14x08 - Touch of Evil
Posted: 01/19/24 08:21
Narrator: up next, a serial
k*ller was on the loose in
New york city.
These people were chopped up.
It's just a savage way to die.
We felt that he really pissed
Somebody off.
Narrator: the media labels
Him the "last call k*ller."
The last call for drinks --
That's the last that was seen of
Them.
Narrator: nearly a decade
Passes, and police still have no
Suspects...
Until advances in forensic
Science finally help pinpoint
The k*ller.
It's the most bizarre case
It's the most bizarre case I've ever been involved with.
I've ever been involved with.
Narrator: for sanitation
Workers collecting trash along
The new jersey turnpike in ,
It was a day like any other...
Until they found a plastic bag
So heavy, the men decided to
Look inside.
The worker felt like it was a
Pumpkin or something.
Narrator: but it was
Something else.
It was a head, a human head,
Human skull.
[ Siren wails ]
Narrator: when police arrived
At the scene, they found even
More bags with more body parts.
The body was severed into
Seven pieces -- two legs, two
Arms, upper and lower torso, and
The head.
There were ligature marks on
His wrist, which suggested he
Was tied up or bound at some
Point.
Narrator: one bag contained
Latex gloves, a bedsheet, shower
Curtain, and a blood-stained
Saw.
It tells law enforcement that
This happened in some home or a
Rented place, a hotel room.
It could be any of those things.
Narrator: the victim's wallet
Was found in one of the bags.
There was clearly no attempt
To hide the identity of the
Victim.
Narrator: the victim was
-Year-old thomas mulcahy, an
Executive for an information
Company in massachusetts who had
Been in new york city on a
Business trip.
He was married for
Approximately years.
He had four children, with the
Youngest being, I believe,
Years of age, and the others
Were young adults.
Narrator: mulcahy had been
Stabbed to death, then
Dismembered.
The body parts, as well as the
Bags themselves were washed
Before they were dumped.
Well, the washing tells us
That the k*ller wants to remove
Evidence and, two, that there is
An intimate aspect to it of
Keeping the body close.
It's erotic.
You're taking care of the
Victim.
Narrator: thomas mulcahy's
Wife told police some personal
Information she felt might be
Pertinent.
She said, "at some point in
His life, he started
Experimenting with h*m*
Sex."
I don't know that she approved
Of it.
Narrator: by tracing his
Credit-card activity, detectives
Learned that mulcahy's last
Transaction was at an atm at
: P.m. Two nights before his
Body was found.
Tom mulcahy withdraws $
From an atm machine at th and
Avenue of americas.
With our luck, the camera system
Was down, so we had no pictures.
Narrator: there was no
Evidence mulcahy had ever
Returned to his hotel room that
Night, which was only a block
Away.
But there was evidence he had
Stopped in a nearby bar.
Mulcahy was seen at the
Townhouse bar, which is an
Upscale gay bar in manhattan.
He was intoxicated.
Narrator: this was consistent
With the medical examiner's
Report.
The medical examiner
Determined that
Thomas mulcahy's blood-alcohol
Level was above the legal limit.
Narrator: witnesses said that
Mulcahy was talking with a
White male with brown hair.
But no one could say for sure
Whether they left the bar
Together.
Using the witnesses'
Descriptions, police created a
Composite sketch, which was
Distributed to the media.
We were unsuccessful.
Everything we did up until that
Point was unsuccessful.
Narrator: but there was one
Item found with mulcahy's body
That provided an important clue.
In one of the trash bags was the
Wrapper for the latex gloves.
The price sticker showed they
Were purchased from a cvs
Drugstore in staten island,
New york.
But investigators still faced a
Daunting task.
There were almost half a million
People living in staten island.
We had nothing.
You know, we were grasping at
Straws.
Narrator: one year after
Finding thomas mulcahy's
Dismembered body, new jersey
Police had another case that was
Eerily similar, this time in
Manchester township, new jersey.
The body parts were bagged in
A similar fashion.
They were double-bagged,
Double-knotted.
