1 00:00:06,064 --> 00:00:07,082 [dramatic tune] 2 00:00:08,851 --> 00:00:11,395 NARRATOR: In July 1977, a man walked into a Sheriff's 3 00:00:11,470 --> 00:00:14,515 department in Riverside County, California, 4 00:00:14,524 --> 00:00:16,195 and handed himself in. 5 00:00:16,270 --> 00:00:18,082 He was wanted for the murder of three 6 00:00:18,157 --> 00:00:20,275 hitchhikers across the region. 7 00:00:20,350 --> 00:00:22,635 But his confession to interrogators, 8 00:00:22,710 --> 00:00:24,202 would leave them stunned. 9 00:00:24,044 --> 00:00:26,355 I asked him, well, how many people have you killed? 10 00:00:26,364 --> 00:00:30,555 And he said, I don't know, but more than 30. 11 00:00:30,564 --> 00:00:32,322 NARRATOR: The serial murderer was 12 00:00:32,397 --> 00:00:35,155 an unassuming 37-year-old Aircraft 13 00:00:35,230 --> 00:00:37,635 Engineer named Patrick Kearney. 14 00:00:37,710 --> 00:00:41,875 He'd been killing young men and boys across Southern California 15 00:00:41,950 --> 00:00:43,675 for the past 15 years. 16 00:00:43,750 --> 00:00:45,795 TERESA ROONEY: I guess, the first word that comes to mind 17 00:00:45,870 --> 00:00:47,875 is evil. 18 00:00:47,950 --> 00:00:50,282 Just void of humanity. 19 00:00:52,630 --> 00:00:55,282 NARRATOR: After raping and killing his victims, 20 00:00:55,357 --> 00:00:57,915 the murderer would expertly dismember 21 00:00:57,924 --> 00:00:59,635 their lifeless bodies. 22 00:00:59,710 --> 00:01:03,035 GEOFFREY WANSELL: The victims' families never knew what 23 00:01:03,044 --> 00:01:05,155 happened to their loved one. 24 00:01:05,230 --> 00:01:09,235 The only person they had to rely on to find out, 25 00:01:09,310 --> 00:01:13,235 was the utterly revolting Patrick Kearney 26 00:01:13,310 --> 00:01:16,435 NARRATOR: Patrick Kearney, the man dubbed The Trash Bag 27 00:01:16,510 --> 00:01:19,635 Killer, had confessed to being one of the world's 28 00:01:19,710 --> 00:01:21,075 most evil killers. 29 00:01:21,150 --> 00:01:23,642 [music plays] 30 00:01:42,590 --> 00:01:47,435 NARRATOR: By February 1978, 38-year-old Aircraft Engineer, 31 00:01:47,510 --> 00:01:50,995 Patrick Kearney, had pled guilty to murdering a total 32 00:01:51,070 --> 00:01:53,355 of 21 young men and boys. 33 00:01:53,430 --> 00:01:57,475 His youngest victim, just five years old. 34 00:01:57,550 --> 00:02:01,275 After his arrest, Kearney had confessed to a secret career 35 00:02:01,284 --> 00:02:04,195 of murder and necrophilia, that would make even 36 00:02:04,270 --> 00:02:08,002 the hardiest detective wince. 37 00:02:08,077 --> 00:02:12,315 Former Riverside County Deputy DA, Dan Bacalski, 38 00:02:12,390 --> 00:02:15,115 remembers when he first began the hunt for 39 00:02:15,190 --> 00:02:18,835 the notorious Trash Bag Killer. 40 00:02:18,910 --> 00:02:21,435 DAN BACALSKI: I think there were three murder cases at the time. 41 00:02:21,510 --> 00:02:23,275 Three bodies that were found. 42 00:02:23,350 --> 00:02:27,995 One of the bodies was found without a head, 43 00:02:28,070 --> 00:02:33,195 and without feet and hands. 44 00:02:33,270 --> 00:02:36,435 And so the first thing you need to do 45 00:02:36,510 --> 00:02:40,315 in trying to solve a crime, is to identify the victim. 46 00:02:40,390 --> 00:02:44,395 And identification in most of these cases 47 00:02:44,470 --> 00:02:47,875 was hard, if not impossible. 48 00:02:47,950 --> 00:02:51,235 NARRATOR: But a distinctive mark on one of the bodies, 49 00:02:51,310 --> 00:02:55,035 led investigators to the family of 17-year-old John 50 00:02:55,110 --> 00:02:59,235 LaMay, who'd been missing for four days. 51 00:02:59,310 --> 00:03:01,155 TERESA ROONEY: I remember, because I was out of school 52 00:03:01,230 --> 00:03:02,995 going with my mom, and dad, and my sister, 53 00:03:03,070 --> 00:03:05,835 driving all the way out to Riverside County. 54 00:03:05,910 --> 00:03:09,835 Where the purpose was to go to the police department there 55 00:03:09,910 --> 00:03:14,635 to give their blood test, and to identify a photo that had 56 00:03:14,710 --> 00:03:18,475 a birthmark that was John's. 57 00:03:18,550 --> 00:03:20,635 NARRATOR: The murder of John LaMay 58 00:03:20,644 --> 00:03:25,475 would finally unmask the elusive Trash Bag Killer. 59 00:03:25,550 --> 00:03:28,155 DAN BACALSKI: Once they identified him, 60 00:03:28,230 --> 00:03:30,475 they were able then of course, to ask 61 00:03:30,550 --> 00:03:33,275 questions about his whereabouts, where he had last been. 62 00:03:33,350 --> 00:03:36,522 And one of the leads led them to the house 63 00:03:36,597 --> 00:03:41,115 of a man named David Hill, and he shared that house 64 00:03:41,190 --> 00:03:43,595 with Patrick Kearney. 65 00:03:43,670 --> 00:03:45,435 DR. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: Finally the pieces of the puzzle 66 00:03:45,510 --> 00:03:47,435 were coming together, and the police were getting 67 00:03:47,510 --> 00:03:49,282 closer to catching this killer. 68 00:03:53,430 --> 00:03:55,955 NARRATOR: This killer's story begins in Los 69 00:03:55,964 --> 00:04:01,315 Angeles, California, in 1939. 70 00:04:01,324 --> 00:04:05,035 Patrick Kearney was born on the 24th of September, 71 00:04:05,110 --> 00:04:07,282 the oldest of three brothers. 72 00:04:07,357 --> 00:04:10,715 As a child, Kearney was small and scrawny, 73 00:04:10,724 --> 00:04:14,835 which led to him becoming a target for the school bullies. 74 00:04:14,910 --> 00:04:20,802 DAN BACALSKI: He told me that he felt at times, as a youth, 75 00:04:20,877 --> 00:04:23,275 he was picked on. 76 00:04:23,350 --> 00:04:28,642 But he fantasized about striking back. 77 00:04:31,390 --> 00:04:35,282 GEOFFREY WANSELL: He remembered later, at the age of eight, 78 00:04:35,357 --> 00:04:37,675 that he'd fantasized about killing people. 79 00:04:37,750 --> 00:04:40,235 An extraordinary thing, when you consider it, 80 00:04:40,310 --> 00:04:42,115 for an eight-year-old to do. 81 00:04:42,190 --> 00:04:43,435 Horrifying. 82 00:04:43,510 --> 00:04:44,755 DR. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: I think this 83 00:04:44,830 --> 00:04:46,955 was probably a control mechanism, 84 00:04:47,030 --> 00:04:48,955 because Kearney lacked control. 85 00:04:49,030 --> 00:04:51,435 He lacked control over his childhood. 86 00:04:51,510 --> 00:04:54,355 He didn't have those good relationships with his peers. 87 00:04:54,430 --> 00:04:56,875 So those skills to negotiate conflict 88 00:04:56,950 --> 00:05:00,075 was something that just didn't happen, they didn't emerge. 89 00:05:00,150 --> 00:05:02,475 And in other children, you find that that does. 90 00:05:02,550 --> 00:05:05,195 So he's an outsider again, and this 91 00:05:05,270 --> 00:05:07,075 will come to have an impact throughout the rest 92 00:05:07,150 --> 00:05:08,768 of his life. 93 00:05:08,844 --> 00:05:11,835 NARRATOR: Kearney later recalled that his mother was caring, 94 00:05:11,910 --> 00:05:15,475 but his father, George, a Salesman, worked a lot, 95 00:05:15,550 --> 00:05:19,155 and seems somewhat disinterested in raising a family. 96 00:05:19,164 --> 00:05:23,162 Although he did teach his son how to shoot. 97 00:05:23,237 --> 00:05:24,635 DR. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: So at a very young age, 98 00:05:24,644 --> 00:05:28,002 he gets to learn how to send something 99 00:05:28,077 --> 00:05:31,195 from a living animated creature into a corpse 100 00:05:31,270 --> 00:05:33,435 that is quite easy to control. 101 00:05:33,510 --> 00:05:36,915 And I think the lesson from that, the feeling of power 102 00:05:36,990 --> 00:05:41,515 perhaps, that that gave him, was something that stayed with him. 103 00:05:41,590 --> 00:05:44,555 NARRATOR: Kearney's relationship with his father 104 00:05:44,630 --> 00:05:46,442 was a complex one. 105 00:05:46,517 --> 00:05:48,395 DR. