11x13 - Undertaken
Posted: 01/19/24 07:33
Narrator: an unidentified woman was found dead, and police
Wanted answers.
But everything they needed was in the dirt at the crime scene.
And it told the story from the beginning to the tragic end.
As the sun rose on the farmlands outside delano, california, a
Farm worker saw something he never expected -- that his farm
Had become a crime scene.
The scene indicated what was a very violent crime.
There was obviously strong evidence even initially to
Indicate there was a sexual as*ault.
Narrator: the victim was a young, teenaged girl.
She was nude and had been beaten and stabbed to death.
No one would have been around to hear any screams...
And it was the kind of place where there wouldn't have been
Just someone driving by certainly on a dirt road off of
The main road.
Narrator: she had no identification, and she didn't
Match any missing-persons reports.
Police found a pair of jeans near her body.
In the pocket was a key chain with the initial "f"...
And there was some broken jewelry.
In the clothing up around her neck, there are pieces of a
Gold-link chain.
They're in the clothing and they're on her skin.
Narrator: crime-scene technicians processed an area
Close to square feet and photographed the shoe and tire
Impressions found in the soft dirt.
Interestingly, there was only one set of shoe prints.
The presence of only one set of footprints at the scene, when
You obviously know there's been two people, is an indicator that
The victim very well may have been dragged from the vehicle.
Narrator: also in the dirt near the tire impressions were
Handprints -- presumably those of the victim.
She had put up a struggle.
You could actually see imprints of her buttocks marks in almost
A half circle where she had put up a struggle and was fighting.
Narrator: the only way to identify the victim was to
Somehow trace the keys found in her jeans.
It seemed pretty bleak that we were going to be successful
In finding the apartment that that mailbox key would open and
That the house key would open.
Because people are often m*rder*d and then transported
Long distances.
Narrator: the town closest to the crime scene was delano.
Around noon, starting at the north end of town, detectives
Tested the key in every apartment-building mailbox they
Could find -- being careful not to miss a single apartment
Complex.
They tested hundreds of mailboxes.
In the back of your mind, you're hoping that it'll work,
But anyone that's a betting person must have known -- I
Knew -- that the odds were probably pretty slim that we
Were going to be successful in finding the right mailbox.
We were at this for several hours -- enough to get a blister
On my thumb.
Narrator: they continued to move south and never gave up
Since it was the only real lead they had.
Finally, they got a break...
The key fit mailbox number in an apartment building in a
Working-class neighborhood in delano.
That gave me a pretty good idea that I was in the right
Place.
It was kind of exhilarating because now we're moving on to
Another leg of this case where we have an opportunity to
Identify the victim.
Narrator: the next step was to test the <span tts:fontstyle="italic">other</span>key...
And it worked in the front door of apartment , although no
One was home.
It is absolutely classic shoe-leather detective work.
They had no idea which apartment complex they were dealing with,
And they just had to go to one after another.
Narrator: the apartment belonged to christine hildreth,
A registered nurse who worked at the local hospital.
When investigators spoke with her, she was able to identify
The victim as her -year-old daughter, florence.
It is rough.
It's one of the hardest things to do in the job, but it's a
Necessary thing to do sometimes.
You have to get this identification so you can
Proceed backwards, backtracking this victim to track down the
Individual that's responsible, a suspect.
What I can remember being is shocked.
I was shocked that something like that had happened to her,
And I was shocked that something like that had happened in
Delano.
Narrator: florence was a high-school senior, president
Of the student union, and member of the honor roll.
Her dream was to study medicine.
This was not one of those juvenile delinquents.
She was a cheerleader and she was well liked.
She had everything going for her in the world...everything.
And she was not involved with any type of dr*gs that we ever
Found out about.
Everything became very clear that she was just a really good
Kid.
Narrator: -year-old florence hildreth was found
m*rder*d in the farmlands outside delano, california.
Investigators had clues but no suspects.
The medical examiner identified the cause of death as multiple
s*ab wounds to her neck.
And there was evidence of sexual as*ault.
Toxicology tests found no alcohol or dr*gs in her system.
She was such a quiet person.