The most striking thing, at
Least to me, was the way the
Bodies were dismembered into the
Same seven parts.
Prints were taken and put into
The system, and it turned out
That this particular individual
Had a minor criminal record.
He was identified as
Anthony marrero.
Narrator: marrero's record
Showed he was a gay prost*tute.
Like the mulcahy case,
Marrero's body parts and the
Bags had both been washed before
They were dumped along the side
Of the road.
We had really no prints, no
Dna, anything that could tie us
To a viable suspect.
Narrator: also like mulcahy,
The victim had ligature marks on
His wrists and ankles.
There's something called a
Signature k*ller.
That is a k*ller who tends to
Repeat their process with
Several victims.
The cuts that were performed
On his body were described as
Being disarticulated, in that
You actually don't just cut
Right through the bone.
You actually pull the joints
Apart and cut through cartilage,
As opposed to bone.
Narrator: this
Disarticulation was a vital
Clue.
We know it was postmortem.
The precision of the cuts led us
To believe that this was done by
Somebody who had some
Knowledge -- somebody in the
Medical profession, possibly
Somebody along those lines.
Narrator: one of the bags
Found with marrero's body had
The words "president's choice"
On it.
This shopping bag was sold at
Only nine locations, and one of
The locations happened to be
Staten island.
Narrator: the store in
Staten island which sold those
Bags was close to the cvs
Drugstore that sold the latex
Gloves found with
Thomas mulcahy's body.
The reasonable assumption is
That the k*ller either lives or
Works in that neighborhood,
Because that would be within
What's called their zone of
Familiarity, their comfort zone.
Narrator: using a process
Called superglue fuming,
Investigators were able to lift
Two partial fingerprints and a
Partial palm print from the
Bags.
These prints were entered into
The nationwide fingerprint
Database of known criminal
Offenders.
The results of that entry in
The search were negative.
There was no match.
We had ran out of leads, and
It wasn't looking too promising.
Narrator: two months later,
Investigators' worst fears were
Realized, when another
Dismembered body was found in a
Garbage can miles outside of
New york city.
I looked down in the garbage
Can.
There it was -- a couple arms,
You know, folded up neatly.
The reaction of every person
Who found body parts -- and I
Quote them -- was "holy [bleep]
Narrator: there was no doubt
This was the work of the same
k*ller.
The body was placed in
Similar-type garbage bags,
Double-knotted, double-bagged.
There were seven pieces, also.
Narrator: and again, the body
And the bags had been washed
Down.
There was no physical
Evidence recovered -- no
Fingerprints, no dna that was
Foreign to him.
Narrator: the victim was
Identified as -year-old
Mike sakara.
He was a fixture in the
Five oaks bar in
Greenwich village.
The five oaks was a piano bar,
And it did cater to the gay
Clientele.
Narrator: lisa hall was a
Bartender at the five oaks on
The night mike sakara was
m*rder*d.
Lisa said a white male came into
The bar and sat next to mike.
Hey. How you doing?
Hey. I'm all right.
Narrator: she had never seen
The man before.
Can I get you something to
Drink?
Yeah, scotch and water.
I assumed he knew michael,
Because why would he, when
There's empty seats, go sit
Right next to him?
And I made the man a scotch and
Water.
And michael said, "lisa, this is
So-and-so.
He's a nurse at st. Vincent's."
Narrator: when she left the
Bar, michael and this man were
Still there.
Michael was not the type to
Go home with anyone, and it
Seemed like he knew him.
You know, I didn't think
Anything of it.
No one saw the two men leave
The bar together.
The detectives asked me for a
Name.
I said it was, like, john or
Mark, a very common name.
But it was just a first name,
And I didn't really remember a
Name.
I remembered a face.
Narrator: so investigators
Created a composite sketch based
On lisa's description.
But even lisa knew finding him
Wouldn't be easy.
Well, new york city -- it
Would seem almost impossible to
Try to find a suspect, unless
They could find some connection
Somehow.
