All language subtitles for Before.They.Kill.Again.S01E05.1080p.WEB.h264-FREQUENCY_track3_[eng]

[reporter 1] The FBI
has determined that
the serial killer

frequented the wooded
hunting grounds

in the counties
where the murders occurred.

The murders date back to 1989.

The last one was in
April of this year.

The person committing
these crimes was involved

in a cat and mouse game
with the authorities

and felt fairly confident
that he could outsmart them.

[man 1] He wrote me a letter,
he says...

[reading] "If you're going to
commit an infamous crime,

get an AK-47 and 10
30-round clips

and take out
a couple 100 people.

I wish that is
what I had done.

Oh well, hindsight is
always 20/20, they say."

[reporter 2]
All of the victims were
fishing or hunting,

and all were shot with
a high-powered rifle
from long range.

They had a picture of him,
and they said, "Do you know
this person?"

And I said,
"Yeah, that's my uncle, Tom."

And believe it or not,
we have a serial killer
in our family.

I think he killed a lot more
than people think.

[man 2 speaking]

[loud gunshot]

[man 1] It was almost like
a game to him.

I think he enjoyed the chess
match that was going on.

We knew that
the clock was ticking.

It was just a matter of time
before we had another victim.

[man 3] I'm a victim
of a serial killer.

And I'm the victim
that no one knew about.

I went to prison for 21 years
for something that he did.

[opening music playing]

[poignant music playing]

[Jeff] My name is Jeff Titus.

I'm from Battle Creek,
Michigan.

November 17th, 1990,
there had been
two hunters shot

170 feet
from my property line.

[reporter] The hunters
became the prey

on November 17th, 1990,
when someone gunned them down

at the Fulton State Game park.

Jeff Titus faces
weapons and murder charges

for the deaths of Doug Estes
and Jim Bennett.

[Jeff] Estes and Bennett,
they were outdoorsmen.

They liked to hunt,

and both of them had been
shot in the back.

[man] The weapon was found
just west of Mr. Titus's
property line.

[Jeff] I was convicted
of two murders,

and I was given
two life sentences in prison

with no chance of parole.

I couldn't believe
what was happening.

I know I didn't do nothing,

but here I was going to jail
charged for murder,

for something I didn't do.

I lost a farm that I had
with 80 acres.

I lost my wife,
I lost my one daughter.

Basically, everything.

I knew somebody was
getting away with murder,

and I was
getting framed for it.

I wondered who
the actual killer was.

[gunshot]

March 14th, I got a call from
the Knox County Sheriff's
Office.

And they indicated
that they had a homicide
out at Wills Creek Dam,

an individual
by the name of Claude Hawkins.

Mr. Hawkins
was a little bit older,

beautiful family, you know,
they had adult children.

He was a wonderful guy,
great neighbor.

Apparently, this is one of
his favorite fishing spots.

Somebody came along and
shot him once in the back...

[gunshot]

...and left him laying there.

The way he was
found and everything,

there was no indication
that he was aware

that anybody was behind him
or about to shoot him.

With somebody fishing
and focusing on the water

and what they were doing,
they couldn't hear you coming.

We had no witnesses,
no shell casings,

just no evidence at all
was left behind.

His family, his friends,
his neighbors, his coworkers,

there was nobody
that he had a beef with,

or anything like that.

We came to the conclusion
that Mr. Hawkins was

most likely killed
by a stranger.

The lead detective told me,
"You know, I remember,

we've had
a couple of homicides

over the years
somewhat similar to this,

where somebody was shot,
they were out hunting
or fishing,

and I'm not sure that
they've ever been solved."

The homicide
of Donald Welling,

that was on April 1st of 1989.

Mr. Welling was just
walking along a roadway

and he was shot
with a high-powered rifle.

[gunshot]

The next homicide that
occurred was Jamie Paxton.

And that happened on
November 10th, 1990
in Belmont County.

He was found laying in a field
not too far from the roadway.

[gunshot]

[Harry] He had been shot
multiple times

by someone using
a high-powered rifle.

Mr. Loring was out hunting
on November 28th, 1990.

[gunshot]

[Harry] Mr. Loring
had been shot in the head.

His ball cap had blown
some 20 feet away.

That's when we started
putting two and two together.

All of the cases were similar.

Somebody killed
with a high-powered rifle,

no shell casings,
no witnesses,

no enemies,
shot by a stranger.

There was no connection
between the victims.