She kept to herself, she didn't really bother anybody.
You would think, you know, why hurt her?
She didn't cause trouble, you know.
Why would anybody want to hurt her?
Narrator: when forensic experts analyze the evidence
Found at the crime scene, they were astounded by the quality of
What they saw.
It looked as though the perpetrator was wearing a new
Pair of "brooks" brand athletic shoes, size .
I can't believe it.
It's very unusual to have that kind of detail where you can
Actually make out the name brand of the shoe and the fine detail
Even down to the recordings of the characteristics of the shoe.
Narrator: and the tire tracks were also telling.
The right-front tire had left its impression on the side of a
Small mound of dirt.
It showed the letters "d", "s", and "v" on the lower sidewall
Near the tread.
They were probably from the words "limited service," which
Was printed on the side of spare tires.
That's extremely unusual.
I've never had a situation where you actually had words
Imprinted like that from the side of the tire that you could
See.
Narrator: the last time anyone saw florence was the
Previous evening around :.
She was walking home from her cousin's house -- a distance of
Less than a quarter of a mile.
The two possible scenarios detectives had at that point was
Either somebody that she knew came along and had offered her a
Ride and she accepted or that she had actually been physically
Pulled off the road by a stranger.
Narrator: if florence was abducted by a stranger, this was
Not good news for investigators.
If you're dealing with a pure "stranger" situation, it's often
Very difficult to find a connection or a link between the
Victim and the k*ller.
Narrator: her friends and family were convinced she would
<Span tts:fontstyle="italic">never</span>get into the car of someone she didn't know.
I think she felt like she could trust him and that he was
Going to take her wherever she needed to go, that he wasn't
Going to take her anywhere to harm.
I don't think she would have put herself in harm's way.
No.
Narrator: in the course of an investigation, police usually
Withhold certain information from the public, but in a small
Town, that's not always easy.
And in this case, the gossip actually helped.
Things about this case were already starting to circulate in
The community.
Even though we were keeping a lid on stuff, the community knew
Where her body had been discovered 'cause they probably
Saw the law-enforcement vehicles out there.
Narrator: and because of this information, a neighbor called
Police with a tip.
She said she was driving on cecil avenue not far from the
Crime scene around midnight and saw a red pickup truck parked
Along the side of the road.
It was distinctive because it had ski racks.
Delano is just a farming town in the middle of the central
Valley.
We don't even have snow here in the winter, so most pickup
Trucks -- and there are a lot in the area -- are working
Vehicles.
But ski racks on a pickup truck is very unusual.
Narrator: florence's family knew immediately who owned that
Truck.
It belonged to rodney berryman, an unemployed young man who was
Living with florence's uncle.
Berryman also had a criminal past with several arrests in
Los angeles for drug-related crimes.
When investigators questioned berryman, he wasn't much help.
He denied anything more than just knowing florence.
He denied having her in his vehicle.
He just denied everything related to this homicide.
He denied that his truck was at the scene and, in fact, he
Denied he'd ever been on cecil avenue, which is hard to do if
You're in delano for any length of time.
It's a main drag.
Narrator: when police looked at his truck, they didn't see a
Spare tire like the one that left prints at the crime scene.
And there was no blood inside the vehicle or any other signs
Of v*olence.
The case was beginning to look like it would never be solved.
Narrator: the prime suspect in florence hildreth's m*rder
Was rodney berryman -- a -year-old drifter with a
Criminal history.
He denied any involvement in the crime.
He had not been in the area, the delano area, very long.
He'd come from los angeles.
He was actually staying with miss hildreth's cousin and
Residing at that same residence and had an acquaintance or
Relationship with one of her female cousins.
Narrator: at first, investigators found no evidence
In berryman's truck that could place the vehicle at the scene.
But under the front seat was a clue that could have easily been
Overlooked.
Investigators found several links to a gold piece of jewelry
Which was sent to supervising criminalist greg laskowski.
I received some individual links that looked like cut
Horseshoes or crimped horseshoes.
And they weren't heavy, so it was cheap jewelry, possibly some
Kind of brass-type jewelry.