Narrator: detectives across
New york and new jersey were
Desperately trying to find a
Serial k*ller who was targeting
Gay men.
The media dubbed him
The "last call k*ller."
The most recent victim,
Mike sakara, was last seen in a
Bar with a white male, whom he
Introduced to the bartender as a
Nurse working at
St. Vincent's hospital in
New york.
When police followed up with the
Local hospitals, they identified
A male nurse at st. Vincent's --
-Year-old mark slaton, who not
Only resembled the composite
Drawing -- he also lived in
Staten island near the stores
Where the k*ller purchased the
Latex gloves and garbage bags
Used in the murders.
Unfortunately, slaton's prints
Didn't match the prints found on
The plastic bags.
It's heartbreaking.
You're out there pounding the
Pavements, doing everything you
Can, and you don't have an
Answer for it.
So it was very frustrating.
Narrator: thinking that the
k*ller may have misled his
Victims about where he worked,
Detective kuehn enlisted his own
Children in the investigation to
Distribute the composite sketch
Of the k*ller to all the local
Hospitals.
It was a family project.
I had my kids sitting at the
Table.
What we wanted to do was send a
Mass flier out to all the
Hospitals on staten island.
Narrator: unfortunately, the
Fliers didn't generate any
Significant leads.
There were no motives.
Nobody had anybody mad at them.
Nobody was gonna profit by
Anybody's death.
There were no jealous lovers.
Narrator: and soon, the case
Turned cold.
Many, many man-hours,
Hundreds if not thousands of
Man-hours devoted to these
Investigations, and essentially,
The trails just went cold.
Narrator: the murders
Stopped, too, leaving police to
Suspect the k*ller may have
Changed his m.o.
So our thoughts were either
He's locked up, he's dead, or
He's still out there and he's
Just getting a lot better at it.
Narrator: then eight years
Later, the case went in a new
Direction.
It happened when investigators
Heard about a new fingerprint
Technique that was being used in
Toronto called vacuum metal
Deposition, or vmd.
The vacuum-metal-deposition
Machine is the ultimate machine
To find fingerprints on
Non-porous materials.
You can have material that was
Stored for years.
Narrator: investigators
Immediately sent a dozen bags
From the "last call k*ller" case
To toronto.
They'd been in storage for
Years.
In the canadian lab, the bags
Were exposed to milligrams,
About cents' worth, of gold,
Which was heated to ,
Degrees fahrenheit, enough to
Turn it into a gas.
This gold vapor creates a film
Over the surface being tested,
But it is invisible to the naked
Eye.
Then vaporized zinc is
Introduced into the chamber.
It adheres to gold, which locks
Any prints in place so they can
Be photographed.
The end product is a negative
Of the fingerprint on a surface
Of non-porous material.
And that's what we end up
Seeing.
Narrator: the vmd process
Yielded partial prints on the
Bags from the mulcahy m*rder
And three from the marrero case.
These prints were of much better
Quality than the original ones.
I was ecstatic.
We have latents.
Ball's in our court.
Narrator: the new prints were
Entered into the national
Fingerprint database of known
Criminal offenders.
Again, there were no matches.
But detective kuehn also sent
Hard copies of the prints to
Each state, since not all states
Had put their prints into the
Nationwide database.
This was our last shot.
And we felt that if we could
Reach out, that maybe they'd put
That little extra effort into
The submission.
Narrator: when the
Fingerprints of
The "last call k*ller" made it
Through the mail to latent-print
Examiner kim stevens in
Maine state police crime lab,
She was happy to help out.
The state of main hadn't yet put
All of their prints onto the
National fingerprint database.
I received the prints in the
Mail with a cover letter and I
Read the letter and the synopsis
Of the case.
Narrator: kim stevens entered
The "last call k*ller's" prints
Into maine's state database.
I thought there's no way I
Would get a match.
I had done a lot of searches for
Outside agencies, and the
Chances, I thought, would be
Very slim.
Narrator: but the database of
Known criminal offenders in
Maine turned up possible
Matches.
So prints came up in the
List for me to look at one by
One, side by side to see if they
Could be the print.
