Original subtitles

Narrator: MURDER IS AS OLD AS TIME...

...AND SO IS THE QUEST TO FIND THE KILLERS.

WHEN SLEUTHING MEETS SCIENCE,

NEW FORENSIC TOOLS ARE BORN.

IN 1892,

THE HUNT FOR A CHILD KILLER IN ARGENTINA

FOREVER CHANGES THE WAY POLICE I.D. KILLERS.

Man: HE WENT TO THE CRIME SCENE

LOOKING FOR ANY EVIDENCE

THAT MIGHT INDICATE WHAT HAD HAPPENED.

Narrator: THE BREAKTHROUGH...

FINGERPRINT IDENTIFICATION...

A FOOLPROOF METHOD FOR CONFIRMING A KILLER.

Man: NO TWO PEOPLE HAVE EVER HAD THE SAME FINGERPRINT.

SO WHAT THEY WERE LOOKING AT

IS THE PATTERN OF WHAT WE CALL FRICTION RIDGES,

AND THAT'S WHAT ALLOWS US TO GRASP AND HOLD STUFF.

Narrator: FINGERPRINTS BECOME THE ULTIMATE EVIDENCE

IN CRIME FIGHTING.

BUT A CENTURY LATER,

THEY'RE THE MISSING LINK

IN A DESPERATE HUNT FOR A SERIAL KILLER

KNOWN AS THE NIGHT STALKER.

Man: THERE WERE NO FINGERPRINTS LEFT BEHIND.

AND NOBODY IN CRIMINAL HISTORY HAD EVER DONE THE THINGS

THAT THIS ONE MAN WAS DOING.

[CAR HORN HONKS]

[HELICOPTER]

Weatherman: CLEAR SKIES TONIGHT WITH A LOW NEAR 70.

INCREASING CLOUDINESS TOMORROW,

STICKY AND HUMID WITH A HIGH OF 96.

Narrator: IN THE SPRING OF 1985,

LOS ANGELES IS GRIPPED BY A BLISTERING HEAT WAVE

AND HELD HOSTAGE BY A RUTHLESS SERIAL KILLER.

[GUNSHOT]

HE'S JUST STRUCK AGAIN

WITH THE MURDER OF 34-YEAR-OLD DAYLE OKAZAKI,

SLIPPING IN AND OUT OF HER HOUSE UNNOTICED,

LIKE THE DARK DISCIPLE HE BELIEVES HE IS.

THE ONE THING HE'S LEFT BEHIND

IS A DISTURBING SATANIC SYMBOL.

Katherine Ramsland: THIS IS A PERSON

WHO SOMEHOW MANAGED TO GET IN AND OUT

AS IF HE HAD SOME KIND OF SUPERNATURAL POWER.

HE WAS SKILLED AT GETTING INTO HOMES,

INCLUDING HOMES THAT HAD BURGLARY DEVICES,

HOMES WHERE PEOPLE WERE ARMED.

AND PEOPLE WERE VERY SCARED.

Narrator: AND THEY HAVE EVERY REASON TO BE AFRAID.

IN LESS THAN A YEAR, HE'S KILLED 12 PEOPLE.

Man: THESE ARE HORRIBLE CRIMES.

Reporter: SOME VICTIMS HAVE BEEN TORTURED

AND LEFT WITH THEIR HANDS TIED BEHIND THEIR BACK.

Man: SOME OF THE MOST GROTESQUE

THAT THEY HAVE SEEN IN THEIR EXPERIENCE.

Ramsland: HE WAS CERTAINLY ESCALATING.

IT WAS CLEAR THAT IF THEY DIDN'T STOP HIM,

THESE ATTACKS WERE GOING TO BE COMING MUCH MORE QUICKLY

AND MUCH MORE CLOSE TOGETHER.

Narrator: AND WHILE MOST SERIAL KILLERS

TARGET A SPECIFIC TYPE OF VICTIM...

[GUNSHOT]

THE NIGHT STALKER IS GIVING POLICE NO PROFILE.

Gil Carrillo: HE WAS HITTING AT RANDOM.

UNLIKE OTHER SERIAL KILLERS THAT HIT A SPECIFIC TYPE PERSON

OR CERTAIN LOCATION,

HE WAS HITTING ALL OVER.

AND THERE WAS CERTAINLY CONCERN FOR EVERYONE.

Narrator: POLICE HAVE LITTLE TO GO ON.

THE NIGHT STALKER IS AN EXPERT AT COVERING HIS TRACKS.

Ramsland: THIS WAS A PERSON WHO WAS CLEARLY ORGANIZED.

Narrator: HE HASN'T LEFT A DROP OF BLOOD, A HAIR,

OR ANY OTHER CLUE AT ANY OF THE CRIME SCENES.

BUT WHAT POLICE ARE MOST DESPERATE TO FIND

IS THE ONE PIECE OF EVIDENCE THAT COULD ALMOST SURELY REVEAL

THE NIGHT STALKER'S IDENTITY...

A FINGERPRINT.

FOR NEARLY A CENTURY,

FINGERPRINTS HAVE BEEN THE GOLD STANDARD

OF FORENSIC SCIENCE,

AND FOR GOOD REASON.

FINGERPRINTS ARE ONE OF THE EARLIEST FEATURES

TO DEVELOP INSIDE THE WOMB.

THE PRESSURE OF AMNIOTIC FLUID ACROSS THE SURFACE OF THE HANDS

AND THE GROWTH RATE OF THE FINGERS

INFLUENCES THE FORMATION OF PATTERNS ON THE FINGERTIPS.

AND WITH SO MANY FACTORS IN PLAY...

EVERYONE'S PRINTS ARE UNIQUE...

Girls: DOUBLE, DOUBLE, APPLE, APPLE, DOUBLE, DOUBLE...

Narrator: ...EVEN THOSE OF IDENTICAL TWINS.

Girls: DOUBLE, DOUBLE, APPLESAUCE.

Narrator: FINGERPRINTS LOCK IN

AT ABOUT THE 24th WEEK OF DEVELOPMENT.

AND WHILE THIS PATTERN OF HILLS AND VALLEYS GROWS OVER TIME,

THE SHAPE ITSELF STAYS THE SAME FROM CRADLE TO GRAVE.

WHILE THAT CONSISTENCY HAS MADE FINGERPRINTS

A KEY TOOL FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT,

THEIR ACTUAL EVOLUTIONARY PURPOSE IS FAR MORE BASIC...

TO HELP US GRAB OBJECTS.

John Vanderkolk: THE FUNCTION THEY SERVE

IS SO WE CAN PICK UP THINGS.

THE FRICTION OF THE THREE-DIMENSIONAL RIDGES

ENABLES US TO EASILY PICK THINGS UP.

Narrator: AND WHEN THESE BUMPY RIDGES ON OUR FINGERS

MAKE CONTACT WITH SOMETHING,

THEY LEAVE A LASTING IMPRESSION.

