1 00:00:08,367 --> 00:00:09,667 -[Robinson on phone] Hello? -[Carolyn on phone] Who is this? 2 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:12,133 [Robinson] This is John. 3 00:00:13,100 --> 00:00:14,867 [Carolyn] Well, son, have you heard from Susie? 4 00:00:15,467 --> 00:00:16,266 [Robinson] Susie? 5 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:21,767 Uh... Golly. 6 00:00:22,166 --> 00:00:23,000 No, not for... 7 00:00:24,100 --> 00:00:25,100 Well... 8 00:00:26,166 --> 00:00:27,600 I guess since the first of the month. 9 00:00:29,867 --> 00:00:30,000 [Carolyn] I'm really getting very nervous about this. 10 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:31,800 [Carolyn] I'm really getting very nervous about this. 11 00:00:31,867 --> 00:00:35,867 I don't know if I should maybe call the police or something. 12 00:00:35,867 --> 00:00:36,767 [Robinson] Why? 13 00:00:37,800 --> 00:00:39,000 Hon, she's a big girl. 14 00:00:41,300 --> 00:00:43,300 [theme music playing] 15 00:01:03,567 --> 00:01:05,367 Welcome to Very Scary People. 16 00:01:05,367 --> 00:01:07,000 I'm Donnie Wahlberg. 17 00:01:07,066 --> 00:01:11,000 When Paula Godfrey answered a "Help Wanted" ad for a personal assistant, 18 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:13,166 it seemed like a great opportunity. 19 00:01:13,166 --> 00:01:16,166 Her job would include benefits plus training and travel. 20 00:01:16,166 --> 00:01:17,800 It sounded too good to be true. 21 00:01:18,567 --> 00:01:19,700 It was. 22 00:01:19,767 --> 00:01:22,000 Almost as soon as Paula started, 23 00:01:22,066 --> 00:01:24,100 her family stopped hearing from her. 24 00:01:24,166 --> 00:01:27,100 Turns out her new boss was not who she thought he was. 25 00:01:27,166 --> 00:01:30,000 In reality, John Robinson was a con man, 26 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:30,166 In reality, John Robinson was a con man, 27 00:01:30,166 --> 00:01:35,200 with a penchant for rough sex that included bondage, discipline and sadomasochism, 28 00:01:35,867 --> 00:01:37,367 or BDSM. 29 00:01:37,367 --> 00:01:40,166 This is part one of the Slave Master. 30 00:01:56,400 --> 00:01:59,467 On January 9th, 1985, 31 00:01:59,467 --> 00:02:00,000 Lisa Stasi was staying in a motel in Kansas City. 32 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:02,700 Lisa Stasi was staying in a motel in Kansas City. 33 00:02:03,467 --> 00:02:05,867 Lisa was 19 at the time 34 00:02:05,867 --> 00:02:08,400 and had a daughter, Tiffany. 35 00:02:08,467 --> 00:02:11,967 Tiffany at the time was under six months of age. 36 00:02:14,100 --> 00:02:17,567 That night, Lisa calls her mother-in-law 37 00:02:17,567 --> 00:02:21,166 and is crying and very upset. 38 00:02:21,166 --> 00:02:25,567 And tells her mother-in-law, "Why are you trying to take my baby away?" 39 00:02:27,667 --> 00:02:30,000 And the mother-in-law says, "We're not trying to take the baby away." 40 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:31,100 And the mother-in-law says, "We're not trying to take the baby away." 41 00:02:33,600 --> 00:02:38,000 Lisa says, "They've made me sign four blank sheets of paper." 42 00:02:39,300 --> 00:02:40,767 Her mother-in-law said, 43 00:02:40,767 --> 00:02:43,867 "By no means, do not sign anything. 44 00:02:43,867 --> 00:02:46,166 No one's trying to take your baby away from you." 45 00:02:46,900 --> 00:02:49,100 And she heard extreme fear 46 00:02:49,100 --> 00:02:50,767 in her daughter-in-law's voice. 47 00:02:54,767 --> 00:02:56,100 And then Lisa says, 48 00:02:56,100 --> 00:02:58,467 "Here they come. I've gotta go." 49 00:03:00,467 --> 00:03:04,066 And that was the last anyone ever heard from Lisa. 50 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:18,367 [Tony] John Robinson had a... 51 00:03:18,367 --> 00:03:21,967 I think a very unique and interesting upbringing. 52 00:03:21,967 --> 00:03:24,600 Just seemed like a average kid. 53 00:03:26,300 --> 00:03:30,000 [Singular] Robinson was born in late 1943 in Cicero, Illinois. 54 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:31,166 [Singular] Robinson was born in late 1943 in Cicero, Illinois. 55 00:03:31,166 --> 00:03:34,166 He grew up in a neighborhood that was sort of renowned 56 00:03:34,166 --> 00:03:38,800 for criminal behavior because Al Capone had, uh, an office there, 57 00:03:38,867 --> 00:03:41,967 and there was a famous shoot-out in the neighborhood. 58 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:45,100 It was part of the local folklore really. 59 00:03:45,166 --> 00:03:47,467 So, Robinson would have absorbed some of that 60 00:03:47,467 --> 00:03:51,700 and maybe he thought that was something that might help you get ahead in life. 61 00:03:53,467 --> 00:03:56,100 He was the middle child of five. 62 00:03:56,166 --> 00:03:58,467 [Singular] His father worked as a machinist 63 00:03:58,467 --> 00:04:00,000 and was known as a drinker, 64 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:00,700 and was known as a drinker, 65 00:04:00,767 --> 00:04:03,900 sort of trudging off to work and trudging back. 66 00:04:03,967 --> 00:04:08,500 His mother was known as the disciplinarian in the family. 67 00:04:08,567 --> 00:04:11,200 According to Robinson, she was quite cold, 68 00:04:11,266 --> 00:04:13,867 uh, especially when meting out the discipline. 69 00:04:15,867 --> 00:04:20,166 [Joyce] John Robinson attended the Quigley Preparatory school. 70 00:04:20,166 --> 00:04:23,800 He wanted to attend seminary to become a priest early on. 71 00:04:23,867 --> 00:04:28,166 So, he was, in his youth, quite a straight arrow. 72 00:04:28,166 --> 00:04:30,000 [Joyce] John Robinson was in the Boy Scouts, became an Eagle Scout, 73 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:32,367 [Joyce] John Robinson was in the Boy Scouts, became an Eagle Scout, 74 00:04:32,367 --> 00:04:37,900 and that group travelled to London to perform in front of Queen Elizabeth and sing. 75 00:04:38,700 --> 00:04:41,266 And backstage, he met Judy Garland 76 00:04:41,266 --> 00:04:43,800 who was also there performing for the Queen. 77 00:04:43,867 --> 00:04:45,667 And he went up to Judy Garland and said, 78 00:04:45,667 --> 00:04:48,000 "We Americans got to stick together." 79 00:04:48,066 --> 00:04:50,867 At which point, she, surprisingly, gave him a kiss on the cheek 80 00:04:50,867 --> 00:04:52,000 and said, "You're right." 81 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:57,467 This was a very bold move for a 13-year-old. 82 00:04:57,467 --> 00:05:00,000 [Glatt] And later, the encounter was in the Chicago Tribune. 83 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:01,867 [Glatt] And later, the encounter was in the Chicago Tribune. 84 00:05:02,800 --> 00:05:04,967 I think it just showed that John Robinson 85 00:05:04,967 --> 00:05:08,467 was very personable and a very likable kid. 86 00:05:08,467 --> 00:05:13,100 He really had a way of relating to people and getting them to trust him. 87 00:05:15,867 --> 00:05:19,567 [Meier] Even in his childhood though, people said that he was a... 88 00:05:20,467 --> 00:05:21,767 a little bit of a con man. 89 00:05:22,667 --> 00:05:24,266 That he manipulated people, 90 00:05:24,266 --> 00:05:28,066 that he did a lot of different things to get what he wanted. 