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: I think the important thing for me 106 00:05:48,470 --> 00:05:50,675 is what his father represented. 107 00:05:50,750 --> 00:05:53,282 The stereotypical, masculine, American man. 108 00:05:53,357 --> 00:05:55,595 He's tough, he's stoic, he's resilient. 109 00:05:55,670 --> 00:05:58,195 And this is everything that Kearney is not. 110 00:05:58,270 --> 00:06:00,115 So there's that inadequacy there, 111 00:06:00,190 --> 00:06:02,835 in terms of his relationship with his father. 112 00:06:02,910 --> 00:06:05,282 So that is something that would stay with him, 113 00:06:05,357 --> 00:06:09,835 and I think that is a factor that fueled his offending. 114 00:06:09,910 --> 00:06:12,035 NARRATOR: By the age of 20, Kearney 115 00:06:12,110 --> 00:06:14,962 had joined the US Air Force as an engineer 116 00:06:15,037 --> 00:06:17,555 and was living in Texas. 117 00:06:17,630 --> 00:06:22,475 It was there he fell in love with a man named David Hill. 118 00:06:22,550 --> 00:06:24,435 GEOFFREY WANSELL: The affair develops, and Hill 119 00:06:24,510 --> 00:06:27,235 leaves his wife for Kearney. 120 00:06:27,310 --> 00:06:32,035 Now, perhaps for the first time, Kearney felt truly loved. 121 00:06:32,044 --> 00:06:35,755 The love that he'd never had during his childhood. 122 00:06:35,830 --> 00:06:41,282 NARRATOR: By 1977, 37-year-old Patrick Kearney was living back 123 00:06:41,357 --> 00:06:43,915 in California with David Hill. 124 00:06:43,990 --> 00:06:48,235 Kearney had found a job as an engineer at Hughes Aircraft, 125 00:06:48,310 --> 00:06:54,195 and the couple were sharing a home together in Redondo Beach. 126 00:06:54,204 --> 00:06:58,482 Around the same time, 70 miles away in Riverside County, 127 00:06:58,557 --> 00:07:01,675 Deputy District Attorney, Dan Bacalski, 128 00:07:01,750 --> 00:07:04,195 was given a new assignment. 129 00:07:04,270 --> 00:07:05,535 DAN BACALSKI: I was in the office, 130 00:07:05,444 --> 00:07:08,635 and the Sheriff's department out there came 131 00:07:08,710 --> 00:07:11,795 in with some evidence they wanted me to look 132 00:07:11,870 --> 00:07:14,635 at regarding some bodies they had 133 00:07:14,710 --> 00:07:18,675 found over the last year or so. 134 00:07:18,750 --> 00:07:24,275 These bodies were found dismembered expertly 135 00:07:24,350 --> 00:07:27,115 in industrial plastic trash bags. 136 00:07:27,190 --> 00:07:29,995 And wanted me to look at the evidence. 137 00:07:30,004 --> 00:07:32,128 NARRATOR: The bodies of three young men 138 00:07:32,004 --> 00:07:36,555 had been found across Riverside County in Southern California. 139 00:07:36,630 --> 00:07:38,995 The murders bore all the hallmarks 140 00:07:39,070 --> 00:07:41,555 of a twisted serial killer. 141 00:07:41,630 --> 00:07:44,595 DAN BACALSKI: In these cases, the dismemberment 142 00:07:44,604 --> 00:07:47,675 was done expertly. 143 00:07:47,684 --> 00:07:52,635 And the pathologist opined that the individual who had 144 00:07:52,644 --> 00:07:55,235 done this had lots of practice. 145 00:07:55,310 --> 00:07:57,555 There were no hesitation marks. 146 00:07:57,630 --> 00:08:00,795 It was as if someone had trained on how 147 00:08:00,870 --> 00:08:05,835 to dismember the human body. 148 00:08:05,910 --> 00:08:09,035 So he's like a professional butcher in a butcher shop. 149 00:08:09,110 --> 00:08:10,202 He's an expert. 150 00:08:12,670 --> 00:08:15,355 Of course, that leads law enforcement 151 00:08:15,430 --> 00:08:18,795 to focus in on what they believe to be 152 00:08:18,870 --> 00:08:23,235 a serious serial perpetrator. 153 00:08:23,310 --> 00:08:27,875 NARRATOR: In March 1977, 17-year-old John LaMay 154 00:08:27,950 --> 00:08:29,268 went missing. 155 00:08:29,344 --> 00:08:32,835 His sister, Teresa, was just nine years old when 156 00:08:32,910 --> 00:08:35,915 her big brother vanished. 157 00:08:35,990 --> 00:08:39,642 TERESA ROONEY: I remember my mom and dad 158 00:08:39,717 --> 00:08:43,195 talking to each other a lot, and going, well, have you seen-- 159 00:08:43,270 --> 00:08:45,355 wondering where John was, because John apparently did 160 00:08:45,430 --> 00:08:48,315 not come home the night before. 161 00:08:48,390 --> 00:08:50,835 NARRATOR: John hadn't returned home from school 162 00:08:50,910 --> 00:08:52,675 on the 13th of March. 163 00:08:52,750 --> 00:08:56,675 His family immediately reported him missing. 164 00:08:56,750 --> 00:08:59,435 TERESA ROONEY: All I remember my dad saying is-- 165 00:08:59,510 --> 00:09:01,435 to my mom after he got off the phone-- well, 166 00:09:01,510 --> 00:09:04,235 he's either missing, or he's dead. 167 00:09:04,244 --> 00:09:10,035 And I remember that just floored me, when I heard the word dead. 168 00:09:10,110 --> 00:09:12,035 You know, just, what? 169 00:09:12,110 --> 00:09:13,875 I'm 9 years old. 170 00:09:13,950 --> 00:09:15,335 That rings in my ears. 171 00:09:15,410 --> 00:09:19,595 Because at that moment, I just thought, he's dead. 172 00:09:19,670 --> 00:09:21,515 That's all I heard. 173 00:09:21,590 --> 00:09:25,635 NARRATOR: And Teresa's fears were soon realized. 174 00:09:25,644 --> 00:09:28,795 TERESA ROONEY: They found body parts and dismemberment 175 00:09:28,870 --> 00:09:30,475 in a trash can in Corona. 176 00:09:30,550 --> 00:09:34,995 They think it might be John, but they weren't quite sure. 177 00:09:35,070 --> 00:09:38,075 And they just have to confirm. 178 00:09:38,084 --> 00:09:41,555 NARRATOR: Identified by a birthmark on his remains, 179 00:09:41,630 --> 00:09:45,435 John LaMay had become the victim of the murderer the press had 180 00:09:45,510 --> 00:09:48,395 dubbed The Trash Bag Killer. 181 00:09:48,470 --> 00:09:53,555 A callous and perverse sexual predator. 182 00:09:53,630 --> 00:09:56,555 DAN BACALSKI: We don't know his cause of death. 183 00:09:56,630 --> 00:09:59,195 If it followed the normal pattern, 184 00:09:59,270 --> 00:10:02,842 he would have been shot in the head with a 22 Derringer. 185 00:10:02,917 --> 00:10:05,442 And he would have been then sexually 186 00:10:05,517 --> 00:10:10,235 assaulted in either a semiconscious or dead state. 187 00:10:10,310 --> 00:10:14,195 And then he was disarticulated, dismembered, put 188 00:10:14,270 --> 00:10:17,035 in a plastic bag and dumped. 189 00:10:17,110 --> 00:10:19,595 The cause of death could not be conclusively 190 00:10:19,670 --> 00:10:22,835 proven, because we never found his head, 191 00:10:22,844 --> 00:10:26,075 his hands, or his feet. 192 00:10:26,150 --> 00:10:29,235 NARRATOR: The news of 17-year-old John's death, 193 00:10:29,310 --> 00:10:32,235 brought heartache to the LaMay home. 194 00:10:32,244 --> 00:10:35,795 TERESA ROONEY: The atmosphere in the house with my siblings, 195 00:10:35,870 --> 00:10:39,755 it was very somber. 196 00:10:39,830 --> 00:10:43,595 No one wanted to talk about it, I kind of remember that. 197 00:10:43,670 --> 00:10:47,602 Because we were a family that, you know, you do life, 198 00:10:47,677 --> 00:10:50,635 but as far as sharing your feelings or thoughts 199 00:10:50,710 --> 00:10:55,642 or what's going on, it was more everybody just closed up. 200 00:10:55,717 --> 00:10:59,515 NARRATOR: But information from John LaMay's mother, Patricia, 201 00:10:59,590 --> 00:11:04,002 would bring detectives a much needed clue. 202 00:11:04,077 --> 00:11:05,662 DAN BACALSKI: When the police spoke to her 203 00:11:05,737 --> 00:11:08,315 and interviewed her, she said that the last person she knew 204 00:11:08,390 --> 00:11:10,315 that he was going to meet was an individual 205 00:11:10,390 --> 00:11:13,395 by the name of David Hill. 206 00:11:13,470 --> 00:11:16,395 NARRATOR: 34-year-old David Hill immediately 207 00:11:16,470 --> 00:11:18,475 became a person of interest. 208 00:11:18,550 --> 00:11:22,235 When investigators arrived at his Redondo Beach home, 209 00:11:22,244 --> 00:11:26,035 they were greeted by his partner, 37-year-old aircraft 210 00:11:26,110 --> 00:11:27,762 engineer, Patrick Kearney. 