FINGERPRINTS HAVE FASCINATED PEOPLE FOR CENTURIES.

AS EARLY AS THE YEAR 220 B.C.,

THE ANCIENT CHINESE USED FINGERPRINTS

TO SIGN LEGAL DOCUMENTS,

WITHOUT REALIZING HOW INDIVIDUAL THESE MARKS TRULY WERE.

THAT BREAKTHROUGH WOULDN'T COME FOR MORE THAN A THOUSAND YEARS.

IN 1684, ENGLISH PHYSICIAN NEHEMIAH GREW

LECTURED ABOUT THE FIRST SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS

OF THE RIDGES THAT APPEAR IN THE FINGERS AND PALMS.

100 YEARS LATER, IN 1788,

THE GERMAN ANATOMIST JOHANN MAYER

WENT ONE STEP FURTHER,

DECLARING THAT NO TWO PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME FINGERPRINTS.

BUT IT WASN'T UNTIL THE LATE 19th CENTURY

THAT THE SCIENCE OF FINGERPRINTS

WOULD PLAY A CENTRAL ROLE IN A CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION

FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME.

JUNE 1892.

THE VILLAGE OF NECOCHEA, NEAR BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA.

POLICE ARE CALLED TO THE HOME OF A YOUNG MOTHER.

A TERRIBLE TRAGEDY HAS TAKEN PLACE.

D.P. Lyle: FRANCISCA ROJAS HAD TWO CHILDREN.

SHE SAID THAT SHE CAME HOME FROM WORK AND SAW A MAN LEAVING,

WENT INSIDE, AND FOUND HER TWO CHILDREN WERE KILLED.

Narrator: AND FRANCISCA ROJAS TELLS POLICE

SHE KNOWS EXACTLY WHO THE MAN WAS...

HER LOVER, PEDRO VELASQUEZ.

Lyle: SHE BASICALLY SAID

THAT VELASQUEZ HAD IT IN FOR HER,

THAT HE HAD THREATENED TO KILL HER CHILDREN

IF SHE DIDN'T MARRY HIM.

Narrator: POLICE WASTE NO TIME IN TRACKING DOWN VELASQUEZ.

AND IN THIS ERA,

THERE'S ONE TRIED AND TRUE METHOD FOR CLOSING A CASE...

...WORK THE SUSPECT OVER UNTIL HE CONFESSES.

Lyle: AND THE QUESTIONS APPARENTLY WEREN'T VERY POLITE.

THEY BEAT ON HIM.

THEY TORTURED HIM.

THAT WAS KIND OF THE, GENERALLY, THE WAY IT WAS.

Narrator: FOR THREE DAYS,

VELASQUEZ TAKES THE WORST THAT POLICE DISH OUT.

Lyle: THEY EVEN WATERBOARDED HIM.

THERE'S A THING THEY CALL SUBMARINING,

WHERE THEY WOULD STICK YOU UNDER THE WATER.

AND STILL HE WOULD NOT CONFESS TO THIS CRIME.

Narrator: NOT EVEN CLOSE.

WHICH LEAVES INSPECTOR EDUARDO ALVAREZ WONDERING,

WHAT IF THERE'S SOME OTHER WAY TO DETERMINE

WHETHER VELASQUEZ IS GUILTY...

OR NOT?

Lyle: HE DIDN'T LIKE THAT TYPE OF INTERROGATION,

HE DIDN'T THINK IT WAS WORTHWHILE.

AND HE WAS LOOKING FOR SOME OTHER METHOD

TO PROVE OR DISPROVE

THAT DOESN'T REQUIRE HITTING SOMEBODY IN THE HEAD.

Pat Wertheim: ALVAREZ WENT TO THE CRIME SCENE,

LOOKING FOR ANY EVIDENCE

THAT MIGHT INDICATE WHAT HAD HAPPENED.

Narrator: HE SEARCHES THE CRAMPED LIVING QUARTERS,

LOOKING FOR ANY CLUE THAT POLICE MAY HAVE OVERLOOKED.

HE FINDS NOTHING.

UNTIL...

HIS EYES ARE DRAWN TO THE FRAME OF THE DOOR.

Lyle: WHAT HE FOUND WAS A BLOODY FINGERPRINT.

HE HAD TALKED WITH ROJAS,

AND SHE HAD SAID THAT WHEN SHE CAME THERE

AND FOUND HER CHILDREN,

SHE DID NOT TOUCH THE CHILDREN,

SHE DIDN'T TOUCH ANYTHING IN THE HOUSE,

SHE JUST FLED.

Narrator: WHICH CAN ONLY MEAN ONE THING...

Lyle: WHOEVER LEFT THIS PRINT WAS PROBABLY THE KILLER.

Narrator: ALVAREZ IS NO ANATOMY EXPERT, BUT HE WONDERS,

COULD HE MATCH THIS FINGERPRINT TO THE SUSPECT'S HAND?

IT'S A REVOLUTIONARY IDEA.

AND AT THIS MOMENT,

IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO KNOW IF IT WILL EVEN WORK.

Wertheim: THERE WEREN'T ANY DEVELOPMENT TECHNIQUES,

NO DUSTING, NO FINGERPRINT CAMERAS LIKE WE HAVE TODAY.

AND SO HE DID THE BEST THING THAT HE COULD...

HE CUT THE DOORFRAME OUT.

Narrator: COMPARING A FINGERPRINT FROM A CRIME SCENE

TO THAT OF A SUSPECT IN POLICE CUSTODY

HAD NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE...

A REVOLUTIONARY IDEA WITH A SURPRISING OUTCOME.

IN 19th CENTURY ARGENTINA,

INSPECTOR EDUARDO ALVAREZ IS PUSHING THE LIMITS

OF FORENSIC SCIENCE.

HE HOPES TO PROVE

WHETHER A MAN SUSPECTED OF MURDERING TWO YOUNG CHILDREN

IS GUILTY OR NOT.

AND HE'S GOING TO DO IT IN A WAY

THAT NO ONE'S EVER DONE BEFORE...

...BY USING A BLOODY FINGERPRINT LEFT AT THE CRIME SCENE.

Lyle: HE REALIZED THAT WHOEVER LEFT THIS PRINT THERE

WAS THE KILLER,

BECAUSE NO ONE HAD TOUCHED THE BODIES

AND THE BLOOD AFTERWARDS.

Narrator: WHILE ALVAREZ HAD THE CRITICAL INSIGHT

THAT THIS COULD BE POSSIBLE,

HE DOES NOT HAVE THE SCIENCE BACKGROUND

TO TEST HIS THEORY.

FORTUNATELY, HE KNOWS SOMEONE WHO DOES...

HIS FRIEND AND MENTOR, JUAN VUCETICH.

