger kibbe was also a

Parachutist -- another

Coincidence, since parachute

Rope had been found at one of

The m*rder sites.

Kibbe's brother was a homicide

Detective in nevada -- another

Coincidence, since police

Suspected that the k*ller knew

Homicide investigative

Techniques.

Roger kibbe owned two different

Cars.

One was similar to the car which

Picked up charmaine sobre.

In the other, police found some

Rope with a garrote tied to the

Ends, a set of handcuffs, and

Scissors.

We knew who our k*ller was --

It was roger kibbe -- but we

Lacked the evidence to actually

File m*rder charges against him.

Narrator: criminalist

Faye springer is an expert in

Exchange, or trace evidence,

That can link a suspect or

Victim to a crime scene.

Springer pored over the

Thousands of hairs, fibers, and

Other materials found on the

Victims' clothing.

She found two carpet fibers on

Darcy frackenpohl's dress.

They were blue, triangular in

Shape, made of nylon, and were

Manufactured by the dupont

Company.

When she compared the fibers to

The carpet in roger kibbe's

Automobile, she discovered that

They were the same color, size,

Shape, made of the same polymer,

And dyed with the same

Chemicals.

And when springer looked closer,

She saw something else on the

Fibers.

I noticed, when I was looking

At the fibers microscopically,

That there were some

Contaminants on the surface.

It was a football-shaped

Particle that turned out, later,

To be identified as a fungal

Spore.

Narrator: the same fungal

Spores were on the fibers from

The floor mat of kibbe's car.

The human hair found on one of

The victims' dress was

Microscopically similar to hair

Taken from roger kibbe's inner

Thigh.

When springer turned her

Attention to the pantyhose used

To tie charmaine sobre's wrists,

She noticed something which had

Previously been overlooked.

The benefit of being a woman

Criminalist and working

Sexual-as*ault homicides is

That we know that pantyhose

Come off inside out.

Men wouldn't know that unless

They actually had pantyhose on.

Narrator: with the pantyhose

Turned the proper way, springer

Discovered several small fibers

On the back of the leg area.

When springer compared those

Fibers to the fibers on the seat

Of one of roger kibbe's

Automobiles, they were

Microscopically similar.

Finally, springer analyzed the

Pieces of rope found in kibbe's

Car and in his storage shed.

At first glance, it appeared to

Be identical to the rope found

Near darcy frackenpohl's body.

Both were made of white nylon

With six fibers running through

The cord and 32 threads per

Cord.

But faye springer noticed

Something peculiar when she

Looked at the rope under the

Microscope.

I noticed that there was red

Paint on the cordage and some

Black particles.

Later, kay maulsby said that

She had some cordage from an

as*ault case that kibbe was

Involved in.

She brought that out, and I

Noticed the same particles were

On that cordage.

This was a very strong link to

Roger kibbe and

Darcy frackenpohl.

Narrator: but the size of the

Paint particles was tiny --

About six microns -- which is

Six millionths of a meter.

With the scanning electron

Microscope, scientists performed

An elemental analysis of the

Inorganic compounds of the

Paint.

They found 10 different elements

In the paint mixture common in

The chemical formulation of red

Acrylic paint, but they found

Two additional elements in the

Paint which were not -- sodium

And chlorine.

These were contaminants in the

Air when the paint was sprayed

Near the rope.

All three pieces of rope had the

Same red paint and the same

Contaminants.

The rope found near

Darcy frackenpohl's body, the

Rope found in roger kibbe's car

And in kibbe's storage shed, all

Were in the same area when

Someone was using a can of red

Acrylic spray paint.

The cordage was basically the

Coup de grâce of the people's

Case -- it was extremely unique.

Commonality was the red paint

Stains on each one of these

Cords at those three scenes,

Which meant roger kibbe was at

The scenes.

I said, "he's boxed in, ladies

And gentlemen -- we're going to

Bury him -- he's guilty."

Narrator: roger kibbe was

Charged with the m*rder of

Darcy frackenpohl.

Oh march 18, 1991, he was found

Guilty of m*rder in the first

Degree and was sentenced to 25

Years to life.

Kibbe still faces the

Possibility of m*rder charges in

The other deaths.

Roger is in prison for only

One m*rder.

There has to be another trial.

These other families need to see

Some kind of reconciliation in

Court.

Narrator: the police and

Prosecution were unaware that

Kibbe confessed to his wife

Shortly after his arrest.

And I didn't know that he had

m*rder*d anybody until that

Night the police arranged for me

To get in the backseat of a

Cruiser with him.

And he told me that he had

k*lled five people -- excuse me,

Four.

I cried.

He cried.

I asked him why.

But when you're sobbing --

I mean, we were sobbing --

He said he didn't know.

[ Sniffles ]

I came away from there just

Feeling and overcoming with the

Thought that this is not enough.

This just is not enough.

My daughter is laying there, and

So are many, many other girls --

Laying there.

And this man -- all he can

Say -- "what is the big fuss

About?

I k*lled a few girls."

The horror and the fear that

Darcy frackenpohl must have felt

Before going...

Stephanie brown...

How frightened she must have

Been.

[ Sniffles ]

I am so sorry.