211 00:11:30,830 --> 00:11:34,835 DAN BACALSKI: He was a very mild mannered person that 212 00:11:34,844 --> 00:11:38,355 didn't express emotions or feelings that 213 00:11:38,430 --> 00:11:42,915 caused the officers to believe he was guilty. 214 00:11:42,990 --> 00:11:45,075 GEOFFREY WANSELL: Given Kearney's character, 215 00:11:45,150 --> 00:11:48,162 and his extraordinary conceit, he 216 00:11:48,237 --> 00:11:50,635 was going to make absolutely sure not 217 00:11:50,710 --> 00:11:53,195 to complain when the police arrived at his front door. 218 00:11:53,270 --> 00:11:56,395 As far as they were concerned, he was a model citizen. 219 00:11:56,470 --> 00:11:59,195 Upright, hardworking, and ordinary. 220 00:11:59,270 --> 00:12:01,235 There was nothing that he was going to do 221 00:12:01,310 --> 00:12:03,435 to contradict that impression. 222 00:12:03,444 --> 00:12:04,995 NARRATOR: With Kearney watching on, 223 00:12:05,004 --> 00:12:09,035 the detectives were looking for specific forensic evidence 224 00:12:09,110 --> 00:12:11,395 during their search of the house. 225 00:12:11,470 --> 00:12:14,595 DAN BACALSKI: There was a dog that had white hair. 226 00:12:14,670 --> 00:12:18,115 And the Sheriff's department officers 227 00:12:18,190 --> 00:12:21,035 knew that some of the trash bags had 228 00:12:21,110 --> 00:12:23,635 contained white animal hair. 229 00:12:23,710 --> 00:12:27,475 And in addition, the carpet color was the same as some 230 00:12:27,550 --> 00:12:30,162 of the fibers found on some of the bags. 231 00:12:30,237 --> 00:12:33,235 So obviously, they want to follow that up. 232 00:12:33,310 --> 00:12:36,162 NARRATOR: The white dog hair and blue carpet 233 00:12:36,237 --> 00:12:40,235 fibers led to the first breakthrough in the case. 234 00:12:40,244 --> 00:12:41,442 DAN BACALSKI: They took those back 235 00:12:41,517 --> 00:12:44,555 to the lab to have them further analyzed, 236 00:12:44,630 --> 00:12:46,242 more than just visually. 237 00:12:46,317 --> 00:12:49,795 And of course, there was a match with the carpet fibers, 238 00:12:49,870 --> 00:12:51,915 and a match with the dog hair, on I 239 00:12:51,990 --> 00:12:58,155 think two of the trash bags that were found with the bodies. 240 00:12:58,230 --> 00:13:01,802 NARRATOR: When detectives returned on the 19th of May, 241 00:13:01,877 --> 00:13:04,875 Dan Bacalski came along too. 242 00:13:04,950 --> 00:13:06,515 He was looking for evidence that could 243 00:13:06,590 --> 00:13:09,635 link the three bodies he'd been investigating 244 00:13:09,710 --> 00:13:12,435 to Kearney and Hill. 245 00:13:12,510 --> 00:13:14,235 But the couple weren't going to be 246 00:13:14,244 --> 00:13:18,155 as compliant this time around. 247 00:13:18,230 --> 00:13:19,235 DAN BACALSKI: We went to the house 248 00:13:19,310 --> 00:13:21,235 to execute the search warrant. 249 00:13:21,310 --> 00:13:25,115 And when we got to the house, no one was home. 250 00:13:25,124 --> 00:13:27,915 It was obvious that both Patrick Kearney 251 00:13:27,990 --> 00:13:29,915 and David Hill had fled. 252 00:13:29,924 --> 00:13:35,195 I believe that they felt the police officers were onto them. 253 00:13:35,204 --> 00:13:36,788 DR. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: When this kind of individual 254 00:13:36,764 --> 00:13:40,995 is faced with a choice between fight or flight, stay or go, 255 00:13:41,070 --> 00:13:42,275 they are always going to go. 256 00:13:42,350 --> 00:13:44,035 They will always flight, because they 257 00:13:44,110 --> 00:13:46,395 want to avoid confrontation at all costs, 258 00:13:46,470 --> 00:13:49,435 because they simply do not have the skills to deal with that. 259 00:13:49,510 --> 00:13:51,235 So I'm not surprised that Kearney 260 00:13:51,310 --> 00:13:52,635 run at this point in time. 261 00:13:52,710 --> 00:13:54,795 I think he was actually quite afraid. 262 00:13:54,870 --> 00:13:57,435 NARRATOR: As this search of Kearney and Hill's house 263 00:13:57,510 --> 00:14:01,155 began in earnest, Dan was certain that he was 264 00:14:01,230 --> 00:14:04,115 in the home of a serial killer. 265 00:14:04,124 --> 00:14:05,595 DAN BACALSKI: When you're in that situation, 266 00:14:05,670 --> 00:14:08,435 there is a-- this sounds a little bit funny-- 267 00:14:08,510 --> 00:14:11,955 but there is some sort of atmosphere feeling 268 00:14:12,030 --> 00:14:13,755 when you walk in a house like that. 269 00:14:13,830 --> 00:14:15,035 I felt it. 270 00:14:15,110 --> 00:14:16,475 And I don't know whether that was my imagination, 271 00:14:16,484 --> 00:14:22,715 but we're looking at somebody that's pretty evil, 272 00:14:22,790 --> 00:14:24,635 pretty matter of fact about it. 273 00:14:24,644 --> 00:14:27,875 And when you believe that that house was probably 274 00:14:27,950 --> 00:14:31,275 the scene of a lot of crimes-- 275 00:14:31,350 --> 00:14:35,035 cruel, heartless crimes-- it does 276 00:14:35,110 --> 00:14:37,195 give you a little bit of a buzz feeling 277 00:14:37,270 --> 00:14:38,715 when you go into that residence. 278 00:14:38,790 --> 00:14:40,555 It did, me. 279 00:14:40,630 --> 00:14:43,235 NARRATOR: Evidence collected in a vacuum cleaner 280 00:14:43,310 --> 00:14:46,835 during the search, link Kearney, who worked as an engineer 281 00:14:46,844 --> 00:14:51,875 at nearby Hughes Aircraft, to the discarded and dismembered 282 00:14:51,950 --> 00:14:53,435 bodies. 283 00:14:53,510 --> 00:14:56,202 DAN BACALSKI: In the vacuum cleaner bag, 284 00:14:56,277 --> 00:15:01,875 there were found round plastic circles, thick plastic circles. 285 00:15:01,884 --> 00:15:07,555 Those matched the punch outs from the commercial grade 286 00:15:07,630 --> 00:15:10,475 garbage bag liners. 287 00:15:10,550 --> 00:15:15,115 The brand name was Mipro, and it was a industrial bag, 288 00:15:15,190 --> 00:15:17,442 and it was used at Hughes Aircraft. 289 00:15:17,517 --> 00:15:20,155 Those plastic bags are unusual, and there 290 00:15:20,230 --> 00:15:23,875 was a supply of those plastic bags in the attic 291 00:15:23,950 --> 00:15:26,755 at Patrick Kearney's house. 292 00:15:26,830 --> 00:15:29,555 NARRATOR: And it wasn't just circumstantial evidence 293 00:15:29,630 --> 00:15:34,355 that was discovered in Kearney and Hill's Redondo Beach home. 294 00:15:34,430 --> 00:15:38,035 DAN BACALSKI: In addition, there was a hacksaw blade. 295 00:15:38,110 --> 00:15:39,802 Looking normal and clean. 296 00:15:39,877 --> 00:15:44,435 But when it was taken apart, and the nut and bolt were loosened, 297 00:15:44,510 --> 00:15:49,315 there was blood and human hair wedged in the part 298 00:15:49,390 --> 00:15:53,555 between the blade and the bolt. 299 00:15:53,630 --> 00:15:56,235 The bathroom was sprayed with luminol, 300 00:15:56,244 --> 00:16:00,275 and showed the presence of a lot of blood in the bathtub 301 00:16:00,350 --> 00:16:02,275 and on the walls around the bathtub. 302 00:16:02,284 --> 00:16:06,395 So it appeared pretty quickly that at least one body, maybe 303 00:16:06,470 --> 00:16:09,395 more, were dismembered, disarticulated 304 00:16:09,404 --> 00:16:13,602 in the bathtub in the home of Patrick Kearney and David Hill. 305 00:16:13,677 --> 00:16:17,435 NARRATOR: Whether Kearney or Hill were involved or not, 306 00:16:17,444 --> 00:16:20,875 their home was clearly a hotbed of evidence that linked 307 00:16:20,950 --> 00:16:23,835 them to the three murdered men. 308 00:16:23,910 --> 00:16:25,195 DAN BACALSKI: It was obvious that there 309 00:16:25,270 --> 00:16:27,835 was physical evidence in that house that linked 310 00:16:27,910 --> 00:16:29,875 the house with these bodies. 311 00:16:29,950 --> 00:16:34,435 There was nothing specifically that linked Patrick Kearney 312 00:16:34,510 --> 00:16:38,675 himself, or David Hill, but the house they lived in 313 00:16:38,750 --> 00:16:42,282 was definitely linked to all of these murders. 