1 00:00:01,367 --> 00:00:04,433 NARRATOR: The sky is the limit for Jessika Rovell. 2 00:00:05,400 --> 00:00:08,100 What I was looking for was someone like me, 3 00:00:08,100 --> 00:00:11,367 who was working towards an amazing future. 4 00:00:11,367 --> 00:00:15,166 NARRATOR: She shoots for the moon and finds a superstar. 5 00:00:15,233 --> 00:00:18,000 He was charming. He was attentive. 6 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:20,567 NARRATOR: But when his dark side brings her back 7 00:00:20,567 --> 00:00:21,667 to earth... 8 00:00:21,734 --> 00:00:24,066 He was really a master of manipulation. 9 00:00:24,133 --> 00:00:27,266 I didn't know what was real and what wasn't. 10 00:00:27,333 --> 00:00:31,567 ...she wishes he'd never set foot on the planet. 11 00:00:31,567 --> 00:00:34,066 I was in a state of terror and fear that I 12 00:00:34,133 --> 00:00:36,834 didn't ever think I was going to get away from him. 13 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:41,567 It was sort of like they were getting prepped for surgery. 14 00:00:41,634 --> 00:00:44,567 That's when he would remove them from 15 00:00:44,634 --> 00:00:47,567 the bar and take them back to his apartment. 16 00:00:47,567 --> 00:00:50,066 My instincts were telling me when I 17 00:00:50,066 --> 00:00:53,367 woke up that morning that everything was wrong. 18 00:00:53,433 --> 00:00:55,166 JOE: It was dozens and dozens of people 19 00:00:55,166 --> 00:00:57,667 who had the same experience. 20 00:00:57,667 --> 00:00:59,467 JESSIKA: Someone was going to get hurt. 21 00:00:59,533 --> 00:01:03,433 It was just one big exercise in sexual violence. 22 00:01:07,266 --> 00:01:10,033 [theme music playing] 23 00:01:20,500 --> 00:01:21,934 [music ends] 24 00:01:24,767 --> 00:01:28,867 I started college as a musical theater major, and I went on to 25 00:01:28,934 --> 00:01:30,867 be a history major, and I focused 26 00:01:30,934 --> 00:01:32,467 on medieval and Renaissance 27 00:01:32,467 --> 00:01:35,467 British History, which, you know, was not the most 28 00:01:35,467 --> 00:01:37,734 practical thing that I could have majored in. 29 00:01:39,266 --> 00:01:40,667 At a certain point, 30 00:01:40,667 --> 00:01:43,467 I needed to get more practical about what 31 00:01:43,467 --> 00:01:46,000 I was going to be doing in my life. 32 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:48,767 So I decided I was going to go to law school. 33 00:01:48,767 --> 00:01:51,100 NARRATOR: 24-year-old Jessika Rovell 34 00:01:51,100 --> 00:01:53,667 grew up in New Jersey and is in her second year 35 00:01:53,734 --> 00:01:55,967 of law school at Rutgers University 36 00:01:55,967 --> 00:01:58,767 when the unthinkable happens nearby. 37 00:01:58,834 --> 00:02:00,867 Okay, it sounds like we have some breaking 38 00:02:00,934 --> 00:02:03,166 news to tell you about out of New York. 39 00:02:03,166 --> 00:02:04,767 There's a... 40 00:02:04,767 --> 00:02:07,066 MAN: Fire burning in the World Trade Center right now. 41 00:02:07,066 --> 00:02:09,233 We're just hearing about that right now. 42 00:02:11,100 --> 00:02:14,066 JESSIKA: Afterwards, I wanted to do something to help. 43 00:02:14,066 --> 00:02:17,767 Eventually, it kind of came to me that the skills of being 44 00:02:17,767 --> 00:02:19,867 a lawyer translated 45 00:02:19,934 --> 00:02:22,467 into being able to work in the intelligence 46 00:02:22,467 --> 00:02:25,767 community or service in the Navy. 47 00:02:25,834 --> 00:02:27,266 It was a place that I really could 48 00:02:27,333 --> 00:02:31,834 contribute and do something towards helping after 9/11. 49 00:02:34,767 --> 00:02:36,367 NARRATOR: With a vision for her future 50 00:02:36,433 --> 00:02:40,367 now crystallizing, Jessika sinks herself into her studies, 51 00:02:40,433 --> 00:02:42,467 leaving little time for leisure. 52 00:02:42,467 --> 00:02:45,066 JESSIKA: Everything was just going really well. 53 00:02:45,066 --> 00:02:48,767 But going into the winter of that year, 54 00:02:48,834 --> 00:02:52,667 I realized that the thing that was missing in my life was 55 00:02:52,667 --> 00:02:54,867 a guy. 56 00:02:54,934 --> 00:02:57,767 What I was looking for was someone like me, 57 00:02:57,767 --> 00:03:01,667 who was working towards an amazing future. 58 00:03:04,166 --> 00:03:06,367 I complained to one of my girlfriends that there 59 00:03:06,367 --> 00:03:08,867 just weren't any good men in the world anymore. 60 00:03:08,867 --> 00:03:11,467 And she laughed and said, "Oh, man, do I have the guy 61 00:03:11,467 --> 00:03:13,000 "for you. 62 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:14,567 "He's in the Navy. 63 00:03:14,567 --> 00:03:16,000 "He is a doctor. 64 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:20,266 "He's really just intelligent and funny, 65 00:03:20,266 --> 00:03:22,567 and I think you would get along well with him." 66 00:03:22,567 --> 00:03:25,567 So I was all like, yeah, bring that on. 67 00:03:25,567 --> 00:03:27,834 Let's see where that could go. 68 00:03:28,967 --> 00:03:31,367 NARRATOR: It's early December when Jessika heads down 69 00:03:31,367 --> 00:03:33,967 to the Hard Rock Cafe in Philadelphia 70 00:03:33,967 --> 00:03:37,100 for a blind date with Dr. Jeffrey Marsalis. 71 00:03:37,100 --> 00:03:39,767 I got there first, and when he walked in, 72 00:03:39,834 --> 00:03:42,166 I was honestly kind of underwhelmed. 73 00:03:43,300 --> 00:03:45,867 He walked in in a black T-shirt 74 00:03:45,867 --> 00:03:48,967 and black jeans, and he was really pale, 75 00:03:48,967 --> 00:03:53,266 and he had this kind of weird flat top haircut. 76 00:03:54,767 --> 00:03:56,567 Not too flattering, I mean, not -- 77 00:03:56,567 --> 00:04:01,433 not unattractive, but not attractive either. 78 00:04:02,367 --> 00:04:05,333 It definitely wasn't love at first sight. 79 00:04:06,600 --> 00:04:09,867 Jeff told me that he grew up on the West Coast. 80 00:04:09,867 --> 00:04:12,066 His mother ran a school. 81 00:04:12,066 --> 00:04:15,266 His father was a pilot. 82 00:04:15,333 --> 00:04:18,367 He talked a lot about how he was a flight surgeon 83 00:04:18,367 --> 00:04:22,867 in the Navy and his work as an emergency room doctor. 84 00:04:22,934 --> 00:04:26,367 There was something I found attractive about him. 85 00:04:26,367 --> 00:04:29,767 He was funny, but he was also arrogant. 86 00:04:29,767 --> 00:04:32,166 Looking back with -- with hindsight, 87 00:04:32,166 --> 00:04:35,367 I think that I made excuses for that. 88 00:04:38,400 --> 00:04:41,667 So after the date, Jeff walked me to the train station, 89 00:04:41,667 --> 00:04:44,867 and there was no goodnight kiss, 90 00:04:44,867 --> 00:04:47,667 which was fine with me at the time. 91 00:04:47,734 --> 00:04:50,433 You know, I -- I wasn't sure even that I liked him. 92 00:04:51,400 --> 00:04:53,266 NARRATOR: And Jessika isn't sure whether 93 00:04:53,333 --> 00:04:55,467 Jeffrey likes her either until 94 00:04:55,467 --> 00:04:57,767 she gets a call from him the following week 95 00:04:57,767 --> 00:05:01,000 asking for a second date. -JESSIKA: I said, yeah, why not? 96 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:02,467 I didn't have a bad time with him. 97 00:05:02,467 --> 00:05:03,967 So why not go out with him again? 98 00:05:04,033 --> 00:05:06,166 When we went out for the second time, 99 00:05:06,166 --> 00:05:10,000 we actually decided that we were going to get Chinese food 100 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:12,467 and watch a movie at my house. 101 00:05:12,533 --> 00:05:13,634 [knocking noises] 102 00:05:13,634 --> 00:05:17,066 So he came to my door, and before he even walked through, 103 00:05:17,066 --> 00:05:19,467 he said, "Hey, chunky butt, how are you doing?" 