Narrator: to make the chain, the manufacturer would have cut
Each link with a tiny tool, then attach it to the end by
Crimping the edges back together.
Under a microscope, laskowski saw the highly distinctive marks
From the tool used to cut these links.
I'm looking for striations that run across the length of
The cut surfaces.
Narrator: the striations on each tool are different.
They're created when the tool is made and by normal wear and
Tear.
Laskowski compared the striations on the links from
Rodney berryman's truck to the links on the jewelry found with
Florence hildreth's body.
At -times magnification, the results were clear.
I have links from the victim's body.
They have markings on them that are of the same type and made by
The same tool that made the markings that made up the
Necklace.
It certainly indicates that the suspect would have some
Explaining to do.
Narrator: but if rodney berryman was the k*ller,
What happened to the spare tire?
When investigators searched further, they found one in
Berryman's backyard, leaning up against the house.
They confiscated the tire, and greg laskowski made an
Impression in material similar to the soil at the crime scene.
He also took an impression of the sidewalls.
I will photograph that impression, my known impression,
Using photographic techniques and oblique lighting to
Duplicate the lighting that was observed in the crime-scene
Photographs, and then I make a side-by-side comparison or an
Overlay comparison.
Narrator: the comparison was remarkably clear.
The impressions forming the letters "v", "s", and "d" at the
Crime scene were identical to the letters on the side of
Rodney berryman's spare tire.
And numerous scratches on the tire, known as "accidental
Markings," matched in both samples, as well.
It's as if you win the lottery -- the one-in-a-million
Shot.
How is it that this "limited service" tire that you wouldn't
Expect to be involved in a crime scene is perfectly reproduced
And is able to be compared so easily?
Narrator: rodney berryman was not told about this evidence.
During his formal interrogation, he was asked if anyone else
Ever drove his truck.
He said, "absolutely not."
When rodney berryman says that no one ever, under any
Circumstances, drives his vehicle, well, that points
Pretty strongly towards <span tts:fontstyle="italic">him</span> being in the vehicle.
He was making negative statements.
He was lying to me.
And when somebody does that, you let him keep going with that
Because the more they lie the deeper they dig their hole.
Narrator: berryman looked like he'd been in a fight.
I did see a scratch on his face, also.
I recall seeing a scratch on his face, and I asked him where he
Got that scratch, and he stated that he had gotten it during a
Basketball game with a friend of his.
Narrator: and investigators noticed he was wearing a
Brand-new pair of "brooks" brand athletic shoes similar to the
Impressions found at the crime scene.
And on those shoes was even more evidence.
When I was talking to him, I just looked down at his shoes
And I seen some spots on them that looked like blood.
Why, naturally, I am very pleased with this.
Narrator: once again, greg laskowski made impressions
Of berryman's sneakers in the same material he used for the
Tire.
Again the impressions were clear.
The size, make, and model were identical to the impressions at
The crime scene.
The accidental characteristics were also identical.
And the blood?
This was before dna testing, so analysts turned to a process
Called "electrophoresis."
They passed an electrical current through the blood
Sample, which revealed a unique combination of enzymes.
This showed the blood on berryman's sneakers was almost
Surely florence hildreth's.
It was consistent with having come from .% Of the
African-american population, and miss hildreth was included
Within that group.
So, for pre-dna testing-type evidence, it was pretty strong,
A pretty strong indicator that it was her blood.
Narrator: rodney berryman unwittingly left a generous
Array of evidence at the crime scene, which enabled
Investigators to charge him for florence's m*rder within
Hours of the crime.
He was a violent individual, was characterized as a
Sociopath or an anti-social personality disorder, an
Individual who believes that basically they have the right to
Do whatever they want and they don't have to follow any rules.
So they can do whatever they want at any point in time, even
If it harms another person.
Narrator: one last bit of evidence sealed the case against
Rodney berryman -- he denied florence was ever in his truck.
But a thumbprint was found on the passenger-side dashboard.
It matched florence's print.
That was another one of the things that really ensnared him.
He denied that she'd ever been in the vehicle and yet her
Thumbprint was there.
That obviously can't have been there if she wasn't in the
Truck.
