T.J. Hooker (1982) s05e08 Episode Script
The Night Ripper
("T.
J.
Hooker Theme" by Mark Snow) (funky jazz music) (loud clattering sound) (suspenseful music) - Mary, what was that? - I don't know.
- I'm gonna call the police.
(menacing music) - Ann? (knocking on door) Ann, are you in there? (foreboding music) Annie, where are you? Annie? (menacing music) (Mary screams) (tense music) (police radio beeps) - [Dispatcher.]
4-Adam-30, unknown trouble, see the woman.
- 4-Adam-30, roger.
- 4-Adam-16, show us backing up 30.
(exciting music) (ominous music) (car tires screeching) - That's him! (rousing music) That's him, he killed, he killed her.
Please, somebody stop him.
He killed her, stop him! Please, somebody stop him! (car tires screeching) (siren wailing) In there.
- [Jim.]
What? - She's dead.
- Stay with her.
- [Mary.]
She's dead! (siren wailing) (exciting music) (car tires squealing) (loud crashing sound) (explosion booms) (multiple explosions boom) - Hooker to control.
I have a car burning at the corner of Wingate and 12th, send fire equipment and a unit to pick me up.
- [Jim.]
Girl named Ann Banning is dead in there.
Bad scene.
- Who's crying? - Girl who found the body, name's Mary Stockman, Stacy's taking care of her.
- Slaughterhouse.
- Yeah.
I called the lab and the coroner.
- Put out an APB on the guy I was chasing.
Young by the way he ran, wearing jeans and cowboy boots.
- Right, it's not much.
- How did Stacy take all this? - She had a couple of bad minutes.
- What about you? - Nothing bothers me anymore.
- Let's talk to the girls who lived here.
See if we can ID the guy who ran out.
Let's find out everything.
Who lives here, boyfriends, the works.
(suspenseful music) - She was just a kid.
- Yeah.
(mysterious music) Cowboy boots.
Guy I chased was wearing cowboy boots.
(sinister music) Miss Stockman, what about the guy that ran past you? - It was dark, and it happened so fast I didn't see him.
- What about Miss Banning's boyfriends, anybody special? - There was one, Sonny.
She met him maybe a week ago, I don't know his last name.
- Were those his boots in the closet? - Look, she was a nice girl, you know.
But I go home for the weekend, so maybe he stays with her.
- Can you describe him? - Tall, light brown hair, early 20's I think.
He's nice looking.
I only saw him once, he seems to like her.
- Hooker.
This list of names, the writing's the same as some school papers signed by Ann Banning.
- Larry Dunn, Tom Williams.
- And here's a letter addressed to Ann Banning.
- Return address (mumbles) Miss Louise Banning.
It's her mother.
- She was really into these, she had stacks of them.
- Clothes look like they could come right off the pages of the magazine.
Make sure the lab does a number on those cowboy boots in the closet, will you.
- Right.
- I'm getting a feeling of deja-vu about this.
- An old case? - Four years, and the M.
O.
is exactly the same if she was sexually assaulted.
Six girls, just like this one, and they were stabbed and mutilated with an ordinary butcher knife.
And then the murderer suddenly stopped.
- Maybe everybody got lucky and the killer died.
- Well, it's more likely is he was doing time somewhere on some other charge.
- You're right, and it looks like he's out now.
- What about the other girls you were talking to? - Whoever ran out of that room, no one saw his face.
- Yeah, he'd make sure of that.
(police recruits chanting) - Homework? - Ah, homework.
Ted, do you remember the Night Ripper case? - Yeah.
- I've been going over the file page by page, and the M.
O.
fits every detail we know about the murder last night.
- Just what do we know? - Young girl going to college, long dark hair, probable sexual assault, disfigurement of the body with a butcher knife, everything fits.
- This Night Ripper, that was how long ago? - Four years ago.
I know what your question is.
Why did he stop, and why has he started to kill again now? My guess is he was in jail or an institution.
Maybe he didn't stop, maybe he moved away, did his dirty work somewhere else.
I want him.
- Okay, say I agree it's the same killer How do I justify putting you back on the case? - 'Cause the case is still open.
'Cause I missed him first time around.
'Cause six girls are dead, and I owe them.
Now I owe another one.
- The captain already has Marino and Schilling lined up to investigate.
- To hell with Marino and Schilling! - Okay, see what I can do.
But you'll need a team.
- Corrigan and Sheridan.
- Alright, you got it.
One thing Hooker, I'll back you all the way but our butts are gonna be on the line.