104 00:05:20,600 --> 00:05:22,767 And I just kind of looked at him, and I was like, 105 00:05:22,767 --> 00:05:24,667 what woman wants to be called chunky butt? 106 00:05:24,734 --> 00:05:26,266 So I actually said to him, "Hey, 107 00:05:26,333 --> 00:05:27,567 "could you please not call me that? 108 00:05:27,634 --> 00:05:29,867 Because it's just not cool." 109 00:05:29,867 --> 00:05:32,166 I was a beauty queen, like, I spent time in 110 00:05:32,166 --> 00:05:35,266 a swimsuit being judged on my appearance. 111 00:05:35,266 --> 00:05:37,066 Being called chunky butt, 112 00:05:37,066 --> 00:05:40,367 like, at that time, it was just so not true. 113 00:05:40,433 --> 00:05:42,767 NARRATOR: It's an awkward beginning to their evening, 114 00:05:42,767 --> 00:05:44,367 but the tension eases up. 115 00:05:44,367 --> 00:05:47,066 We set up the movie and started eating, 116 00:05:47,133 --> 00:05:51,567 opened a bottle of wine, and, you know, just talked. 117 00:05:51,567 --> 00:05:53,667 We were having a pretty good time, 118 00:05:53,667 --> 00:05:56,367 and we got through most of the bottle of wine, 119 00:05:56,433 --> 00:06:00,467 and suddenly, I have no idea what happened. 120 00:06:03,300 --> 00:06:05,467 I do remember being in my kitchen... 121 00:06:07,700 --> 00:06:09,233 and him kissing me. 122 00:06:13,100 --> 00:06:14,467 And that was the last thing 123 00:06:14,467 --> 00:06:16,734 that I remembered until the next morning. 124 00:06:21,967 --> 00:06:25,967 All of a sudden, he's in my bed, and I'm thinking, 125 00:06:26,033 --> 00:06:27,767 oh, my God, what did I do? 126 00:06:29,567 --> 00:06:32,266 I totally didn't mean to do that. 127 00:06:32,266 --> 00:06:33,867 You know, that wasn't on my agenda 128 00:06:33,934 --> 00:06:35,166 for -- for the evening. 129 00:06:35,166 --> 00:06:37,266 There should have been no reason for me 130 00:06:37,266 --> 00:06:38,867 to black out after 131 00:06:38,867 --> 00:06:41,100 let's say half a bottle of wine. 132 00:06:41,100 --> 00:06:43,967 Even if I had drunk the entire bottle of wine, 133 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:48,166 blacking out just isn't something that happens to me. 134 00:06:48,166 --> 00:06:49,767 So kind of... 135 00:06:49,767 --> 00:06:55,166 waking up not remembering anything was strange. 136 00:06:55,166 --> 00:06:59,367 That blackout period, that time she can't account for, to wake 137 00:06:59,433 --> 00:07:05,567 up and not know why or how somebody is still there -- 138 00:07:05,634 --> 00:07:07,634 that unknown is very scary. 139 00:07:09,467 --> 00:07:12,467 NARRATOR: Jessika doubts herself to the point where she wonders 140 00:07:12,467 --> 00:07:14,967 if Jeffrey will have a bad opinion of her 141 00:07:14,967 --> 00:07:17,266 for sleeping with him so quickly. 142 00:07:18,300 --> 00:07:20,567 JESSIKA: But when he woke up, he told me 143 00:07:20,634 --> 00:07:22,734 what a great time he had last night. 144 00:07:23,867 --> 00:07:27,967 So I just said to myself, you know what, like, 145 00:07:27,967 --> 00:07:30,667 I might as well at this point go out with him again. 146 00:07:30,667 --> 00:07:32,667 You know, since we've -- we've already gone there, 147 00:07:32,734 --> 00:07:35,533 and that morning, we went for breakfast, 148 00:07:36,467 --> 00:07:39,367 and at some point, it turned into a relationship 149 00:07:39,367 --> 00:07:42,266 that at first was -- was really nice. 150 00:07:42,333 --> 00:07:43,567 He was charming. 151 00:07:43,567 --> 00:07:45,767 He was attentive. 152 00:07:45,834 --> 00:07:48,367 You know, we talked a lot about having 153 00:07:48,367 --> 00:07:51,567 a future together and what that may look like. 154 00:07:51,567 --> 00:07:53,166 I remember we went to dinner 155 00:07:53,233 --> 00:07:55,000 one night in an Italian restaurant. 156 00:07:55,000 --> 00:07:57,166 Um, and this restaurant had kind of 157 00:07:57,166 --> 00:07:59,667 an alcove where there was a table for two. 158 00:07:59,667 --> 00:08:02,867 No one had ever done something like that for me before. 159 00:08:02,934 --> 00:08:04,867 It was very romantic. 160 00:08:04,934 --> 00:08:08,166 So at some point, the relationship, it just worked. 161 00:08:08,233 --> 00:08:10,567 You know, we were happy. I was happy with him. 162 00:08:10,567 --> 00:08:12,367 I was happy with where things were going. 163 00:08:12,367 --> 00:08:16,166 He was a good guy, and I was looking forward, you know, 164 00:08:16,233 --> 00:08:18,934 into what a future might look like with him. 165 00:08:19,867 --> 00:08:21,867 NARRATOR: The relationship becomes serious. 166 00:08:21,867 --> 00:08:23,767 But the demands of Jeffrey's job 167 00:08:23,767 --> 00:08:26,567 means their time together is often disrupted. 168 00:08:26,567 --> 00:08:29,100 He would frequently call me and say, "All right, sorry, 169 00:08:29,100 --> 00:08:31,166 I got to go off and save lives," 170 00:08:31,233 --> 00:08:34,066 and then he would come home and tell me that, you know, 171 00:08:34,133 --> 00:08:37,867 he had saved a baby or a pregnant woman or, 172 00:08:37,867 --> 00:08:39,667 you know, something that would really just 173 00:08:39,667 --> 00:08:41,166 pull at the heart strings. 174 00:08:41,233 --> 00:08:42,867 You know, that made me feel good that 175 00:08:42,934 --> 00:08:45,767 I was dating this guy who really helped people. 176 00:08:47,300 --> 00:08:49,867 NARRATOR: It's been barely two months since they met, 177 00:08:49,867 --> 00:08:53,166 and Jeff goes radio silent for periods of time. 178 00:08:53,166 --> 00:08:56,667 Jessika becomes suspicious until one night when 179 00:08:56,667 --> 00:08:59,867 he tells her he has an important confession to make. 180 00:08:59,867 --> 00:09:02,467 He said that he was a non-official cover agent 181 00:09:02,533 --> 00:09:04,266 for the CIA. 182 00:09:04,266 --> 00:09:07,767 He said that he had gotten special permission to tell me, 183 00:09:07,767 --> 00:09:11,266 because I was someone who was special in his life who he felt 184 00:09:11,266 --> 00:09:14,667 like he was going to have a future with and that I needed 185 00:09:14,667 --> 00:09:19,266 to know and understand who he was and all of him. 186 00:09:19,266 --> 00:09:21,867 It's not that he wasn't an ER doctor, 187 00:09:21,867 --> 00:09:23,266 and he wasn't a flight surgeon. 188 00:09:23,266 --> 00:09:27,467 He was, but they were both a cover for what he did for 189 00:09:27,533 --> 00:09:28,967 the CIA. 190 00:09:29,033 --> 00:09:32,100 NARRATOR: It's a little over a year since 9/11, 191 00:09:32,100 --> 00:09:35,367 and fighting terror is on everyone's mind. 192 00:09:35,433 --> 00:09:38,166 JESSIKA: That was a major milestone in our relationship. 193 00:09:38,233 --> 00:09:41,166 You know, it was clear that he felt like I was someone 194 00:09:41,166 --> 00:09:44,066 he wanted to be a part of his life. 195 00:09:44,133 --> 00:09:45,867 In fairness, like, that -- 196 00:09:45,867 --> 00:09:47,767 that was flattering to me, that he would 197 00:09:47,767 --> 00:09:50,567 get special permission to share something so important 198 00:09:50,567 --> 00:09:51,767 you know, with me. 199 00:09:53,300 --> 00:09:56,634 There were periods of time when he would go away, 200 00:09:58,066 --> 00:10:01,467 that I wouldn't know where he was or where he was going. 201 00:10:01,533 --> 00:10:03,567 And during that time, he always said 202 00:10:03,567 --> 00:10:06,667 that it was because he was off fighting terrorists. 203 00:10:06,667 --> 00:10:09,066 NARRATOR: It will be years before Jessika discovers 204 00:10:09,133 --> 00:10:11,100 the unfathomable truth 205 00:10:11,100 --> 00:10:14,767 about what Jeff is really doing while undercover. 206 00:10:14,834 --> 00:10:16,767 Marsalis was audacious. He was bold. 207 00:10:16,834 --> 00:10:18,467 He felt that he was never gonna get caught. 208 00:10:18,467 --> 00:10:22,066 It was just a very Jekyll and Hyde existence. 