91 00:05:28,066 --> 00:05:30,000 [Douglass] I doubt whether anyone would absolutely believe 92 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:30,867 [Douglass] I doubt whether anyone would absolutely believe 93 00:05:30,867 --> 00:05:33,467 that, uh, another person could turn out to be 94 00:05:33,467 --> 00:05:36,166 the kind of person that John Robinson became. 95 00:05:39,500 --> 00:05:43,367 From the very beginning, much of what he did was a scam. 96 00:05:43,367 --> 00:05:47,266 And that scam was at first theft and forgeries, 97 00:05:48,300 --> 00:05:50,767 and later on it would take a human toll. 98 00:05:53,100 --> 00:05:57,767 [Haymes] In 1961, Robinson got a job as an X-ray technician. 99 00:05:57,767 --> 00:06:00,000 He created lot of diplomas that said he was qualified. 100 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:02,166 He created lot of diplomas that said he was qualified. 101 00:06:02,166 --> 00:06:06,200 But as far as I know, they're all bogus. 102 00:06:06,266 --> 00:06:12,700 Once he began working there, it was noticed that he really didn't know what he was doing. 103 00:06:12,767 --> 00:06:15,800 [Meier] He had none of the training or knowledge to do that. 104 00:06:15,867 --> 00:06:20,667 He started stealing from his employer so the job didn't last very long. 105 00:06:20,667 --> 00:06:23,767 [Glatt] This was just the first in a long line of future scams 106 00:06:23,767 --> 00:06:28,066 he would become involved with where he faked his credentials, 107 00:06:28,066 --> 00:06:30,000 got jobs he wasn't qualified for, 108 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:30,567 got jobs he wasn't qualified for, 109 00:06:30,567 --> 00:06:34,600 and milked the companies for various amounts of money. 110 00:06:34,667 --> 00:06:36,500 And more often than not, got away with it. 111 00:06:38,166 --> 00:06:42,266 In the '60s, one of Robinson's job was with Dr. Wallace Graham. 112 00:06:42,266 --> 00:06:46,867 [Singular] Who was the personal physician to President Harry Truman. 113 00:06:46,867 --> 00:06:50,000 [Haymes] Dr. Graham hired him as an office manager 114 00:06:50,000 --> 00:06:53,700 and very quickly money started disappearing. 115 00:06:53,767 --> 00:06:57,200 And it turned out that Robinson had embezzled 116 00:06:57,266 --> 00:07:00,000 a great deal of money from him, almost putting him out of business. 117 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:00,567 a great deal of money from him, almost putting him out of business. 118 00:07:01,700 --> 00:07:06,000 He embezzled at least $30,000 from him. 119 00:07:06,066 --> 00:07:10,200 He ended up being convicted for that embezzlement, 120 00:07:10,266 --> 00:07:13,266 and he was put on a probation. 121 00:07:13,266 --> 00:07:16,867 So, while he was already building this pattern of criminal behavior, 122 00:07:16,867 --> 00:07:18,200 he hadn't served any time. 123 00:07:19,400 --> 00:07:20,767 [Joyce] The more he got away with it, 124 00:07:20,767 --> 00:07:23,166 the more he learnt he could get away with crimes. 125 00:07:23,767 --> 00:07:25,567 And he wouldn't stop. 126 00:07:25,567 --> 00:07:30,000 And he sort of now evolved into creating these businesses of his own. 127 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:31,166 And he sort of now evolved into creating these businesses of his own. 128 00:07:31,166 --> 00:07:35,467 They were all sort of fronts for his criminal activities. 129 00:07:35,467 --> 00:07:40,266 [Joyce] In the late '70s, Robinson started a company called Hydro-Gro, 130 00:07:40,266 --> 00:07:43,100 which was a hydroponics company. 131 00:07:43,100 --> 00:07:46,200 Growing plants indoors under artificial lights. 132 00:07:46,266 --> 00:07:51,667 He included a pamphlet stating that he had a far-reaching imagination. 133 00:07:51,667 --> 00:07:58,300 In 1977, there was a, uh, banquet to honor the "Man of the Year" 134 00:07:58,967 --> 00:08:00,000 in Kansas City. 135 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:00,467 in Kansas City. 136 00:08:00,467 --> 00:08:03,600 And it was covered by the local media including 137 00:08:03,667 --> 00:08:06,100 our newspaper The Kansas City Star. 138 00:08:06,166 --> 00:08:12,467 And the mayor proclaimed Robinson as "Man of the Year." 139 00:08:12,467 --> 00:08:16,867 For his... philanthropic efforts, I guess. 140 00:08:18,500 --> 00:08:20,400 As it turns out, it was a fake. 141 00:08:20,467 --> 00:08:23,367 It was just some phony thing that he concocted 142 00:08:23,367 --> 00:08:26,367 and bamboozled everybody, including the media. 143 00:08:27,767 --> 00:08:29,800 [Singular] He had created a plaque for himself. 144 00:08:29,867 --> 00:08:30,000 He had created an event for himself. 145 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:31,967 He had created an event for himself. 146 00:08:32,867 --> 00:08:34,166 And when they found out about it, 147 00:08:34,166 --> 00:08:36,300 everybody was pretty mortified. 148 00:08:38,767 --> 00:08:44,767 He was kind of the archetypal small-time chiseler. 149 00:08:44,767 --> 00:08:49,300 Most white-collar criminals do not evolve into violent criminals. 150 00:08:49,367 --> 00:08:51,367 But his case is very different from that. 151 00:08:52,500 --> 00:08:56,800 By the '80s, he was evolving into something else. 152 00:08:57,967 --> 00:09:00,000 Up through 1984, 153 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:00,367 Up through 1984, 154 00:09:00,367 --> 00:09:04,500 Robinson was really viewed as a con man. 155 00:09:04,567 --> 00:09:09,266 And con men don't usually hurt anyone 156 00:09:09,266 --> 00:09:13,200 because they're smart enough to know that if you actually hurt someone, 157 00:09:13,266 --> 00:09:15,000 the penalty is gonna be enhanced. 158 00:09:15,066 --> 00:09:17,467 Which made it more surprising when we found out 159 00:09:17,467 --> 00:09:19,200 that he was also a serial killer. 160 00:09:32,500 --> 00:09:35,900 [Joyce] In the early '80s, Robinson started yet another company 161 00:09:35,967 --> 00:09:37,400 called Equi-II 162 00:09:37,467 --> 00:09:39,667 which was a consulting company. 163 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:43,367 What he was actually consulting, we don't really know. 164 00:09:44,600 --> 00:09:47,100 Equi-II was what we would consider 165 00:09:47,100 --> 00:09:49,667 a-- just a sham job. 166 00:09:49,667 --> 00:09:54,400 He just used it as a front to meet women. 167 00:09:54,467 --> 00:09:56,232 [Joyce] It was at this time that he hired a young woman by the name of Paula Godfrey 168 00:09:56,232 --> 00:09:58,967 [Joyce] It was at this time that he hired a young woman by the name of Paula Godfrey 169 00:09:58,967 --> 00:10:01,300 to work as a secretary for him. 170 00:10:01,367 --> 00:10:05,266 [Tony] Paula had just graduated high school, honors student, 171 00:10:05,266 --> 00:10:07,500 she enjoyed figure skating. 172 00:10:07,567 --> 00:10:09,266 By all accounts a good kid. 173 00:10:11,166 --> 00:10:17,500 [Meier] Whether he hired her to help in his business is really debatable. 174 00:10:19,200 --> 00:10:25,300 It never appears that she ever really did any work for him. 175 00:10:25,367 --> 00:10:26,232 [Rick] They had a fabulous package of benefits, 176 00:10:26,232 --> 00:10:29,300 [Rick] They had a fabulous package of benefits, 177 00:10:29,367 --> 00:10:32,300 financial and you were gonna travel the world. 178 00:10:32,367 --> 00:10:36,166 And this looked like the golden opportunity. 