Narrator: police believe that
When florence walked home that night, she was simply in the
Wrong place at the wrong time.
Rodney saw her walking home.
They knew one another casually, and rodney offered her a ride.
Come on in.
I'll give you a ride.
Narrator: when she got into
His truck, she left her thumbprint on the dashboard.
Instead of taking her home, rodney drove miles away to a
Deserted farm.
Get out of my car!
[ Indistinct arguing ] narrator: the evidence
Clearly shows a confrontation.
When berryman dragged her from the truck, her necklace broke,
Leaving several links underneath the driver's seat.
After the sexual as*ault, berryman stabbed florence to
Death, and drops of her blood fell onto his sneakers.
During this time, a witness saw his truck in the vicinity and
Later reported it to police.
The next morning, berryman removed the spare tire from his
Truck but left it in the backyard, not realizing its
Forensic importance.
The distinctive tire impression, the shoes, the necklace, the
Fingerprint and blood evidence left little doubt as to the
Perpetrator.
She was young, a good student, with her whole future
Ahead of her, and the loss of someone like that, with their
Whole life ahead of them and a lot to accomplish, is -- any
Loss of human life is tragic, but that's a particularly tragic
Situation.
She took a ride from a person that she thought she knew that
She thought she could trust...
And he turned on her, you know, he turned on her.
It was awful.
Narrator: rodney berryman was convicted of first-degree
m*rder.
He now sits on death row in san quentin prison.
The various items of forensic evidence essentially created a
Web that mr. Berryman became ensnared in.
Forensic evidence was so strong that the jury convicted very
Quickly, and there really was just no way to explain away
All the different forensic
Evidence.
The amount of evidence and the quality of that evidence --
I think that's what made it easy for the jury to come to the
Conclusion that mr. Berryman was guilty and deserved the highest
Penalty.
If it wasn't for the crime lab on the other side taking
What we found during that almost -hour period where we were
Running to find this guy, I don't know that we would have
Been successful in the prosecution.
I still have to say that at
That time and at that place, the
Scientific and forensic work
That was done was excellent.
And it was correct.
Wanted answers.
But everything they needed was in the dirt at the crime scene.
And it told the story from the beginning to the tragic end.
As the sun rose on the farmlands outside delano, california, a
Farm worker saw something he never expected -- that his farm
Had become a crime scene.
The scene indicated what was a very violent crime.
There was obviously strong evidence even initially to
Indicate there was a sexual as*ault.
Narrator: the victim was a young, teenaged girl.
She was nude and had been beaten and stabbed to death.
No one would have been around to hear any screams...
And it was the kind of place where there wouldn't have been
Just someone driving by certainly on a dirt road off of
The main road.
Narrator: she had no identification, and she didn't
Match any missing-persons reports.
Police found a pair of jeans near her body.
In the pocket was a key chain with the initial "f"...
And there was some broken jewelry.
In the clothing up around her neck, there are pieces of a
Gold-link chain.
They're in the clothing and they're on her skin.
Narrator: crime-scene technicians processed an area
Close to square feet and photographed the shoe and tire
Impressions found in the soft dirt.
Interestingly, there was only one set of shoe prints.
The presence of only one set of footprints at the scene, when
You obviously know there's been two people, is an indicator that
The victim very well may have been dragged from the vehicle.
Narrator: also in the dirt near the tire impressions were
Handprints -- presumably those of the victim.
She had put up a struggle.
You could actually see imprints of her buttocks marks in almost
A half circle where she had put up a struggle and was fighting.
Narrator: the only way to identify the victim was to
Somehow trace the keys found in her jeans.
It seemed pretty bleak that we were going to be successful
In finding the apartment that that mailbox key would open and
That the house key would open.
Because people are often m*rder*d and then transported
Long distances.
Narrator: the town closest to the crime scene was delano.
Around noon, starting at the north end of town, detectives
Tested the key in every apartment-building mailbox they
Could find -- being careful not to miss a single apartment
Complex.
They tested hundreds of mailboxes.