- My analysis is good.
(pensive music) (upbeat music) - 4-X-Ray-16 to 30, pick me up on tac two.
- Morning, go ahead 16.
- We've got a couple of addresses from the phone company on Ann Banning's list.
- Anything on a Sonny? - We've got the department artist talking to Mary Stockman now, he's doing a sketch.
- Okay, hit the first name on the list.
I'm gonna talk to Ann Banning's mother.
- Roger and out.
- Mrs.
Banning? - Yes.
- Sergeant Hooker, LCPD.
- Police have already been here, told me all about what happened.
- Mrs.
Louise Banning? - That's right.
Never could do anything with Ann.
She always done what she wanted, she never cared what I thought about it.
- I was hoping that you might tell me something about your daughter's habits.
Something that might help me find whoever killed her.
- What could I tell you I haven't already told the others? Ann never gave me nothin' but trouble.
When her daddy died he left her some money in trust for college, and she left home as soon as she could.
- You must have met some of her friends.
- She never brought any home.
Or answered any of my calls or letters asking for a little help now and then, either.
- Mrs.
Banning, I need your help to find your daughter's killer.
- She wasn't my daughter, her mother died givin' birth to her.
I brought her up like my own and what thanks did I get? Not one dollar, it all went to her.
She was never no good.
I always said she'd come to a bad end.
- Isn't there something you can tell me that might help us? - That's all there is.
My TV show's comin' on soon, you finished? - Yes, I'm finished.
If you care to see her I'll make arrangements.
(troubling music) - Hey, Larry Dunn? - Yeah.
- Like to talk to you about a friend of yours, Ann Banning? - What'd she do? - [Stacy.]
You know her well? - Nothin' special.
We met at parties on campus a couple of times, that's all.
- She wrote your name on a piece of paper in her room, any idea why? - Hey wait a minute, I don't know what's going down but if she's in some kinda trouble, I don't know anything about it.
- She's in the worst trouble anyone can get into.
She's dead, murdered.
- Ann, murdered? Are you kidding me? - Where were you last night, say about 8 o'clock? - Hey wait a minute, I was right here at home, I don't know anything about it.
It's horrible, she was a nice kid.
- What about that piece of paper with your name on it? We need an answer to that.
- She was looking for part-time work, maybe I said I would try and help her out.
- What kind of work? - She said she modeled, nude stuff, you know? She said she had an interview with somebody, I don't remember who.
I said if the deal fell through that maybe I would try and help her out.
- You have contacts in the modeling business? - Well no, it's just that if she wanted to pose for some pictures for some extra money maybe I could help, she was so eager.
Look, I felt sorry for the girl.
I was just trying to cheer her up, do you know what I mean? - Yeah we know exactly what you mean.
Do you know a friend of hers named Sonny? She ever mention him? - Sonny? No, look, I'm sorry.
I would really like to help if I could.
- Yeah, I can see you're a helpful kinda guy.
(police radio beeps) - [Dispatcher.]
4-X-Ray-16, meet 4-X-Ray-30 on tac two.
- [Jim.]
Hey this is 16, go.
- Got anything? - I don't think so, but we'll check on Ann's story.
- Okay Jim, I want you to get the composite of this Sonny into distribution.
- I'll try a computer match-up too.
- Do that, and then check out the other name on Ann Banning's list.
Have Stacy meet me at the coroner's office with a copy of the composite.
- Okay, that's a roger.
(car engine roars) - Death was probably about 8:15.
She was strangled first.
The knife wounds are post-mortem.
- Sexually assaulted? - Definitely.
This guy's artistic with a blade, a real cut-up, look at this.
See what I mean? - I've seen dead bodies before.
I don't need protection.
- Not like this you haven't.
- It's just being so damn callous about it.
- Well, these people have to deal with this kind of thing every day.
They see it time after time until they become immune.
They can't personalize it, otherwise they go over the edge.
- Last night she was alive and pretty.
Today she's some kinda sick joke.
- The jokes and the wisecracks are just their way of blocking off the real horror.
What we've gotta do is find this guy, before he kills again.
(suspenseful music) (upbeat music) (knocking sound) - Who is it? - Would you help me please? I'm looking for someone.
- Just a sec.
- Who is it you want? - You.
- What? I don't know you.
- You will.
(funky electronic music) - This Coed Fashions magazine, is it legit? - Mostly young girls fashion, exercises, stuff like that.
Nothing offbeat, no soft porn.
- Thank you, Melissa.
I don't know exactly what you're looking for, but this is our current personnel list.