179 00:10:36,166 --> 00:10:40,600 The last we heard about Paula, she called her grandmother 180 00:10:40,667 --> 00:10:44,100 and informed her that she was going to San Antonio 181 00:10:44,100 --> 00:10:47,500 for business and she was going to train down there. 182 00:10:50,667 --> 00:10:55,567 [Haymes] And late in the summer of '84, Paula Godfrey went missing. 183 00:10:55,567 --> 00:10:56,232 [Singular] Her parents were obviously concerned. 184 00:10:56,232 --> 00:10:58,266 [Singular] Her parents were obviously concerned. 185 00:10:58,266 --> 00:11:01,100 They made a missing persons report 186 00:11:01,100 --> 00:11:03,567 to the Overland Park Police Department. 187 00:11:05,567 --> 00:11:09,200 But soon after, the family receives a letter 188 00:11:09,266 --> 00:11:12,200 that is allegedly from Paula. 189 00:11:13,900 --> 00:11:18,266 And in the letter she says, "Hey, I'm travelling, life is good. 190 00:11:18,266 --> 00:11:21,367 John Robinson's a wonderful person. 191 00:11:21,367 --> 00:11:24,000 He's helped me start a new life. 192 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:26,232 And I'm fine. I'm just happy as can be." 193 00:11:26,232 --> 00:11:27,000 And I'm fine. I'm just happy as can be." 194 00:11:29,066 --> 00:11:33,367 This is to become a theme that's repeated over and over. 195 00:11:33,367 --> 00:11:35,467 [Douglass] Based on the fact that letters showed up 196 00:11:35,467 --> 00:11:38,100 indicating that she was somewhere else, 197 00:11:38,100 --> 00:11:41,300 it became more of a person who may have just left, 198 00:11:41,367 --> 00:11:43,500 which is not all that uncommon. 199 00:11:43,567 --> 00:11:46,166 [Singular] The investigation never really developed. 200 00:11:46,166 --> 00:11:48,567 [Paul] She's one of several women that 201 00:11:48,567 --> 00:11:51,166 nobody really knows what happened to 'em. 202 00:11:51,166 --> 00:11:52,166 And we'll probably never really know 203 00:11:52,166 --> 00:11:53,300 what happened to 'em. 204 00:11:55,600 --> 00:11:56,232 Robinson was very adept at manipulating people. 205 00:11:56,232 --> 00:12:00,567 Robinson was very adept at manipulating people. 206 00:12:00,567 --> 00:12:02,233 [Barbara] He looked like a family man. 207 00:12:02,266 --> 00:12:07,800 He dressed like the guy next door that you see pushing the lawn mower. 208 00:12:07,867 --> 00:12:11,400 He didn't dress like a guy that was out looking for girls. 209 00:12:11,467 --> 00:12:14,166 He didn't look scary, like someone you had to be careful of. 210 00:12:14,867 --> 00:12:17,567 He did all these monstrous things 211 00:12:17,567 --> 00:12:22,100 but he looks like, you know, Joe Schmoe next door. 212 00:12:24,266 --> 00:12:26,232 [Meier] In 1964, Robinson met his wife Nancy. 213 00:12:26,232 --> 00:12:27,467 [Meier] In 1964, Robinson met his wife Nancy. 214 00:12:28,667 --> 00:12:31,467 And she became pregnant. 215 00:12:31,467 --> 00:12:33,400 They ended up getting married. 216 00:12:33,467 --> 00:12:34,767 They had four kids. 217 00:12:36,567 --> 00:12:39,367 [Tony] In the late '70s, they moved to Olathe, 218 00:12:39,367 --> 00:12:42,700 which is, uh, a suburb of Kansas City, 219 00:12:42,767 --> 00:12:48,367 probably, I don't know, 20-mile drive or so from downtown Kansas City. 220 00:12:48,367 --> 00:12:52,000 [Rick] It was a upper scale suburban neighborhood. 221 00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:54,967 Ironically, he had a reputation in the community 222 00:12:54,967 --> 00:12:56,232 of being somewhat of a family man. 223 00:12:56,232 --> 00:12:56,767 of being somewhat of a family man. 224 00:12:58,467 --> 00:13:01,867 [Meier] He appeared to be a caring, loving father, 225 00:13:01,867 --> 00:13:04,467 he was involved in his kids' activities, 226 00:13:04,467 --> 00:13:07,467 he was involved in his church. 227 00:13:07,467 --> 00:13:12,300 [Glatt] He took great pride at Christmas as being the neighborhood Santa Claus. 228 00:13:12,367 --> 00:13:16,266 There are even pictures of him online in the Santa Claus costume. 229 00:13:17,767 --> 00:13:20,100 And everybody thought he was such a nice guy. 230 00:13:22,266 --> 00:13:26,232 [Singular] He did a lot of things to make himself look respectable. 231 00:13:26,232 --> 00:13:26,266 [Singular] He did a lot of things to make himself look respectable. 232 00:13:26,266 --> 00:13:30,200 But he didn't call that much attention to himself. 233 00:13:30,266 --> 00:13:33,767 [Tony] I think part of the reason why he got away with what he did for so long 234 00:13:33,767 --> 00:13:39,600 because he was able to create this veneer of a normal person. 235 00:13:39,667 --> 00:13:43,000 [Haymes] And unfortunately nothing could be further from the truth. 236 00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:44,667 [Paul] He was able to compartmentalize 237 00:13:44,667 --> 00:13:46,166 that kind of criminal activity, 238 00:13:46,166 --> 00:13:49,200 that kind of horror that he's inflicting on so many people, 239 00:13:49,266 --> 00:13:52,100 at the end of the day, go home and bounce a baby on his knee. 240 00:13:56,266 --> 00:14:01,467 [Haymes] One thing that came up over and over again was John Robinson's contact 241 00:14:01,467 --> 00:14:05,400 with women other than his wife. 242 00:14:05,467 --> 00:14:10,400 [Glatt] He gave the outward appearance of being a devoted family man, a father, 243 00:14:10,467 --> 00:14:14,100 but he would have many affairs with different women. 244 00:14:14,100 --> 00:14:18,600 [Haymes] There was always a string of girlfriends on the side. 245 00:14:18,667 --> 00:14:24,100 Sexual activity was a major part of Robinson's lifestyle. 246 00:14:27,467 --> 00:14:30,000 A area of interest 247 00:14:30,066 --> 00:14:36,266 that he took on was the BDSM lifestyle. 248 00:14:36,266 --> 00:14:43,166 BDSM is bondage, discipline and sadomasochism in consensual relations. 249 00:14:44,667 --> 00:14:49,166 Robinson referred to himself as a Master. 250 00:14:49,166 --> 00:14:54,767 That's a person who has dominance over women. 251 00:14:54,767 --> 00:14:56,232 [Paul] The Master is somebody who is the domineering figure in the relationship that 252 00:14:56,232 --> 00:15:00,467 [Paul] The Master is somebody who is the domineering figure in the relationship that 253 00:15:00,467 --> 00:15:02,000 tells you what to do, when to do it, 254 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:05,266 what sexually to do, all that kind of stuff. 255 00:15:05,266 --> 00:15:11,000 And he was able to find women that were into that lifestyle. 256 00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:14,166 [Singular] There were clubs in Kansas City where you could engage in 257 00:15:14,166 --> 00:15:16,500 those kinds of activities if you wanted to. 258 00:15:18,367 --> 00:15:20,800 He was a man who was 5'9". 259 00:15:21,500 --> 00:15:23,166 He was pudgy. 260 00:15:23,166 --> 00:15:26,232 He was not a great physical presence. 261 00:15:26,232 --> 00:15:27,100 He was not a great physical presence. 262 00:15:27,100 --> 00:15:33,367 But this notion of being this ultramasculine, dominant male, 263 00:15:33,367 --> 00:15:36,667 you know, clearly appealed to his psyche. 264 00:15:36,667 --> 00:15:40,100 He was drifting further and further into not only 265 00:15:40,100 --> 00:15:44,000 small financial scams and murder, 266 00:15:44,066 --> 00:15:49,967 but these adventures into these darker realms of the sexual underground. 