In the back of your mind, you're hoping that it'll work,
But anyone that's a betting person must have known -- I
Knew -- that the odds were probably pretty slim that we
Were going to be successful in finding the right mailbox.
We were at this for several hours -- enough to get a blister
On my thumb.
Narrator: they continued to move south and never gave up
Since it was the only real lead they had.
Finally, they got a break...
The key fit mailbox number in an apartment building in a
Working-class neighborhood in delano.
That gave me a pretty good idea that I was in the right
Place.
It was kind of exhilarating because now we're moving on to
Another leg of this case where we have an opportunity to
Identify the victim.
Narrator: the next step was to test the <span tts:fontstyle="italic">other</span>key...
And it worked in the front door of apartment , although no
One was home.
It is absolutely classic shoe-leather detective work.
They had no idea which apartment complex they were dealing with,
And they just had to go to one after another.
Narrator: the apartment belonged to christine hildreth,
A registered nurse who worked at the local hospital.
When investigators spoke with her, she was able to identify
The victim as her -year-old daughter, florence.
It is rough.
It's one of the hardest things to do in the job, but it's a
Necessary thing to do sometimes.
You have to get this identification so you can
Proceed backwards, backtracking this victim to track down the
Individual that's responsible, a suspect.
What I can remember being is shocked.
I was shocked that something like that had happened to her,
And I was shocked that something like that had happened in
Delano.
Narrator: florence was a high-school senior, president
Of the student union, and member of the honor roll.
Her dream was to study medicine.
This was not one of those juvenile delinquents.
She was a cheerleader and she was well liked.
She had everything going for her in the world...everything.
And she was not involved with any type of dr*gs that we ever
Found out about.
Everything became very clear that she was just a really good
Kid.
Narrator: -year-old florence hildreth was found
m*rder*d in the farmlands outside delano, california.
Investigators had clues but no suspects.
The medical examiner identified the cause of death as multiple
s*ab wounds to her neck.
And there was evidence of sexual as*ault.
Toxicology tests found no alcohol or dr*gs in her system.
She was such a quiet person.
She kept to herself, she didn't really bother anybody.
You would think, you know, why hurt her?
She didn't cause trouble, you know.
Why would anybody want to hurt her?
Narrator: when forensic experts analyze the evidence
Found at the crime scene, they were astounded by the quality of
What they saw.
It looked as though the perpetrator was wearing a new
Pair of "brooks" brand athletic shoes, size .
I can't believe it.
It's very unusual to have that kind of detail where you can
Actually make out the name brand of the shoe and the fine detail
Even down to the recordings of the characteristics of the shoe.
Narrator: and the tire tracks were also telling.
The right-front tire had left its impression on the side of a
Small mound of dirt.
It showed the letters "d", "s", and "v" on the lower sidewall
Near the tread.
They were probably from the words "limited service," which
Was printed on the side of spare tires.
That's extremely unusual.
I've never had a situation where you actually had words
Imprinted like that from the side of the tire that you could
See.
Narrator: the last time anyone saw florence was the
Previous evening around :.
She was walking home from her cousin's house -- a distance of
Less than a quarter of a mile.
The two possible scenarios detectives had at that point was
Either somebody that she knew came along and had offered her a
Ride and she accepted or that she had actually been physically
Pulled off the road by a stranger.
Narrator: if florence was abducted by a stranger, this was
Not good news for investigators.
If you're dealing with a pure "stranger" situation, it's often
Very difficult to find a connection or a link between the
Victim and the k*ller.
Narrator: her friends and family were convinced she would
<Span tts:fontstyle="italic">never</span>get into the car of someone she didn't know.
I think she felt like she could trust him and that he was
Going to take her wherever she needed to go, that he wasn't
Going to take her anywhere to harm.
I don't think she would have put herself in harm's way.
No.
Narrator: in the course of an investigation, police usually
Withhold certain information from the public, but in a small
Town, that's not always easy.
And in this case, the gossip actually helped.
Things about this case were already starting to circulate in
The community.
Even though we were keeping a lid on stuff, the community knew
Where her body had been discovered 'cause they probably
Saw the law-enforcement vehicles out there.