I run the business side.
I leave the hiring, firing, shooting sessions up to my assistant.
- Does he keep a separate list of the models he uses or might use? - Why don't we ask him? I don't interfere in the creative side, but anytime you wanna model here I'll make an exception, Miss Sheridan.
I find it very difficult to call anyone as pretty as you "Officer.
" This way, please.
(camera shutter clicking) Excuse me.
(upbeat music) - Yes sir, you were inquiring about freelancers? Actually what we do here is we get our models from the agencies and we hardly ever go with freelancers.
- But you do on some occasions.
- Oh, one or two maybe.
You can take a look through the girls files if you like, but there's definitely no Ann Banning that's worked for us, since I've been here anyway.
- How long is that, Mr.
Richards? - Doug, please.
Several months now.
- Well, she may not have worked here, but she might have come in here looking for a job.
This is her picture.
- I don't really recognize her, I'm sorry.
I wish I could've been of some help to you folks.
- Well, it was a long shot.
- Excuse me, please.
- Lovely girl isn't she? Tina's one of our best and most popular models.
Young, of course, but she knows her way around if you know what I mean, very cooperative.
- I'm sure she is, just like you Mr.
Beaman.
- Yes, well I do have to get back to work.
- Thanks for your help.
- I guess he means well.
- So do street pimps.
(police radio beeps) - [Dispatcher.]
Four-X-Ray-30 come in.
- 30, go ahead.
- [Dispatcher.]
Four-X-Ray-16 has requested you meet him at 1027 Kester code two.
- Roger.
(exciting music) (car tires squeal) - If Sonny's our boy he's been at it again.
- Another girl.
- Who is she? - Heidi Davis, 19, a freshman at the college.
Home is in Oregon, Salem.
Landlady found her late this morning.
- Same M.
O.
? - Right down to the last detail.
Physical characteristics mutilated, sexual assault.
- Help them finish up here.
- How long is this gonna go on before we stop it? - An animal kills like this, I wanna put him in a cage.
Forever.
(tense music) - The lab came up with some interesting things on those boots you found in Ann Banning's closet, real horse hair, straw, and manure.
- So Sonny's a real cowboy, huh? - It looks like.
Put out a couple of interview teams with a sketch to cover riding stables and ranches on the south side of the valley, but that's a lot of territory.
- Stacy, you join the stable detail tomorrow.
- Whatever it takes.
Why don't I get us all some sandwiches? - And make mine ham and cheese.
- Tea for me.
How does the lady like homicide? - She's learning.
What about you, you still getting pressure from downtown? - They may take this one away from us, you gotta give me somethin' to feed 'em.
- Handing them Sonny wouldn't hurt.
- We have a serial killer on our hands.
You don't catch him by getting lucky.
You do it by running down your clues, finding witnesses, pounding the pavement.
- That takes time.
- This is the psychological profile we worked up four years ago.
Suspect is probably young, possibly had a traumatic youthful experience with a girl resembling the victims.
Kills her over and over again.
- We know that part.
- He's intelligent, probably attractive, and able to ingratiate himself with his victims.
Kills them ritualistically under an irresistible compulsion.
- Bottom line? - He'll do it again.
(mysterious music) - [Jim.]
This is the last name on the Banning list.
I stopped by yesterday, but nobody was home.
- Maybe we'll get lucky this time.
(doorbell chimes) Mr.
Williams? - That's right.
Oh.
I suppose it's about that girl who got herself killed.
- Ann Banning, yes.
Did you know her? - She went to school with my son.
Not that that means anything, there was no hanky panky between 'em.
I kept a close eye on that.
- I'm afraid you're jumping too ahead of us, Mr.
Williams.
- My son hasn't seen that girl in over a year.
I put a stop to it.
Heard she had round heels, if you know what I mean.
- We'd like to talk to him if we might.
- Just routine, we have to check everything.
- Well you're wasting your time, but I'll get him.
- Think papa's boss man around here? - I think papa thinks he is.
- Tom.
- Sergeant Hooker, Officer Corrigan.
We're investigating Ann Banning's murder, we're hoping you can help us.
- I don't know anything about it except what I saw on the TV.
- We're making a list of her friends, people who knew her.
- I already told you Tom hasn't seen her.
How long's it been, son? - A year or so, a long time.
- You went to school together and you haven't seen her in a year? - It's a big campus, and we don't have any classes together.
- So you don't know who she was running around with, boyfriends, anything like that? - No, sorry.
- Sorry officers, like to help you, but, way it is.