Narrator: for the
Side-by-side comparison, stevens
Used the original hard copies
Made by the criminals when
They were arrested and inked by
Police.
It's time-consuming and
Exhausting.
You want to do it when your
Eye is fresh and you're ready to
Make comparisons.
Narrator: then stevens found
One that she thought matched.
Every time I went to the next
Ridge and found detail that
Agreed, obviously, I was
Surprised.
I was jumping up and down for
Joy and couldn't believe it.
Narrator: the final step is
To have the match verified by
Another examiner.
And that person agreed.
The prints belonged to
Richard rogers, a former
Graduate student in languages at
The university of maine.
In , rogers was charged with
Using a hammer to k*ll his
College roommate.
He wrapped the body in a plastic
Tent and left it on the side of
The road.
Richard rogers apparently
Said that the other man had
Approached him for sex, and the
Other man att*cked him, so in
Self-defense, he att*cked back
And ended up k*lling him.
Mr. Rogers claimed
Self-defense and was acquitted.
Amazing.
Narrator: after he was
Acquitted, rogers got a nursing
Degree and eventually moved to
New york.
At the time of the "last call"
Murders, rogers had been working
As a surgical assistant at
Mount sinai hospital in
New york.
That's where police arrested
Him.
They put handcuffs on while
He was in our intensive care
Unit.
That does shock us, to say the
Least.
He was gay, didn't really
Seem to have any long-term
Relationships.
In your wildest dreams, you
Would not look at richard rogers
And say, "this guy is a serial
k*ller."
We learned that during the
Times of these murders,
Richard rogers had been
Off duty.
Narrator: lisa hall chose
Rogers' picture from a photo
Lineup as the man she saw with
Mike sakara at the bar on the
Night sakara was m*rder*d.
It was just a horrible,
Horrible thing, and I'm just so
Glad they got him before he
Could m*rder any other people.
Narrator: rogers lived in
Staten island just blocks from
The stores where the garbage
Bags and latex gloves were
Purchased.
Detectives searched
Richard rogers' apartment, and
They found an array of
Videotapes -- "hush...hush,
Sweet charlotte,"
"Texas chainsaw m*ssacre."
He had a bible in which there
Were earmarked passages
Referring to beheadings and
Dismemberments.
Narrator: also in rogers'
Apartment, they found a vial of
A prescription drug used as a
Sedative.
It's one that's not screened for
In a routine autopsy.
You can use it as a date-r*pe
Drug or you can use it to knock
People out.
Narrator: prosecutors believe
Rogers would pick up his victims
In gay bars.
He targeted men who were
Drinking heavily.
Hi.
There we go.
Thanks very much.
Sure thing. Enjoy.
I shall do it.
Narrator: rogers may have
Used a date-r*pe drug and taken
His victims back to his
Apartment or they may have gone
Willingly.
Nice collection, too.
Narrator: once there, the
Evidence shows he stabbed them,
Then dismembered the bodies.
He most likely moved the bodies
To new jersey at night to avoid
Detection.
But even the most careful
Criminals make mistakes, and
Rogers left evidence behind.
The elaborate washing of the
Victims and the bags didn't
Remove everything.
As for motive, rogers wouldn't
Talk.
All experts can say is that the
Murders had a clear sexual
Motivation.
It's the most bizarre case
I've ever been involved with.
And for all of these men, there
Was just no dignity in death.
Narrator: in november of
, Rogers was tried and
Convicted of two of the murders,
The cases where they had the
Most forensic evidence.
He was sentenced to two life
Terms, plus years in prison.
When you look back on it, you
Never gave up.
You keep plugging along.
It never ceases to amaze me
What we get in terms of
Forensics, whether it's
Fingerprints, dna, any number of
Things.
It's the most powerful tool you
Can have in a courtroom as a
Prosecutor.
It was pretty horrible to sit
There and look at this man that
Actually m*rder*d michael sakara
And to think about all the other
People that lost their lives and
All their families and friends
That lost people because of this
Monster who was sitting there.