Lyle: VUCETICH WAS AN INTERESTING GUY,

BECAUSE HE WAS NOT ONLY A POLICE OFFICER,

HE WAS AN ANTHROPOLOGIST.

SO HE WAS KIND OF AT THE NEXUS

BETWEEN LAW ENFORCEMENT AND SCIENCE.

Narrator: VUCETICH HAD BEEN STUDYING FINGERPRINTS FOR YEARS.

Lyle: HE HAD UNDERSTOOD THAT THEY WERE INDIVIDUAL,

THAT THEY DIDN'T CHANGE THROUGH LIFE,

THAT THEY WERE VALUABLE PIECES OF INFORMATION FOR IDENTITY.

Narrator: BUT THIS WAS SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH,

NOT DETECTIVE WORK.

Wertheim: THE POSSIBILITY HAD BEEN DISCUSSED HYPOTHETICALLY

IN THE LITERATURE.

HOWEVER, AT THAT POINT,

FINGERPRINTS HAD NEVER BEEN USED BEFORE TO IDENTIFY A CRIMINAL.

Narrator: AND THERE'S A PROBLEM...

AT THIS TIME, NO TOOLS EXIST TO DO THIS TASK.

THERE'S NO ESTABLISHED METHODOLOGY,

NO EXAMPLE TO FOLLOW.

THE MODERN METHOD FOR LIFTING PRINTS

WAS DEVELOPED IN THE EARLY 20th CENTURY.

THAT'S WHEN DETECTIVES BEGAN TO USE BLACK POWDER,

A POLYMER THAT STICKS TO THE OILS LEFT BY THE FINGERS,

BRINGING OUT THE FINER DETAILS OF A PRINT.

THIS IMPRESSION COULD THEN BE COPIED ONTO A PIECE OF TAPE

AND ANALYZED IN A LAB.

IT'S A TECHNIQUE THAT'S STILL USED TODAY.

BUT BACK THEN, ALVAREZ HAS ONLY ONE WAY

TO USE THE PRINT AS EVIDENCE.

THAT'S TO TAKE IT WITH HIM...

LITERALLY.

THE NEXT STEP IS TO TAKE A COPY OF THE SUSPECT'S FINGERPRINTS

THE ONLY WAY THEY KNOW HOW.

Wertheim: THE METHOD USED TO TAKE THE INKED FINGERPRINTS,

FUNDAMENTALLY THE SAME AS WE USE TODAY...

A THIN FILM OF INK,

THE FINGER ROLLED ACROSS THE INKED SURFACE,

AND THEN ROLLED ONTO A PIECE OF PAPER

WITH BOXES FOR EACH FINGER SEPARATELY.

Lyle: THEY TOOK ALL 10 DIGITS.

WELL, ONLY ONE WAS IN PLAY,

BECAUSE THEY HAD A SINGLE FINGERPRINT.

SO WHAT THEY DO IS COMPARE IT

WITH THE PRINT THAT WAS LEFT IN BLOOD ON THE DOORJAMB.

Narrator: BUT HOW WILL THEY KNOW FOR SURE IF THE PRINTS MATCH UP?

Lyle: WHAT THEY WERE LOOKING AT

IS THE PATTERN OF WHAT WE CALL FRICTION RIDGES,

AND THAT'S WHAT ALLOWS US TO GRASP AND HOLD STUFF.

Narrator: BUT THE ARRANGEMENT OF THE FRICTION RIDGES IS COMPLEX.

THERE ARE ALL KINDS OF LINES AND CIRCLES AND DOTS.

SO VUCETICH COMES UP WITH A WAY

TO SIMPLIFY THE CLASSIFICATION OF FINGERPRINTS,

A METHOD THAT'S STILL IN USE TODAY.

EACH FINGERPRINT IS DOMINATED BY ONE OF THREE PRIMARY PATTERNS.

THE FIRST IS AN ARCH, WHICH IS LIKE A TENT.

THE SECOND IS A LOOP, LIKE ONE MADE WITH A SHOESTRING.

AND THE THIRD IS CALLED A WHORL, WHICH LOOKS LIKE A WHIRLPOOL.

VUCETICH PROPOSED USING THESE PATTERNS AS A SORTING TOOL.

IF TWO PRINTS PROVE TO BE DIFFERENT TYPES,

THERE'S NO NEED TO LOOK ANY FURTHER.

BUT IF THEY'RE IN THE SAME CATEGORY,

THEN THEY'RE WORTH A CLOSER LOOK.

AND IN THIS CASE,

THE BLOODY PRINT AND VELAZQUEZ'S PRINT

ARE BOTH ARCHES.

SO VUCETICH GOES A STEP FURTHER

AND BEGINS TO HONE IN ON THE SMALLER DETAILS.

Wertheim: YOU LOOK AT THE INDIVIDUAL POINTS,

THE ENDING RIDGES, THE SPLITTING RIDGES,

THE DOTS THAT APPEAR.

Narrator: RIDGE ENDINGS ARE PLACES

WHERE THE RIDGES START AND STOP

AS THEY FLOW THROUGH THE PATTERN.

IN OTHER PLACES, A RIDGE WILL SPLIT IN TWO,

ALSO KNOWN AS A BIFURCATION.

A DOT IS A RIDGE

THAT IS AS LONG AS IT IS WIDE.

THE UNIQUE ARRANGEMENT OF THESE RIDGE CHARACTERISTICS

CLEARLY DISTINGUISHES ONE PRINT FROM ANOTHER.

VUCETICH SPENDS HOURS STUDYING THE TWO PRINTS,

RIDGE BY RIDGE,

TRYING TO MATCH DOTS, BIFURCATIONS AND RIDGE ENDINGS.

HE'S LOOKING FOR THESE CHARACTERISTICS

TO MATCH UP IN THE SAME LOCATION

AND IN THE SAME ARRANGEMENT.

BUT, THE MORE HE LOOKS,

THE MORE HE REALIZES THE FINGERPRINTS DON'T MATCH.

Wertheim: THIS FINGERPRINT IN BLOOD

WAS NOT VELASQUEZ'S FINGERPRINT.

Lyle: WELL, IF IT WASN'T HIS PRINT THERE IN THE BLOOD,

THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE TO TIE HIM TO THAT CRIME SCENE.

Narrator: THE POLICE ARE STUNNED.

IF THE PRINT WASN'T LEFT THERE BY PEDRO VELASQUEZ,

THEN WHOSE IS IT?

BY 1985, FINGERPRINTS ARE A TRIED AND TRUE METHOD

FOR IDENTIFYING KILLERS.

AND FOR THE DETECTIVES ON THE TRAIL OF THE NIGHT STALKER,

IT'S THE MOST POWERFUL TOOL IN THEIR FORENSIC ARSENAL.

THE KILLER HAS LEFT BEHIND A LONG TRAIL OF VICTIMS

ALL ACROSS LOS ANGELES.