314 00:16:42,357 --> 00:16:45,115 NARRATOR: A box of Manila envelopes discovered 315 00:16:45,190 --> 00:16:48,515 at the house, specifically linked Hill and Kearney 316 00:16:48,590 --> 00:16:53,035 to another Trash Bag Killer victim, Arturo Marquez, 317 00:16:53,110 --> 00:16:55,515 whose body had been discovered in Riverside 318 00:16:55,590 --> 00:16:58,795 County in March 1977. 319 00:16:58,804 --> 00:17:03,355 Bizarrely, the killer had sent mail to his victims home. 320 00:17:03,430 --> 00:17:04,588 DAN BACALSKI: The criminalist was 321 00:17:04,664 --> 00:17:07,642 able to opine that that thick, yellow, 322 00:17:07,717 --> 00:17:12,155 cardboard envelope likely came from this box, which was found 323 00:17:12,164 --> 00:17:14,635 in Patrick Kearney's house. 324 00:17:14,710 --> 00:17:22,035 That envelope had been used to mail car keys back 325 00:17:22,110 --> 00:17:26,282 to the Marquez family. 326 00:17:26,357 --> 00:17:29,635 Because when Patrick Kearney killed him, 327 00:17:29,710 --> 00:17:33,475 he had possession of the car and the keys. 328 00:17:33,550 --> 00:17:37,715 And being a good citizen, he mailed the keys back. 329 00:17:37,790 --> 00:17:39,275 DR. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: Now this would appear 330 00:17:39,350 --> 00:17:41,235 to be a really bizarre thing to do, 331 00:17:41,310 --> 00:17:44,435 but this is a killer who likes order. 332 00:17:44,510 --> 00:17:47,355 He likes to know exactly where things are, 333 00:17:47,430 --> 00:17:48,948 and what's going on with them. 334 00:17:49,024 --> 00:17:51,635 So he's not the kind of person who could just throw these keys 335 00:17:51,710 --> 00:17:53,835 away in a bin somewhere. 336 00:17:53,910 --> 00:17:57,675 NARRATOR: Investigators were sure they had found the killer. 337 00:17:57,750 --> 00:18:01,002 But Patrick Kearney and his partner, David Hill, 338 00:18:01,077 --> 00:18:03,075 were nowhere to be found. 339 00:18:03,150 --> 00:18:07,275 They'd fled over 800 miles away to Texas, 340 00:18:07,284 --> 00:18:10,155 but they wouldn't be gone for long. 341 00:18:10,230 --> 00:18:15,355 DAN BACALSKI: After the all points bulletin was issued, 342 00:18:15,430 --> 00:18:19,675 I believe he was on the FBI's 10 most wanted list. 343 00:18:19,750 --> 00:18:22,155 There was a lot of publicity, and these pictures 344 00:18:22,230 --> 00:18:24,042 of David Hill and Patrick Kearney 345 00:18:24,117 --> 00:18:26,835 were published everywhere. 346 00:18:26,910 --> 00:18:31,482 Within months, they both walked into the Riverside County 347 00:18:31,557 --> 00:18:33,155 Sheriff's Department and turned themselves 348 00:18:33,230 --> 00:18:35,635 into the watch Sergeant. 349 00:18:35,644 --> 00:18:38,995 NARRATOR: Kearney and Hill's returned to California was 350 00:18:39,070 --> 00:18:41,275 an unexpected turn of events. 351 00:18:41,350 --> 00:18:42,835 DAN BACALSKI: Well, I was surprised. 352 00:18:42,910 --> 00:18:45,075 I was in my office, and I got a phone call from the Sheriff's 353 00:18:45,084 --> 00:18:46,628 department and say, well, Patrick Kearney 354 00:18:46,704 --> 00:18:50,635 walked in, come on over you need to interview him. 355 00:18:50,710 --> 00:18:53,675 So I went over to the Sheriff's department, 356 00:18:53,750 --> 00:18:57,395 got a tape recorder, and interviewed him. 357 00:18:57,470 --> 00:19:02,595 NARRATOR: On the 1st of July 1977, Kearney was arrested. 358 00:19:02,670 --> 00:19:05,355 He told police that his partner, David Hill, 359 00:19:05,430 --> 00:19:09,075 was completely innocent of any crimes. 360 00:19:09,150 --> 00:19:10,748 DAN BACALSKI: We don't know what he's going to say, 361 00:19:10,724 --> 00:19:14,282 or whether he's going to blame it on someone else or deny it. 362 00:19:14,357 --> 00:19:18,195 So I was focusing my interview on going to his background. 363 00:19:18,270 --> 00:19:20,835 Finding out about him, what caused him to do it, 364 00:19:20,910 --> 00:19:22,675 why he turned himself in. 365 00:19:22,750 --> 00:19:25,595 NARRATOR: But Dan in the Riverside County detectives 366 00:19:25,604 --> 00:19:30,555 had no idea just how prolific a killer they had arrested. 367 00:19:30,630 --> 00:19:34,315 Patrick Kearney's next statement would stun them all. 368 00:19:34,390 --> 00:19:35,635 DAN BACALSKI: I asked him, well, how 369 00:19:35,710 --> 00:19:36,982 many people have you killed? 370 00:19:36,924 --> 00:19:41,715 And he said, I don't know, but more than 30. 371 00:19:41,790 --> 00:19:44,595 NARRATOR: Patrick Kearney told the investigators 372 00:19:44,670 --> 00:19:49,682 that he'd been killing for over a decade, since 1962. 373 00:19:49,757 --> 00:19:53,515 The twisted killer detailed each of the murders, 374 00:19:53,590 --> 00:19:56,715 including taking the life of 17-year-old 375 00:19:56,790 --> 00:20:01,235 John LaMay in March 1977. 376 00:20:01,310 --> 00:20:02,748 TERESA ROONEY: What I know, that Patrick Kearney 377 00:20:02,824 --> 00:20:07,002 picked up John from my house in El Segundo, 378 00:20:07,077 --> 00:20:11,202 and drove him to his own home in Redondo Beach. 379 00:20:11,277 --> 00:20:14,115 Where apparently, he was watching TV, 380 00:20:14,190 --> 00:20:18,035 and apparently John had changed the channel, 381 00:20:18,110 --> 00:20:19,475 Patrick Kearney didn't like that, 382 00:20:19,550 --> 00:20:22,722 so he shot him in the back of the head. 383 00:20:22,797 --> 00:20:25,715 NARRATOR: Kearney told detectives how his father had 384 00:20:25,790 --> 00:20:28,235 taught him to shoot as a child. 385 00:20:28,244 --> 00:20:32,915 So accustomed to using a gun, an execution style method 386 00:20:32,990 --> 00:20:36,235 of killing had become his trademark. 387 00:20:36,310 --> 00:20:38,082 TERESA ROONEY: From there proceeded 388 00:20:38,157 --> 00:20:39,762 to-- like every other victim-- 389 00:20:39,837 --> 00:20:41,282 dismember him in the bathtub. 390 00:20:44,510 --> 00:20:46,915 All but his hands and his head. 391 00:20:46,990 --> 00:20:49,395 Because Patrick Kearney, very smart, knew 392 00:20:49,470 --> 00:20:52,595 that's how they could identify this body 393 00:20:52,670 --> 00:20:56,395 when he would dump it. 394 00:20:56,470 --> 00:20:59,835 And so he put the body parts in bags, 395 00:20:59,910 --> 00:21:03,075 apparently drove them out to Corona. 396 00:21:03,150 --> 00:21:06,635 And then they were placed, I believe, in a trash can 397 00:21:06,710 --> 00:21:07,995 in some park. 398 00:21:10,357 --> 00:21:12,795 This victim was only 17 years old, 399 00:21:12,804 --> 00:21:14,915 and he was one of seven children. 400 00:21:14,990 --> 00:21:17,435 So this is going to have a really devastating 401 00:21:17,510 --> 00:21:19,475 impact on this family dynamic. 402 00:21:19,550 --> 00:21:22,475 This is a very significant point in somebody's life. 403 00:21:22,550 --> 00:21:26,235 So to have this individual taken out of your family picture 404 00:21:26,310 --> 00:21:28,955 by this sadistic serial killer, is 405 00:21:29,030 --> 00:21:30,035 something that is going to affect 406 00:21:30,110 --> 00:21:32,035 all members of that family. 407 00:21:32,110 --> 00:21:33,708 NARRATOR: News of Kearney's arrest 408 00:21:33,784 --> 00:21:38,035 brought some semblance of peace to the LaMay family. 409 00:21:38,110 --> 00:21:39,822 TERESA ROONEY: When I heard that-- 410 00:21:39,897 --> 00:21:42,155 Again, from all the fears of a little girl, feeling like, 411 00:21:42,230 --> 00:21:43,675 OK, they're going to come get us. 412 00:21:43,750 --> 00:21:47,035 They got him, so they know where we live. 413 00:21:47,110 --> 00:21:49,355 That brought peace. 