- We understand.
It's just that, we never know the one thing that might be important.
Ann Banning died a horrible death.
Whoever did it, we want.
I mean, he's gotta be caught.
Thank you.
(quiet music) - What gives, that kid was ready to fall apart? - Not with his father holding onto his arm like that.
I got a hunch, let's stick around.
(car engine roars) (suspicious music) - I had to talk to you, only my father can't know.
- [Hooker.]
Whatever you say to us doesn't get back to him, okay? - Okay.
Look, I never really stopped seeing Ann.
I mean, we were just good friends and I couldn't see anything wrong with just gettin' together to talk or watch TV.
- When did you last see her? - Day before yesterday, I lied about the classes.
We have a 3 o'clock together.
- She ever mention anyone named Sonny? - Yeah, when we got out of class he was waitin' for her, that's what I wanted to tell you.
He's a new guy and they went off together.
- Is this him? - Yes sir, I'll swear to it.
I talked to him some.
- What'd you talk about? - Mostly him, he's a cowboy or somethin'.
Ann was all hung-up on him.
She's had a thing for horses and they were gonna go riding.
He was gonna pick her up later on.
After what happened I thought you oughta know.
- Did they say where they were gonna get the horses? - Yeah, where he works.
A riding place called Easy Trails in the West Valley.
She was my friend, and if he did it, I want him caught.
- We'll take it from here.
Thanks for telling us the truth.
(car engine roars) (suspenseful music) (horses whinny) (rousing music) (men grunting) - Hey man, take it easy, you're gonna break my arm.
- We've been wanting to meet you for a long time, Sonny.
(Sonny grunts) I want the truth, Sonny.
Tell me again about going to Ann's room.
- [Sonny.]
You mean when I walked in? - You knocked.
- Sure.
We had a date, but she didn't answer, so I tried the door, it was unlocked, so I walked in, I've told you a hundred times.
- And you saw her, where? - On the floor by the bed.
It was horrible, all that blood.
I tried to help her, but she was dead.
- Where'd you get the knife, Sonny? - On the floor beside her, I didn't get it anywhere, I never saw it before.
- Why didn't you take your boots with you? - [Sonny.]
Boots? What, the ones in the closet? You gotta be kidding.
- Then they were your boots.
- I didn't think about them at a time like that, I left them there before.
I stayed all night a couple of times.
But I swear I never did nothin' to her! But you're gonna pin this on me, aren't you, because you can't find who did it, so it's me, right? - Did you do it? - No! - You sure? - I walked in there, I saw her all cut up, it was a nightmare.
I heard someone outside, I turned out the lights, and when they came in I pushed them out of the way and I ran, I didn't do it.
I didn't do it.
- Alright, you get him out of here, take him to holding.
- But we had a date, I didn't do anything to her! I didn't do it.
- You think he did it? - We have no prints, we got no hard evidence of any kind, nothing that ties him in, except the fact that he was there.
If he killed that girl we're gonna need a confession.
- What about the original murders? He would've been only - He says he was in Oklahoma at the time of those murders.
If he can prove where he was on the dates those girls were killed, we gotta let him go.
- What have we got left? - Coed Fashions magazine.
- Are you saying we missed something? - I'm saying we didn't dig deep enough.
That little model, Tina? She didn't miss a beat about what was going on, I'd like to talk to her, but away from Beaman and Richards.
Come on.
Stacy, you find where she hangs out.
(upbeat rock music) Sure this is the place? - Mr.
Beaman lie to me? - It's the kinda place that sticks to the soles of your shoes.
(upbeat rock music) Sweet little Miss America hangs out here? - I remember you, and you.
You know, I saw you watch me yesterday, and I thought maybe you were gonna hit on me but you just walked out.
- Well you know, I don't mix business with pleasure.
- Wrong, I don't know, but I'd like to.
- What we want right now is some answers to some questions, do you think you can handle it? - Sure, you wanna know about that girl, um, what was her name? - Ann Banning.
- Right, right.
Well she came in one day last week, cute, but she did not know anything about being a model.
- Was she looking for work? - Oh yeah, she wanted a job.
- Why do you think Richards said she hadn't been there? - Oh I don't know.
- How many times has she been there? - Far as I know, just that one time.
You know, I've never had a thing with a cop.
- Well I don't think you're going to.
Unless you want an appointment with a man from vice.
- That's not what I had in mind.
- Well thank you, Tina, you've been a great help.
- Any time.
I mean any time at all.
(upbeat rock music) - Beaman and company have a lot of explaining to do.