HE'S ATTACKED 23 PEOPLE, KILLING 13.

BUT TEN ESCAPED WITH THEIR LIVES.

AND THOSE SURVIVORS HELPED POLICE TO CREATE A SKETCH.

THE MONSTER KNOWN AS THE NIGHT STALKER

FINALLY HAS A FACE.

Ramsland: HE WAS A TALL, WIRY GUY

WITH LONGISH, DARK HAIR AND BAD TEETH,

THAT WAS THE ONE THING PEOPLE REMEMBERED ABOUT HIM.

Narrator: BUT HE STILL HASN'T LEFT BEHIND A SINGLE PRINT.

AND EVEN IF POLICE DO GET A PRINT,

IT COULD TAKE MONTHS

TO COMPARE IT TO EVERY SINGLE PRINT ON FILE.

THEN IN MID-AUGUST,

AN ELDERLY MAN IS SHOT TO DEATH IN SAN FRANCISCO.

THE MAN'S WIFE SURVIVES A VICIOUS BEATING,

AND WHEN THE VICTIM SEES A SKETCH OF THE NIGHT STALKER,

SHE POSITIVELY I.D.s HIM AS HER ATTACKER.

THE NIGHT STALKER IS EXPANDING HIS KILL ZONE.

NOW THE ENTIRE STATE OF CALIFORNIA IS ON HIGH ALERT.

INVESTIGATORS PORE OVER EVERY CRIME SCENE,

LOOKING FOR FRESH CLUES.

UNTIL NOW, THE NIGHT STALKER HAS BEEN LUCKY.

BUT HIS NEXT ATTACK WILL CHANGE EVERYTHING.

AUGUST 25th, THE HOME OF BILL CARNS AND RENATA GUNTHER,

JUST SOUTH OF LOS ANGELES.

THEY'RE GETTING READY FOR A NIGHT OUT.

THE NIGHT STALKER REMOVES A WINDOW SCREEN

AND SLIPS INTO THE HOUSE,

CLOSING IN ON THE UNSUSPECTING COUPLE.

[GUNSHOT]

THE KILLER SHOOTS BILL IN THE HEAD.

THEN HE TURNS HIS ATTENTION TO RENATA,

ORDERING HER TO SAY THAT SHE LOVES SATAN

BEFORE SEXUALLY ASSAULTING HER.

Carrillo: HE LEFT THEM FOR DEAD, BUT NEITHER ONE OF THEM DIED.

Narrator: THE NIGHT STALKER FLEES WITH A WAD OF CASH

AND A HANDFUL OF JEWELRY.

RENATA IS TIED UP, BUT STILL CONSCIOUS.

AND HER ATTACKER'S PARTING WORDS ARE,

"TELL THEM THE NIGHT STALKER WAS HERE."

BUT SHE'S GOING TO BE ABLE TO TELL POLICE

SOMETHING MUCH MORE CRITICAL.

Ramsland: SHE MANAGED TO GET TO A WINDOW

TO SEE WHAT HE WAS DRIVING.

Carrillo: THERE WAS A COLOR AND A MAKE AND MODEL OF THE VEHICLE

WITH A LICENSE PLATE NUMBER.

WE HAD PUT OUT THAT INFORMATION PUBLICLY

THAT WE WERE LOOKING FOR A CAR, THAT PARTICULAR CAR.

Narrator: TWO DAYS LATER, POLICE CATCH A HUGE BREAK.

Carrillo: HE DUMPED THE CAR IN CENTER OF DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES.

IT WAS ON A STREET,

AND IT WAS FOUND BY A PATROL VEHICLE.

THEY CALLED IT IN, AND THERE IT WAS.

Narrator: SUDDENLY, THE INVESTIGATION HAS NEW LIFE.

Carrillo: HE HAD NOT LEFT PRINTS

AT ANY OF THE OTHER MURDER LOCATIONS

THAT WE HAD BEEN TO.

Narrator: BUT THIS COULD BE DIFFERENT.

WHEN INVESTIGATORS START SEARCHING THE CAR FOR PRINTS,

THEY ARE LOOKING FOR TWO POSSIBILITIES...

VISIBLE PRINTS, KNOWN AS PATENT PRINTS,

SHOW UP EASILY IF A FINGER HAS TOUCHED SOMETHING

LIKE BLOOD, DIRT OR GREASE.

BUT HIDDEN PRINTS, KNOWN AS LATENT PRINTS,

NEED TO BE DEVELOPED TO BE SEEN.

AND THERE ARE SIMPLE TOOLS

THAT CAN MAKE LATENT FINGERPRINTS APPEAR

AS IF BY MAGIC...

POWDERS.

Vanderkolk: THE POWDERS ARE EXTREMELY DRY.

SO BY APPLYING A BLACK POWDER TO THE SURFACE,

THE DRY POWDER ADHERES TO MOISTURE.

IT DOESN'T CARE WHAT THAT MOISTURE IS,

IT CAN BE OIL, SWEAT, WATER, DOESN'T CARE.

Glenn Langenburg: YOU ALSO NEEDED A WHITE POWDER TECHNIQUE

TO DEVELOP LATENT PRINTS ON DARK BACKGROUNDS.

AND SO THEY USED A TALCUM-BASED POWDER.

Narrator: BLACK POWDER ON LIGHT SURFACES,

AND WHITE POWDER ON DARK SURFACES.

EACH SCENARIO CREATES A HIGH CONTRAST,

MAKING THE PRINT VISIBLE.

BUT HOW DO YOU CREATE A HIGH CONTRAST

WHEN A SURFACE IS MULTICOLORED, LIKE SOME MAGAZINE COVERS,

OR UNEVEN AND TEXTURED, LIKE A GRAIN OF WOOD?

FOR THAT, EXPERTS CAN TURN TO FLUORESCENT POWDERS.

FLUORESCENT POWDERS ARE APPLIED TO SURFACES,

LIKE BLACK OR WHITE POWDERS.

BUT IN ORDER TO SEE A PRINT WITH FLUORESCENT POWDERS,

YOU NEED AN ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT SOURCE,

WHICH SENDS WAVES OF COLOR

THAT REFLECT OFF THE FLUORESCENT POWDER,

MAKING ONLY THE PRINT GLOW.

Wertheim: THE ADVANTAGE OF THE FLUORESCENT POWDER IS

THAT EVEN A MINUTE AMOUNT WILL GLOW

AND ALLOW PHOTOGRAPHY OF THE PRINT

TO A DEGREE THAT MAKES IT READILY IDENTIFIABLE.

Narrator: BUT EVERY POWDER TECHNIQUE THEY TRY

REVEALS NOTHING.

THE NIGHT STALKER HAS OUTSMARTED POLICE...

AGAIN.