That part was a mystery,
"Why these people?"

And we never found
anything at all that

linked the victims together
in any way, shape or form.

They were just
outdoors people.

It became clear to everybody
that we had a serial killer
on the loose.

And we believed that he was
targeting his victims
at random.

The reality that we had
a serial killer

was very frightening
for everybody.

We wanted to move as quickly
as we possibly could

to prevent another innocent
person from losing their life.

But roughly two weeks after
the Claude Hawkins homicide,

we had another homicide.

[indistinct
police radio chatter]

[man 1 speaks]

-[woman] Yeah.
-[man 2 speaks]

[man 3 speaks]

[Harry] An individual
by the name of Gary Bradley
was shot and killed

by somebody using
a high-powered rifle.

He was just a good guy,
just out fishing.

And it appeared as though
he had been shot twice
in the back.

There were no shell casings,
no witnesses.

It just seemed to be
so similar.

That was clear as a bell that
any day, any moment,

somebody else
could become a victim.

[Jeff] In looking
at these pictures from Ohio,

they were shot
in the back or in the front
with a high-powered rifle.

No witnesses,

no casings.

They were just left for dead.

And then you have
the two murders that
I got sent away for.

There is a very strong
similarity in the shootings.

I feel sorry for them
and their families.

It is shocking that
he shot 'em and just left 'em.

He has no respect
for human life.

It was a sick guy
that did this,

that didn't care.

All he wanted to do
was get away with it.

And he did, for so long.

[Harry] The more
information we have about

why somebody does something
or what they were thinking,

it would help us get inside
that person's head,

and maybe even be able
to prevent something.

We figured the individual was
at least 30 years of age.

There seemed to be a maturity
about how they committed
the crime.

A young person that
didn't have that experience
or knowledge

wouldn't know to pick up
your shell casings.

Because the homicides
occurred on the weekend,

that would indicate typically
that somebody has a job.

We believed that
there was a good possibility
that they would have a family.

Most shootings,
most of the time
they're close range.

This was different.
This appeared to be
from a farther distance.

When someone shoots
somebody from a distance,
especially in the back,

it's a kind of person
that if you were in a bar

and you bumped into somebody,

instead of that person
wanting to fight you,

what they do is
sort of ignore you,

but then they'd go out
in the parking lot

and they'd try
to flatten your tires.

There was nothing
in the profile that indicated

that this person had
any intention of stopping.

And if we didn't move fast
and come up with a suspect,

I mean, more innocent people
could be killed.

[woman] Were you aware of this
like outdoorsman killer,

-serial killer in Ohio?
Had you...
-No, no.

-[woman] You hadn't
heard of any...
-Nothing.

I didn't notice
anything wrong,

but the profile
was so accurate.

My uncle took pleasure
in being alone.

Loved getting hammered drunk

and walking around with
two or three guns on him.

He worked a very menial job
for his intelligence level.

He worked for
the City of Canton
Water Department.

And one of his jokes was,

"You literally either have to
die or kill someone to lose
this job."

He was very rude
to his family.

I never saw him show affection

toward anyone or anything.

But I don't think
he knew any better.

I mean, I think that was
really his upbringing.

My uncle, he had almost zero
parental influence growing up.

Their father passed away
when they were young.

And their mother,
you know, she was a drinker.

Nobody was telling him
right from wrong.

But did we think that he was
out killing people? No.

Somebody had sent a letter
to The Times Leader,

which is the newspaper
in Belmont County,

claiming to be the killer
of Jamie Paxton.

When I first read the letter,

it hit me
like a ton of bricks.

We could actually hear
the words from the killer.

[Harry] The letter reads,
"Dear Editor, I am
the murderer of Jamie Paxton.

Don't feel bad about
not solving this case.

You had no clues of any kind
to start your investigation.

With no motive, no weapon,
and not witnesses,

you could not possibly
solve this crime."

One of the things that
I think often is given

insufficient attention
and discussion
of serial killers

is the element of boredom.

And they're often
highly intelligent people

who feel unappreciated,
under-stimulated.

And I think
in the case of this killer,

he wanted it to be
a little riskier

and more exciting
and stimulating.

And writing this letter
accomplished that goal.

He's a very
narcissistic individual.

Being able to
outsmart the police,

he was able to feel,
"I really am special."

It's part of
the cat and mouse game.

It's, uh, "Here I am.
Catch me if you can."