Let's get out of here.
Did you see a woman, blonde, wearing dark glasses? - No.
- Who was she? - I don't know, something about her, I don't know.
- We just got a call.
They found a body, looks like another Ripper.
- Where? - Six blocks from here.
- Let's go.
(car engine roars) Couple next door heard a lot of screaming.
They called the police.
Husband banged on the wall, probably scared the killer off so he didn't get much work with his knife.
- He left it behind.
- Well, we can forget about Sonny, he didn't do this one.
(sinister music) - What is it? - It's hairs from a wig.
The woman who got away.
Now I know why she seemed so familiar.
(suspenseful music) (menacing music) (menacing music grows louder) (Stacy gasps) - Put the knife down, Richards.
Let her go.
- You stay away.
You stay back! Or she dies.
- [Stacy.]
Come on, let me go.
- Shh, shhh, you were gonna be next anyway, baby, you know that.
- No she wasn't.
What are you, kidding? She's blonde, you don't kill blondes, only girls with dark hair.
- You can't prove that.
- That knife you're holding, that'll prove it for me.
- Nobody is gonna believe you.
- The jury'll believe me when they see how that knife matches the other knives.
And they're gonna wanna know who it is you keep killing, over and over again.
(Richards yells) - Now you take one more step and she dies.
You, go over there.
- You're not listening to me, that's not the girl.
Look at her.
Look at her! Now put the knife down.
- No, you locked me up.
I couldn't stand that again.
- Is that where you've been the past four years, Richards.
- Well that's for you to figure out now, isn't it? - Richards we wanna help you.
Let her go.
- You're trying to trick me.
Just like she did! It's not gonna work.
You see I told her how much I loved her and she laughed at me, but I made her stop laughing.
- Nobody's laughing at you now, believe me.
- Take her! (dramatic, rousing music) (car horn honks) (tires squeal) - [Hooker.]
Stay right there! - I kept killing her again and again, but she wouldn't stay dead.
(sinister notes play) - Whoever she was, she'll stay dead this time.
(police recruits chanting) - How'd you put it together? - Simple.
When Richards bumped into me at the club I just didn't have the urge to dance with him.
- Even though he looked good in heels? - Not my type.
And the blonde hair with the gum at the end of it, that tied in with the modeling and the magazine.
- Ann Banning and the other victims weren't afraid of another woman.
- That's right.
- Richards did close to four years in a New jersey psycho ward for a knife attack on a young woman.
- Well that ties it up, doesn't it.
- All but one little thing, now McSweeney over at the motor pool is wondering if you can be put back on foot patrol.
- Me, why? - That was the third black and white you've totaled in the last 10 months! - I know, but doesn't it count that I got out alive? - Not to McSweeney.
- Tell him I'll be more careful next time.
- If you believe that I've got some swamp land in Arizona for sale.
(laughs) (guitar music) ("T.
J.
Hooker Theme" by Mark Snow)
J.
Hooker Theme" by Mark Snow) (funky jazz music) (loud clattering sound) (suspenseful music) - Mary, what was that? - I don't know.
- I'm gonna call the police.
(menacing music) - Ann? (knocking on door) Ann, are you in there? (foreboding music) Annie, where are you? Annie? (menacing music) (Mary screams) (tense music) (police radio beeps) - [Dispatcher.]
4-Adam-30, unknown trouble, see the woman.
- 4-Adam-30, roger.
- 4-Adam-16, show us backing up 30.
(exciting music) (ominous music) (car tires screeching) - That's him! (rousing music) That's him, he killed, he killed her.
Please, somebody stop him.
He killed her, stop him! Please, somebody stop him! (car tires screeching) (siren wailing) In there.
- [Jim.]
What? - She's dead.
- Stay with her.
- [Mary.]
She's dead! (siren wailing) (exciting music) (car tires squealing) (loud crashing sound) (explosion booms) (multiple explosions boom) - Hooker to control.
I have a car burning at the corner of Wingate and 12th, send fire equipment and a unit to pick me up.
- [Jim.]
Girl named Ann Banning is dead in there.
Bad scene.
- Who's crying? - Girl who found the body, name's Mary Stockman, Stacy's taking care of her.
- Slaughterhouse.
- Yeah.
I called the lab and the coroner.
- Put out an APB on the guy I was chasing.
Young by the way he ran, wearing jeans and cowboy boots.
- Right, it's not much.
- How did Stacy take all this? - She had a couple of bad minutes.
- What about you? - Nothing bothers me anymore.