IT'S NOW BEEN FOUR DAYS SINCE HIS LAST ATTACK,

AND THE CLOCK IS TICKING.

THIS PROLIFIC KILLER COULD STRIKE AGAIN,

UNLESS POLICE FIND HIM FIRST.

IN THE HUNT FOR THE NIGHT STALKER,

COPS HAVE TWO CRITICAL CLUES...

A SUSPECT SKETCH PROVIDED BY THE KILLER'S SURVIVING VICTIMS,

AND A CAR THAT WAS DRIVEN BY THE KILLER

FROM HIS LATEST CRIME SCENE

AND FOUND ABANDONED IN A PARKING LOT FOUR DAYS LATER.

FINGERPRINT EXPERTS HAVE BEEN SCOURING THE VEHICLE NONSTOP,

BUT TRADITIONAL POWDERING METHODS HAVE YIELDED NO PRINTS.

AND TIME IS RUNNING OUT.

Langenburg: ONCE YOU DEPOSIT A LATENT PRINT RESIDUE,

THE CLOCK IS TICKING

FOR HOW LONG YOU HAVE TO DEVELOP IT.

OVER TIME, AS THE RESIDUE EVAPORATES AND DEGRADES,

YOU'RE LESS LIKELY TO BE ABLE TO DEVELOP A VISIBLE FINGERPRINT,

A VIABLE FINGERPRINT TO IDENTIFY.

Narrator: SO POLICE ARE ABOUT TO TURN

TO A REVOLUTIONARY NEW DEVICE FOR DETECTING FINGERPRINTS...

A LASER.

LASERS, HIGHLY CONCENTRATED BEAMS OF LIGHT,

WERE INVENTED IN 1960.

BY THE LATE 1970s,

THEY STARTED TO ENTER THE WORLD OF FINGERPRINT DETECTION.

UNLIKE POWDERS, WHICH HAVE TO ATTACH TO MOISTURE,

LIKE OIL OR SWEAT,

TO MAKE A FINGERPRINT VISIBLE,

A LASER DOESN'T NEED MOISTURE TO SEE A PRINT.

WHEN THE BEAM HITS A SURFACE,

THE LIGHT ILLUMINATES CERTAIN COMPOUNDS,

LIKE SODIUM AND GLUCOSE,

LEFT BEHIND WHEN FINGERPRINT RESIDUE DRIES UP.

THE INTRODUCTION OF LASERS IN FINGERPRINTING

WAS GROUNDBREAKING.

BUT THEIR USAGE WAS LIMITED.

Langenburg: THE FIRST LASERS WERE VERY LARGE AND CLUNKY,

AND THEY NEEDED TO BE CHILLED APPROPRIATELY AND COOLED DOWN.

THAT WASN'T VERY EFFECTIVE FOR CRIME SCENES,

SO OFTEN THE EVIDENCE WOULD HAVE TO BE BROUGHT BACK TO THE LAB

TO BE ANALYZED.

Narrator: BY THE 1980s,

PORTABLE, HANDHELD LASER SCANNERS WERE INVENTED

THAT COULD BE CARRIED TO CRIME SCENES.

USING THE LASER LIKE A FLASHLIGHT,

INVESTIGATORS CAN CANVASS AN AREA WITH A SIX-INCH-WIDE BEAM

LOOKING FOR PRINTS.

AND IN 1985, THE ORANGE COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT

HAD THE ONLY HANDHELD LASER ON THE WEST COAST.

THEY'VE NEVER PUT IT INTO USE UNTIL NOW.

AND THE NIGHT STALKER'S VEHICLE

WILL MAKE FOR A VERY HIGH-PROFILE TEST CASE.

AFTER SCANNING FOR HALF A DAY,

THEY'RE ALMOST READY TO GIVE UP.

BUT THEN...

THE LASER FINALLY DOES WHAT TRADITIONAL POWDERING COULD NOT.

IT DETECTS A PRINT ON THE REARVIEW MIRROR.

THE NIGHT STALKER HAS MADE A CRITICAL MISTAKE.

AND WITHOUT LASER TECHNOLOGY,

HIS SLIP UP MAY HAVE GONE UNNOTICED.

Carrillo: HE HAD FORGOTTEN AND FAILED TO CLEAN UP

WHEN HE ADJUSTED THE MIRROR.

Narrator: THAT PRINT COULD LEAD POLICE RIGHT TO HIM.

Ramsland: IT WAS VERY CLEAR, DEFINITIVE EVIDENCE.

Narrator: THIS IS A MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH

IN THE INVESTIGATION,

BUT THERE'S STILL A BIG JOB AHEAD...

FINDING THE MAN WHO LEFT THAT PRINT.

USING FINGERPRINTS TO CATCH A CRIMINAL

IS STILL A REVOLUTIONARY IDEA IN 19th CENTURY ARGENTINA.

FRANCISCA ROJAS'S TWO YOUNG CHILDREN HAVE BEEN MURDERED,

AND SHE'S AIMED SUSPICION AT HER EX-LOVER.

INSPECTOR EDUARDO ALVAREZ AND HIS MENTOR, JUAN VUCETICH,

HAVE TURNED TO FINGERPRINTS TO SORT OUT THE TRUTH.

THE PRINTS OF THEIR MAIN SUSPECT

DON'T MATCH THE PRINT LEFT BEHIND AT THE SCENE.

AND HORRIFYING AS IT MIGHT SEEM,

THE ONLY OTHER PERSON THEY KNOW WAS AT THE SCENE

IS THE MURDERED CHILDREN'S MOTHER, FRANCISCA ROJAS.

Wertheim: MRS. ROJAS'S STATEMENT

BASICALLY PUT ONLY TWO PEOPLE AT THE CRIME SCENE,

HER AND VELASQUEZ,

WHO SHE WAS ACCUSING OF THE MURDER OF HER TWO BABIES.

Lyle: SINCE THERE WERE TWO PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THIS DANCE,

WHO ELSE ARE YOU GOING TO TURN TO?

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS BRING FRANCISCA ROJAS

BACK IN FOR QUESTIONING.

Lyle: BUT SHE STUCK TO HER STORY

THAT SHE DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT.

Narrator: ALL INSPECTOR ALVAREZ HAS TO DO

TO KNOW IF SHE'S LYING

IS COMPARE HER PRINT TO THE ONE FROM THE SCENE.

Lyle: MRS. ROJAS HAD SAID, "VELASQUEZ DID IT,

I SAW HIM RUN AWAY."

Narrator: BUT THIS TIME, SCIENCE GETS THE FINAL SAY.

AND WHEN THEY COMPARE THE PRINTS...

THEY'RE A PERFECT MATCH.

THIS MOTHER OF TWO KILLED HER OWN CHILDREN

AND POINTED THE FINGER AT AN INNOCENT MAN,

HER ONE-TIME BOYFRIEND.