But at least he was finally put
k*ller was on the loose in
New york city.
These people were chopped up.
It's just a savage way to die.
We felt that he really pissed
Somebody off.
Narrator: the media labels
Him the "last call k*ller."
The last call for drinks --
That's the last that was seen of
Them.
Narrator: nearly a decade
Passes, and police still have no
Suspects...
Until advances in forensic
Science finally help pinpoint
The k*ller.
It's the most bizarre case
It's the most bizarre case I've ever been involved with.
I've ever been involved with.
Narrator: for sanitation
Workers collecting trash along
The new jersey turnpike in ,
It was a day like any other...
Until they found a plastic bag
So heavy, the men decided to
Look inside.
The worker felt like it was a
Pumpkin or something.
Narrator: but it was
Something else.
It was a head, a human head,
Human skull.
[ Siren wails ]
Narrator: when police arrived
At the scene, they found even
More bags with more body parts.
The body was severed into
Seven pieces -- two legs, two
Arms, upper and lower torso, and
The head.
There were ligature marks on
His wrist, which suggested he
Was tied up or bound at some
Point.
Narrator: one bag contained
Latex gloves, a bedsheet, shower
Curtain, and a blood-stained
Saw.
It tells law enforcement that
This happened in some home or a
Rented place, a hotel room.
It could be any of those things.
Narrator: the victim's wallet
Was found in one of the bags.
There was clearly no attempt
To hide the identity of the
Victim.
Narrator: the victim was
-Year-old thomas mulcahy, an
Executive for an information
Company in massachusetts who had
Been in new york city on a
Business trip.
He was married for
Approximately years.
He had four children, with the
Youngest being, I believe,
Years of age, and the others
Were young adults.
Narrator: mulcahy had been
Stabbed to death, then
Dismembered.
The body parts, as well as the
Bags themselves were washed
Before they were dumped.
Well, the washing tells us
That the k*ller wants to remove
Evidence and, two, that there is
An intimate aspect to it of
Keeping the body close.
It's erotic.
You're taking care of the
Victim.
Narrator: thomas mulcahy's
Wife told police some personal
Information she felt might be
Pertinent.
She said, "at some point in
His life, he started
Experimenting with h*m*
Sex."
I don't know that she approved
Of it.
Narrator: by tracing his
Credit-card activity, detectives
Learned that mulcahy's last
Transaction was at an atm at
: P.m. Two nights before his
Body was found.
Tom mulcahy withdraws $
From an atm machine at th and
Avenue of americas.
With our luck, the camera system
Was down, so we had no pictures.
Narrator: there was no
Evidence mulcahy had ever
Returned to his hotel room that
Night, which was only a block
Away.
But there was evidence he had
Stopped in a nearby bar.
Mulcahy was seen at the
Townhouse bar, which is an
Upscale gay bar in manhattan.
He was intoxicated.
Narrator: this was consistent
With the medical examiner's
Report.
The medical examiner
Determined that
Thomas mulcahy's blood-alcohol
Level was above the legal limit.
Narrator: witnesses said that
Mulcahy was talking with a
White male with brown hair.
But no one could say for sure
Whether they left the bar
Together.
Using the witnesses'
Descriptions, police created a
Composite sketch, which was
Distributed to the media.
We were unsuccessful.
Everything we did up until that
Point was unsuccessful.
Narrator: but there was one
Item found with mulcahy's body
That provided an important clue.
In one of the trash bags was the
Wrapper for the latex gloves.
The price sticker showed they
Were purchased from a cvs
Drugstore in staten island,
New york.
But investigators still faced a
Daunting task.
There were almost half a million
People living in staten island.
We had nothing.
You know, we were grasping at
Straws.
Narrator: one year after
Finding thomas mulcahy's
Dismembered body, new jersey
Police had another case that was
Eerily similar, this time in
Manchester township, new jersey.
The body parts were bagged in
A similar fashion.
They were double-bagged,
Double-knotted.