Narrator: and because of this information, a neighbor called
Police with a tip.
She said she was driving on cecil avenue not far from the
Crime scene around midnight and saw a red pickup truck parked
Along the side of the road.
It was distinctive because it had ski racks.
Delano is just a farming town in the middle of the central
Valley.
We don't even have snow here in the winter, so most pickup
Trucks -- and there are a lot in the area -- are working
Vehicles.
But ski racks on a pickup truck is very unusual.
Narrator: florence's family knew immediately who owned that
Truck.
It belonged to rodney berryman, an unemployed young man who was
Living with florence's uncle.
Berryman also had a criminal past with several arrests in
Los angeles for drug-related crimes.
When investigators questioned berryman, he wasn't much help.
He denied anything more than just knowing florence.
He denied having her in his vehicle.
He just denied everything related to this homicide.
He denied that his truck was at the scene and, in fact, he
Denied he'd ever been on cecil avenue, which is hard to do if
You're in delano for any length of time.
It's a main drag.
Narrator: when police looked at his truck, they didn't see a
Spare tire like the one that left prints at the crime scene.
And there was no blood inside the vehicle or any other signs
Of v*olence.
The case was beginning to look like it would never be solved.
Narrator: the prime suspect in florence hildreth's m*rder
Was rodney berryman -- a -year-old drifter with a
Criminal history.
He denied any involvement in the crime.
He had not been in the area, the delano area, very long.
He'd come from los angeles.
He was actually staying with miss hildreth's cousin and
Residing at that same residence and had an acquaintance or
Relationship with one of her female cousins.
Narrator: at first, investigators found no evidence
In berryman's truck that could place the vehicle at the scene.
But under the front seat was a clue that could have easily been
Overlooked.
Investigators found several links to a gold piece of jewelry
Which was sent to supervising criminalist greg laskowski.
I received some individual links that looked like cut
Horseshoes or crimped horseshoes.
And they weren't heavy, so it was cheap jewelry, possibly some
Kind of brass-type jewelry.
Narrator: to make the chain, the manufacturer would have cut
Each link with a tiny tool, then attach it to the end by
Crimping the edges back together.
Under a microscope, laskowski saw the highly distinctive marks
From the tool used to cut these links.
I'm looking for striations that run across the length of
The cut surfaces.
Narrator: the striations on each tool are different.
They're created when the tool is made and by normal wear and
Tear.
Laskowski compared the striations on the links from
Rodney berryman's truck to the links on the jewelry found with
Florence hildreth's body.
At -times magnification, the results were clear.
I have links from the victim's body.
They have markings on them that are of the same type and made by
The same tool that made the markings that made up the
Necklace.
It certainly indicates that the suspect would have some
Explaining to do.
Narrator: but if rodney berryman was the k*ller,
What happened to the spare tire?
When investigators searched further, they found one in
Berryman's backyard, leaning up against the house.
They confiscated the tire, and greg laskowski made an
Impression in material similar to the soil at the crime scene.
He also took an impression of the sidewalls.
I will photograph that impression, my known impression,
Using photographic techniques and oblique lighting to
Duplicate the lighting that was observed in the crime-scene
Photographs, and then I make a side-by-side comparison or an
Overlay comparison.
Narrator: the comparison was remarkably clear.
The impressions forming the letters "v", "s", and "d" at the
Crime scene were identical to the letters on the side of
Rodney berryman's spare tire.
And numerous scratches on the tire, known as "accidental
Markings," matched in both samples, as well.
It's as if you win the lottery -- the one-in-a-million
Shot.
How is it that this "limited service" tire that you wouldn't
Expect to be involved in a crime scene is perfectly reproduced
And is able to be compared so easily?
Narrator: rodney berryman was not told about this evidence.
During his formal interrogation, he was asked if anyone else
Ever drove his truck.
He said, "absolutely not."
When rodney berryman says that no one ever, under any
Circumstances, drives his vehicle, well, that points
Pretty strongly towards <span tts:fontstyle="italic">him</span> being in the vehicle.
He was making negative statements.
He was lying to me.
And when somebody does that, you let him keep going with that
Because the more they lie the deeper they dig their hole.