Taunting the authorities
in a patronizing way saying,

"Don't be upset with yourself
because you can't identify me.

You never will."

[Harry reading]
"I'm an average-looking person
with a family,

job and home,
just like yourself.

Something in my head
causes me to turn into..."

[continues reading]

"Five minutes
after I shot Paxton,

I was drinking a beer.
I thought no more of
shooting Paxton

than shooting a bottle
at the dump."

[Dr. Jeffrey]
That's an act of aggression

toward the people
feeling the pain of his loss

to say, "I thought no more
of shooting him than
I would shoot,

think of shooting
a bottle in a dump."

He knew the impact that
that would have on the people

on the other end
of his letter.

And it wasn't an accident
that he decided to include

that kind of
aggressive statement.

I was struck by
how matter of fact he was.

He's highly self-involved,

unable to feel empathy
for other people.

This was someone
who was very deliberately

trying to stump the police

and be very difficult
to detect.

[Harry] We knew
that in November,
hunting season would start.

And there were gonna be
more available targets
to kill somebody.

Hunters and fishermen
were getting a little edgy.

[reporter] Deer hunting season
is in full swing.

But this year,
hunters and fishermen

are looking
over their shoulders

in fear of a serial killer.

[hunter] Anytime that anyone
goes out hunting now

is taking a chance.

I don't know what this
looney tune is all about,

but it's a scary feeling.

[Harry] You just never knew
what was next.

If we didn't move quickly,
we were gonna have
some more victims.

Some guy calls in and gives

what sounds like
just a typical lead.

"I've got a friend.
His name is Tom Dillon.

He really fits the profile."

He was a white male,
forty-two years of age,

lived very close to the area

where one of these
homicides occurred.

The more I talk
to our tipster,

the more I'm convinced that

we might be
on the right track here.

Richard Fry was his
best friend from growing up,
all the way from high school.

And I think for a long time
they hung out.

And I I think that
it got to the point

where Richard Fry
realized that, you know,

Tommy wasn't playing
with a full deck.

[woman] Take a look at this.

This is a transcription of
one of the guy's statements.

[reading] "A couple of
years ago, Tom and I got into

a discussion about
serial killers and he said,

'You know, it wouldn't be hard
for me to go out...'"

[continues reading]

"'...and leave them.
And they would never catch you

because there would be
no motive.'

This is exactly the pattern
Mr. Dillon said he would use

if he would become
a serial killer.

The man just scares the hell
out of me at this point."

You know, that's my uncle.

When I was younger,
he took me to do things that,

you know, 10, 11, 12-year-old
kids shouldn't do.

We would go out
into the woods,

killing frogs just to...
for the sake of killing
a frog.

Or we would go out
with a milk jug full of gas.

And then I would light a rag
next to the milk jug on fire,

and we would just
shoot at the milk jugs.

[gunshot]

I think I was smart enough
to realize that,

"This is not
what normal people do."

[Harry] Saturday
and Sunday morning,

he'd buy beer
and just start driving.

Sometimes, he would stop
and he would commit
acts of violence.

I mean, this guy was like
a one-man crime wave.

He was shooting
at electric meters,

water meters, stop signs,

you know, just doing all kinds
of destructive stuff.

[John] That was kind of
his MO.

Shooting at
stop signs and stuff.
I mean, he loved that stuff.

Think if you're an officer
following him

when he was being followed,
and you're watching him

literally pull up
next to a field

and there's a cow
right against the field,

and he just pulls out
a crossbow and,

you know, drops this thing
right between-- Why?

When Dillon talked
about his long history
of destroying property,

he just said, "I was like
a machine of destruction.

I wanted to destroy things."

That was entertainment
for him.

[gunshot]

[Harry]
At this point, we didn't have
any direct evidence

linking him
to any of these homicides.

That's not enough.

Get an arrest warrant for him.

Time was of the essence.

If we didn't work
together fast,

that next person
was going to die.

I remember one weekend,
Dillon came out

and started driving
like he always did.

We'd have an airplane,
and they would call out

where Dillon was going.

And so we were able
to drop back a little bit.

And all of a sudden,
the plane says,

there's a jogger
on the road up ahead.

Dillon's getting closer
to the jogger.

He's slowing down.

So my partner and I
look at each other,

and we go, "Oh [bleep]"

What is Dillon
going to try to do?

Is he going to try
to kill this person?

So we immediately go
into panic mode.