Lyle: THEY CONFRONTED HER WITH THIS EVIDENCE,

AND THEY SAID, YOU KNOW, THIS PROVES THAT YOU ARE LYING.

YOU DID HAVE CONTACT, IT IS YOUR PRINT.

SO SHE CONFESSED TO THE CRIME.

Narrator: FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER,

POLICE USED FINGERPRINTS TO IDENTIFY A MURDER SUSPECT.

AND THE KILLER TURNED OUT TO BE THE VICTIMS' OWN MOTHER.

BUT THERE'S STILL ONE QUESTION...

WHY WOULD MRS. ROJAS KILL HER OWN CHILDREN?

IT TURNS OUT, THE MAN SHE ACCUSED OF THE MURDERS

WAS NOT HER ONLY LOVER.

SHE HAD ANOTHER ONE,

AND SHE'D DO ANYTHING TO KEEP HIM.

Lyle: THE TRUTH WAS,

THE GENTLEMAN THAT SHE WAS SEEING

SAID HE WOULD MARRY HER IF SHE DIDN'T HAVE CHILDREN.

SO SHE KILLED HER CHILDREN SO SHE WOULDN'T BE ENCUMBERED,

AND SHE CAN GO OFF WITH HER LOVER.

Narrator: THANKS TO A SINGLE BLOODY PRINT,

FRANCISCA ROJAS IS SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON,

AND A NEW ERA IN CRIME FIGHTING HAS BEGUN.

JUAN VUCETICH REVOLUTIONIZED CRIME FIGHTING

BY ESTABLISHING A SCIENTIFIC SYSTEM

FOR COMPARING AND ANALYZING THE ARCHES, LOOPS AND WHORLS

THAT MAKE UP A FINGERPRINT.

HE WAS THE FIRST PERSON EVER

TO MAKE A FINGERPRINT IDENTIFICATION

IN A CRIMINAL CASE.

Lyle: VUCETICH WENT ON TO PROMULGATE HIS BELIEFS

AND PUSH HIS WHOLE SYSTEM.

AND, INDEED, THROUGH MUCH OF THE WORLD,

HIS SYSTEM WAS THE SYSTEM THAT TOOK HOLD

AND IN MUCH OF THE WORLD IS STILL USED TODAY.

Narrator: USED FOR THE FIRST TIME

IN A SMALL TOWN IN ARGENTINA,

FINGERPRINT IDENTIFICATION WOULD GO ON TO BECOME

ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT FORENSIC TOOLS IN THE WORLD.

ON AUGUST 21, 1911,

THE MONA LISA IS STOLEN FROM THE LOUVRE.

A SINGLE PRINT ON HER GLASS CASE

LEADS POLICE TO ART THIEF VINCENZO PERUGIA.

IN 1934, BANK ROBBER JOHN DILLINGER

TRIES TO HAVE HIS FINGERPRINTS BURNED OFF WITH ACID.

THE EFFORT FAILS,

AND SOME RIDGES ARE STILL VISIBLE AFTER THE BURNS HEAL.

AND IN 1963'S GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY,

WHEN A GANG OF THIEVES STEAL OVER $7 MILLION

FROM A BRITISH TRAIN,

THEY ARE UNDONE BY A SLEW OF FINGERPRINTS

FOUND ON SEVERAL SURFACES OF THEIR HIDEOUT.

NOW, MOST CRIMINALS TAKE THE PRECAUTION OF WEARING GLOVES.

BUT EVENTUALLY,

EVEN THE MOST CAUTIOUS OF CRIMINALS SLIPS UP...

EVEN THE SERIAL KILLER KNOWN AS THE NIGHT STALKER.

IN LATE AUGUST,

THE NIGHT STALKER HAS BEEN ON THE LOOSE FOR FIVE MONTHS,

AND HE'S KILLED 13 VICTIMS.

IT'S BEEN SEVERAL DAYS SINCE HIS LAST ATTACK,

AND POLICE KNOW HE'S LIKELY TO STRIKE AGAIN AT ANY MOMENT.

BUT NOW THEY HAVE THE KILLER'S FINGERPRINT,

FOUND IN THE CAR HE ABANDONED AFTER HIS LAST SHOOTING.

STILL, THERE ARE MORE THAN A MILLION FINGERPRINT CARDS

ON FILE IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY ALONE.

THERE'S CLOSE TO FIVE MILLION STATEWIDE.

FINDING THE RIGHT MATCH BY HAND

WILL BE LIKE LOOKING FOR A NEEDLE

IN ONE VERY LARGE HAYSTACK.

Ramsland: IT WOULD HAVE TAKEN A LONE DETECTIVE ABOUT 67 YEARS

TO COMPARE THIS FINGERPRINT

AGAINST ALL THE FINGERPRINT CARDS THAT THEY HAD.

Narrator: FORTUNATELY, THEY DON'T HAVE TO.

THE SCIENCE OF FINGERPRINTS

IS ABOUT TO TAKE ANOTHER HUGE LEAP FORWARD...

ONE THAT WILL SOMEDAY MAKE ALL THAT MANUAL LABOR OBSOLETE.

Ramsland: THEY HAD JUST BROUGHT IN A COMPUTERIZED SYSTEM

FOR LOOKING AT DIGITAL DATABASES OF FINGERPRINTS.

Narrator: THE AUTOMATED FINGERPRINT IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM, OR AFIS,

WILL CHANGE THE WAY THAT POLICE DEPARTMENTS TRACK PRINTS.

WHILE THE CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM

DEVISED BY JUAN VUCETICH 100 YEARS AGO

RELIED SOLELY ON OBSERVATION AND SIFTING THROUGH PAPER RECORDS,

AFIS KEEPS DIGITAL FILES OF OFFENDER FINGERPRINTS.

IT CAN COMPARE UNKNOWN PRINTS

AGAINST ALL KNOWN PRINTS IN ITS DATABASE

IN A FRACTION OF THE TIME.

Langenburg: INVESTIGATORS SUBMIT LATENT PRINTS TO US

TYPICALLY IN THE FORM OF PHOTOGRAPHS

OR THESE LATENT PRINT LIFTS.

Narrator: ONCE THEY RECEIVE A PRINT,

FORENSIC FINGERPRINT EXPERTS SCAN IT

TO A CREATE A DIGITAL IMAGE.

Wertheim: THE COMPUTER SEES THE RIDGES, IF YOU WILL,

AND IT SEES THE RIDGE ENDINGS AND THE BIFURCATIONS.

Narrator: THE COMPUTER THEN CREATES A MAP OR "CONSTELLATION"

FROM THE RELATIVE POSITIONS OF ALL THESE POINTS.

THEN IT SEARCHES FOR OTHER SIMILAR CONSTELLATIONS

IN THE DATABASE.