209 00:10:22,066 --> 00:10:24,867 I took a sip of the drink that was mine, 210 00:10:24,934 --> 00:10:28,066 and... I don't remember anything 211 00:10:28,133 --> 00:10:30,233 until I woke up the next morning. 212 00:10:31,100 --> 00:10:33,467 I...was in his bed. 213 00:10:33,467 --> 00:10:35,000 I had no clothes on. 214 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:36,467 He was next to me. 215 00:10:36,533 --> 00:10:38,367 I was very confused. 216 00:10:43,467 --> 00:10:45,767 NARRATOR: Jessika Rovell is getting deeper into 217 00:10:45,767 --> 00:10:48,667 a relationship with Dr. Jeffrey Marsalis, 218 00:10:48,667 --> 00:10:50,767 hoping that one day, they'd get married 219 00:10:50,767 --> 00:10:52,467 and become a power couple. 220 00:10:56,000 --> 00:10:57,467 JESSIKA: He was helping people, 221 00:10:57,467 --> 00:10:59,166 and that was really attractive to me. 222 00:10:59,233 --> 00:11:01,467 We talked a lot about a future together 223 00:11:01,467 --> 00:11:04,266 and what that would look like with me as a lawyer, 224 00:11:04,266 --> 00:11:06,567 him as the doctor. 225 00:11:06,634 --> 00:11:08,867 NARRATOR: In January 2002, 226 00:11:08,867 --> 00:11:11,667 Jessika and Jeff go to Bermuda for their first 227 00:11:11,667 --> 00:11:13,467 weekend getaway. 228 00:11:13,467 --> 00:11:15,367 When we first landed, 229 00:11:15,367 --> 00:11:19,266 it was freezing, and there wasn't anyone around. 230 00:11:20,400 --> 00:11:21,467 We got to the hotel. 231 00:11:21,533 --> 00:11:23,467 I think that it was under construction, 232 00:11:23,533 --> 00:11:25,166 because it was an off season. 233 00:11:25,166 --> 00:11:28,667 It was not the most romantic environment for a trip. 234 00:11:28,667 --> 00:11:31,100 NARRATOR: Jeff suggests they rent a scooter. 235 00:11:31,100 --> 00:11:32,867 They ride out to a remote beach, 236 00:11:32,867 --> 00:11:35,767 but the journey is far from idyllic. 237 00:11:36,767 --> 00:11:39,166 JESSIKA: I started getting scared, 238 00:11:39,166 --> 00:11:42,066 because it was dark and we were the only people there. 239 00:11:42,133 --> 00:11:44,467 [thunder crashes] 240 00:11:44,533 --> 00:11:48,166 I told him that I wanted to go back, and he told me no. 241 00:11:48,233 --> 00:11:50,367 And he just kept driving. 242 00:11:50,367 --> 00:11:53,367 He was swerving the scooter in a way 243 00:11:53,367 --> 00:11:55,266 that felt dangerous to me. 244 00:11:55,266 --> 00:11:58,467 He was laughing in a way that just felt incredibly unhinged. 245 00:11:58,467 --> 00:12:02,467 And I remember just crying and telling him I wanted to go back, 246 00:12:02,467 --> 00:12:04,567 and he was like, "What, do you think I'm gonna kill you?" 247 00:12:06,667 --> 00:12:09,166 I'm afraid. I want to go back. 248 00:12:09,166 --> 00:12:10,867 You're not wanting to take me back, 249 00:12:10,934 --> 00:12:13,266 and that's just scary. 250 00:12:13,333 --> 00:12:18,166 This could be a test on Jeffrey's behalf of 251 00:12:18,166 --> 00:12:20,066 scaring her, 252 00:12:20,066 --> 00:12:22,767 but then showing her that nothing's going to happen, 253 00:12:22,767 --> 00:12:25,433 and he is her protector. 254 00:12:26,900 --> 00:12:29,367 NARRATOR: Finally, Jeff climbs on the scooter, 255 00:12:29,367 --> 00:12:31,867 and they ride back to the hotel. 256 00:12:31,867 --> 00:12:34,467 By the time we got back to the hotel, 257 00:12:34,467 --> 00:12:36,266 I was just a total mess. 258 00:12:36,333 --> 00:12:37,667 I didn't want to talk to him. 259 00:12:37,734 --> 00:12:39,367 I didn't want to be there. 260 00:12:39,367 --> 00:12:41,667 And it was one of those situations in which 261 00:12:41,734 --> 00:12:43,667 he started telling me, 262 00:12:43,734 --> 00:12:45,967 "You're going to have to learn to have my sort of sense 263 00:12:46,033 --> 00:12:47,200 of humor." 264 00:12:47,266 --> 00:12:50,767 NARRATOR: Jeff's strange mood continues, and he seems intent 265 00:12:50,767 --> 00:12:52,867 on baiting Jessika. 266 00:12:52,867 --> 00:12:56,367 He proceeded to tell me about a time 267 00:12:56,367 --> 00:12:59,467 that he and his friend, who was also in the CIA, 268 00:12:59,467 --> 00:13:02,867 saw two guys coming out of the club, and they thought, 269 00:13:02,934 --> 00:13:04,367 you know, let's pick a fight. 270 00:13:04,367 --> 00:13:06,467 So they picked a fight with the guys. 271 00:13:06,467 --> 00:13:09,033 NARRATOR: And this is when Jeff drops a bombshell. 272 00:13:10,367 --> 00:13:12,467 JESSIKA: He ended up killing one of them, 273 00:13:13,667 --> 00:13:16,467 and his friend put the other one in the hospital. 274 00:13:18,700 --> 00:13:21,266 He told me that when the police came, 275 00:13:21,333 --> 00:13:23,367 he basically showed them his CIA card, 276 00:13:23,433 --> 00:13:25,467 and he got right out of it. 277 00:13:25,533 --> 00:13:26,667 That should have been a moment 278 00:13:26,667 --> 00:13:29,166 that was just a huge red flag. 279 00:13:29,166 --> 00:13:30,667 And I know it sounds 280 00:13:30,667 --> 00:13:34,967 probably ridiculous, but he had a way of normalizing 281 00:13:35,033 --> 00:13:38,567 things that were just ridiculous and horrible. 282 00:13:38,567 --> 00:13:41,000 This is an example of something that 283 00:13:41,000 --> 00:13:43,567 I've done with one of my friends. 284 00:13:43,634 --> 00:13:45,767 And if you can't appreciate that, 285 00:13:45,834 --> 00:13:48,967 then we're not going to be able to have a future together. 286 00:13:50,400 --> 00:13:54,166 You know, he had this training, and sometimes instinct just 287 00:13:54,233 --> 00:13:55,867 took him somewhere that, 288 00:13:55,867 --> 00:13:57,967 you know, normal people don't go. 289 00:13:57,967 --> 00:14:00,367 I think that I rationalized that it was part 290 00:14:00,367 --> 00:14:03,266 of what he did as part of the CIA. 291 00:14:03,333 --> 00:14:05,467 NARRATOR: On another trip, 292 00:14:05,533 --> 00:14:08,667 Jeff's vanity is on full display. 293 00:14:08,667 --> 00:14:10,667 JESSIKA: We went on this Disney cruise, and then 294 00:14:10,667 --> 00:14:13,166 we spent a couple of days in Florida. 295 00:14:13,166 --> 00:14:15,000 Jeff was obsessed with taking 296 00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:17,467 pictures of him in different settings 297 00:14:17,533 --> 00:14:21,066 and different poses and different states of dress. 298 00:14:21,066 --> 00:14:24,667 He got, like, really dramatic with the way that he posed, 299 00:14:24,734 --> 00:14:28,567 like he would, you know, kind of put his head back and smile. 300 00:14:28,567 --> 00:14:31,467 And I just found it really strange that he was 301 00:14:31,467 --> 00:14:35,266 so obsessed with having these pictures of himself. 302 00:14:35,266 --> 00:14:36,266 The one thing that he did 303 00:14:36,266 --> 00:14:39,367 express interest in was becoming an astronaut. 304 00:14:39,367 --> 00:14:42,166 We then go to Cape Canaveral, where he decides that 305 00:14:42,166 --> 00:14:45,333 he needs a picture of himself in an astronaut costume. 306 00:14:46,567 --> 00:14:49,166 I remember asking him, like, well, why do you need to 307 00:14:49,166 --> 00:14:51,266 do that if you're going to go to astronaut training? 308 00:14:51,266 --> 00:14:52,567 He was like, "Well, you know, 309 00:14:52,567 --> 00:14:54,266 it's just a fun thing to do." 310 00:14:54,266 --> 00:14:56,767 After we were done with the photo session, 311 00:14:56,834 --> 00:14:59,000 he was very excited about the picture. 312 00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:02,066 He actually gave it to me as a gift. 313 00:15:05,767 --> 00:15:08,767 NARRATOR: On their first Valentine's Day in 2002, 314 00:15:08,834 --> 00:15:12,367 Jeff tells Jessika he wants to show her where he works. 315 00:15:12,433 --> 00:15:15,967 Jeff said he had something really special planned for us, 316 00:15:15,967 --> 00:15:20,367 and we went from his apartment to the hospital. 