267 00:15:51,367 --> 00:15:56,232 During the day, he would be out doing his thing, scam type things, 268 00:15:56,232 --> 00:15:57,100 During the day, he would be out doing his thing, scam type things, 269 00:15:57,166 --> 00:16:01,166 BDSM activities, hooking up with all these women. 270 00:16:01,166 --> 00:16:05,266 At night, he would go home, usually about five o'clock, 271 00:16:05,266 --> 00:16:06,567 and be home the rest of the evening. 272 00:16:08,166 --> 00:16:11,100 [Rick] We referred to him as John Walton 273 00:16:11,100 --> 00:16:15,000 when he wasn't involved with his other activities. 274 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:17,667 He was always there with Nancy at supper. 275 00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:22,567 [Singular] One of the unusual aspects of it 276 00:16:22,567 --> 00:16:26,232 is that neither he nor his wife, who knew about some of these affairs, 277 00:16:26,232 --> 00:16:27,467 is that neither he nor his wife, who knew about some of these affairs, 278 00:16:27,467 --> 00:16:30,700 seemed to have any interest in getting divorced. 279 00:16:30,767 --> 00:16:36,900 Robinson sort of needed that-- that stability in this part of his life 280 00:16:36,967 --> 00:16:40,200 to be really aberrant in another part of his life. 281 00:16:52,467 --> 00:16:57,700 [Paul] Sheila and Debbie Faith were a mother and daughter that lived in Colorado. 282 00:16:58,567 --> 00:17:00,767 Sheila Faith was a middle-aged woman. 283 00:17:00,767 --> 00:17:02,000 Her daughter, Debbie, 284 00:17:02,066 --> 00:17:04,500 was disabled and wheelchair-bound. 285 00:17:06,100 --> 00:17:08,767 In 1994, 286 00:17:08,767 --> 00:17:12,166 Robinson meets Sheila. 287 00:17:12,166 --> 00:17:16,000 He tells her, you know, great things about himself, 288 00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:17,548 and what a businessman he is. 289 00:17:17,548 --> 00:17:17,667 and what a businessman he is. 290 00:17:19,367 --> 00:17:22,367 He portrayed himself pretty much always the same way. 291 00:17:22,367 --> 00:17:26,467 The gentleman farmer, he's wealthy, he owns a lot of businesses. 292 00:17:28,367 --> 00:17:30,367 He would often times use the picture of him 293 00:17:30,367 --> 00:17:33,467 standing in that field with his foot up on a stump, 294 00:17:33,467 --> 00:17:36,900 talking about all this property he owned and how wealthy he was and... 295 00:17:37,567 --> 00:17:40,400 Just a super nice guy. 296 00:17:40,467 --> 00:17:43,967 [Tony] And Robinson offered Sheila the chance to come 297 00:17:44,867 --> 00:17:46,700 to the Kansas City area and 298 00:17:46,767 --> 00:17:47,548 that he would take care of her and her daughter. 299 00:17:47,548 --> 00:17:50,000 that he would take care of her and her daughter. 300 00:17:53,467 --> 00:17:56,000 [Singular] What he was extremely good at, of course, 301 00:17:56,066 --> 00:17:59,567 was finding the vulnerabilities in people, zeroing in on them, 302 00:18:00,800 --> 00:18:01,767 exploiting them and getting them 303 00:18:01,767 --> 00:18:04,100 to do what he wanted to do. 304 00:18:04,166 --> 00:18:07,266 [Rick] He would promise everything and anything 305 00:18:07,266 --> 00:18:11,000 depending on what the needs were of his victims. 306 00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:15,066 [Joyce] Sheila had told her friends that she had met her dream man, 307 00:18:15,066 --> 00:18:17,548 that he was gonna take them on an extended cruise. 308 00:18:17,548 --> 00:18:18,266 that he was gonna take them on an extended cruise. 309 00:18:18,266 --> 00:18:20,900 She was very excited about going to Kansas City. 310 00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:31,367 [Tony] He actually drove all night to Pueblo, Colorado and picked them up 311 00:18:31,367 --> 00:18:33,000 and brought them back with him. 312 00:18:36,667 --> 00:18:40,066 [Rick] The only thing we know about Sheila and Debbie Faith 313 00:18:40,066 --> 00:18:43,467 is they arrived in Kansas City area 314 00:18:44,500 --> 00:18:46,000 and were never seen again. 315 00:18:47,667 --> 00:18:51,266 John Robinson dodged some suspicion because 316 00:18:51,266 --> 00:18:54,100 Sheila and Debbie Faith were never reported missing. 317 00:18:56,667 --> 00:19:01,500 [Paul] We always suspected that was more than anything else a money scam for him. 318 00:19:01,567 --> 00:19:06,200 They received Social Security disability benefits from the federal government. 319 00:19:08,200 --> 00:19:14,467 He continues to collect their benefits for many years after that. 320 00:19:14,467 --> 00:19:17,166 [Joyce] He would collect on their Social Security checks 321 00:19:17,166 --> 00:19:17,548 in the amount of $80,000. 322 00:19:17,548 --> 00:19:20,367 in the amount of $80,000. 323 00:19:20,367 --> 00:19:27,066 He almost had a constant stream of incomes from people he'd scammed or killed. 324 00:19:28,066 --> 00:19:31,367 This guy would do anything for a buck. 325 00:19:31,367 --> 00:19:38,100 And he doesn't care who he hurts or what kind of position they are in in life. 326 00:19:38,166 --> 00:19:40,667 If it benefits him, it's a good deal. 327 00:19:42,700 --> 00:19:47,166 [Haymes] I think Robinson was able to get away with his crimes 328 00:19:47,166 --> 00:19:47,548 because he picked victims that didn't have a lot going for them 329 00:19:47,548 --> 00:19:52,967 because he picked victims that didn't have a lot going for them 330 00:19:52,967 --> 00:19:56,066 and would have less people looking for them. 331 00:19:56,066 --> 00:20:00,200 He had a tendency to find women at their lowest point. 332 00:20:00,266 --> 00:20:04,300 Every single one of them had a marked vulnerability. 333 00:20:04,367 --> 00:20:07,667 And he knew it, and he found it, and he seized upon it. 334 00:20:08,567 --> 00:20:10,200 They didn't all look the same, 335 00:20:10,266 --> 00:20:12,500 they weren't all the same scam, 336 00:20:12,567 --> 00:20:16,166 but that was the one thing he knew how to do. 337 00:20:16,166 --> 00:20:17,548 To find vulnerability and exploit it. 338 00:20:17,548 --> 00:20:19,367 To find vulnerability and exploit it. 339 00:20:19,367 --> 00:20:22,600 [Paul] Here comes their knight in shining armor or so they think, 340 00:20:22,667 --> 00:20:24,667 he'll use them for a while and then... 341 00:20:25,667 --> 00:20:26,567 kill 'em. 342 00:20:40,667 --> 00:20:43,800 Welcome back to Very Scary People. 343 00:20:43,867 --> 00:20:47,600 John Robinson found some victims by posting fake jobs. 344 00:20:47,667 --> 00:20:52,100 Others by luring them with promises of love and financial support. 345 00:20:52,166 --> 00:20:54,400 In 1984, he set his sights 346 00:20:54,467 --> 00:20:58,166 on a new and especially vulnerable group of potential victims. 347 00:20:58,166 --> 00:21:00,066 Young, unwed mothers. 348 00:21:03,867 --> 00:21:08,500 [Haymes] In December of 1984, I was District Supervisor 349 00:21:08,567 --> 00:21:11,000 for the Missouri Board of Probation and Parole... 350 00:21:11,066 --> 00:21:13,467 [phone ringing] 351 00:21:13,467 --> 00:21:15,700 [Haymes] ...and I got a call 352 00:21:15,767 --> 00:21:19,300 from an organization known as Birthright. 