- Let's talk to the girls who lived here.
See if we can ID the guy who ran out.
Let's find out everything.
Who lives here, boyfriends, the works.
(suspenseful music) - She was just a kid.
- Yeah.
(mysterious music) Cowboy boots.
Guy I chased was wearing cowboy boots.
(sinister music) Miss Stockman, what about the guy that ran past you? - It was dark, and it happened so fast I didn't see him.
- What about Miss Banning's boyfriends, anybody special? - There was one, Sonny.
She met him maybe a week ago, I don't know his last name.
- Were those his boots in the closet? - Look, she was a nice girl, you know.
But I go home for the weekend, so maybe he stays with her.
- Can you describe him? - Tall, light brown hair, early 20's I think.
He's nice looking.
I only saw him once, he seems to like her.
- Hooker.
This list of names, the writing's the same as some school papers signed by Ann Banning.
- Larry Dunn, Tom Williams.
- And here's a letter addressed to Ann Banning.
- Return address (mumbles) Miss Louise Banning.
It's her mother.
- She was really into these, she had stacks of them.
- Clothes look like they could come right off the pages of the magazine.
Make sure the lab does a number on those cowboy boots in the closet, will you.
- Right.
- I'm getting a feeling of deja-vu about this.
- An old case? - Four years, and the M.
O.
is exactly the same if she was sexually assaulted.
Six girls, just like this one, and they were stabbed and mutilated with an ordinary butcher knife.
And then the murderer suddenly stopped.
- Maybe everybody got lucky and the killer died.
- Well, it's more likely is he was doing time somewhere on some other charge.
- You're right, and it looks like he's out now.
- What about the other girls you were talking to? - Whoever ran out of that room, no one saw his face.
- Yeah, he'd make sure of that.
(police recruits chanting) - Homework? - Ah, homework.
Ted, do you remember the Night Ripper case? - Yeah.
- I've been going over the file page by page, and the M.
O.
fits every detail we know about the murder last night.
- Just what do we know? - Young girl going to college, long dark hair, probable sexual assault, disfigurement of the body with a butcher knife, everything fits.
- This Night Ripper, that was how long ago? - Four years ago.
I know what your question is.
Why did he stop, and why has he started to kill again now? My guess is he was in jail or an institution.
Maybe he didn't stop, maybe he moved away, did his dirty work somewhere else.
I want him.
- Okay, say I agree it's the same killer How do I justify putting you back on the case? - 'Cause the case is still open.
'Cause I missed him first time around.
'Cause six girls are dead, and I owe them.
Now I owe another one.
- The captain already has Marino and Schilling lined up to investigate.
- To hell with Marino and Schilling! - Okay, see what I can do.
But you'll need a team.
- Corrigan and Sheridan.
- Alright, you got it.
One thing Hooker, I'll back you all the way but our butts are gonna be on the line.
- My analysis is good.
(pensive music) (upbeat music) - 4-X-Ray-16 to 30, pick me up on tac two.
- Morning, go ahead 16.
- We've got a couple of addresses from the phone company on Ann Banning's list.
- Anything on a Sonny? - We've got the department artist talking to Mary Stockman now, he's doing a sketch.
- Okay, hit the first name on the list.
I'm gonna talk to Ann Banning's mother.
- Roger and out.
- Mrs.
Banning? - Yes.
- Sergeant Hooker, LCPD.
- Police have already been here, told me all about what happened.
- Mrs.
Louise Banning? - That's right.
Never could do anything with Ann.
She always done what she wanted, she never cared what I thought about it.
- I was hoping that you might tell me something about your daughter's habits.
Something that might help me find whoever killed her.
- What could I tell you I haven't already told the others? Ann never gave me nothin' but trouble.
When her daddy died he left her some money in trust for college, and she left home as soon as she could.
- You must have met some of her friends.
- She never brought any home.
Or answered any of my calls or letters asking for a little help now and then, either.
- Mrs.
Banning, I need your help to find your daughter's killer.
- She wasn't my daughter, her mother died givin' birth to her.
I brought her up like my own and what thanks did I get? Not one dollar, it all went to her.
She was never no good.
I always said she'd come to a bad end.
- Isn't there something you can tell me that might help us? - That's all there is.
My TV show's comin' on soon, you finished? - Yes, I'm finished.
If you care to see her I'll make arrangements.
(troubling music) - Hey, Larry Dunn? - Yeah.
- Like to talk to you about a friend of yours, Ann Banning? - What'd she do? - [Stacy.]
You know her well? - Nothin' special.