414 00:21:49,430 --> 00:21:52,355 That OK. 415 00:21:52,430 --> 00:21:53,835 We're safe. 416 00:21:53,910 --> 00:21:55,435 NARRATOR: Detectives were only just 417 00:21:55,510 --> 00:21:58,115 beginning to learn about the sadistic life 418 00:21:58,190 --> 00:21:59,902 of Patrick Kearney. 419 00:21:59,977 --> 00:22:03,242 And the killer's confessions would shock them to the core. 420 00:22:05,510 --> 00:22:07,095 DAN BACALSKI: Interviewing people like that, 421 00:22:07,170 --> 00:22:10,002 you look right into the eye of someone who can talk like that, 422 00:22:10,077 --> 00:22:11,635 knowing what they did. 423 00:22:11,710 --> 00:22:14,995 It's a sobering experience. 424 00:22:15,070 --> 00:22:16,635 NARRATOR: After handing himself in, 425 00:22:16,710 --> 00:22:19,075 Kearney had stunned the interrogators 426 00:22:19,150 --> 00:22:21,762 by confessing to at least 30 murders 427 00:22:21,837 --> 00:22:24,395 across the previous 15 years. 428 00:22:24,470 --> 00:22:28,635 But was the 37-year-old engineer telling the truth? 429 00:22:28,710 --> 00:22:32,275 DAN BACALSKI: You want to make sure that you are focusing in 430 00:22:32,350 --> 00:22:35,035 on hard facts and not just fantasy, 431 00:22:35,110 --> 00:22:37,955 maybe he's seeking attention or something. 432 00:22:38,030 --> 00:22:39,155 NARRATOR: Kearney confessed to killing 433 00:22:39,230 --> 00:22:43,115 a man in his apartment in 1968. 434 00:22:43,190 --> 00:22:45,762 Dan pressed for more details. 435 00:22:45,837 --> 00:22:49,042 DAN BACALSKI: And he said, I don't remember his name. 436 00:22:49,117 --> 00:22:50,442 How did you kill him? 437 00:22:50,517 --> 00:22:53,395 I shot him in the head with a 22. 438 00:22:53,470 --> 00:22:55,515 What did you do with the body? 439 00:22:55,590 --> 00:23:03,835 Well, I cut it up into small pieces and I put it in a box, 440 00:23:03,910 --> 00:23:08,642 and I put it underneath the apartment building I lived in. 441 00:23:08,717 --> 00:23:10,715 NARRATOR: Kearney continued to describe 442 00:23:10,790 --> 00:23:14,195 gruesome details of how he'd remove the evidence 443 00:23:14,270 --> 00:23:16,435 from his poor victim's head. 444 00:23:16,510 --> 00:23:18,235 GEOFFREY WANSELL: He was sufficiently aware, 445 00:23:18,310 --> 00:23:22,402 ballistically, that he knew that if he left the bullet, 446 00:23:22,477 --> 00:23:26,435 someone might find it and trace it back to the gun. 447 00:23:26,510 --> 00:23:29,835 And so Kearney took a hacksaw to the dead man's 448 00:23:29,910 --> 00:23:32,402 head to retrieve the bullet. 449 00:23:32,477 --> 00:23:35,115 NARRATOR: Kearney drew a map of exactly 450 00:23:35,190 --> 00:23:38,595 where he'd left the remains over a decade before. 451 00:23:38,670 --> 00:23:40,835 While the interview continued, Dan 452 00:23:40,910 --> 00:23:44,795 instructed the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department to search 453 00:23:44,870 --> 00:23:46,675 underneath the garage. 454 00:23:46,750 --> 00:23:49,115 DAN BACALSKI: And they go to that apartment complex, 455 00:23:49,190 --> 00:23:50,755 and they're there within an hour. 456 00:23:50,830 --> 00:23:55,355 And they retrieve a box with a bunch of bones in it, 457 00:23:55,364 --> 00:23:58,675 a human skeleton that's been cut up. 458 00:23:58,750 --> 00:24:03,955 And the skull has a hole in it consistent with a 22 caliber 459 00:24:04,030 --> 00:24:05,535 bullet. 460 00:24:05,610 --> 00:24:08,482 And you can see the hacksaw blade marks in the skull. 461 00:24:08,557 --> 00:24:10,595 So before we finish the interview, 462 00:24:10,604 --> 00:24:15,235 we had confirmation that this guy is telling the truth. 463 00:24:15,310 --> 00:24:18,235 NARRATOR: The unidentified skeleton in the box 464 00:24:18,310 --> 00:24:21,075 was just one of Kearney's many victims. 465 00:24:21,150 --> 00:24:25,155 The vicious killer had been active for 15 years. 466 00:24:25,164 --> 00:24:27,755 He told investigators how he targeted 467 00:24:27,764 --> 00:24:32,275 hitchhikers along the Southern California road network. 468 00:24:32,350 --> 00:24:33,915 DR. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: The victims were alone, 469 00:24:33,990 --> 00:24:35,395 they were hitchhiking. 470 00:24:35,470 --> 00:24:37,915 They were quite easy to prey on. 471 00:24:37,990 --> 00:24:40,555 Kearney had access, he had opportunity. 472 00:24:40,630 --> 00:24:43,955 And I think there were some echoes of his own victimization 473 00:24:43,964 --> 00:24:46,002 as a child and as a young man here. 474 00:24:46,077 --> 00:24:48,155 So it's almost like he's trying to rewrite 475 00:24:48,230 --> 00:24:49,715 his own history here. 476 00:24:49,790 --> 00:24:52,635 He's putting himself in the role of the aggressor. 477 00:24:52,710 --> 00:24:55,235 I think, perhaps, to step into the shoes of those 478 00:24:55,310 --> 00:24:57,115 who bullied and victimized him. 479 00:24:57,190 --> 00:24:59,835 So that's quite interesting for me. 480 00:24:59,910 --> 00:25:03,275 NARRATOR: By the 15th of July 1977, 481 00:25:03,284 --> 00:25:08,235 Patrick Kearney had confessed to killing 32 young men and boys. 482 00:25:08,310 --> 00:25:11,315 One of his many revelations included the story 483 00:25:11,390 --> 00:25:15,035 of 21-year-old, Larry Walters, a mechanic who 484 00:25:15,110 --> 00:25:17,155 was living in the town of Hawthorne, 485 00:25:17,164 --> 00:25:22,235 just North of Redondo Beach, in 1975. 486 00:25:22,310 --> 00:25:24,755 KAREN FRYER: Although Larry was our older brother, 487 00:25:24,830 --> 00:25:28,035 we were really his older sisters, 488 00:25:28,110 --> 00:25:29,915 because he was mentally slow. 489 00:25:29,990 --> 00:25:34,115 So at the age of 21, Larry had the mentality of maybe an 8 490 00:25:34,190 --> 00:25:36,995 to 10-year-old child. 491 00:25:37,070 --> 00:25:38,602 He was not very streetwise. 492 00:25:41,237 --> 00:25:43,835 NARRATOR: Larry was at his most content, when 493 00:25:43,910 --> 00:25:47,035 he was surrounded by family. 494 00:25:47,110 --> 00:25:49,595 KAREN FRYER: Larry was a very, very happy person. 495 00:25:49,670 --> 00:25:53,395 But we were very protective over him, because he 496 00:25:53,470 --> 00:25:55,275 believed anything you told him. 497 00:25:55,350 --> 00:25:58,715 He trusted everybody. 498 00:25:58,724 --> 00:26:04,362 We had to watch over him to make sure that people 499 00:26:04,437 --> 00:26:06,635 didn't take advantage of him. 500 00:26:06,710 --> 00:26:09,715 NARRATOR: Karen vividly remembers the week Larry went 501 00:26:09,790 --> 00:26:14,155 missing in late October 1975. 502 00:26:14,230 --> 00:26:16,235 KAREN FRYER: He just worked down at the end of the block 503 00:26:16,244 --> 00:26:18,515 from where I lived. 504 00:26:18,590 --> 00:26:20,315 And he had been coming to my house every day 505 00:26:20,390 --> 00:26:22,915 at noon on his lunch hour, because he was waiting 506 00:26:22,990 --> 00:26:25,835 for some checks that were being mailed 507 00:26:25,910 --> 00:26:28,155 to him, money owed to him. 508 00:26:28,230 --> 00:26:31,235 He had just wrecked his car two weeks before. 509 00:26:31,310 --> 00:26:36,795 And I said to him, instead of going home tonight 510 00:26:36,870 --> 00:26:40,435 after work, why don't you just stay at my house tonight, 511 00:26:40,510 --> 00:26:42,475 get up in the morning and go to work, 512 00:26:42,550 --> 00:26:44,635 and that way you don't have to hitchhike. 513 00:26:44,710 --> 00:26:47,602 NARRATOR: As Karen headed out to a Halloween party, 514 00:26:47,677 --> 00:26:50,635 she had no idea it would be the last time 515 00:26:50,710 --> 00:26:52,635 she would see her brother. 516 00:26:52,644 --> 00:26:56,595 KAREN FRYER: The last day that I saw Larry, he was upbeat, 517 00:26:56,604 --> 00:26:58,362 nothing out of the norm. 518 00:26:58,437 --> 00:27:00,955 Said he'd see me the next day. 519 00:27:01,030 --> 00:27:03,035 And we went to the party. 