353 00:21:19,367 --> 00:21:22,000 And, uh, Birthright was a program 354 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:24,867 that tried to help young girls who were pregnant 355 00:21:24,867 --> 00:21:27,000 find a way to keep the baby. 356 00:21:28,166 --> 00:21:31,800 They told me that they had been contacted by Robinson 357 00:21:31,867 --> 00:21:33,273 who wanted to know if they had any young girls that needed help. 358 00:21:33,273 --> 00:21:36,066 who wanted to know if they had any young girls that needed help. 359 00:21:37,066 --> 00:21:38,667 He started an organization 360 00:21:38,667 --> 00:21:40,266 called Kansas City Outreach 361 00:21:40,266 --> 00:21:46,867 that supposedly was charity to help young women, single mothers 362 00:21:46,867 --> 00:21:50,000 who needed a leg up in the world. 363 00:21:50,066 --> 00:21:53,166 [Singular] John Robinson and his scams would gravitate 364 00:21:53,166 --> 00:21:56,567 toward fields that looked very benevolent. 365 00:21:56,567 --> 00:22:00,900 Other serial killers have done these same kinds of things. 366 00:22:00,967 --> 00:22:03,273 Ted Bundy, for example, worked in a suicide hotline. 367 00:22:03,273 --> 00:22:04,467 Ted Bundy, for example, worked in a suicide hotline. 368 00:22:04,467 --> 00:22:07,600 Dennis Rader, the BTK serial killer, 369 00:22:07,667 --> 00:22:09,700 was a president of his church. 370 00:22:11,100 --> 00:22:14,867 [Rick] Robinson was going to different hospitals 371 00:22:14,867 --> 00:22:18,266 and trying to get them to sign on 372 00:22:18,266 --> 00:22:20,367 to this outreach program 373 00:22:20,367 --> 00:22:22,266 for unwed mothers 374 00:22:22,266 --> 00:22:26,100 that he would put up in apartments and take care of. 375 00:22:28,266 --> 00:22:30,567 [Haymes] After receiving the call, I began 376 00:22:30,567 --> 00:22:32,066 looking into his background. 377 00:22:34,400 --> 00:22:38,567 I was immediately convinced that he was up to no good. 378 00:22:39,767 --> 00:22:41,567 One of my early thoughts 379 00:22:41,567 --> 00:22:46,100 when I learned that he was seeking out young women with babies 380 00:22:46,100 --> 00:22:49,300 was that he potentially was 381 00:22:49,867 --> 00:22:54,367 going to sell the baby. 382 00:22:54,367 --> 00:23:00,467 And possibly use the mother to sell into white slavery. 383 00:23:00,467 --> 00:23:03,273 I had contacted the FBI to see if they were aware 384 00:23:03,273 --> 00:23:04,467 I had contacted the FBI to see if they were aware 385 00:23:04,467 --> 00:23:08,867 of any baby selling operations in the Kansas City area, 386 00:23:08,867 --> 00:23:10,600 and they were not. 387 00:23:10,667 --> 00:23:14,100 [Singular] Stephen Haymes is a very interesting 388 00:23:14,100 --> 00:23:17,467 and important part of the story in many ways 389 00:23:17,467 --> 00:23:20,867 because he was the first person in law enforcement 390 00:23:20,867 --> 00:23:23,667 that the red flags sort of went out. 391 00:23:23,667 --> 00:23:26,500 Stephen Haymes knew instinctively 392 00:23:26,567 --> 00:23:28,967 that something about Robinson was wrong, 393 00:23:28,967 --> 00:23:30,300 something was dangerous. 394 00:23:31,500 --> 00:23:33,273 I'm still not 395 00:23:33,273 --> 00:23:33,600 I'm still not 396 00:23:33,667 --> 00:23:36,767 thinking that-- that he's a murderer at that point, 397 00:23:36,767 --> 00:23:38,700 at least with his own hand. 398 00:23:46,300 --> 00:23:48,800 [Douglass] Lisa Stasi was the next individual 399 00:23:48,867 --> 00:23:51,100 encountered by John Robinson. 400 00:23:51,867 --> 00:23:53,367 Lisa married a man 401 00:23:53,367 --> 00:23:57,367 and together, they had a baby, Tiffany. 402 00:23:57,367 --> 00:24:00,800 The marriage was rocky, did not work out. 403 00:24:00,867 --> 00:24:03,273 They separated and, uh, her husband 404 00:24:03,273 --> 00:24:04,066 They separated and, uh, her husband 405 00:24:04,066 --> 00:24:07,467 re-enlisted in the military and-- and left. 406 00:24:07,467 --> 00:24:11,000 She, uh, made contact with a hospital, 407 00:24:11,066 --> 00:24:15,200 and when they learned about the Kansas City Outreach Program, 408 00:24:15,266 --> 00:24:18,867 thought it was a perfect program for Lisa. 409 00:24:19,500 --> 00:24:21,000 It seemed like a legitimate 410 00:24:21,066 --> 00:24:22,700 outreach organization. 411 00:24:22,767 --> 00:24:26,667 Lisa was promised a job, education, 412 00:24:26,667 --> 00:24:28,367 and she thought she would be providing 413 00:24:28,367 --> 00:24:31,367 a better life for her and her young daughter. 414 00:24:31,367 --> 00:24:33,273 He put her up in a hotel in Overland Park, 415 00:24:33,273 --> 00:24:33,667 He put her up in a hotel in Overland Park, 416 00:24:33,667 --> 00:24:37,367 told her that he was gonna help her start a new life. 417 00:24:43,500 --> 00:24:47,867 [Joyce] On January 9, 1985, Lisa went to visit 418 00:24:47,867 --> 00:24:50,266 her sister-in-law, Kathy Klinginsmith. 419 00:24:51,567 --> 00:24:55,400 And it was a very, very vicious snowstorm going on. 420 00:24:57,867 --> 00:25:00,900 [Meier] While she was there, Robinson went back 421 00:25:00,967 --> 00:25:03,273 to the hotel, found out that she was not there. 422 00:25:03,273 --> 00:25:03,667 to the hotel, found out that she was not there. 423 00:25:06,100 --> 00:25:09,400 [Haymes] And in the middle of a horrible snowstorm, 424 00:25:09,467 --> 00:25:13,100 Robinson shows up at the sister-in-law's home 425 00:25:13,166 --> 00:25:18,567 and is upset that Lisa had left the motel. 426 00:25:18,567 --> 00:25:23,266 He demanded that she and the baby, Tiffany, 427 00:25:23,266 --> 00:25:26,200 leave with him immediately. 428 00:25:26,266 --> 00:25:28,667 Kathy Klinginsmith would later say in court 429 00:25:28,667 --> 00:25:32,967 that she saw pure evil in his eyes that day. 430 00:25:32,967 --> 00:25:33,273 [Haymes] So he collects Lisa and Tiffany 431 00:25:33,273 --> 00:25:36,567 [Haymes] So he collects Lisa and Tiffany 432 00:25:36,567 --> 00:25:38,600 leaving behind her car, 433 00:25:38,667 --> 00:25:40,700 baby food, diapers, 434 00:25:40,767 --> 00:25:42,767 and whisked them away. 435 00:25:43,800 --> 00:25:44,767 [phone ringing] 436 00:25:45,767 --> 00:25:47,467 [Glatt] A short time later, 437 00:25:47,467 --> 00:25:50,000 Lisa makes that call to her mother-in-law 438 00:25:50,000 --> 00:25:51,900 about people wanting to take her baby. 439 00:25:53,300 --> 00:25:55,467 [Haymes] That last conversation, you know, 440 00:25:55,467 --> 00:25:58,500 "They've made me sign four blank sheets of paper." 441 00:26:00,467 --> 00:26:02,367 [Meier] Lisa Stasi was never seen again. 442 00:26:08,800 --> 00:26:12,000 [Haymes] After Lisa goes missing, 443 00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:14,066 the mother-in-law receives a letter. 444 00:26:14,567 --> 00:26:16,000 It's typed. 445 00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:19,700 Lisa's brother also receives a similar letter, 446 00:26:20,400 --> 00:26:22,567 as does a shelter. 447 00:26:23,500 --> 00:26:26,500 There were three letters that were sent 448 00:26:26,567 --> 00:26:28,567 and all three were very generic. 449 00:26:29,700 --> 00:26:33,100 One of the letters from Lisa said, 450 00:26:33,166 --> 00:26:33,273 "Thank you for all your help. I do really appreciate it. 451 00:26:33,273 --> 00:26:37,166 "Thank you for all your help. I do really appreciate it. 452 00:26:37,166 --> 00:26:38,967 I've decided to leave Kansas City 453 00:26:38,967 --> 00:26:41,467 and try to make a new life for myself and Tiffany. 454 00:26:43,066 --> 00:26:44,967 She deserves a real mother 455 00:26:44,967 --> 00:26:46,667 who works and takes care of her." 456 00:26:49,166 --> 00:26:52,400 At the bottom, it was signed Lisa Elledge Stasi. 