I had a toggle switch
for my siren,

and I've got my finger on it.

Sitting there
sweating bullets.

Dillon's down
to the stop sign.

He stopped.

We're thinking,
Dillon's making a decision

whether he wants to go
and shoot her or let her live.

It was one of the most
intense moments we had

during the entire
surveillance.

I remember looking
at my steering wheel.

My hands were like glued
to the steering wheel

because there was
so much tension.

And then the plane goes,
"Dillon is turning right.

He's going away
from the jogger."

Maybe he just
wasn't in the mood
that particular moment

to try to kill somebody.

But thank God
he didn't try to kill her.

I think Dillon wanted
to talk to us

because he wanted to find out
what we knew.

He wanted to know
how much trouble he was in.

I think that
the most significant
motivation for Dillon

was the thrill of the game.

I think Dillon understood
from the start

that there was a good chance
that they didn't have enough

to convict him.

Dillon was smart and savvy
and strategic enough

that he told himself,
try to find out what you can

and then make your decision
about what to do.

[Harry]
I had the box
of materials with me.

I had a recording device.

The game plan is I would start
showing him the pictures.

He acted in his mind,
I think, the way

that he would think
the normal person would.

And that is, "Oh,
don't show me anymore.

Those photos are disgusting."

But deep down inside,
he's going, "Oh, man,

that's really something.

I did that."

It's important in an interview
sometimes, you know,

you don't want to just say,

"You're a despicable
human being.

You know,
how could you do this?"

You want to give
somebody an out.

I think he enjoyed
back and forth a little bit,

like a chess match.

That's about
as confrontational
as I've ever heard him.

He certainly is holding
his ground there,

which I almost would think

he would just
roll over immediately.

We failed.

I think he didn't confess
because we hadn't shown him

anything concrete
that would tie him

specifically to the cases.

We don't have enough evidence

to be able to get
a conviction on him.

What are we going to do now?

Sunday after Thanksgiving,

the FBI came
knocking on my door.

I certainly wasn't adamantly
like, "Oh, no chance.

No, no, you've got
the wrong guy."

But I did not think
he would have done that.

I mean, I was like,
no, I mean, come on.

He's nuts,
but he's not that nuts.

[woman] You still believed
in his innocence.

Totally did.

Yeah, I mean, of course
I believed in his innocence.

He's my uncle.

[Harry]
Once we had Dillon arrested,
he would call me.

I remember the first time
I got a call from him.

He goes, "Hi,
this is Tom Dillon."

He said, "I just thought
I'd give you a call,

see what's going on."

And he's trying to feel me out
to see where we were.

I think he enjoyed
the chess match
that was going on.

He's growing more
and more confident,
not only in himself,

but in our lack of evidence
against him.

We just couldn't get him
to confess to anything.

If we didn't have enough
evidence to charge him

for one of the homicides,

we needed to come up
with a game plan

on where we needed to go
from here.

We got a call
from a tipster who said

he had purchased
a Swedish Mauser from Dillon

at a gun show in Maslin, Ohio.

And he still had possession
of the gun.

Dillon was eligible
for the death penalty.

Now we were
in the driver's seat.

The nature
of the phone calls changed.

After that, it was clear

we were dealing
from a position of strength.

He told me, "I don't want
to be on death row."

I said, "Well, we want
to solve all the cases, Tom."

And he goes, "I'm hopeful
that we can work something out

to everybody's satisfaction."

He was basically a coward.

He wasn't somebody
who wanted the death penalty.

And he no longer felt
that he could control
the situation.

He understood that the game
was basically over for him

at that point.

[Harry speaking]

[Harry speaking]

To actually hear
what happened in each case,

you know, it was really
chilling, fascinating.

There was a callousness there.

It was just like
no remorse whatsoever.

[Harry speaking]

"Spur of the moment thing."

A little voice talking to him.

He does not see people
as people.

He sees them
as something to kill.

Just like a squirrel
or a rabbit, a snake, a bug,

or whatever, human beings
are the same way.

No compassion,
no pity, no nothing.

[Harry speaking]

That's a strange comment.

I mean, "That's why
we're here, isn't it?"

It is interesting how he's
just so matter of fact, like,

I mean, there's no emotion
in his voice.

There's no... It's just...

it's awful.

[Harry speaking]

It's, um,
it's exactly how I remember.

He didn't try to minimize
anything that he did.

Made no excuses.

We know Dillon's responsible
for all five homicides.