520 00:27:03,044 --> 00:27:06,235 And when we got home at like 3:00 in the morning, 521 00:27:06,310 --> 00:27:09,115 my lights were on, my TV was on. 522 00:27:09,190 --> 00:27:11,075 My house was in a little disarray, 523 00:27:11,150 --> 00:27:13,435 and Larry was very neat and clean. 524 00:27:13,510 --> 00:27:16,482 And so I thought, well, he just ran out for a minute, 525 00:27:16,557 --> 00:27:18,175 he'll be back. 526 00:27:18,251 --> 00:27:22,275 So we just went to bed thinking everything was fine. 527 00:27:22,350 --> 00:27:24,955 NARRATOR: The following morning when Karen woke, 528 00:27:25,030 --> 00:27:28,835 it seemed that Larry had already left for work. 529 00:27:28,910 --> 00:27:31,435 KAREN FRYER: Later on that morning, 530 00:27:31,510 --> 00:27:34,075 the mail came, and his checks came. 531 00:27:34,150 --> 00:27:36,115 And so he didn't come at lunchtime, 532 00:27:36,190 --> 00:27:38,915 and he had come every day that week at lunch. 533 00:27:38,990 --> 00:27:42,675 And so I went down to his work at the end of the corner, 534 00:27:42,750 --> 00:27:45,795 and his boss told me he didn't show up for work. 535 00:27:45,870 --> 00:27:47,675 And so we knew something was up. 536 00:27:47,750 --> 00:27:50,435 But I thought, did he go out with some friends, 537 00:27:50,510 --> 00:27:54,515 and just didn't sleep and didn't go to work. 538 00:27:54,590 --> 00:27:56,875 NARRATOR: The following morning however, there 539 00:27:56,950 --> 00:27:59,315 was still no word from Larry. 540 00:27:59,390 --> 00:28:01,795 KAREN FRYER: The next morning, my mother called me and said, 541 00:28:01,870 --> 00:28:04,835 Larry was supposed to have come today, and he didn't. 542 00:28:04,910 --> 00:28:06,875 And then we knew something was wrong. 543 00:28:06,884 --> 00:28:14,515 So my mother went and filed a missing persons in that area. 544 00:28:14,590 --> 00:28:18,435 And then we waited. 545 00:28:18,510 --> 00:28:21,155 DR. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: This poor family suffered for two years, 546 00:28:21,230 --> 00:28:23,195 not knowing what had happened to Larry. 547 00:28:23,270 --> 00:28:27,795 And it was only when Kearney confessed in 1977, that they 548 00:28:27,870 --> 00:28:30,475 actually knew what happened. 549 00:28:30,550 --> 00:28:33,475 KAREN FRYER: The day that the police contacted my mother 550 00:28:33,550 --> 00:28:35,035 and said they needed to speak to me, 551 00:28:35,110 --> 00:28:37,355 because I was the last one to see him. 552 00:28:37,430 --> 00:28:43,235 They wanted to get my story and corroborate it with what 553 00:28:43,244 --> 00:28:45,402 Kearney had told them. 554 00:28:45,477 --> 00:28:48,515 NARRATOR: Kearney had told the investigators exactly 555 00:28:48,590 --> 00:28:50,835 what had happened to Larry Walters 556 00:28:50,910 --> 00:28:53,835 on that fateful Halloween night. 557 00:28:53,910 --> 00:28:57,395 GEOFFREY WANSELL: Larry is used to hitchhiking, and so 558 00:28:57,470 --> 00:29:00,315 perfectly prepared to accept a lift from this mild mannered, 559 00:29:00,390 --> 00:29:03,522 ordinary looking little man. 560 00:29:03,597 --> 00:29:08,555 Kearney drives him back to his house in Redondo Beach. 561 00:29:08,630 --> 00:29:13,915 But Larry has underestimated the man who's picked him up. 562 00:29:13,924 --> 00:29:18,362 Tragically, Kearney shoots him in the head and kills him. 563 00:29:22,390 --> 00:29:24,675 KAREN FRYER: I remember the police, after all 564 00:29:24,750 --> 00:29:28,755 of the questions they asked me, asking me, 565 00:29:28,830 --> 00:29:30,075 do you have any questions? 566 00:29:30,150 --> 00:29:32,115 And I said, yes, I have just one. 567 00:29:32,190 --> 00:29:35,555 And my mom knew what it was going to be, 568 00:29:35,630 --> 00:29:38,235 and she left the room. 569 00:29:38,310 --> 00:29:41,562 Begging me not ask it. 570 00:29:41,637 --> 00:29:44,195 And the officer told me, I know what you want to know. 571 00:29:44,270 --> 00:29:47,195 Did he suffer? 572 00:29:47,204 --> 00:29:49,395 And I said, yes. 573 00:29:49,470 --> 00:29:50,955 And he said, no, Larry never knew 574 00:29:50,964 --> 00:29:54,602 anything from start to finish. 575 00:29:54,677 --> 00:29:56,162 And I have to believe that. 576 00:29:59,310 --> 00:30:01,435 It wasn't like he was in a car accident 577 00:30:01,510 --> 00:30:09,355 or that he was in the hospital, we could say our goodbyes 578 00:30:09,430 --> 00:30:12,115 When I saw him on Friday, I didn't 579 00:30:12,190 --> 00:30:13,522 know it was the last time. 580 00:30:17,310 --> 00:30:20,515 NARRATOR: The body of 21-year-old Larry Walters 581 00:30:20,590 --> 00:30:22,435 has never been found. 582 00:30:22,510 --> 00:30:24,462 DR. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: The family 583 00:30:24,004 --> 00:30:27,195 haven't been able to say goodbye because they don't have a body. 584 00:30:27,270 --> 00:30:28,835 And this is really significant for me, 585 00:30:28,844 --> 00:30:32,035 because Kearney is an offender who is incredibly organized. 586 00:30:32,110 --> 00:30:34,635 He knows exactly where this body is. 587 00:30:34,644 --> 00:30:37,675 But I think he's not going to reveal the location of it, 588 00:30:37,750 --> 00:30:39,435 because bodies tell stories. 589 00:30:39,510 --> 00:30:42,835 They tell us what happened in regards to a particular murder. 590 00:30:42,910 --> 00:30:44,635 And there is something about this story 591 00:30:44,644 --> 00:30:47,395 that Kearney does not want out in the open. 592 00:30:47,470 --> 00:30:49,435 And that's really significant for me. 593 00:30:49,510 --> 00:30:51,235 But it's really significant for the family 594 00:30:51,310 --> 00:30:53,515 as well, because they will continue to suffer 595 00:30:53,590 --> 00:30:57,035 whilst he still retains this information. 596 00:30:57,110 --> 00:30:58,602 NARRATOR: During the police interview, 597 00:30:58,677 --> 00:31:04,075 Kearney unashamedly detailed his perverse necrophilia. 598 00:31:04,150 --> 00:31:05,475 DAN BACALSKI: After he shot them in the head, 599 00:31:05,550 --> 00:31:08,802 he would cut a hole in them and have 600 00:31:08,877 --> 00:31:10,435 sexual intercourse with their bodies, 601 00:31:10,510 --> 00:31:13,955 because he felt empowered by it. 602 00:31:14,030 --> 00:31:15,875 DR. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: This is a killer who is a lot more 603 00:31:15,950 --> 00:31:18,235 comfortable with the dead than he is with the living, 604 00:31:18,310 --> 00:31:20,602 because the dead are easier to control. 605 00:31:20,677 --> 00:31:23,555 They cannot insult you, they can't reject you, 606 00:31:23,630 --> 00:31:26,195 they can't make you feel bad about yourself. 607 00:31:26,270 --> 00:31:30,035 NARRATOR: The nefarious killer appeared to display no shame 608 00:31:30,110 --> 00:31:32,602 during his confessions. 609 00:31:32,677 --> 00:31:35,035 DAN BACALSKI: You would be able to have a conversation with him 610 00:31:35,110 --> 00:31:37,835 sitting here and talk about a lot of things, 611 00:31:37,910 --> 00:31:41,475 and never have an inkling that there's something 612 00:31:41,550 --> 00:31:44,555 bizarre about this guy, there's something weird about this guy. 613 00:31:44,630 --> 00:31:47,835 You would not get that feeling with this man. 614 00:31:47,910 --> 00:31:51,155 GEOFFREY WANSELL: There were no tears running down his cheeks. 615 00:31:51,230 --> 00:31:54,075 There was no remorse. 616 00:31:54,150 --> 00:31:57,715 There was no empathy for the victims. 617 00:31:57,790 --> 00:32:01,602 There was absolutely no understanding of the pain 618 00:32:01,677 --> 00:32:03,795 he'd caused their families. 619 00:32:03,804 --> 00:32:05,995 Absolutely blank. 620 00:32:06,070 --> 00:32:10,515 And I think that's how he got away with hiding in plain sight 621 00:32:10,590 --> 00:32:14,035 for all those years. 