457 00:26:55,266 --> 00:26:57,700 [Rick] Their family really didn't buy into it 458 00:26:57,767 --> 00:26:59,900 because the letters were so generic. 459 00:27:00,567 --> 00:27:02,400 It didn't sound like her 460 00:27:02,467 --> 00:27:03,273 and you don't sign your official name 461 00:27:03,273 --> 00:27:06,200 and you don't sign your official name 462 00:27:06,266 --> 00:27:09,200 including your middle name to your family members. 463 00:27:11,467 --> 00:27:14,900 [Singular] The Overland Park police department was contacted 464 00:27:14,967 --> 00:27:17,166 about her disappearance. 465 00:27:17,166 --> 00:27:22,467 But again, there wasn't enough to really launch an investigation. 466 00:27:22,467 --> 00:27:26,066 [Douglass] At this point, there was no sign of foul play. 467 00:27:26,066 --> 00:27:28,700 So like many cases of a disappearing person 468 00:27:28,767 --> 00:27:32,066 with some reason to believe that they simply left on their own, 469 00:27:32,066 --> 00:27:33,273 the case went no further. 470 00:27:33,273 --> 00:27:34,266 the case went no further. 471 00:27:40,467 --> 00:27:44,066 [Haymes] On January 10 of 1985, 472 00:27:44,066 --> 00:27:46,266 I decided I had enough 473 00:27:46,266 --> 00:27:49,100 information looking into his background 474 00:27:49,166 --> 00:27:52,100 that I wanted to confront him directly 475 00:27:52,166 --> 00:27:55,166 about what was going on. At that point, 476 00:27:55,166 --> 00:27:58,967 I still don't know about Lisa and Tiffany. 477 00:27:58,967 --> 00:28:02,100 Ironically, the letter I sent on January 10 478 00:28:02,100 --> 00:28:03,273 is also the same day that Lisa Stasi 479 00:28:03,273 --> 00:28:05,600 is also the same day that Lisa Stasi 480 00:28:05,667 --> 00:28:08,667 and baby Tiffany were last seen. 481 00:28:09,967 --> 00:28:13,266 I've often wondered if I would have 482 00:28:13,266 --> 00:28:16,367 made my direct contact with him, 483 00:28:16,367 --> 00:28:18,800 you know, a week or two earlier, 484 00:28:18,867 --> 00:28:20,567 maybe she wouldn't have gone missing. 485 00:28:20,567 --> 00:28:24,600 I mean, those are the sort of, uh, regrets that you always have. 486 00:28:29,166 --> 00:28:30,700 [Paul] There was a common thread with all these women. 487 00:28:32,367 --> 00:28:33,273 The last time anybody had seen 'em, 488 00:28:33,273 --> 00:28:34,767 The last time anybody had seen 'em, 489 00:28:34,767 --> 00:28:38,000 they all become involved with John Robinson. 490 00:28:38,000 --> 00:28:41,000 None of 'em ever been seen again after that involvement. 491 00:28:41,066 --> 00:28:44,367 There was no activity, no credit card activity, 492 00:28:44,367 --> 00:28:47,000 no phone activity, nothing from any of these women. 493 00:28:47,000 --> 00:28:51,667 Most of the cases, as soon as John Robinson was contacted, 494 00:28:51,667 --> 00:28:55,166 by either a family member or the police, 495 00:28:55,166 --> 00:28:58,567 then what I would call a cover-up started. 496 00:28:58,567 --> 00:29:00,266 [Paul] He had a very similar pattern 497 00:29:00,266 --> 00:29:03,273 for most of his victims. He would get these ladies 498 00:29:03,273 --> 00:29:04,867 for most of his victims. He would get these ladies 499 00:29:04,867 --> 00:29:08,166 convinced that he was getting ready to take 'em on a trip. 500 00:29:08,166 --> 00:29:10,800 And he would say to them, "You know, you're gonna be 501 00:29:10,867 --> 00:29:13,567 traveling all the time. You're gonna wanna contact your relatives. 502 00:29:13,567 --> 00:29:17,266 So why don't you pre-write some letters right now? 503 00:29:18,100 --> 00:29:20,667 And the ones that you don't pre-write, 504 00:29:20,667 --> 00:29:23,266 would you sign your signature to the bottom of these 505 00:29:23,266 --> 00:29:24,867 pages of stationery?" 506 00:29:27,367 --> 00:29:31,400 So he could mail 'em while they're traveling the world. 507 00:29:31,467 --> 00:29:33,273 [Singular] It was a good way of keeping families 508 00:29:33,273 --> 00:29:35,066 [Singular] It was a good way of keeping families 509 00:29:35,066 --> 00:29:37,500 and law enforcement at bay. 510 00:29:37,567 --> 00:29:39,600 And he used it over and over again in the future. 511 00:29:40,900 --> 00:29:44,000 [Paul] He was very adapt at doing things 512 00:29:44,000 --> 00:29:45,500 to throw off an investigation. 513 00:29:57,867 --> 00:30:00,667 Steve Haymes was feeling uneasy 514 00:30:00,667 --> 00:30:03,867 about Robinson and these missing women. 515 00:30:05,100 --> 00:30:07,800 [Joyce] Stephen Haymes sent a letter to Robinson 516 00:30:07,867 --> 00:30:09,667 saying he wanted to come in 517 00:30:09,667 --> 00:30:12,300 to his office to meet with him. 518 00:30:12,367 --> 00:30:16,300 [Haymes] Robinson shows up at my office on the 24th. 519 00:30:16,367 --> 00:30:20,166 Here's this, uh, rather ordinary looking man. 520 00:30:20,166 --> 00:30:22,832 Very business man looking. He's... 521 00:30:22,832 --> 00:30:23,800 Very business man looking. He's... 522 00:30:25,500 --> 00:30:27,767 not a dangerous looking person at all. 523 00:30:27,767 --> 00:30:30,300 Not a dangerous acting person. 524 00:30:30,367 --> 00:30:34,100 He's got a smile on his face and you can tell 525 00:30:34,166 --> 00:30:39,000 he's-- he's just trying to lure you in to his con. 526 00:30:40,500 --> 00:30:42,867 Robinson wants to know what's going on. 527 00:30:42,867 --> 00:30:47,166 I talk to him about the birthright situation. 528 00:30:47,166 --> 00:30:50,400 They had been contacted by Robinson. 529 00:30:50,467 --> 00:30:52,832 Wanted to know if they had any young girls that needed help. 530 00:30:52,832 --> 00:30:54,667 Wanted to know if they had any young girls that needed help. 531 00:30:55,700 --> 00:30:58,200 And he says, "Oh, yeah, that's-- that's true. 532 00:30:58,266 --> 00:31:01,000 You know, we are a group of businessmen. 533 00:31:01,000 --> 00:31:03,300 We just wanted to give back to the community." 534 00:31:03,367 --> 00:31:05,667 I'm telling him this doesn't make any sense. 535 00:31:05,667 --> 00:31:08,567 Are you incorporated? You know, is it not for profit? 536 00:31:08,567 --> 00:31:10,567 "Well, no, we haven't done that. 537 00:31:10,567 --> 00:31:13,100 I've got an attorney that's working on that." 538 00:31:14,100 --> 00:31:16,166 One of the interesting things about Robinson 539 00:31:16,166 --> 00:31:18,900 is, is that, you know, he never admits defeat. 540 00:31:18,967 --> 00:31:21,367 You can never back him into the corner, 541 00:31:21,367 --> 00:31:22,832 and he'll say, "Oh, okay, you got me." 542 00:31:22,832 --> 00:31:24,300 and he'll say, "Oh, okay, you got me." 543 00:31:24,367 --> 00:31:27,567 [Paul] John Robinson lied as a lifestyle. 544 00:31:27,567 --> 00:31:29,100 He was one of those people who's just gonna tell you 545 00:31:29,100 --> 00:31:30,233 lies to tell you the truth. 546 00:31:30,233 --> 00:31:31,900 Even if it was easier to tell you the truth. 547 00:31:32,600 --> 00:31:33,867 It's almost a pathological 548 00:31:33,867 --> 00:31:34,767 thing with him. 549 00:31:34,767 --> 00:31:36,066 [Haymes] When you confront him 550 00:31:36,066 --> 00:31:39,667 with the facts that-- that show that he's lying, 551 00:31:39,667 --> 00:31:42,266 he says, "Oh, well, you know, that's just partially true." 552 00:31:42,266 --> 00:31:46,567 And then immediately spins a new yarn about 553 00:31:46,567 --> 00:31:48,300 how, you know, "This is really what happened," 554 00:31:48,367 --> 00:31:50,266 which requires that you go back 555 00:31:50,266 --> 00:31:51,967 and reinvestigate everything. 