Langenburg: NOW WE COULD SEARCH A PRINT

THAT HAD RETURNED FROM A CRIME SCENE

WITHOUT ANY SUSPECT IN MIND WHATSOEVER.

Narrator: THE AFIS CAN SEARCH A LATENT PRINT

AGAINST MILLIONS OF POSSIBLE MATCHES.

WHAT USED TO TAKE MONTHS, EVEN YEARS,

CAN NOW BE DONE IN MOMENTS.

Langenburg: IT RETURNS A LIST OF CANDIDATES,

AND THE ANALYST MANUALLY GOES THROUGH AND MAKES THE MATCH.

Narrator: BY THE MID 1990s,

COMPUTERIZED FINGERPRINT MATCHING SYSTEMS

WERE ESTABLISHED ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES.

Wertheim: THE FBI HAS AROUND 70 MILLION SETS OF FINGERPRINTS,

700 MILLION INDIVIDUAL FINGERPRINTS IN THEIR FILES.

THEN THERE ARE FILES IN EACH STATE DATABASE.

AND MANY OF THE LARGE CITIES HAVE THEIR OWN FILES.

Narrator: TODAY, THERE'S EVEN AN INTERNATIONAL VERSION OF AFIS,

AND POLICE ACROSS THE WORLD CAN ACCESS A NETWORK

THAT WILL MATCH A PRINT IN ZIMBABWE

WITH A SUSPECT IN KANSAS.

IN 1985, AT THE HEIGHT OF THE NIGHT STALKER'S REIGN,

THE SYSTEM IS STILL IN ITS INFANCY.

BUT INVESTIGATORS ARE CONFIDENT AFIS WILL PRODUCE A MATCH

TO THE PRINT THEY LIFTED FROM THE NIGHT STALKER'S VEHICLE.

SURELY, THE MAN LEAVING A TRAIL OF BODIES THROUGHOUT CALIFORNIA

HAS A LONG HISTORY OF HARD-CORE FELONIES.

Carrillo: THAT PRINT WAS THEN SUBSEQUENTLY

SENT TO THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

IN SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA.

HE WAS NOT IN THERE.

Narrator: THE NIGHT STALKER IS NOT IN THE AFIS SYSTEM.

BUT IT TURNS OUT,

NOT EVERY TYPE OF CRIMINAL HAS BEEN ENTERED INTO THE DATABASE.

Carrillo: BACK IN 1985,

THE ENTIRE SYSTEM WAS NOT AUTOMATED,

AND IT ONLY HAD FELONY CONVICTIONS

IN ITS AUTOMATION FEATURES.

ALL MISDEMEANORS HAD NOT BEEN LOADED AT THAT TIME.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS ARE STUNNED.

THE NIGHT STALKER HAS SOMEHOW

NEVER BEFORE BEEN CONVICTED OF A SERIOUS CRIME.

Ramsland: IT'S LIKE YOU HAVE THE GUY,

YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHO HE IS,

BECAUSE YOU HAVE HIS FINGERPRINT,

AND YET, YOU DON'T KNOW WHO HE IS,

BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO MATCH THE PRINT AGAINST.

Narrator: DETECTIVES FEEL LIKE THEY'RE BACK WHERE THEY STARTED.

BUT THERE'S STILL ONE CHANCE TO NARROW DOWN THE FIELD...

THE SKETCH CREATED

BY THE NIGHT STALKER'S SURVIVING VICTIMS.

POLICE SPREAD THE PICTURE OF THE NIGHT STALKER FAR AND WIDE,

HOPING THE PUBLIC CAN HELP THEM BREAK THE CASE.

[PHONE RINGS]

Carrillo: WE STARTED GETTING FLOODS OF PHONE CALLS.

THERE WERE TWO, MAYBE THREE,

OUT OF THE THOUSANDS THAT WE RECEIVED

THAT WERE VERY SIGNIFICANT.

ONE WAS FROM AN INFORMANT THAT WE CONTINUED TO DEVELOP.

Narrator: THE INFORMANT, A SMALL-TIME CROOK,

BELIEVES THE SKETCH RESEMBLES A CAR THIEF

HE KNOWS ON THE STREET AS "EL DESPEINADO."

Carrillo: TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH AS THE...

IT'S A SLANG WORD FOR "THE UNKEMPT ONE,"

OR "THE UNCOMBED ONE,"

BECAUSE HE DID HAVE DISHEVELED HAIR.

Narrator: THE INFORMANT THEN GOES ONE STEP FURTHER

AND GIVES COPS HIS REAL NAME...

RICHARD RAMIREZ.

Carrillo: WE THEN SENT THAT INFORMATION ON

TO THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE IN SAN FRANCISCO,

AND THEY MANUALLY SEARCHED THE NAME,

AND THEY CAME UP WITH EIGHT OF THEM.

Narrator: EIGHT MEN WITH CRIMINAL RECORDS

NAMED RICHARD RAMIREZ,

EIGHT POSSIBLE SUSPECTS OUT OF MILLIONS.

BUT ARE ANY OF THEM REALLY THE NIGHT STALKER?

THE FINGERPRINT CARDS FOR THE EIGHT SUSPECTS

ARE MANUALLY PULLED FROM THE FILES.

Carrillo: THEY COMPARED THE EIGHT

TO THE FINGERPRINTS THEY HAD RECEIVED FROM ORANGE COUNTY.

Narrator: AND THIS TIME, THERE IS AN EXACT MATCH.

THE RICHARD RAMIREZ THEY'RE LOOKING FOR

IS A 25-YEAR-OLD DRIFTER FROM EL PASO, TEXAS.

RAMIREZ HAS A RECORD OF DRUG POSSESSION AND AUTO THEFT.

HE'D EVEN SERVED A SHORT TIME BEHIND BARS

ON A MISDEMEANOR CHARGE.

HIS PRINTS HAD NOT YET BEEN LOADED INTO AFIS.

Carrillo: WE IMMEDIATELY PULLED A BOOKING PHOTO ON MR. RAMIREZ.

AT THREE O'CLOCK ON AUGUST 30th,

I TOOK THAT PHOTO DOWN TO AN INFORMANT

WHO SAID THAT'S THE MAN THAT I'VE BEEN TELLING YOU ABOUT,

THAT'S THE GUY.

Narrator: A SINGLE FINGERPRINT HAS HELPED POLICE

MAKE A POSITIVE I.D. ON THE NIGHT STALKER.

BUT THEY STILL DON'T KNOW WHERE TO FIND HIM.

ON AUGUST 30, 1985,

POLICE HOLD A PRESS CONFERENCE

WHERE THEY REVEAL THE SUSPECT'S NAME PUBLICLY

FOR THE FIRST TIME.

THE NOOSE IS TIGHTENING.

AND EVEN THE NIGHT STALKER HIMSELF CAN FEEL THE PRESSURE.