317 00:15:20,367 --> 00:15:24,667 He seemed to have access to everywhere. 318 00:15:24,667 --> 00:15:28,567 He then proceeded to take me to the cadaver lab. 319 00:15:28,567 --> 00:15:31,934 He opened drawers with dead people, 320 00:15:33,400 --> 00:15:37,100 showed me different organs, and suddenly, 321 00:15:37,100 --> 00:15:38,667 he ripped off the guy's arm, 322 00:15:38,734 --> 00:15:39,967 [distant scream] 323 00:15:40,033 --> 00:15:42,333 and then chased me around the cadaver lab with it 324 00:15:43,667 --> 00:15:45,433 while he laughed maniacally. 325 00:15:46,367 --> 00:15:48,567 [distant laughter] 326 00:15:48,567 --> 00:15:52,066 JESSIKA: I was terrified, and he told me it wasn't a big deal. 327 00:15:52,066 --> 00:15:54,867 He asked me why I thought it was such a big deal. 328 00:15:54,934 --> 00:15:56,767 NARRATOR: When they return to his apartment, 329 00:15:56,834 --> 00:15:59,066 Jessika is furious. 330 00:15:59,133 --> 00:16:02,066 I remember grabbing my bag and just telling him 331 00:16:02,133 --> 00:16:05,367 I was leaving, and he blocked the door. 332 00:16:05,433 --> 00:16:07,934 He wouldn't allow me to leave. 333 00:16:13,266 --> 00:16:16,667 It was just one of the first times I saw behind the mask. 334 00:16:16,734 --> 00:16:19,367 NARRATOR: Despite this deeply disturbing incident, 335 00:16:19,367 --> 00:16:22,567 Jessika and Jeff continue to see each other. 336 00:16:22,567 --> 00:16:24,667 And in the summer of 2003, 337 00:16:24,667 --> 00:16:28,066 Jessika graduates from Rutgers Law School. 338 00:16:28,066 --> 00:16:30,266 JESSIKA: I took time and did some research 339 00:16:30,266 --> 00:16:32,567 into where I might want to be. 340 00:16:32,567 --> 00:16:34,867 I ultimately ended up enlisting in 341 00:16:34,867 --> 00:16:37,767 the Navy as an intelligence specialist. 342 00:16:37,767 --> 00:16:41,166 NARRATOR: Over the next year, Jessika launches her new career 343 00:16:41,233 --> 00:16:42,867 as Jeff continues to serve 344 00:16:42,934 --> 00:16:46,467 the Navy and CIA in his undercover capacity. 345 00:16:46,467 --> 00:16:49,967 JESSIKA: He would be going off on what he called missions. 346 00:16:49,967 --> 00:16:52,467 He's playing me recordings of what he says 347 00:16:52,533 --> 00:16:56,166 are him interrogating terrorists in Afghanistan, 348 00:16:56,166 --> 00:16:57,967 and all I hear is screaming. 349 00:16:58,033 --> 00:16:59,467 [man screaming] 350 00:17:02,100 --> 00:17:04,634 He played those things for me pretty regularly. 351 00:17:05,867 --> 00:17:07,667 I was 24, 25, 352 00:17:07,667 --> 00:17:11,066 and at that age, I didn't have a lot of experience with 353 00:17:11,133 --> 00:17:13,467 the world -- it seemed like, oh my gosh, you know, I -- 354 00:17:13,467 --> 00:17:17,266 I knew what the CIA was from movies and TV, and what he was 355 00:17:17,333 --> 00:17:19,567 telling me made sense. 356 00:17:19,567 --> 00:17:22,266 NARRATOR: Jessika thinks the pressure of Jeff's work 357 00:17:22,266 --> 00:17:24,867 or some unknown stressor is making him 358 00:17:24,934 --> 00:17:27,367 increasingly controlling. 359 00:17:27,433 --> 00:17:30,967 JESSIKA: He started isolating me from my friends, getting me to 360 00:17:31,033 --> 00:17:34,967 a point where I needed to rely on him for comfort, 361 00:17:35,033 --> 00:17:37,967 for friendship, because I just didn't have anyone else. 362 00:17:37,967 --> 00:17:41,567 Either I stopped talking to them or my life was just 363 00:17:41,634 --> 00:17:45,667 getting too crazy with him, and they stopped talking to me. 364 00:17:45,667 --> 00:17:48,767 I came to think that this was just 365 00:17:48,767 --> 00:17:52,367 my life and something that I needed to deal with, 366 00:17:52,367 --> 00:17:55,533 because if I didn't, people were gonna get hurt. 367 00:17:56,767 --> 00:17:58,567 He talked about killing people, 368 00:17:58,567 --> 00:18:01,367 so there was definitely a part of me that was 369 00:18:01,433 --> 00:18:04,333 quite sure he was capable of doing that to me 370 00:18:06,367 --> 00:18:08,133 or people I love. 371 00:18:09,567 --> 00:18:13,100 NARRATOR: Jessika becomes scared in her relationship. 372 00:18:13,100 --> 00:18:16,333 JESSIKA: I just started looking for coping mechanisms. 373 00:18:17,767 --> 00:18:20,266 I would literally go to the gym and do 374 00:18:20,333 --> 00:18:23,567 an aerobics class and then run 10 miles a night 375 00:18:23,567 --> 00:18:27,266 so I had an excuse to not be near him. 376 00:18:27,266 --> 00:18:30,967 I trained for a marathon so that I wouldn't be 377 00:18:31,033 --> 00:18:35,166 able to see him on weekends, because I was just afraid. 378 00:18:38,567 --> 00:18:40,967 NARRATOR: After more than two years of dating, 379 00:18:41,033 --> 00:18:44,967 Jeff pops the question in April 2004. 380 00:18:45,033 --> 00:18:46,967 JESSIKA: You would think, like, getting engaged is supposed 381 00:18:47,033 --> 00:18:49,467 to be this, like, happy, exciting thing, 382 00:18:49,467 --> 00:18:52,867 but by the time that, you know, he brought it up, 383 00:18:52,867 --> 00:18:54,567 I was already in -- 384 00:18:54,567 --> 00:18:57,467 in that state of terror and fear that I didn't ever 385 00:18:57,533 --> 00:19:00,166 think I was going to get away from him. 386 00:19:00,166 --> 00:19:04,467 So I said okay, and that was -- that was it. 387 00:19:04,467 --> 00:19:06,467 NARRATOR: But unbeknownst to Jessika, 388 00:19:06,467 --> 00:19:10,166 Jeff is leading a sinister double life. 389 00:19:10,166 --> 00:19:13,066 JESSIKA: I totally lost my twenties to this horrible, 390 00:19:13,133 --> 00:19:15,567 horrible person, and they're not something 391 00:19:15,567 --> 00:19:16,934 that I can ever get back. 392 00:19:22,867 --> 00:19:24,100 NARRATOR: After their engagement, 393 00:19:24,100 --> 00:19:27,266 Dr. Jeffrey Marsalis asks fiance Jessika Rovell 394 00:19:27,266 --> 00:19:30,166 to accompany him on a trip out west. 395 00:19:30,166 --> 00:19:32,467 His dad was his idol. 396 00:19:32,467 --> 00:19:35,000 So it was just a really big deal that I was 397 00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:37,734 going out to Park City, Utah, to meet his dad. 398 00:19:37,800 --> 00:19:41,467 We went skiing, we went shopping -- from what I recall, 399 00:19:41,533 --> 00:19:44,467 we did a lot of nice things on that trip. 400 00:19:44,467 --> 00:19:47,734 Seeing the normalcy of the family really made me 401 00:19:47,800 --> 00:19:50,734 question, like, where -- where did he come from? 402 00:19:50,734 --> 00:19:55,734 Because they were just so kind and welcoming. 403 00:19:55,734 --> 00:19:57,567 NARRATOR: But it remains a stark contrast 404 00:19:57,567 --> 00:20:00,834 to Jeff's disturbing and frenetic energy. 405 00:20:00,834 --> 00:20:03,467 JESSIKA: He busts open the door 406 00:20:03,467 --> 00:20:05,100 and just starts screaming at me. 407 00:20:05,100 --> 00:20:07,734 He's got a shotgun, and he's pointing it at me, 408 00:20:07,800 --> 00:20:09,266 and he's just screaming, 409 00:20:09,266 --> 00:20:11,166 "I'm gonna kill you." 410 00:20:11,166 --> 00:20:12,367 When he was done screaming, 411 00:20:12,367 --> 00:20:14,734 he took a pause, and he looked at me and said, 412 00:20:14,734 --> 00:20:17,467 "Just kidding," and turned around 413 00:20:17,533 --> 00:20:19,166 and pranced out of the bathroom. 414 00:20:19,166 --> 00:20:23,066 I think at that point, I was just so broken down, 415 00:20:23,133 --> 00:20:25,567 so I let it go as one of those things 416 00:20:25,567 --> 00:20:28,900 that I -- I needed to deal with in my life. 417 00:20:30,467 --> 00:20:32,834 [exhales heavily] 418 00:20:32,834 --> 00:20:34,166 NARRATOR: Back in Philadelphia, 419 00:20:34,233 --> 00:20:37,066 Jeff's abusive behavior continues. 