556 00:31:52,967 --> 00:31:55,667 So it was very frustrating. 557 00:31:55,667 --> 00:31:58,367 Nothing is easy with John Robinson. 558 00:31:59,467 --> 00:32:01,600 [Meier] Haymes was not comfortable 559 00:32:01,667 --> 00:32:04,600 with the answers that Robinson was giving him. 560 00:32:04,667 --> 00:32:07,000 As such felt it was necessary 561 00:32:07,967 --> 00:32:09,967 I gotta do something with this guy. 562 00:32:11,467 --> 00:32:13,266 After my first contact with-- 563 00:32:13,266 --> 00:32:17,567 face-to-face with Robinson in January of '85, 564 00:32:17,567 --> 00:32:21,166 I was involved almost daily in investigating him. 565 00:32:22,266 --> 00:32:22,832 Haymes spent the next six months 566 00:32:22,832 --> 00:32:24,867 Haymes spent the next six months 567 00:32:24,867 --> 00:32:28,667 looking into Robinson's background. 568 00:32:28,667 --> 00:32:31,467 [Haymes] I contacted the social workers 569 00:32:31,467 --> 00:32:35,467 at the hospital about the Kansas City Outreach Program, 570 00:32:35,467 --> 00:32:39,400 and they told me that one girl that had been referred to him, 571 00:32:39,467 --> 00:32:42,867 Lisa Stasi, and her baby, Tiffany, 572 00:32:42,867 --> 00:32:45,567 had not been seen for some time. 573 00:32:46,767 --> 00:32:51,000 I learned more and more about his criminal activity 574 00:32:51,000 --> 00:32:52,832 and it's just going on everywhere. 575 00:32:52,832 --> 00:32:53,900 and it's just going on everywhere. 576 00:32:53,967 --> 00:32:58,266 Was certainly convinced that he was up to no good. 577 00:32:58,266 --> 00:33:00,600 There's this obvious string of-- of young girls 578 00:33:00,667 --> 00:33:02,000 that have gone missing. 579 00:33:02,066 --> 00:33:05,000 But we still don't know at that time 580 00:33:05,000 --> 00:33:06,200 what's happening to them, 581 00:33:06,266 --> 00:33:09,000 where they are, were they killed by Robinson, 582 00:33:09,000 --> 00:33:12,800 were they sold into white slavery? 583 00:33:12,867 --> 00:33:16,500 If they were killed, were they killed by his own hand? 584 00:33:16,567 --> 00:33:21,367 There's more unanswered questions at that point than there are answers. 585 00:33:22,567 --> 00:33:22,832 The next best thing was to get him off the street. 586 00:33:22,832 --> 00:33:25,467 The next best thing was to get him off the street. 587 00:33:25,467 --> 00:33:28,367 It's kind of the-- the Al Capone thing. 588 00:33:28,367 --> 00:33:30,500 If you can't get him for what Capone did, 589 00:33:30,567 --> 00:33:32,667 you get him for income tax evasion. 590 00:33:32,667 --> 00:33:35,700 The goal was really to get him off the streets 591 00:33:35,767 --> 00:33:37,400 for anything that we could. 592 00:33:38,367 --> 00:33:40,300 In Johnson County, Kansas, 593 00:33:41,700 --> 00:33:44,667 the police were investigating Robinson for fraud. 594 00:33:44,667 --> 00:33:47,100 He would be arrested for that, 595 00:33:47,166 --> 00:33:49,600 he would be sent to trial for that, 596 00:33:49,667 --> 00:33:51,867 and he would be convicted of fraud 597 00:33:52,266 --> 00:33:52,832 in 1987. 598 00:33:52,832 --> 00:33:54,066 in 1987. 599 00:33:54,066 --> 00:33:56,967 And he would then serve the next six years 600 00:33:56,967 --> 00:33:59,166 in prison in Kansas. 601 00:33:59,166 --> 00:34:03,300 I was relieved that he couldn't victimize any other young women. 602 00:34:06,166 --> 00:34:08,467 [Meier] But before he went to prison, he placed this ad 603 00:34:08,467 --> 00:34:10,967 in a newspaper asking for help. 604 00:34:11,667 --> 00:34:12,667 And a young woman by the name 605 00:34:12,667 --> 00:34:14,266 of Catherine Clampitt showed up. 606 00:34:17,467 --> 00:34:20,567 [Haymes] Catherine Clampitt was a young, somewhat 607 00:34:21,266 --> 00:34:22,832 troubled young girl. 608 00:34:22,832 --> 00:34:23,967 troubled young girl. 609 00:34:23,967 --> 00:34:26,266 Catherine's family described her as being 610 00:34:26,266 --> 00:34:27,700 a very intelligent young lady. 611 00:34:27,767 --> 00:34:31,867 Had a bit of a wild side, maybe adventurous side. 612 00:34:31,867 --> 00:34:35,600 Clampitt had a young child that she left with her parents 613 00:34:35,667 --> 00:34:38,100 when she came up here to the Kansas City area. 614 00:34:40,100 --> 00:34:43,066 [Tony] She answered a job ad that he had put out 615 00:34:43,066 --> 00:34:45,567 saying looking for somebody that was interested 616 00:34:45,567 --> 00:34:47,600 in a great job 617 00:34:47,667 --> 00:34:50,100 with travel, new wardrobe. 618 00:34:50,100 --> 00:34:52,832 The kind of thing that, you know, any young person 619 00:34:52,832 --> 00:34:52,967 The kind of thing that, you know, any young person 620 00:34:52,967 --> 00:34:54,800 might look at and go, "Wow, this sounds great." 621 00:34:56,667 --> 00:34:58,767 [Haymes] Robinson convinced her that, 622 00:34:58,767 --> 00:35:01,867 you know, he really had a-- a good job for her. 623 00:35:03,266 --> 00:35:05,000 [Tony] After she answered that ad, 624 00:35:06,000 --> 00:35:07,567 she was never seen again. 625 00:35:11,000 --> 00:35:14,100 [Rick] Letters started showing up and they were hand-written 626 00:35:14,667 --> 00:35:16,166 by Catherine Clampitt. 627 00:35:17,667 --> 00:35:20,467 She enquired about her kid, she had a kid. 628 00:35:20,467 --> 00:35:22,832 She would ask questions in the letters, 629 00:35:22,832 --> 00:35:23,567 She would ask questions in the letters, 630 00:35:23,567 --> 00:35:26,767 saying that she was traveling but it was suspicious 631 00:35:28,500 --> 00:35:31,667 because those letters all came from the Kansas City area. 632 00:35:32,867 --> 00:35:34,667 [Haymes] Even after the Kansas conviction, 633 00:35:34,667 --> 00:35:37,000 you would think that he would be 634 00:35:37,066 --> 00:35:39,500 at least trying to be at his best behavior. 635 00:35:40,300 --> 00:35:41,767 But he's not. 636 00:35:52,800 --> 00:35:57,166 [Rick] I never met anybody that didn't hate John Robinson. 637 00:35:57,166 --> 00:35:59,400 And I also did not find anybody 638 00:35:59,467 --> 00:36:01,000 that he ever told the truth to. 639 00:36:02,066 --> 00:36:05,100 I don't think you could probably trust anything 640 00:36:05,166 --> 00:36:07,266 that came out of his mouth. 641 00:36:07,266 --> 00:36:10,367 [Tony] I've heard that somebody is a silver tongued devil, 642 00:36:10,367 --> 00:36:13,200 which, in his case, is pretty apt. 643 00:36:18,867 --> 00:36:19,647 In the late 1980s, John Robinson is sentenced to prison. 644 00:36:19,647 --> 00:36:23,500 In the late 1980s, John Robinson is sentenced to prison. 645 00:36:23,567 --> 00:36:26,467 And at the prison, he meets 646 00:36:26,467 --> 00:36:28,967 a woman by the name of Beverly Bonner 647 00:36:28,967 --> 00:36:32,300 who worked in the prison library 648 00:36:32,367 --> 00:36:36,100 and was married to the prison doctor. 649 00:36:36,100 --> 00:36:40,000 Robinson became very, very friendly with her. 650 00:36:40,066 --> 00:36:43,367 In fact, he manipulated her while he was in prison, 651 00:36:43,367 --> 00:36:46,066 and they soon started an affair actually. 652 00:36:48,600 --> 00:36:49,647 [Joyce] In 1993, John Robinson 653 00:36:49,647 --> 00:36:51,266 [Joyce] In 1993, John Robinson 654 00:36:51,266 --> 00:36:53,567 was released from prison. 