The most striking thing, at
Least to me, was the way the
Bodies were dismembered into the
Same seven parts.
Prints were taken and put into
The system, and it turned out
That this particular individual
Had a minor criminal record.
He was identified as
Anthony marrero.
Narrator: marrero's record
Showed he was a gay prost*tute.
Like the mulcahy case,
Marrero's body parts and the
Bags had both been washed before
They were dumped along the side
Of the road.
We had really no prints, no
Dna, anything that could tie us
To a viable suspect.
Narrator: also like mulcahy,
The victim had ligature marks on
His wrists and ankles.
There's something called a
Signature k*ller.
That is a k*ller who tends to
Repeat their process with
Several victims.
The cuts that were performed
On his body were described as
Being disarticulated, in that
You actually don't just cut
Right through the bone.
You actually pull the joints
Apart and cut through cartilage,
As opposed to bone.
Narrator: this
Disarticulation was a vital
Clue.
We know it was postmortem.
The precision of the cuts led us
To believe that this was done by
Somebody who had some
Knowledge -- somebody in the
Medical profession, possibly
Somebody along those lines.
Narrator: one of the bags
Found with marrero's body had
The words "president's choice"
On it.
This shopping bag was sold at
Only nine locations, and one of
The locations happened to be
Staten island.
Narrator: the store in
Staten island which sold those
Bags was close to the cvs
Drugstore that sold the latex
Gloves found with
Thomas mulcahy's body.
The reasonable assumption is
That the k*ller either lives or
Works in that neighborhood,
Because that would be within
What's called their zone of
Familiarity, their comfort zone.
Narrator: using a process
Called superglue fuming,
Investigators were able to lift
Two partial fingerprints and a
Partial palm print from the
Bags.
These prints were entered into
The nationwide fingerprint
Database of known criminal
Offenders.
The results of that entry in
The search were negative.
There was no match.
We had ran out of leads, and
It wasn't looking too promising.
Narrator: two months later,
Investigators' worst fears were
Realized, when another
Dismembered body was found in a
Garbage can miles outside of
New york city.
I looked down in the garbage
Can.
There it was -- a couple arms,
You know, folded up neatly.
The reaction of every person
Who found body parts -- and I
Quote them -- was "holy [bleep]
Narrator: there was no doubt
This was the work of the same
k*ller.
The body was placed in
Similar-type garbage bags,
Double-knotted, double-bagged.
There were seven pieces, also.
Narrator: and again, the body
And the bags had been washed
Down.
There was no physical
Evidence recovered -- no
Fingerprints, no dna that was
Foreign to him.
Narrator: the victim was
Identified as -year-old
Mike sakara.
He was a fixture in the
Five oaks bar in
Greenwich village.
The five oaks was a piano bar,
And it did cater to the gay
Clientele.
Narrator: lisa hall was a
Bartender at the five oaks on
The night mike sakara was
m*rder*d.
Lisa said a white male came into
The bar and sat next to mike.
Hey. How you doing?
Hey. I'm all right.
Narrator: she had never seen
The man before.
Can I get you something to
Drink?
Yeah, scotch and water.
I assumed he knew michael,
Because why would he, when
There's empty seats, go sit
Right next to him?
And I made the man a scotch and
Water.
And michael said, "lisa, this is
So-and-so.
He's a nurse at st. Vincent's."
Narrator: when she left the
Bar, michael and this man were
Still there.
Michael was not the type to
Go home with anyone, and it
Seemed like he knew him.
You know, I didn't think
Anything of it.
No one saw the two men leave
The bar together.
The detectives asked me for a
Name.
I said it was, like, john or
Mark, a very common name.
But it was just a first name,
And I didn't really remember a
Name.
I remembered a face.
Narrator: so investigators
Created a composite sketch based
On lisa's description.
But even lisa knew finding him
Wouldn't be easy.
Well, new york city -- it
Would seem almost impossible to
Try to find a suspect, unless
They could find some connection
Somehow.
Narrator: detectives across
New york and new jersey were
Desperately trying to find a
Serial k*ller who was targeting
Gay men.