420 00:20:37,066 --> 00:20:39,467 JESSIKA: I remember being on the phone with him, 421 00:20:39,533 --> 00:20:42,000 and I didn't care if he killed me. 422 00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:43,667 I didn't care if I lived, like, 423 00:20:43,667 --> 00:20:45,667 I just couldn't deal with him anymore, 424 00:20:45,734 --> 00:20:48,567 and something just clicked in my head, 425 00:20:48,567 --> 00:20:51,367 and I said, "I can't do this anymore." 426 00:20:51,367 --> 00:20:55,166 And I hung up on him, and I immediately called 911 427 00:20:55,166 --> 00:20:58,266 and said I -- I needed help. 428 00:20:58,333 --> 00:21:01,066 I -- I just, I -- I needed help. 429 00:21:01,066 --> 00:21:04,467 And as they were sending police over, I called my mom, 430 00:21:04,533 --> 00:21:07,834 and I told her everything that was happening, and, you know, 431 00:21:07,834 --> 00:21:09,266 it was kind of one of those, like, 432 00:21:09,266 --> 00:21:11,266 why didn't you tell us moments. 433 00:21:11,266 --> 00:21:14,467 NARRATOR: The police arrive and escort Jessika safely downtown 434 00:21:14,467 --> 00:21:16,667 to file a temporary restraining order. 435 00:21:16,734 --> 00:21:18,967 JESSIKA: It could have gone the wrong way 436 00:21:18,967 --> 00:21:21,266 any number of times -- handling it 437 00:21:21,266 --> 00:21:25,967 the way I did actually may have saved my life. 438 00:21:26,033 --> 00:21:27,867 NARRATOR: Soon, Jessika will learn that 439 00:21:27,867 --> 00:21:31,467 she is not alone, because Jeff's undercover work 440 00:21:31,533 --> 00:21:34,967 for the Navy and CIA has been a cover for something 441 00:21:35,033 --> 00:21:36,734 completely different. 442 00:21:39,000 --> 00:21:41,734 JOANN: It was, uh, March of 2004 443 00:21:41,800 --> 00:21:45,367 when I began communicating with Jeffrey Marsalis. 444 00:21:45,433 --> 00:21:48,166 It was a time in my life where 445 00:21:48,166 --> 00:21:52,166 I was interested in getting married and having children. 446 00:21:52,166 --> 00:21:55,567 NARRATOR: Joanne Buttaro Cooper is single with a successful career in 447 00:21:55,567 --> 00:21:59,000 marketing when she decides to give online dating a try. 448 00:21:59,000 --> 00:22:02,266 Jeffrey Marsalis's profile looked like he was a good catch. 449 00:22:02,266 --> 00:22:03,667 He had pictures of him in 450 00:22:03,734 --> 00:22:08,367 his medical scrubs, with an astronaut's uniform. 451 00:22:08,367 --> 00:22:10,967 He had a lot of other pictures. 452 00:22:11,033 --> 00:22:15,166 Jeffrey said that he wanted to meet me out for a date, 453 00:22:15,233 --> 00:22:17,066 and I said yes. 454 00:22:17,066 --> 00:22:18,467 I lived in New Jersey. 455 00:22:18,533 --> 00:22:21,734 So he planned for me to come into Philly. 456 00:22:21,734 --> 00:22:24,567 NARRATOR: They go to a popular Irish bar in Philadelphia, 457 00:22:24,567 --> 00:22:26,266 the Tir Na Nog, 458 00:22:26,333 --> 00:22:28,667 where he describes his thriving career 459 00:22:28,667 --> 00:22:30,867 as an astronaut. 460 00:22:30,867 --> 00:22:33,166 I was excited, because he actually 461 00:22:33,233 --> 00:22:34,333 looked like his profile. 462 00:22:35,767 --> 00:22:38,667 As we were chatting and sat down at the bar, 463 00:22:38,734 --> 00:22:42,467 he started describing his residency program 464 00:22:42,533 --> 00:22:45,834 and the NASA program, and I was interested. 465 00:22:45,900 --> 00:22:47,133 He was interesting. 466 00:22:48,900 --> 00:22:53,166 He lived in a high rise apartment building in the city 467 00:22:53,233 --> 00:22:55,834 that was also just a few blocks from where we were. 468 00:22:55,900 --> 00:22:57,734 So we went down to his apartment. 469 00:22:57,800 --> 00:23:00,066 He asked if I wanted a drink. 470 00:23:00,066 --> 00:23:03,166 I said no to an alcoholic drink. 471 00:23:03,166 --> 00:23:05,467 So I just wanted something non-alcoholic, 472 00:23:05,467 --> 00:23:07,567 whether it be water or soda. 473 00:23:07,567 --> 00:23:09,967 [fizzing noise] 474 00:23:09,967 --> 00:23:13,834 I sat down on the couch, we started to talk a little bit. 475 00:23:13,834 --> 00:23:15,867 He did kiss me. 476 00:23:15,867 --> 00:23:19,834 I then took a sip of the drink that was mine. 477 00:23:21,000 --> 00:23:23,867 And... I don't remember 478 00:23:23,867 --> 00:23:26,166 anything until I woke up the next morning. 479 00:23:27,266 --> 00:23:29,834 I was in his bed. 480 00:23:29,900 --> 00:23:31,967 I had no clothes on. 481 00:23:32,033 --> 00:23:33,867 He was next to me. 482 00:23:33,867 --> 00:23:36,367 My head hurt. 483 00:23:36,433 --> 00:23:38,567 Every part of me hurt. 484 00:23:38,634 --> 00:23:40,266 I was violently ill. 485 00:23:40,266 --> 00:23:42,166 I knew I had sex with him. 486 00:23:42,166 --> 00:23:47,066 There was no question, but I didn't know why, because I had 487 00:23:47,133 --> 00:23:51,467 no intentions of staying over in his apartment, 488 00:23:51,533 --> 00:23:53,367 of having sex with him. 489 00:23:53,367 --> 00:23:56,800 I blacked out for probably about eight hours. 490 00:23:59,166 --> 00:24:02,266 There's nothing in between my taking the sip of 491 00:24:02,333 --> 00:24:05,033 the drink and then waking up the next morning. 492 00:24:08,200 --> 00:24:12,867 I chalked it up to maybe not having enough to eat on Friday. 493 00:24:12,867 --> 00:24:14,567 NARRATOR: When Marsalis wakes up, 494 00:24:14,634 --> 00:24:17,667 his reaction seems to indicate nothing is amiss. 495 00:24:17,734 --> 00:24:22,166 JOANN: He started chatting with me like everything was normal, 496 00:24:22,166 --> 00:24:26,100 like what we did was normal, and I didn't 497 00:24:26,100 --> 00:24:29,266 say anything to him, that I didn't remember anything. 498 00:24:29,266 --> 00:24:32,000 I just kept it all to myself. 499 00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:36,367 So I had assumed that I, you know, wanted it, 500 00:24:36,367 --> 00:24:38,667 and I -- 501 00:24:38,734 --> 00:24:40,533 I can't really explain it. 502 00:24:42,100 --> 00:24:45,133 I wish I could, but I can't explain it to myself. 503 00:24:47,867 --> 00:24:51,767 I just figured I would just forget about it. 504 00:24:51,767 --> 00:24:55,133 I was just gonna put it away and move on. 505 00:24:58,300 --> 00:25:01,467 NARRATOR: Over a year after Joann dated Jeff, 506 00:25:01,467 --> 00:25:04,567 Jessika gets an unexpected call from the manager 507 00:25:04,567 --> 00:25:06,066 of his apartment building. 508 00:25:06,133 --> 00:25:08,166 She called me and said, "Hey, 509 00:25:08,166 --> 00:25:11,967 I think you need to call the Philadelphia SVU." 510 00:25:11,967 --> 00:25:15,834 And I was like, "Oh, okay. Why? What happened?" 511 00:25:15,900 --> 00:25:18,467 And she said, "Just -- just call them." 512 00:25:18,467 --> 00:25:21,166 NARRATOR: Jessika immediately reaches out. 513 00:25:21,166 --> 00:25:23,567 JESSIKA: You know, I remember them asking me questions 514 00:25:23,567 --> 00:25:25,367 and... 515 00:25:25,433 --> 00:25:27,367 some of them were about him dating 516 00:25:27,367 --> 00:25:31,233 other people, and I had no idea. 517 00:25:33,166 --> 00:25:35,467 NARRATOR: The special agents tell Jessika that Jeff 518 00:25:35,533 --> 00:25:36,834 is accused of raping 519 00:25:36,900 --> 00:25:39,934 at least two women while she has been engaged to him. 520 00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:44,467 JESSIKA: You know, at first, I don't know if I was in denial. 521 00:25:44,533 --> 00:25:47,734 I understood what my experience was, 522 00:25:47,800 --> 00:25:51,166 but as they were asking me questions about 523 00:25:52,266 --> 00:25:55,734 what sounded like the experiences of other women... 