Ramsland: HE SAW HIS MUG SHOT IN THE PAPER,

AND THAT'S WHEN HE KNEW HE WAS IN TROUBLE.

EVERYBODY HAD SEEN HIS PICTURE,

EVERYONE KNEW THIS WAS THE GUY THE POLICE WERE LOOKING FOR.

Narrator: AUGUST 31, 1985.

WHILE RAMIREZ IS TRYING TO STEAL A CAR,

A GROUP OF PEOPLE RECOGNIZE HIM

AND ATTACK HIM IN THE MIDDLE OF A RESIDENTIAL STREET.

Ramsland: ACTUALLY, THE POLICE PROBABLY SAVED HIS LIFE.

Man: HE SAID SOMETHING IN SPANISH ABOUT,

"I'M LUCKY THE COPS ARE COMING," OR SOMETHING,

'CAUSE HE KNEW THAT WE WERE GONNA,

EVERYBODY WAS GONNA FINISH HIM.

Narrator: AFTER MORE THAN A YEAR,

THE MANHUNT IS FINALLY OVER

THANKS TO SOME KEY WITNESSES,

AN ALERT PUBLIC,

AND ONE STRAY FINGERPRINT.

Carrillo: THERE WAS JUBILATION ALL OVER THE COUNTY,

BECAUSE THERE WAS NO LONGER A REASON FOR FEAR.

HE WAS IN CUSTODY.

EVERYBODY WAS HAPPY.

Narrator: POLICE INTERVIEWS WITH RAMIREZ

REVEAL A DISTURBED CHILDHOOD,

WHEN ONE CHILLING INCIDENT MAY HAVE MOLDED THE FUTURE KILLER.

Ramsland: WHEN RAMIREZ WAS 13,

A COUSIN OF HIS PICKED UP A GUN AND SHOT HIS WIFE...

[GUNSHOT]

...RIGHT IN FRONT OF RAMIREZ.

HE'S SPATTERED, ALMOST BAPTIZED IN THE BLOOD OF A MURDER VICTIM.

Narrator: RAMIREZ TURNS TO DRUGS AND BEGINS TO PRACTICE SATANISM.

HIS OBSESSION WITH SATAN GROWS TO THE POINT

WHERE RAMIREZ BRANDS HIMSELF

WITH ANOTHER KIND OF FINGERPRINT...

A PENTAGRAM.

Ramsland: HE THOUGHT THE MORE HE KILLED PEOPLE,

THE MORE HE WAS SERVING SATAN, AND BEING A GOOD SERVANT,

SATAN WAS NEVER GOING TO LET HIM GET CAUGHT.

Narrator: IN SEPTEMBER OF 1989,

RICHARD RAMIREZ IS TRIED AND CONVICTED

OF 13 COUNTS OF MURDER, FIVE ATTEMPTED MURDERS,

11 SEXUAL ASSAULTS, AND 14 BURGLARIES.

HE IS SENTENCED TO DEATH.

Ramsland: RAMIREZ WAS NOT REMORSEFUL IN ANY WAY.

HE BASICALLY SAID, "BIG DEAL,

DEATH ALWAYS WENT WITH THE TERRITORY."

Narrator: RAMIREZ IS STILL ON DEATH ROW

AWAITING EXECUTION IN SAN QUENTIN PRISON.

FINGERPRINTS HELPED CLOSE THE BOOK

ON THE INFAMOUS NIGHT STALKER.

BUT EVEN IN THE AGE OF DNA PROFILING,

THE CENTURY-OLD TECHNOLOGY OF FINGERPRINTING CRIME SCENES

IS STILL RELEVANT.

LIKE DNA, FINGERPRINTS ARE UTTERLY UNIQUE

TO THE PERSON THEY CAME FROM,

AND THE TECHNOLOGY FOR FINDING THOSE PRINTS

IS GETTING BETTER ALL THE TIME.

Langenburg: IN MORE MODERN TIMES,

WE'VE BEEN MORE EFFICIENT IN HOW WE CAPTURE THEM.

WE USE WHAT'S CALLED ELECTRONIC CAPTURE

TO SCAN THE FINGERPRINTS, DIGITIZE THE FINGERPRINT,

AND STORE IT INTO A REPOSITORY.

Wertheim: IT'S GOTTEN TO THE POINT NOW

WHERE FINGERPRINTS CAN BE CAPTURED DIGITALLY

AT THE SCENE OF A CRIME,

TRANSMITTED DIRECTLY TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT,

SEARCHED THROUGH AN AFIS DATABASE,

AND IDENTIFIED BEFORE THE CRIME SCENE TECHNICIAN

CAN EVEN PACK HIS FINGERPRINT KIT BACK UP

AND GET BACK TO THE STATION.

Narrator: TODAY'S FINGERPRINT SCANNERS

CAN SEARCH AND COMPARE LATENT PRINTS

MORE EFFECTIVELY THAN EVER BEFORE,

ENHANCING THE CLARITY OF PARTIAL AND SMUDGED PRINTS

TO CREATE CRYSTAL CLEAR DIGITAL IMAGES.

THERE ARE ALSO NEW TECHNIQUES TO HELP POLICE FIND PRINTS

ON SPENT BULLETS AND SHELL CASINGS,

EVEN AFTER THEY'VE BEEN WIPED CLEAN.

THIS TECHNIQUE WORKS BY DETECTING

THE MINUTE TRACES OF CORROSION ON THE METAL

CAUSED BY THE SALT IN THE SWEAT ON FINGERS.

AND THE VERY LATEST TECHNOLOGY,

FINGERPRINT IDENTIFICATION,

WHICH COULD ONCE TAKE MONTHS BY HAND,

CAN NOW BE DONE IN A FRACTION OF THE TIME.

SOON, THE SCIENCE OF FINGERPRINTS WILL BECOME

EVEN MORE SOPHISTICATED.

Vanderkolk: I SEE THE FUTURE MAYBE EXPANDING BEYOND

THE TRADITIONAL RIDGES OF THE PALMS, THE FINGERS.

I SEE MANY MORE EXAMINERS USING

THE CREASES OF THE WRISTS AND THE HAND,

MAYBE THE ELBOW PRINTS, THINGS LIKE THAT.

I SEE MORE SKIN IMPRESSIONS IN THE FUTURE.

Narrator: BUT IT WILL ALWAYS COME BACK TO THIS,

THESE WHORLS OF FLESH,

FASHIONED IN THE WOMB AND CARRIED TO THE GRAVE.

TODAY, EVEN THE SAVVIEST CRIMINALS

STILL LEAVE THEIR FINGERPRINTS BEHIND,

NEVER THINKING TWICE ABOUT CREATING A RECORD

OF WHERE THEY'VE BEEN AND WHO THEY ARE...

...EVIDENCE THAT FORENSIC SCIENTISTS WILL USE

TO CATCH THEM,

FOR A LONG TIME TO COME.