[Thomas speaking]

[Jeff] We need to look
into other cases.

With the history he did,
you had to wonder,
is there more?

We were interviewing him,
getting his confession,

and we asked him
if there was anything else.

And he just blurts out,

"Yeah, there was an incident
in 1980."

The shot rang out,
and I felt like

I had been electrocuted.

The bullets split
into two main pieces.

Both of them went in my back.

That was shocking to us

because we were unaware
of that.

We actually came up with
a couple of cases in Michigan

that were somewhat similar.

[reporter]
The hunters became the prey
on November 17, 1990,

when someone gunned them down

at the Fulton State Game Park.

The ones in Michigan where
there were two hunters killed,

that was totally not Dillon.

He was looking
for lone victims.

We talked to Dillon repeatedly
about were there any others.

He denied any involvement

in any others
outside of the five

that he told us about.

[Jeff] I was arrested
for two counts of murder

because I found
the missing gun.

I didn't know
that the Ohio cops
believed Thomas Dillon.

I know I'm innocent.

I've always known
I was innocent.

I didn't do it.

[reporter] I'm going
to show you the sketch.

[John] That's so bizarre.
It's my uncle.

[woman] Do you think
if you saw this at the time,

you would have made
the connection?

I think so.

If I'd seen this at the time,

I would have said,
"Yep, that's him."

You can look at it
and see they're so similar

that it's uncanny.

And that could have
cleared the case up

right then and there.

And then I never would have
went to prison.

Never looked into it.

[groans]

Boy, that's bringing up
agitated feelings.

To find out that this was sad

and that they
weren't interested,

it really upsets me.

He's a serial killer

and you don't thoroughly
investigate it.

I think Dillon was sitting
there laughing. [scoffs]

He made a fool
out of the police.

That he did
another two murders

and he's not getting
a death penalty.

And I'm sure that he heard
about me getting convicted.

He didn't care.

He didn't have that remorse
or thing in his body.

Is there anybody else
in prison for one
of his murders?

Damn good chance
that the answer is yes.

Even though he was in prison
for five murders,

he still won the game
because he committed
other crimes,

never got charged for him.

We've never, ever encountered
anything to indicate

that he ever killed anybody
other than the people

he admitted to killing.

This is a letter that
Tom Dillon wrote to me
from prison.

It's dated June 30, 1994.

He says, "I never told
you orTrombitas,

a lot of things that happened
or things I did.

I maybe someday will go
into greater detail

about quote, early years."

And unfortunately,
because I never went
to see him again,

that remains an open question
in my mind even today.

Of course.

Of course, and 50 more.

[John] Yes.

[Jeff] Susan!

[Susan] Welcome home.

[Jeff] Oh, thank you.

Oh, I owe you so much.

[Susan] It's so good
to see you.

Previously undisclosed
evidence in the case

involving Jeff Titus contains
approximately 30 pages

relating to an
alternative suspect,
Thomas Dillon.

It's been 22 years
waiting for this day,

and it should never have
happened in the first place.

To describe
walking out of prison,

they wasn't sure it was true,

or if it was a game
or something.

And I was worried
I was going to get snatched

and pulled back in.

I've been out six months now,

and now I'm trying
to relearn my life

and get readjusted to society.

It's a shock.

This is Thomas Dillon,
the man who cost me 21 years

of my life.

And to me,
he's a piece of crap.

And I really don't even want
to look at him. I don't wanna.

Nothing, because all the harm
that he caused me,

he made me a victim.

During one
of our conversations,

he mentioned a series
of murders that he was aware

had been committed
of prostitutes who had
been working

at a truck stop in Ohio.

[inaudible]

I think there's
a strong possibility

that he killed people that he
never confessed to killing.

Only five homicide,
one attempted homicide.

That's what he told us.
To this day, that's what
I believe he did.

You know, someday I would like
to go meet this FBI agent

and ask him,
why did you believe him?

Why did you take everything
he said for granted?

I would let him know that
I think he failed in his job.

He let Dillon win.

He told the police
wh,

got what he wanted,
life in prison.

No death penalty.

I mean, he's dead.

And all the other things
that he's done died with him.

They shouldn't have believed
the serial killer.

He's got away with it.

♪♪

This is the suspect, and I'm
like, "Holy [bleep]".

I know him....really well.

The ransom note said death
will be the end result.

We're never going to find her.

Why would anybody
take my mother? Why?