524 00:25:56,734 --> 00:25:58,367 like, it just, um... 525 00:26:01,000 --> 00:26:03,433 gosh, I don't even know how to explain it. 526 00:26:04,567 --> 00:26:06,166 There came a point when I was talking with 527 00:26:06,166 --> 00:26:10,567 the detectives that, like, kind of a light bulb went off, 528 00:26:10,634 --> 00:26:14,266 and it -- it all kind of came together. 529 00:26:14,333 --> 00:26:16,367 The last couple years of my life 530 00:26:16,367 --> 00:26:19,367 were basically one big date rape. 531 00:26:19,367 --> 00:26:23,066 I came to understand that it wasn't 532 00:26:23,133 --> 00:26:25,800 just me, and that was just so scary. 533 00:26:27,066 --> 00:26:29,967 JEFFREY: I have to almost laugh at that. 534 00:26:30,033 --> 00:26:32,467 Let's get over the profile, 535 00:26:32,467 --> 00:26:34,967 and eventually we're gonna see me as the person 536 00:26:34,967 --> 00:26:37,000 who I am inside -- 537 00:26:37,000 --> 00:26:39,567 the caring, the loving, 538 00:26:39,634 --> 00:26:43,233 the nurturing, the easygoing, the great guy. 539 00:26:47,834 --> 00:26:50,467 NARRATOR: In March 2005, Philadelphia's 540 00:26:50,467 --> 00:26:51,834 Special Victims Unit 541 00:26:51,834 --> 00:26:55,367 launches an investigation into Jeffrey Marsalis. 542 00:26:55,433 --> 00:26:57,867 The first victim that came in said 543 00:26:57,867 --> 00:27:00,166 she had met him on a dating website. 544 00:27:00,166 --> 00:27:01,567 They went out on a date. 545 00:27:01,634 --> 00:27:03,667 She said they had a couple of drinks, 546 00:27:03,667 --> 00:27:05,567 went back to his apartment, 547 00:27:05,567 --> 00:27:08,533 she woke up with him on top of her. 548 00:27:11,200 --> 00:27:13,100 And they wake up the next morning, 549 00:27:13,100 --> 00:27:15,834 he kind of sweet talks her 550 00:27:15,900 --> 00:27:17,467 into like, "Hey, we were both drinking. 551 00:27:17,467 --> 00:27:18,367 "We had a good time. 552 00:27:18,367 --> 00:27:21,367 We should go out again," and she did. 553 00:27:21,367 --> 00:27:24,467 But after he stopped talking to her, 554 00:27:24,533 --> 00:27:26,667 it was really bothering her, and she came in and made 555 00:27:26,734 --> 00:27:28,066 a report. 556 00:27:28,133 --> 00:27:30,467 NARRATOR: By this time, it's too late to conduct 557 00:27:30,467 --> 00:27:33,266 a rape kit or a drug test on the victim. 558 00:27:33,266 --> 00:27:36,367 But police obtain a search warrant for Jeff's apartment. 559 00:27:37,367 --> 00:27:38,667 THOMAS: The first time, he's not home. 560 00:27:38,734 --> 00:27:42,367 So we go to the manager of the apartment complex. 561 00:27:42,433 --> 00:27:45,066 NARRATOR: When the building manager reads the search warrant, 562 00:27:45,133 --> 00:27:47,667 she is visibly distressed. 563 00:27:47,667 --> 00:27:49,467 You could see the blood just, like, go like this, 564 00:27:49,533 --> 00:27:51,834 just go right off her face, and we looked at her, 565 00:27:51,834 --> 00:27:54,767 and she says, "He did the same thing to me." 566 00:27:54,767 --> 00:27:57,567 We went to search his apartment. 567 00:27:57,634 --> 00:28:00,367 Screensaver had CIA on it. 568 00:28:00,367 --> 00:28:01,834 He had a bulletproof vest there. 569 00:28:01,834 --> 00:28:04,367 He had a doctor's coat with his name on it. 570 00:28:04,367 --> 00:28:08,367 NARRATOR: They also find what appeared to be classified CIA documents, 571 00:28:08,433 --> 00:28:11,667 all of which are later determined to be forgeries. 572 00:28:11,734 --> 00:28:14,066 Mr. Marsalis was very good and very 573 00:28:14,066 --> 00:28:16,834 committed to pretending to be a doctor. 574 00:28:20,000 --> 00:28:23,367 And he convinced other doctors, other patients, 575 00:28:23,367 --> 00:28:27,066 other people in the hospital that he was Dr. Marsalis. 576 00:28:27,133 --> 00:28:28,767 He came from tremendous privilege. 577 00:28:28,767 --> 00:28:30,066 He was given the opportunity to 578 00:28:30,066 --> 00:28:31,367 go to a number of great schools. 579 00:28:31,367 --> 00:28:33,100 But by the time we encountered him, 580 00:28:33,100 --> 00:28:35,667 he was a nursing school dropout who went around lying 581 00:28:35,734 --> 00:28:37,634 about who he was and victimizing women. 582 00:28:42,367 --> 00:28:45,367 What we found on his computer was a list that he kept. 583 00:28:45,433 --> 00:28:47,467 He called it The Yearly Calendar of Woman, 584 00:28:47,467 --> 00:28:48,667 and that contained 585 00:28:48,734 --> 00:28:51,066 the first names of a number of women he had 586 00:28:51,133 --> 00:28:53,066 had sexual intercourse with. 587 00:28:53,066 --> 00:28:55,233 They found a list of about 50 women. 588 00:28:56,266 --> 00:28:58,266 JOE: We were shocked to learn that it wasn't two people 589 00:28:58,333 --> 00:29:01,266 who were raped by Marsalis or three or four, 590 00:29:01,266 --> 00:29:03,967 but it was many, many women who were all 591 00:29:03,967 --> 00:29:05,567 victimized in the same way. 592 00:29:06,767 --> 00:29:10,767 NARRATOR: One of the names on the list is Joann Buttaro Cooper. 593 00:29:10,767 --> 00:29:15,166 JOANN: Someone who worked for the assistant district attorney 594 00:29:15,233 --> 00:29:18,834 starts to ask me if I knew Jeffrey Marsalis. 595 00:29:18,900 --> 00:29:23,166 She explained to me why they were calling me 596 00:29:23,233 --> 00:29:26,834 and what he was being investigated for. 597 00:29:26,900 --> 00:29:32,734 And, at that moment, I had a flood of emotions. 598 00:29:32,734 --> 00:29:34,767 Everything that didn't make sense to me 599 00:29:34,767 --> 00:29:39,467 back in March of '04 came at me hard. 600 00:29:39,467 --> 00:29:41,834 I hung up the phone, and I ran 601 00:29:41,900 --> 00:29:45,533 into the bathroom, and I had an emotional breakdown. 602 00:29:58,567 --> 00:30:01,967 NARRATOR: Jeffrey Marsalis is arrested in April 2005 603 00:30:01,967 --> 00:30:05,867 but makes bail and flees to his mother's condo in Utah. 604 00:30:05,867 --> 00:30:09,567 Jessika, Joann, and a group of other victims work with police 605 00:30:09,567 --> 00:30:11,233 to prepare for trial. 606 00:30:12,266 --> 00:30:15,467 JOHN: We came up with a plan between 607 00:30:15,533 --> 00:30:18,734 the Philadelphia police detectives and the FBI agents. 608 00:30:19,667 --> 00:30:22,667 Some of the victims were local, some were in 609 00:30:22,734 --> 00:30:23,900 the surrounding counties, 610 00:30:23,900 --> 00:30:28,867 some were in other states, and we started to slowly interview 611 00:30:28,867 --> 00:30:30,533 all of those individuals. 612 00:30:31,867 --> 00:30:34,266 NARRATOR: It becomes evident that none of the witnesses 613 00:30:34,333 --> 00:30:35,867 reported the rapes to police 614 00:30:35,867 --> 00:30:38,467 in a timely enough manner to conduct drug tests 615 00:30:38,467 --> 00:30:40,567 or a rape kit. 616 00:30:40,567 --> 00:30:42,467 JOHN: The investigation never identified 617 00:30:42,533 --> 00:30:43,967 the actual drug that he used. 618 00:30:45,367 --> 00:30:49,567 I think the strength of this case was the volume of 619 00:30:49,567 --> 00:30:51,266 victims who 620 00:30:51,333 --> 00:30:54,567 did not know one another, but yet their stories all were 621 00:30:54,634 --> 00:30:56,066 very similar. 622 00:30:56,133 --> 00:30:58,266 NARRATOR: The prosecutor chooses the three cases 623 00:30:58,266 --> 00:31:00,967 he will present at the trial. 624 00:31:01,033 --> 00:31:02,266 JESSIKA: I was a witness. 625 00:31:02,266 --> 00:31:05,000 They called me the glue that brought everything together. 626 00:31:05,000 --> 00:31:09,467 Because he was doing all of this while we were together, 627 00:31:09,467 --> 00:31:12,867 I was the baseline, the patient zero. 628 00:31:12,867 --> 00:31:14,834 He started with me and then 629 00:31:14,834 --> 00:31:16,834 just continued with these other women. 630 00:31:17,834 --> 00:31:22,066 We're all professional, successful women, just confident, 631 00:31:22,066 --> 00:31:25,266 and his mother is a strong woman, 632 00:31:25,266 --> 00:31:28,834 an educated woman, a confident woman, a successful woman. 