The media dubbed him
The "last call k*ller."
The most recent victim,
Mike sakara, was last seen in a
Bar with a white male, whom he
Introduced to the bartender as a
Nurse working at
St. Vincent's hospital in
New york.
When police followed up with the
Local hospitals, they identified
A male nurse at st. Vincent's --
-Year-old mark slaton, who not
Only resembled the composite
Drawing -- he also lived in
Staten island near the stores
Where the k*ller purchased the
Latex gloves and garbage bags
Used in the murders.
Unfortunately, slaton's prints
Didn't match the prints found on
The plastic bags.
It's heartbreaking.
You're out there pounding the
Pavements, doing everything you
Can, and you don't have an
Answer for it.
So it was very frustrating.
Narrator: thinking that the
k*ller may have misled his
Victims about where he worked,
Detective kuehn enlisted his own
Children in the investigation to
Distribute the composite sketch
Of the k*ller to all the local
Hospitals.
It was a family project.
I had my kids sitting at the
Table.
What we wanted to do was send a
Mass flier out to all the
Hospitals on staten island.
Narrator: unfortunately, the
Fliers didn't generate any
Significant leads.
There were no motives.
Nobody had anybody mad at them.
Nobody was gonna profit by
Anybody's death.
There were no jealous lovers.
Narrator: and soon, the case
Turned cold.
Many, many man-hours,
Hundreds if not thousands of
Man-hours devoted to these
Investigations, and essentially,
The trails just went cold.
Narrator: the murders
Stopped, too, leaving police to
Suspect the k*ller may have
Changed his m.o.
So our thoughts were either
He's locked up, he's dead, or
He's still out there and he's
Just getting a lot better at it.
Narrator: then eight years
Later, the case went in a new
Direction.
It happened when investigators
Heard about a new fingerprint
Technique that was being used in
Toronto called vacuum metal
Deposition, or vmd.
The vacuum-metal-deposition
Machine is the ultimate machine
To find fingerprints on
Non-porous materials.
You can have material that was
Stored for years.
Narrator: investigators
Immediately sent a dozen bags
From the "last call k*ller" case
To toronto.
They'd been in storage for
Years.
In the canadian lab, the bags
Were exposed to milligrams,
About cents' worth, of gold,
Which was heated to ,
Degrees fahrenheit, enough to
Turn it into a gas.
This gold vapor creates a film
Over the surface being tested,
But it is invisible to the naked
Eye.
Then vaporized zinc is
Introduced into the chamber.
It adheres to gold, which locks
Any prints in place so they can
Be photographed.
The end product is a negative
Of the fingerprint on a surface
Of non-porous material.
And that's what we end up
Seeing.
Narrator: the vmd process
Yielded partial prints on the
Bags from the mulcahy m*rder
And three from the marrero case.
These prints were of much better
Quality than the original ones.
I was ecstatic.
We have latents.
Ball's in our court.
Narrator: the new prints were
Entered into the national
Fingerprint database of known
Criminal offenders.
Again, there were no matches.
But detective kuehn also sent
Hard copies of the prints to
Each state, since not all states
Had put their prints into the
Nationwide database.
This was our last shot.
And we felt that if we could
Reach out, that maybe they'd put
That little extra effort into
The submission.
Narrator: when the
Fingerprints of
The "last call k*ller" made it
Through the mail to latent-print
Examiner kim stevens in
Maine state police crime lab,
She was happy to help out.
The state of main hadn't yet put
All of their prints onto the
National fingerprint database.
I received the prints in the
Mail with a cover letter and I
Read the letter and the synopsis
Of the case.
Narrator: kim stevens entered
The "last call k*ller's" prints
Into maine's state database.
I thought there's no way I
Would get a match.
I had done a lot of searches for
Outside agencies, and the
Chances, I thought, would be
Very slim.
Narrator: but the database of
Known criminal offenders in
Maine turned up possible
Matches.
So prints came up in the
List for me to look at one by
One, side by side to see if they
Could be the print.