We met at parties on campus a couple of times, that's all.
- She wrote your name on a piece of paper in her room, any idea why? - Hey wait a minute, I don't know what's going down but if she's in some kinda trouble, I don't know anything about it.
- She's in the worst trouble anyone can get into.
She's dead, murdered.
- Ann, murdered? Are you kidding me? - Where were you last night, say about 8 o'clock? - Hey wait a minute, I was right here at home, I don't know anything about it.
It's horrible, she was a nice kid.
- What about that piece of paper with your name on it? We need an answer to that.
- She was looking for part-time work, maybe I said I would try and help her out.
- What kind of work? - She said she modeled, nude stuff, you know? She said she had an interview with somebody, I don't remember who.
I said if the deal fell through that maybe I would try and help her out.
- You have contacts in the modeling business? - Well no, it's just that if she wanted to pose for some pictures for some extra money maybe I could help, she was so eager.
Look, I felt sorry for the girl.
I was just trying to cheer her up, do you know what I mean? - Yeah we know exactly what you mean.
Do you know a friend of hers named Sonny? She ever mention him? - Sonny? No, look, I'm sorry.
I would really like to help if I could.
- Yeah, I can see you're a helpful kinda guy.
(police radio beeps) - [Dispatcher.]
4-X-Ray-16, meet 4-X-Ray-30 on tac two.
- [Jim.]
Hey this is 16, go.
- Got anything? - I don't think so, but we'll check on Ann's story.
- Okay Jim, I want you to get the composite of this Sonny into distribution.
- I'll try a computer match-up too.
- Do that, and then check out the other name on Ann Banning's list.
Have Stacy meet me at the coroner's office with a copy of the composite.
- Okay, that's a roger.
(car engine roars) - Death was probably about 8:15.
She was strangled first.
The knife wounds are post-mortem.
- Sexually assaulted? - Definitely.
This guy's artistic with a blade, a real cut-up, look at this.
See what I mean? - I've seen dead bodies before.
I don't need protection.
- Not like this you haven't.
- It's just being so damn callous about it.
- Well, these people have to deal with this kind of thing every day.
They see it time after time until they become immune.
They can't personalize it, otherwise they go over the edge.
- Last night she was alive and pretty.
Today she's some kinda sick joke.
- The jokes and the wisecracks are just their way of blocking off the real horror.
What we've gotta do is find this guy, before he kills again.
(suspenseful music) (upbeat music) (knocking sound) - Who is it? - Would you help me please? I'm looking for someone.
- Just a sec.
- Who is it you want? - You.
- What? I don't know you.
- You will.
(funky electronic music) - This Coed Fashions magazine, is it legit? - Mostly young girls fashion, exercises, stuff like that.
Nothing offbeat, no soft porn.
- Thank you, Melissa.
I don't know exactly what you're looking for, but this is our current personnel list.
I run the business side.
I leave the hiring, firing, shooting sessions up to my assistant.
- Does he keep a separate list of the models he uses or might use? - Why don't we ask him? I don't interfere in the creative side, but anytime you wanna model here I'll make an exception, Miss Sheridan.
I find it very difficult to call anyone as pretty as you "Officer.
" This way, please.
(camera shutter clicking) Excuse me.
(upbeat music) - Yes sir, you were inquiring about freelancers? Actually what we do here is we get our models from the agencies and we hardly ever go with freelancers.
- But you do on some occasions.
- Oh, one or two maybe.
You can take a look through the girls files if you like, but there's definitely no Ann Banning that's worked for us, since I've been here anyway.
- How long is that, Mr.
Richards? - Doug, please.
Several months now.
- Well, she may not have worked here, but she might have come in here looking for a job.
This is her picture.
- I don't really recognize her, I'm sorry.
I wish I could've been of some help to you folks.
- Well, it was a long shot.
- Excuse me, please.
- Lovely girl isn't she? Tina's one of our best and most popular models.
Young, of course, but she knows her way around if you know what I mean, very cooperative.
- I'm sure she is, just like you Mr.
Beaman.
- Yes, well I do have to get back to work.
- Thanks for your help.
- I guess he means well.
- So do street pimps.
(police radio beeps) - [Dispatcher.]
Four-X-Ray-30 come in.
- 30, go ahead.
- [Dispatcher.]
Four-X-Ray-16 has requested you meet him at 1027 Kester code two.
- Roger.
(exciting music) (car tires squeal) - If Sonny's our boy he's been at it again.
- Another girl.
- Who is she? - Heidi Davis, 19, a freshman at the college.