633 00:31:28,900 --> 00:31:32,467 And it always struck me as bizarre that he chose 634 00:31:32,533 --> 00:31:36,266 his victims almost in the image of his mother. 635 00:31:36,333 --> 00:31:38,367 The victims were very brave for being 636 00:31:38,367 --> 00:31:40,433 willing to share their story with a jury. 637 00:31:43,667 --> 00:31:46,834 Marsalis's defense attorney told the jury 638 00:31:46,834 --> 00:31:50,367 that the victims were lying and that this was 639 00:31:50,433 --> 00:31:53,066 all some kind of misunderstanding and that 640 00:31:53,066 --> 00:31:55,066 Marsalis was the real victim. 641 00:31:55,066 --> 00:31:57,867 Marsalis looked very smug and confident. 642 00:31:57,867 --> 00:32:01,367 JOHN: Their strategy was he's a liar. 643 00:32:01,433 --> 00:32:04,667 He's not a doctor, he's not the things that he said he was, 644 00:32:04,734 --> 00:32:06,567 but he's not a rapist. 645 00:32:08,900 --> 00:32:11,867 These were women who were looking for, 646 00:32:11,867 --> 00:32:13,233 you know, prince charming, 647 00:32:14,867 --> 00:32:15,967 and he's not that. 648 00:32:16,033 --> 00:32:19,467 So they're upset, and they conspired together. 649 00:32:19,467 --> 00:32:22,367 Because they had seen him again, and then they had 650 00:32:22,367 --> 00:32:26,100 a consensual relationship, that presented a challenge to get 651 00:32:26,100 --> 00:32:28,834 a successful prosecution. 652 00:32:28,834 --> 00:32:31,867 NARRATOR: In a controversial ABC interview with Marsalis, 653 00:32:31,867 --> 00:32:33,834 he reacts to their accusations 654 00:32:33,900 --> 00:32:36,567 of him lying about his profession. 655 00:32:36,567 --> 00:32:37,567 The truth is simple. 656 00:32:37,567 --> 00:32:39,166 We had a great time, 657 00:32:39,166 --> 00:32:44,367 had consensual sex numerous times with one another. 658 00:32:44,433 --> 00:32:46,467 If I'm such a god-awful person, 659 00:32:46,533 --> 00:32:48,166 why do you keep on hanging out with me for? 660 00:32:48,166 --> 00:32:50,066 He's extremely excited by it, 661 00:32:50,066 --> 00:32:53,867 but he's excited by it, because he is gaining control over 662 00:32:53,867 --> 00:32:57,266 somebody who he shouldn't be able to get control over. 663 00:32:57,266 --> 00:32:59,367 They shouldn't be easy targets. 664 00:32:59,367 --> 00:33:03,834 And so therefore, by going after them, he has gained 665 00:33:03,900 --> 00:33:07,100 control, and that level of control thrills him, 666 00:33:07,100 --> 00:33:09,734 excites him, and just pushes him to do it 667 00:33:09,800 --> 00:33:11,166 again and again and again. 668 00:33:11,166 --> 00:33:13,266 NARRATOR: At the trial, the defense lawyers 669 00:33:13,266 --> 00:33:16,266 adopt a familiar tactic -- victim blaming. 670 00:33:16,266 --> 00:33:17,667 JESSIKA: What were you wearing? 671 00:33:17,734 --> 00:33:18,967 Why did you sleep with him? 672 00:33:18,967 --> 00:33:21,000 You know, why did you sleep with him again? 673 00:33:21,000 --> 00:33:22,567 Why did you go out with him again? 674 00:33:22,634 --> 00:33:27,166 So it becomes more a focus on the victim's morality, 675 00:33:27,166 --> 00:33:30,467 if you will, than it does about the individual, 676 00:33:30,467 --> 00:33:33,634 the accused's culpability in the situation. 677 00:33:41,000 --> 00:33:42,734 In Pennsylvania at the time, 678 00:33:42,734 --> 00:33:47,100 there was no mechanism for there to be 679 00:33:47,100 --> 00:33:49,567 psychological testimony as to 680 00:33:49,567 --> 00:33:52,166 why rape victims act the way they do 681 00:33:52,233 --> 00:33:54,734 in the wake of a sexual assault. 682 00:33:55,900 --> 00:33:59,166 And that was problematic, because with the jury, 683 00:33:59,166 --> 00:34:03,000 the actions that a person takes afterwards are not always 684 00:34:03,000 --> 00:34:04,567 what you would expect. 685 00:34:04,634 --> 00:34:08,367 NARRATOR: While the jury takes five days to deliberate, the victims hold 686 00:34:08,367 --> 00:34:09,967 their collective breath. 687 00:34:10,033 --> 00:34:13,667 The result came in, and it was an acquittal. 688 00:34:16,400 --> 00:34:18,934 Let me make something very, very clear to you. 689 00:34:20,300 --> 00:34:22,667 I have never drugged anybody. 690 00:34:22,667 --> 00:34:24,967 I have never raped anybody. 691 00:34:24,967 --> 00:34:28,233 I've never forced myself on anybody, ever. 692 00:34:31,500 --> 00:34:34,266 JOE: It was difficult to hear the verdict of 693 00:34:34,266 --> 00:34:37,567 not guilty with respect to those three women. 694 00:34:38,667 --> 00:34:41,867 What Marsalis didn't expect, what caused the smug look 695 00:34:41,867 --> 00:34:45,467 on his face to disappear, was when he was arrested in 696 00:34:45,467 --> 00:34:48,734 the courtroom for what was going to be a second trial 697 00:34:48,734 --> 00:34:51,967 with seven different women presenting their story 698 00:34:51,967 --> 00:34:53,367 to a jury. 699 00:34:54,400 --> 00:34:56,567 NARRATOR: After his acquittal and re-arrest, 700 00:34:56,567 --> 00:34:59,467 victims continue to come forward, 701 00:34:59,467 --> 00:35:02,767 and Jeff becomes the focus of a new investigation, 702 00:35:02,767 --> 00:35:04,967 but hidden from the proceedings, 703 00:35:04,967 --> 00:35:08,100 just two weeks prior to the Philadelphia trial, 704 00:35:08,100 --> 00:35:11,367 Jeff is living in Sun Valley, Idaho. 705 00:35:11,367 --> 00:35:14,266 His family had some affiliation with this resort, 706 00:35:14,333 --> 00:35:17,100 and he got a job there as a security guard. 707 00:35:17,100 --> 00:35:20,266 NARRATOR: It's there in October 2005 that Marsalis 708 00:35:20,266 --> 00:35:24,367 and a female co-worker share a few drinks after work. 709 00:35:24,367 --> 00:35:26,667 When she's suddenly unable to walk, 710 00:35:26,734 --> 00:35:29,867 he puts her in a taxi and takes her back to his place to 711 00:35:29,867 --> 00:35:32,734 repeat a familiar scenario. 712 00:35:32,734 --> 00:35:37,567 But this time, Jeff's tried and true technique backfires. 713 00:35:37,567 --> 00:35:39,867 She was a lesbian, and she knew that 714 00:35:39,867 --> 00:35:42,066 she was not gonna be sleeping with a man. 715 00:35:42,133 --> 00:35:46,266 So she knew that she woke up, and it wasn't right. 716 00:35:46,266 --> 00:35:49,367 She was not confused about what happened to her. 717 00:35:49,367 --> 00:35:51,767 And so because she went to the police right away, 718 00:35:51,767 --> 00:35:54,567 the detectives were able to get a rape kit to get physical 719 00:35:54,634 --> 00:35:56,834 evidence proving what had happened. 720 00:35:56,834 --> 00:35:58,567 They were able to talk to the bartender, 721 00:35:58,567 --> 00:36:01,467 who talked about the drinks that were served. 722 00:36:01,533 --> 00:36:03,266 They were able to find witnesses who had seen 723 00:36:03,266 --> 00:36:06,667 her being dragged out of a taxi cab by Marsalis. 724 00:36:06,667 --> 00:36:09,000 This was exactly the kind of evidence that we did 725 00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:10,934 not have in Pennsylvania, because the victim 726 00:36:10,934 --> 00:36:13,000 came forward right away. 727 00:36:13,000 --> 00:36:14,567 NARRATOR: Now, with another trial 728 00:36:14,567 --> 00:36:18,066 pending in Idaho, Philadelphia law enforcement take 729 00:36:18,133 --> 00:36:23,033 Jeffrey Marsalis to trial for the second time in May 2007. 730 00:36:24,200 --> 00:36:26,934 The case focuses on seven women bringing 731 00:36:27,000 --> 00:36:30,634 a total of 66 charges, including rape. 732 00:36:31,667 --> 00:36:34,266 JOE: One of the women who lived in his building and a woman who 733 00:36:34,266 --> 00:36:37,834 had met Marsalis on a date after coming in to Philadelphia 734 00:36:37,900 --> 00:36:38,800 from New Jersey. 