622 00:32:14,110 --> 00:32:16,595 NARRATOR: Once Kearney's confession was done, 623 00:32:16,670 --> 00:32:20,355 investigators had to try and link the killer's confessions 624 00:32:20,430 --> 00:32:22,875 to actual missing persons. 625 00:32:22,950 --> 00:32:24,308 DAN BACALSKI: Well it took a long time 626 00:32:24,284 --> 00:32:29,435 to interview him and get all of his stories correct. 627 00:32:29,510 --> 00:32:36,235 And then the law enforcement contacted other jurisdictions, 628 00:32:36,310 --> 00:32:37,795 in other words, to try to match up 629 00:32:37,870 --> 00:32:42,275 his stories with actual bodies or missing persons. 630 00:32:42,350 --> 00:32:45,515 That work went on for some length of time. 631 00:32:45,590 --> 00:32:49,155 NARRATOR: In December 1977, Patrick Kearney 632 00:32:49,164 --> 00:32:52,195 pleaded guilty to the murder of the three men 633 00:32:52,270 --> 00:32:55,435 whose bodies have been found in Riverside County. 634 00:32:55,510 --> 00:33:01,995 Arturo Marquez, John LaMay, and 21-year-old Albert Rivera. 635 00:33:02,004 --> 00:33:06,515 Despite sharing a home with his partner for nine years, a house 636 00:33:06,590 --> 00:33:08,602 where human blood had been found, 637 00:33:08,677 --> 00:33:11,635 it was Kearney, and Kearney alone who 638 00:33:11,710 --> 00:33:14,235 was charged with the murders. 639 00:33:14,310 --> 00:33:15,795 When we took the case and presented 640 00:33:15,870 --> 00:33:19,435 this physical evidence, the confession, and the testimony 641 00:33:19,510 --> 00:33:22,235 to the grand jury, they did not indict David Hill, 642 00:33:22,244 --> 00:33:24,682 and he was let free. 643 00:33:24,757 --> 00:33:27,355 NARRATOR: Kearney was sentenced to life in prison, 644 00:33:27,430 --> 00:33:30,515 but investigators hadn't finished with him yet. 645 00:33:30,590 --> 00:33:35,795 In February 1978, he was charged with a further 18 killings 646 00:33:35,870 --> 00:33:38,515 in neighboring Los Angeles County. 647 00:33:38,590 --> 00:33:42,235 Deputy DA, John Breault, led the prosecution 648 00:33:42,310 --> 00:33:46,195 against the so-called Trash Bag Killer. 649 00:33:46,204 --> 00:33:48,235 JOHN BREAULT: When I took over the case, 650 00:33:48,310 --> 00:33:50,275 Mr Kearney had already been arrested. 651 00:33:50,350 --> 00:33:54,355 And it was just tying all the loose ends together, 652 00:33:54,430 --> 00:33:56,875 and assimilating all the information 653 00:33:56,950 --> 00:33:59,235 so that we had a fileable case. 654 00:33:59,310 --> 00:34:02,195 NARRATOR: Kearney had already confessed to the murders, 655 00:34:02,270 --> 00:34:04,675 and the evidence against him was strong. 656 00:34:04,750 --> 00:34:07,842 Investigators had found a link between the killer, 657 00:34:07,917 --> 00:34:09,922 and the number of his victims. 658 00:34:09,997 --> 00:34:12,635 A very specific item that was readily 659 00:34:12,710 --> 00:34:16,315 available to the 38-year-old engineer. 660 00:34:16,324 --> 00:34:18,995 The police officers tied Patrick to these cases, 661 00:34:19,070 --> 00:34:22,595 because of the type of tape he used to wrap these victims in. 662 00:34:22,670 --> 00:34:26,355 After he killed the victims, he cut them up, wrapped them 663 00:34:26,430 --> 00:34:29,555 in plastic bags, and then wrapped those bags 664 00:34:29,630 --> 00:34:32,442 with a very distinctive tape that's only 665 00:34:32,517 --> 00:34:35,115 used in one place in Southern California, 666 00:34:35,190 --> 00:34:37,515 and that's at Hughes Aircraft. 667 00:34:37,590 --> 00:34:41,435 NARRATOR: Kearney had taken the distinctive tape and trash bags 668 00:34:41,510 --> 00:34:44,195 he used to dispose of his victim's bodies, 669 00:34:44,270 --> 00:34:45,755 from his place of work. 670 00:34:45,830 --> 00:34:49,915 It was also where he'd spotted one of his youngest victims. 671 00:34:49,990 --> 00:34:52,395 For a seasoned prosecutor like John, 672 00:34:52,470 --> 00:34:55,475 the heartbreaking story of the eight-year-old boy 673 00:34:55,484 --> 00:34:58,755 who lost his life at the hands of Patrick Kearney, 674 00:34:58,830 --> 00:35:00,675 was the one that stood out. 675 00:35:00,750 --> 00:35:02,515 JOHN BREAULT: The case I remember most, 676 00:35:02,590 --> 00:35:05,155 it was a little different than the other cases, 677 00:35:05,230 --> 00:35:07,475 it's Merle Hondo Chance. 678 00:35:07,550 --> 00:35:10,915 Chance was riding his bicycle in the parking lot at Hughes 679 00:35:10,990 --> 00:35:12,715 Aircraft, and had a problem. 680 00:35:12,790 --> 00:35:15,995 Patrick Wayne Kerney came out and saw, and tried to help him. 681 00:35:16,070 --> 00:35:19,242 Eventually, put the bicycle in the back of the pickup truck 682 00:35:19,317 --> 00:35:23,315 they used in the other murders, drove him to a bike shop 683 00:35:23,324 --> 00:35:26,755 at the corner of Washington and Sepulveda Boulevard. 684 00:35:26,830 --> 00:35:28,408 Got the bike fixed. 685 00:35:28,484 --> 00:35:31,355 Took him down for a hamburger and a shake at the hamburger 686 00:35:31,430 --> 00:35:33,835 stand next to Tito's Tacos, at the corner 687 00:35:33,910 --> 00:35:37,155 of Washington and Sepulveda. 688 00:35:37,230 --> 00:35:41,715 GEOFFREY WANSELL: And Kearney, as a little extra penchant 689 00:35:41,790 --> 00:35:45,835 something to the invitation, he tells the boy, 690 00:35:45,910 --> 00:35:49,322 I tell you what, one day I'll take you to Disneyland. 691 00:35:49,397 --> 00:35:53,235 The boy must have been thrilled. 692 00:35:53,310 --> 00:35:55,842 NARRATOR: But Kearney had no intention of taking 693 00:35:55,917 --> 00:35:57,595 Merle to a theme park. 694 00:35:57,670 --> 00:36:00,595 Unlike his other victims, Kearney didn't kill 695 00:36:00,670 --> 00:36:03,715 the eight-year-old for sexual gratification, 696 00:36:03,790 --> 00:36:06,795 he killed Merle Hondo Chance because he was 697 00:36:06,870 --> 00:36:09,235 worried about getting caught. 698 00:36:09,310 --> 00:36:11,035 JOHN BREAULT: He was with him for a period of time, 699 00:36:11,110 --> 00:36:13,075 for a couple of hours. 700 00:36:13,150 --> 00:36:16,675 And in Patrick Wayne Kearney's mind, 701 00:36:16,750 --> 00:36:23,195 he had said or intimated enough information to Hondo Chance, 702 00:36:23,204 --> 00:36:28,475 that if Merle Hondo Chance spoke to anyone about that, 703 00:36:28,550 --> 00:36:31,315 the police officers would find out and know that Patrick 704 00:36:31,390 --> 00:36:34,315 Wayne Kearney was the killer. 705 00:36:34,324 --> 00:36:37,962 And that's why he killed Merle Hondo Chance. 706 00:36:38,037 --> 00:36:41,035 NARRATOR: As the prosecution were processing the paperwork 707 00:36:41,110 --> 00:36:45,715 for 18 murders, including that of Merle Hondo Chance, Patrick 708 00:36:45,790 --> 00:36:49,195 Kearney, just as he had in Riverside County, 709 00:36:49,270 --> 00:36:53,275 decided not to contest any of the charges. 710 00:36:53,350 --> 00:36:55,995 GEOFFREY WANSELL: At the preliminary hearing 711 00:36:56,070 --> 00:36:59,155 in Los Angeles, the municipal judge 712 00:36:59,230 --> 00:37:02,515 asked him why he'd done it. 713 00:37:02,590 --> 00:37:05,515 The families of the victims want to know why. 714 00:37:05,590 --> 00:37:07,835 Can you tell us why? 715 00:37:07,910 --> 00:37:14,115 And Kearney said, and I quote precisely, "I'd prefer not to." 716 00:37:14,190 --> 00:37:16,995 DAN BACALSKI: I don't think he was ashamed. 717 00:37:17,070 --> 00:37:19,075 I don't think he was embarrassed by this. 718 00:37:19,150 --> 00:37:20,835 It was just matter of fact. 719 00:37:20,910 --> 00:37:23,755 You might as well have been talking about living on a farm 720 00:37:23,830 --> 00:37:31,995 and killing your cows, and steers, and pigs for food. 721 00:37:32,070 --> 00:37:36,555 It just had no emotion about it. 722 00:37:36,630 --> 00:37:38,755 NARRATOR: It soon became clear that Patrick 723 00:37:38,830 --> 00:37:43,755 Kearney pleaded guilty to protect his partner David Hill. 724 00:37:43,830 --> 00:37:46,835 JOHN BREAULT: Patrick Wayne Kearney did not go to trial, 725 00:37:46,910 --> 00:37:50,195 because he made a deal that the DA's office would not 726 00:37:50,270 --> 00:37:54,955 seek the death penalty if we did not go after his roommate 727 00:37:55,030 --> 00:37:57,635 on any of these charges. 