Narrator: berryman looked like he'd been in a fight.
I did see a scratch on his face, also.
I recall seeing a scratch on his face, and I asked him where he
Got that scratch, and he stated that he had gotten it during a
Basketball game with a friend of his.
Narrator: and investigators noticed he was wearing a
Brand-new pair of "brooks" brand athletic shoes similar to the
Impressions found at the crime scene.
And on those shoes was even more evidence.
When I was talking to him, I just looked down at his shoes
And I seen some spots on them that looked like blood.
Why, naturally, I am very pleased with this.
Narrator: once again, greg laskowski made impressions
Of berryman's sneakers in the same material he used for the
Tire.
Again the impressions were clear.
The size, make, and model were identical to the impressions at
The crime scene.
The accidental characteristics were also identical.
And the blood?
This was before dna testing, so analysts turned to a process
Called "electrophoresis."
They passed an electrical current through the blood
Sample, which revealed a unique combination of enzymes.
This showed the blood on berryman's sneakers was almost
Surely florence hildreth's.
It was consistent with having come from .% Of the
African-american population, and miss hildreth was included
Within that group.
So, for pre-dna testing-type evidence, it was pretty strong,
A pretty strong indicator that it was her blood.
Narrator: rodney berryman unwittingly left a generous
Array of evidence at the crime scene, which enabled
Investigators to charge him for florence's m*rder within
Hours of the crime.
He was a violent individual, was characterized as a
Sociopath or an anti-social personality disorder, an
Individual who believes that basically they have the right to
Do whatever they want and they don't have to follow any rules.
So they can do whatever they want at any point in time, even
If it harms another person.
Narrator: one last bit of evidence sealed the case against
Rodney berryman -- he denied florence was ever in his truck.
But a thumbprint was found on the passenger-side dashboard.
It matched florence's print.
That was another one of the things that really ensnared him.
He denied that she'd ever been in the vehicle and yet her
Thumbprint was there.
That obviously can't have been there if she wasn't in the
Truck.
Narrator: police believe that
When florence walked home that night, she was simply in the
Wrong place at the wrong time.
Rodney saw her walking home.
They knew one another casually, and rodney offered her a ride.
Come on in.
I'll give you a ride.
Narrator: when she got into
His truck, she left her thumbprint on the dashboard.
Instead of taking her home, rodney drove miles away to a
Deserted farm.
Get out of my car!
[ Indistinct arguing ] narrator: the evidence
Clearly shows a confrontation.
When berryman dragged her from the truck, her necklace broke,
Leaving several links underneath the driver's seat.
After the sexual as*ault, berryman stabbed florence to
Death, and drops of her blood fell onto his sneakers.
During this time, a witness saw his truck in the vicinity and
Later reported it to police.
The next morning, berryman removed the spare tire from his
Truck but left it in the backyard, not realizing its
Forensic importance.
The distinctive tire impression, the shoes, the necklace, the
Fingerprint and blood evidence left little doubt as to the
Perpetrator.
She was young, a good student, with her whole future
Ahead of her, and the loss of someone like that, with their
Whole life ahead of them and a lot to accomplish, is -- any
Loss of human life is tragic, but that's a particularly tragic
Situation.
She took a ride from a person that she thought she knew that
She thought she could trust...
And he turned on her, you know, he turned on her.
It was awful.
Narrator: rodney berryman was convicted of first-degree
m*rder.
He now sits on death row in san quentin prison.
The various items of forensic evidence essentially created a
Web that mr. Berryman became ensnared in.
Forensic evidence was so strong that the jury convicted very
Quickly, and there really was just no way to explain away
All the different forensic
Evidence.
The amount of evidence and the quality of that evidence --
I think that's what made it easy for the jury to come to the
Conclusion that mr. Berryman was guilty and deserved the highest
Penalty.
If it wasn't for the crime lab on the other side taking
What we found during that almost -hour period where we were
Running to find this guy, I don't know that we would have
Been successful in the prosecution.
I still have to say that at
That time and at that place, the
Scientific and forensic work
That was done was excellent.
And it was correct.