655 00:36:53,567 --> 00:36:57,400 [Tony] And Beverly decides that she's going to leave her husband 656 00:36:57,467 --> 00:37:00,500 and run off with this guy. 657 00:37:00,967 --> 00:37:02,166 She got divorced, 658 00:37:02,166 --> 00:37:04,800 moved up here to be with him. 659 00:37:04,867 --> 00:37:08,400 [Rick] He made her an officer in his business. 660 00:37:08,467 --> 00:37:11,667 He also opened a couple credit cards under her name. 661 00:37:12,600 --> 00:37:15,400 And then, she also disappeared. 662 00:37:20,100 --> 00:37:22,867 [Joyce] Her family started receiving letters 663 00:37:22,867 --> 00:37:25,500 saying, "Having a great time in Europe." 664 00:37:25,567 --> 00:37:28,266 And they were postmarked from France and Switzerland. 665 00:37:29,700 --> 00:37:34,166 No one ever questioned that she wasn't in the Kansas City area. 666 00:37:34,166 --> 00:37:36,266 They just assumed she was off traveling 667 00:37:36,266 --> 00:37:38,367 because of these postmarked envelopes. 668 00:37:39,767 --> 00:37:41,767 In Beverly Bonner's case, 669 00:37:42,700 --> 00:37:43,900 her son died. 670 00:37:44,867 --> 00:37:49,200 And yet, she never wrote a word about it. 671 00:37:51,900 --> 00:37:54,367 [Paul] Bonner had maintenance payments 672 00:37:54,367 --> 00:37:57,400 routinely coming to her from her ex-husband, the doctor, 673 00:37:57,467 --> 00:37:59,567 as part of the divorce package. 674 00:37:59,567 --> 00:38:02,567 [Meier] Robinson has those sent to a post office box 675 00:38:02,567 --> 00:38:03,900 in Olathe, Kansas, 676 00:38:03,967 --> 00:38:06,967 where he then collects them and cashes them. 677 00:38:08,266 --> 00:38:10,800 [Joyce] Robinson continued to cash those checks 678 00:38:10,867 --> 00:38:12,800 for the next 18 months, 679 00:38:12,867 --> 00:38:16,567 which would have been at least $18,000. 680 00:38:16,567 --> 00:38:19,600 He's always looking for a buck no matter how he can get it. 681 00:38:21,467 --> 00:38:24,667 [Singular] It's interesting that through his criminal career, 682 00:38:25,300 --> 00:38:27,266 money was a factor. 683 00:38:27,266 --> 00:38:29,266 If you think about a lot of serial killers, 684 00:38:29,266 --> 00:38:33,800 you don't often have money as a component of that. 685 00:38:33,867 --> 00:38:36,567 From the very beginning, he was determined 686 00:38:36,567 --> 00:38:40,300 to take money from people by illegal and illicit means. 687 00:38:44,100 --> 00:38:47,367 [Haymes] When Robinson was released from prison, 688 00:38:47,367 --> 00:38:49,467 he lived in Missouri, 689 00:38:49,467 --> 00:38:49,647 just south of Kansas City 690 00:38:49,647 --> 00:38:51,400 just south of Kansas City 691 00:38:51,467 --> 00:38:55,400 in a trailer that his wife had rented there. 692 00:38:56,667 --> 00:38:59,266 That was not within the jurisdiction 693 00:38:59,266 --> 00:39:01,867 of my district office. 694 00:39:03,066 --> 00:39:07,867 But I held his file back in my desk drawer. 695 00:39:09,266 --> 00:39:11,467 I would review the file periodically. 696 00:39:11,467 --> 00:39:13,767 Was there anything I missed? You know, what-- 697 00:39:13,767 --> 00:39:15,300 What more could I do? 698 00:39:15,367 --> 00:39:17,467 What more could I investigate? 699 00:39:24,200 --> 00:39:26,500 [Douglass] In the '90s, the Internet became 700 00:39:26,567 --> 00:39:30,200 an incredible part of our everyday life. 701 00:39:30,266 --> 00:39:32,967 [Glatt] The irony was that Robinson learned 702 00:39:32,967 --> 00:39:35,066 about the Internet while he was in prison. 703 00:39:35,066 --> 00:39:36,667 He was very, very smart 704 00:39:36,667 --> 00:39:39,000 and he had a very good head for it. 705 00:39:39,000 --> 00:39:43,000 He used to see Internet to meet and attract women. 706 00:39:43,000 --> 00:39:44,567 [Glatt] For a long time, he'd be involved 707 00:39:44,567 --> 00:39:47,367 in BDSM and sadomasochism, 708 00:39:47,367 --> 00:39:49,647 and he gravitated towards those chat rooms. 709 00:39:49,647 --> 00:39:50,100 and he gravitated towards those chat rooms. 710 00:39:51,266 --> 00:39:54,867 He actually referred to himself as Slave Master. 711 00:39:54,867 --> 00:39:57,667 [Singular] He had five computers set up 712 00:39:57,667 --> 00:40:00,767 and with some or all of those computers, 713 00:40:00,767 --> 00:40:02,867 he was hunting 714 00:40:02,867 --> 00:40:06,467 for new women to victimize in some way. 715 00:40:06,467 --> 00:40:10,166 This guy would connect with women all over America. 716 00:40:10,166 --> 00:40:12,000 [Douglass] It is commonly understood 717 00:40:12,000 --> 00:40:13,667 that he was the first serial killer 718 00:40:13,667 --> 00:40:18,667 to use the Internet as a stalking ground for finding victims. 719 00:40:18,667 --> 00:40:19,647 [Singular] Once he got his hands on computers, 720 00:40:19,647 --> 00:40:21,200 [Singular] Once he got his hands on computers, 721 00:40:21,266 --> 00:40:23,767 the whole game changed and expanded for Robinson. 722 00:40:24,900 --> 00:40:26,867 And he would now use that 723 00:40:26,867 --> 00:40:29,100 in the evolution of his criminal career. 724 00:40:34,500 --> 00:40:37,200 [Tony] After about a decade of instances 725 00:40:37,266 --> 00:40:41,000 where women met John Robinson and then disappeared, 726 00:40:41,000 --> 00:40:42,567 it's still happening. 727 00:40:42,567 --> 00:40:44,767 [Nancy] He told me that he had a job with the state department 728 00:40:44,767 --> 00:40:46,867 and that would also be the reason 729 00:40:46,867 --> 00:40:49,367 why he was away all the time. 730 00:40:49,367 --> 00:40:49,647 [Joyce] Robinson met Suzette through an online chat room. 731 00:40:49,647 --> 00:40:54,000 [Joyce] Robinson met Suzette through an online chat room. 732 00:40:54,066 --> 00:40:57,200 On March 1, she totally disappeared. 733 00:40:57,266 --> 00:40:58,567 [woman on phone] I don't know if I should 734 00:40:58,567 --> 00:41:00,567 maybe call the police to jump in. 735 00:41:00,567 --> 00:41:01,767 [man on phone] Why? 736 00:41:03,000 --> 00:41:05,266 [Haymes] They began putting the pieces together. 737 00:41:05,266 --> 00:41:07,200 This guy is a-- a serial killer. 738 00:41:08,200 --> 00:41:10,867 How much crazier can this thing be? 739 00:41:10,867 --> 00:41:12,567 [Rick] When we lifted it back up, we saw 740 00:41:12,567 --> 00:41:14,266 a little red streak 741 00:41:14,266 --> 00:41:17,266 of red liquid going down the side of the barrel. 742 00:41:18,567 --> 00:41:19,647 [Haymes] He is just evil itself. 743 00:41:19,647 --> 00:41:21,166 [Haymes] He is just evil itself. 744 00:41:22,100 --> 00:41:24,467 I mean, he's the definition of evil. 745 00:41:30,100 --> 00:41:32,867 John Robinson's fatherly demeanor helped shroud 746 00:41:32,867 --> 00:41:35,567 the depraved sex life he lived behind closed doors. 747 00:41:36,066 --> 00:41:37,100 He was cunning 748 00:41:37,166 --> 00:41:39,100 and managed to dodge suspicion about 749 00:41:39,100 --> 00:41:41,100 the ever-growing list of women in his life 750 00:41:41,166 --> 00:41:42,867 who were never seen again. 751 00:41:42,867 --> 00:41:45,166 That is until one victim's disappearance 752 00:41:45,166 --> 00:41:47,367 set off alarm bells with her family, 753 00:41:47,367 --> 00:41:49,647 and her mother confronts Robinson 754 00:41:49,647 --> 00:41:49,767 and her mother confronts Robinson 755 00:41:49,767 --> 00:41:52,467 in part two of the Slave Master. 756 00:41:52,467 --> 00:41:55,266 I'm Donnie Wahlberg, thanks for watching.