728 00:37:57,644 --> 00:38:01,402 Patrick pled guilty to 21 counts of first degree murder 729 00:38:01,477 --> 00:38:03,148 with youths. 730 00:38:02,924 --> 00:38:07,035 That also would merge with the three counts from Riverside. 731 00:38:07,110 --> 00:38:09,475 They are all-- after he was sentenced-- 732 00:38:09,550 --> 00:38:13,395 merged by law, into one count of murder. 733 00:38:13,470 --> 00:38:15,435 GEOFFREY WANSELL: We will never know for certain 734 00:38:15,510 --> 00:38:18,035 how many people Kearney killed. 735 00:38:18,110 --> 00:38:21,155 What we can say, with some degree of certainty, 736 00:38:21,230 --> 00:38:25,035 is that there were probably more than 21 victims. 737 00:38:25,110 --> 00:38:28,835 Chillingly, even the killer couldn't remember 738 00:38:28,844 --> 00:38:31,362 how many people he'd killed. 739 00:38:31,437 --> 00:38:34,315 NARRATOR: Kearney's admission of sole responsibility 740 00:38:34,390 --> 00:38:38,075 for the death of 21 people, meant that his victims' 741 00:38:38,150 --> 00:38:41,235 families may never truly know what really 742 00:38:41,310 --> 00:38:43,715 happened to their loved ones. 743 00:38:43,790 --> 00:38:46,195 GEOFFREY WANSELL: I would like to have seen Kearney 744 00:38:46,270 --> 00:38:50,035 pilloried in court, not least for the benefit 745 00:38:50,110 --> 00:38:52,002 of the victims' families. 746 00:38:52,077 --> 00:38:55,395 They were airbrushed out of the story. 747 00:38:55,470 --> 00:38:59,235 Yes, I know there were a lot of them. 748 00:38:59,244 --> 00:39:01,915 But many of them felt they had been denied, 749 00:39:01,990 --> 00:39:05,915 cheated out of their day in court. 750 00:39:05,990 --> 00:39:11,155 As ever, Kearney was manipulative, deceitful, 751 00:39:11,230 --> 00:39:13,515 and denied them their right. 752 00:39:13,590 --> 00:39:16,435 It was truly despicable. 753 00:39:16,510 --> 00:39:19,435 NARRATOR: But the fact that Kearney was behind bars, 754 00:39:19,510 --> 00:39:23,995 was a sweet relief for Patricia, the mother of John LaMay. 755 00:39:24,070 --> 00:39:25,915 TERESA ROONEY: I remember her saying, 756 00:39:25,991 --> 00:39:30,355 that the greatest comfort that she takes from John's death, 757 00:39:30,430 --> 00:39:35,322 is that John is the one that caught Patrick Kearney, 758 00:39:35,397 --> 00:39:37,875 and that he could do it no more. 759 00:39:37,950 --> 00:39:39,955 And it seemed like that was what really 760 00:39:40,030 --> 00:39:42,475 gave her peace of mind and heart, 761 00:39:42,550 --> 00:39:44,522 that she came to grips with that. 762 00:39:44,597 --> 00:39:49,315 That if it meant for no one else to be killed, 763 00:39:49,390 --> 00:39:52,755 almost like a sacrifice, then so be it. 764 00:39:52,830 --> 00:39:56,275 NARRATOR: It had been a tough journey for the family members 765 00:39:56,350 --> 00:39:59,635 of many of the other victims. 766 00:39:59,644 --> 00:40:02,595 LAURA MASTRO: When he was spoken of as one of the victims, 767 00:40:02,670 --> 00:40:05,642 they would say, John LaMay and 20 others. 768 00:40:05,717 --> 00:40:07,835 And our brother was never really mentioned. 769 00:40:07,844 --> 00:40:11,635 And we felt like he fell under the radar, and he mattered. 770 00:40:11,710 --> 00:40:16,435 Larry was sweet, and kind, and innocent. 771 00:40:16,510 --> 00:40:24,035 And he fell victim to somebody that we consider evil. 772 00:40:24,110 --> 00:40:26,515 And we don't want to be here, but we 773 00:40:26,590 --> 00:40:28,635 think it's important for everybody 774 00:40:28,710 --> 00:40:33,235 to know who these people were that we lost. 775 00:40:33,310 --> 00:40:38,442 So it's difficult, but it's important. 776 00:40:41,590 --> 00:40:42,875 DR. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: I think having 777 00:40:42,884 --> 00:40:45,355 to rely on your loved ones killer 778 00:40:45,430 --> 00:40:48,395 for the narrative for the story of a murder, 779 00:40:48,470 --> 00:40:50,835 is really devastating, because they have 780 00:40:50,910 --> 00:40:53,195 control over that narrative. 781 00:40:53,270 --> 00:40:55,075 The victim has been silenced, they can't 782 00:40:55,150 --> 00:40:57,395 tell their side of the story. 783 00:40:57,470 --> 00:40:59,555 This is something I come across in a lot of cases, 784 00:40:59,630 --> 00:41:01,555 where there's a nobody murder, you 785 00:41:01,630 --> 00:41:05,435 are completely reliant on the testimony of the serial killer. 786 00:41:05,444 --> 00:41:08,042 And as we know they are wholly unreliable. 787 00:41:10,510 --> 00:41:13,635 NARRATOR: Patrick Kearney robbed the Walter's family 788 00:41:13,644 --> 00:41:16,235 of a lifetime of memories. 789 00:41:16,310 --> 00:41:19,395 KAREN FRYER: My fondest memory-- 790 00:41:19,470 --> 00:41:23,435 Probably one of the last pictures I have with him, 791 00:41:23,444 --> 00:41:27,755 is holding my daughter on Easter of the year 792 00:41:27,830 --> 00:41:29,555 he died, with her Easter basket. 793 00:41:29,630 --> 00:41:31,075 She was a year old. 794 00:41:31,150 --> 00:41:33,955 And him just smiling. 795 00:41:34,030 --> 00:41:40,235 LAURA MASTRO: We want people to hear, Larry Gene Walters. 796 00:41:40,310 --> 00:41:42,802 And we want them to know he was important. 797 00:41:49,317 --> 00:41:50,875 NARRATOR: Patrick Kearney is currently 798 00:41:50,950 --> 00:41:55,355 serving life at Mule Creek State Prison in California. 799 00:41:55,364 --> 00:41:58,035 The killer confessed to 32 murders 800 00:41:58,110 --> 00:42:03,035 during his initial interrogation in July 1977. 801 00:42:03,110 --> 00:42:05,322 So investigators are certain that he 802 00:42:05,397 --> 00:42:08,995 is guilty of more than just the 21 killings 803 00:42:09,070 --> 00:42:10,675 he was convicted of. 804 00:42:10,750 --> 00:42:12,635 GEOFFREY WANSELL: If Kearney hadn't been caught, 805 00:42:12,710 --> 00:42:16,915 he would have gone on, and on, and on. 806 00:42:16,924 --> 00:42:21,515 Serial killers never stop, they escalate. 807 00:42:21,590 --> 00:42:26,922 And Kearney was a perfect example of that. 808 00:42:26,997 --> 00:42:28,555 JOHN BREAULT: I remember a lot of my cases, 809 00:42:28,630 --> 00:42:35,555 but obviously, this was the most number of dead bodies 810 00:42:35,564 --> 00:42:37,115 that I ever handled. 811 00:42:37,190 --> 00:42:41,115 And that's probably the reason I remember it. 812 00:42:41,190 --> 00:42:44,195 DAN BACALSKI: His lack of emotion, his matter 813 00:42:44,270 --> 00:42:47,835 of fact attitude, and kind of a shrug 814 00:42:47,910 --> 00:42:49,635 of the shoulder accepting it. 815 00:42:49,710 --> 00:42:54,995 To me, that's real evil. 816 00:42:55,070 --> 00:42:56,915 I can still see him. 817 00:42:56,990 --> 00:42:59,315 If I think about him in my mind's eye, 818 00:42:59,390 --> 00:43:01,882 I can still picture him as he appeared then. 819 00:43:01,957 --> 00:43:03,648 You won't forget something like that. 820 00:43:06,877 --> 00:43:10,875 NARRATOR: Kearney was a callous killer who terminated the life 821 00:43:10,950 --> 00:43:13,115 of his innocent victims for nothing 822 00:43:13,190 --> 00:43:16,395 more than his own perverse sexual pleasure. 823 00:43:16,404 --> 00:43:20,562 We may never know how many young men he picked up and murdered. 824 00:43:20,637 --> 00:43:24,595 But his cold hearted confession proves that he had no remorse 825 00:43:24,604 --> 00:43:27,635 for them whatsoever, which makes Patrick 826 00:43:27,710 --> 00:43:31,555 Kearney, one of the world's most evil killers. 827 00:43:31,630 --> 00:43:34,602 [music plays]