735 00:36:38,834 --> 00:36:41,734 NARRATOR: That woman is Joann Buttaro Cooper. 736 00:36:41,800 --> 00:36:45,266 I gave my testimony, and I got to stare him straight in 737 00:36:45,266 --> 00:36:47,467 the face and point at him 738 00:36:47,467 --> 00:36:51,166 and accuse him of the crimes he committed against me. 739 00:36:51,233 --> 00:36:53,567 That felt very empowering. 740 00:36:53,567 --> 00:36:57,266 It was the hardest thing I've ever done in my entire life. 741 00:36:57,266 --> 00:37:01,166 He saw me there, and his face dropped. 742 00:37:01,233 --> 00:37:04,066 It felt really good to know that 743 00:37:04,133 --> 00:37:06,834 someone could scare him a little bit still. 744 00:37:06,834 --> 00:37:08,667 NARRATOR: After deliberating a week, 745 00:37:08,734 --> 00:37:13,066 the jury finds Marsalis guilty on two counts of sexual assault 746 00:37:13,133 --> 00:37:15,266 and impersonating a government official, 747 00:37:15,266 --> 00:37:19,100 but without physical evidence, acquits him of all 748 00:37:19,100 --> 00:37:20,667 other charges. 749 00:37:20,734 --> 00:37:23,567 They found him guilty of sexually assaulting two women. 750 00:37:23,634 --> 00:37:25,567 I was surprised that the jury did not see 751 00:37:25,567 --> 00:37:29,367 the truth and that he wasn't convicted on all counts. 752 00:37:29,433 --> 00:37:31,367 He's a felon now, and he will 753 00:37:31,367 --> 00:37:33,634 always have to register as a sex offender. 754 00:37:35,100 --> 00:37:37,100 NARRATOR: With Jeff finally behind bars, 755 00:37:37,100 --> 00:37:41,066 Jessika begins the difficult task of rebuilding her life. 756 00:37:42,400 --> 00:37:45,834 JESSIKA: With every moment that you are moving forward 757 00:37:45,834 --> 00:37:48,266 and putting it further in your rearview, 758 00:37:48,266 --> 00:37:52,266 I look at my own life, and there are some tough years. 759 00:37:52,333 --> 00:37:54,367 It's not something that you ever forget. 760 00:37:54,367 --> 00:37:56,367 Certainly it's -- it's always there. 761 00:37:56,367 --> 00:37:58,467 It's possible to -- to get to a point 762 00:37:58,467 --> 00:38:01,433 that it's not the sole influence in your life. 763 00:38:05,066 --> 00:38:07,734 NARRATOR: Despite not being found guilty of rape, 764 00:38:07,800 --> 00:38:11,100 Marsalis is given a new moniker in the press -- 765 00:38:11,100 --> 00:38:13,467 the Match.com Rapist. 766 00:38:14,934 --> 00:38:20,467 It's not until April 2009 that the Idaho case goes to trial. 767 00:38:20,533 --> 00:38:24,934 The jury heard that Marsalis denied having had any kind of 768 00:38:25,000 --> 00:38:26,667 intercourse with the victim, 769 00:38:26,734 --> 00:38:29,367 and yet a rape kit that was performed showed that 770 00:38:29,367 --> 00:38:30,567 he was a liar. 771 00:38:30,634 --> 00:38:34,467 JOANN: I felt like she was the strongest. 772 00:38:34,533 --> 00:38:37,667 She did what all of us hadn't done. 773 00:38:40,834 --> 00:38:43,266 NARRATOR: As Jeff enters the court for sentencing, 774 00:38:43,333 --> 00:38:46,066 he notices Jessika sitting in the gallery. 775 00:38:46,066 --> 00:38:49,834 JESSIKA: He thought he was being smug, and he was getting to me. 776 00:38:49,834 --> 00:38:53,667 But at the end of the day, my being able to look back at 777 00:38:53,734 --> 00:38:56,066 him and, you know, really just signal to him 778 00:38:56,133 --> 00:38:59,266 what a dirt bag he is was satisfying 779 00:38:59,333 --> 00:39:02,367 and an opportunity to just take my power back, 780 00:39:02,433 --> 00:39:03,834 and I did. 781 00:39:03,900 --> 00:39:04,967 After hearing all the evidence, 782 00:39:04,967 --> 00:39:08,367 the jury found Marsalis guilty of rape. 783 00:39:08,367 --> 00:39:10,967 NARRATOR: When it comes to sentencing, the judge is able 784 00:39:10,967 --> 00:39:14,634 to take the dozens of cases from Pennsylvania into account. 785 00:39:16,467 --> 00:39:19,066 The outcome of the third trial was 786 00:39:19,133 --> 00:39:21,667 the most satisfying of all of them. 787 00:39:21,734 --> 00:39:23,166 JUDGE: I will sentence you to a term 788 00:39:23,166 --> 00:39:26,066 of life imprisonment in the Idaho State Penitentiary. 789 00:39:26,133 --> 00:39:27,767 [distant crowd cheering] 790 00:39:27,767 --> 00:39:32,033 NARRATOR: Jeffrey Marsalis is declared a sexually violent predator. 791 00:39:35,767 --> 00:39:39,166 [Jessika, voice breaking] It was the moment in which I -- I knew. 792 00:39:40,567 --> 00:39:42,567 I knew that I wasn't wrong. 793 00:39:42,567 --> 00:39:44,834 I knew that it was not real. 794 00:39:44,834 --> 00:39:47,867 And I'm glad I went to Idaho, because I don't know 795 00:39:47,867 --> 00:39:50,367 whether I'd have gotten that closure otherwise. 796 00:39:50,367 --> 00:39:53,967 I questioned myself instead of him, and I will never 797 00:39:53,967 --> 00:39:56,367 do that again, and I will make sure 798 00:39:56,367 --> 00:39:59,467 that I can speak out and tell women that 799 00:39:59,467 --> 00:40:01,567 you should always believe yourself first. 800 00:40:01,634 --> 00:40:05,467 NARRATOR: Joann starts a rape crisis counseling organization 801 00:40:05,467 --> 00:40:07,667 and eventually, through a mutual friend, 802 00:40:07,734 --> 00:40:10,767 reconnects with an old boyfriend from college. 803 00:40:10,767 --> 00:40:13,667 JOANN: I've been married for 3.5 years. 804 00:40:13,734 --> 00:40:16,266 I'm extremely happy in my job. 805 00:40:16,266 --> 00:40:20,734 I work for a nonprofit, and I just continue to do 806 00:40:20,800 --> 00:40:22,066 things that make me happy. 807 00:40:22,133 --> 00:40:24,467 Without the bravery of all the survivors 808 00:40:24,467 --> 00:40:27,266 in this case, he'd still be out there doing it. 809 00:40:27,266 --> 00:40:29,467 Jeffrey Marsalis is, in fact, one of 810 00:40:29,467 --> 00:40:32,800 the worst serial rapists in Pennsylvania's history. 811 00:40:35,600 --> 00:40:37,467 NARRATOR: After the Marsalis case, 812 00:40:37,533 --> 00:40:41,000 rape trials in Pennsylvania will never be the same. 813 00:40:42,734 --> 00:40:46,367 JOE: When victim after victim shared the same story, 814 00:40:46,367 --> 00:40:49,166 and Marsalis was still acquitted of rape, 815 00:40:49,233 --> 00:40:53,000 the Pennsylvania legislature responded by changing the law, 816 00:40:53,000 --> 00:40:56,667 which allowed expert testimony to come into 817 00:40:56,734 --> 00:41:00,066 rape cases so that jurors could better understand 818 00:41:00,066 --> 00:41:02,834 the psychology and behavior of rape victims. 819 00:41:02,900 --> 00:41:05,567 JESSIKA: I want to let others know that this is not 820 00:41:05,634 --> 00:41:08,166 going to define you for the rest of your lives. 821 00:41:08,166 --> 00:41:12,166 This is a moment in time, and it sucks, like, it really, 822 00:41:12,166 --> 00:41:15,734 truly sucks, but you get past it. 823 00:41:18,100 --> 00:41:21,266 NARRATOR: Jessika goes on to become an intelligence officer 824 00:41:21,266 --> 00:41:25,367 in the Navy and spends 20 years working for the FBI. 825 00:41:25,367 --> 00:41:28,166 JESSIKA: I'm an investigator at Microsoft now. 826 00:41:28,166 --> 00:41:31,467 There are so many good things that have gone on in 827 00:41:31,467 --> 00:41:33,066 my life -- I'm married. 828 00:41:33,066 --> 00:41:35,934 I have two amazing silly dogs, and I've 829 00:41:35,934 --> 00:41:38,734 got relationships that are strong with my family 830 00:41:38,734 --> 00:41:40,166 and my friends. 831 00:41:40,233 --> 00:41:42,934 I talk with universities, with businesses, 832 00:41:42,934 --> 00:41:45,000 with government agencies. 833 00:41:45,000 --> 00:41:47,066 I want people to know you're not alone. 834 00:41:48,667 --> 00:41:49,800 You're not alone. 835 00:41:51,000 --> 00:41:54,266 And no matter what you think has been taken away from you, 836 00:41:54,266 --> 00:41:56,567 you have the power to grab it back.