Narrator: for the
Side-by-side comparison, stevens
Used the original hard copies
Made by the criminals when
They were arrested and inked by
Police.
It's time-consuming and
Exhausting.
You want to do it when your
Eye is fresh and you're ready to
Make comparisons.
Narrator: then stevens found
One that she thought matched.
Every time I went to the next
Ridge and found detail that
Agreed, obviously, I was
Surprised.
I was jumping up and down for
Joy and couldn't believe it.
Narrator: the final step is
To have the match verified by
Another examiner.
And that person agreed.
The prints belonged to
Richard rogers, a former
Graduate student in languages at
The university of maine.
In , rogers was charged with
Using a hammer to k*ll his
College roommate.
He wrapped the body in a plastic
Tent and left it on the side of
The road.
Richard rogers apparently
Said that the other man had
Approached him for sex, and the
Other man att*cked him, so in
Self-defense, he att*cked back
And ended up k*lling him.
Mr. Rogers claimed
Self-defense and was acquitted.
Amazing.
Narrator: after he was
Acquitted, rogers got a nursing
Degree and eventually moved to
New york.
At the time of the "last call"
Murders, rogers had been working
As a surgical assistant at
Mount sinai hospital in
New york.
That's where police arrested
Him.
They put handcuffs on while
He was in our intensive care
Unit.
That does shock us, to say the
Least.
He was gay, didn't really
Seem to have any long-term
Relationships.
In your wildest dreams, you
Would not look at richard rogers
And say, "this guy is a serial
k*ller."
We learned that during the
Times of these murders,
Richard rogers had been
Off duty.
Narrator: lisa hall chose
Rogers' picture from a photo
Lineup as the man she saw with
Mike sakara at the bar on the
Night sakara was m*rder*d.
It was just a horrible,
Horrible thing, and I'm just so
Glad they got him before he
Could m*rder any other people.
Narrator: rogers lived in
Staten island just blocks from
The stores where the garbage
Bags and latex gloves were
Purchased.
Detectives searched
Richard rogers' apartment, and
They found an array of
Videotapes -- "hush...hush,
Sweet charlotte,"
"Texas chainsaw m*ssacre."
He had a bible in which there
Were earmarked passages
Referring to beheadings and
Dismemberments.
Narrator: also in rogers'
Apartment, they found a vial of
A prescription drug used as a
Sedative.
It's one that's not screened for
In a routine autopsy.
You can use it as a date-r*pe
Drug or you can use it to knock
People out.
Narrator: prosecutors believe
Rogers would pick up his victims
In gay bars.
He targeted men who were
Drinking heavily.
Hi.
There we go.
Thanks very much.
Sure thing. Enjoy.
I shall do it.
Narrator: rogers may have
Used a date-r*pe drug and taken
His victims back to his
Apartment or they may have gone
Willingly.
Nice collection, too.
Narrator: once there, the
Evidence shows he stabbed them,
Then dismembered the bodies.
He most likely moved the bodies
To new jersey at night to avoid
Detection.
But even the most careful
Criminals make mistakes, and
Rogers left evidence behind.
The elaborate washing of the
Victims and the bags didn't
Remove everything.
As for motive, rogers wouldn't
Talk.
All experts can say is that the
Murders had a clear sexual
Motivation.
It's the most bizarre case
I've ever been involved with.
And for all of these men, there
Was just no dignity in death.
Narrator: in november of
, Rogers was tried and
Convicted of two of the murders,
The cases where they had the
Most forensic evidence.
He was sentenced to two life
Terms, plus years in prison.
When you look back on it, you
Never gave up.
You keep plugging along.
It never ceases to amaze me
What we get in terms of
Forensics, whether it's
Fingerprints, dna, any number of
Things.
It's the most powerful tool you
Can have in a courtroom as a
Prosecutor.
It was pretty horrible to sit
There and look at this man that
Actually m*rder*d michael sakara
And to think about all the other
People that lost their lives and
All their families and friends
That lost people because of this
Monster who was sitting there.
But at least he was finally put