Home is in Oregon, Salem.
Landlady found her late this morning.
- Same M.
O.
? - Right down to the last detail.
Physical characteristics mutilated, sexual assault.
- Help them finish up here.
- How long is this gonna go on before we stop it? - An animal kills like this, I wanna put him in a cage.
Forever.
(tense music) - The lab came up with some interesting things on those boots you found in Ann Banning's closet, real horse hair, straw, and manure.
- So Sonny's a real cowboy, huh? - It looks like.
Put out a couple of interview teams with a sketch to cover riding stables and ranches on the south side of the valley, but that's a lot of territory.
- Stacy, you join the stable detail tomorrow.
- Whatever it takes.
Why don't I get us all some sandwiches? - And make mine ham and cheese.
- Tea for me.
How does the lady like homicide? - She's learning.
What about you, you still getting pressure from downtown? - They may take this one away from us, you gotta give me somethin' to feed 'em.
- Handing them Sonny wouldn't hurt.
- We have a serial killer on our hands.
You don't catch him by getting lucky.
You do it by running down your clues, finding witnesses, pounding the pavement.
- That takes time.
- This is the psychological profile we worked up four years ago.
Suspect is probably young, possibly had a traumatic youthful experience with a girl resembling the victims.
Kills her over and over again.
- We know that part.
- He's intelligent, probably attractive, and able to ingratiate himself with his victims.
Kills them ritualistically under an irresistible compulsion.
- Bottom line? - He'll do it again.
(mysterious music) - [Jim.]
This is the last name on the Banning list.
I stopped by yesterday, but nobody was home.
- Maybe we'll get lucky this time.
(doorbell chimes) Mr.
Williams? - That's right.
Oh.
I suppose it's about that girl who got herself killed.
- Ann Banning, yes.
Did you know her? - She went to school with my son.
Not that that means anything, there was no hanky panky between 'em.
I kept a close eye on that.
- I'm afraid you're jumping too ahead of us, Mr.
Williams.
- My son hasn't seen that girl in over a year.
I put a stop to it.
Heard she had round heels, if you know what I mean.
- We'd like to talk to him if we might.
- Just routine, we have to check everything.
- Well you're wasting your time, but I'll get him.
- Think papa's boss man around here? - I think papa thinks he is.
- Tom.
- Sergeant Hooker, Officer Corrigan.
We're investigating Ann Banning's murder, we're hoping you can help us.
- I don't know anything about it except what I saw on the TV.
- We're making a list of her friends, people who knew her.
- I already told you Tom hasn't seen her.
How long's it been, son? - A year or so, a long time.
- You went to school together and you haven't seen her in a year? - It's a big campus, and we don't have any classes together.
- So you don't know who she was running around with, boyfriends, anything like that? - No, sorry.
- Sorry officers, like to help you, but, way it is.
- We understand.
It's just that, we never know the one thing that might be important.
Ann Banning died a horrible death.
Whoever did it, we want.
I mean, he's gotta be caught.
Thank you.
(quiet music) - What gives, that kid was ready to fall apart? - Not with his father holding onto his arm like that.
I got a hunch, let's stick around.
(car engine roars) (suspicious music) - I had to talk to you, only my father can't know.
- [Hooker.]
Whatever you say to us doesn't get back to him, okay? - Okay.
Look, I never really stopped seeing Ann.
I mean, we were just good friends and I couldn't see anything wrong with just gettin' together to talk or watch TV.
- When did you last see her? - Day before yesterday, I lied about the classes.
We have a 3 o'clock together.
- She ever mention anyone named Sonny? - Yeah, when we got out of class he was waitin' for her, that's what I wanted to tell you.
He's a new guy and they went off together.
- Is this him? - Yes sir, I'll swear to it.
I talked to him some.
- What'd you talk about? - Mostly him, he's a cowboy or somethin'.
Ann was all hung-up on him.
She's had a thing for horses and they were gonna go riding.
He was gonna pick her up later on.
After what happened I thought you oughta know.
- Did they say where they were gonna get the horses? - Yeah, where he works.
A riding place called Easy Trails in the West Valley.
She was my friend, and if he did it, I want him caught.
- We'll take it from here.
Thanks for telling us the truth.
(car engine roars) (suspenseful music) (horses whinny) (rousing music) (men grunting) - Hey man, take it easy, you're gonna break my arm.
- We've been wanting to meet you for a long time, Sonny.
(Sonny grunts) I want the truth, Sonny.
Tell me again about going to Ann's room.
- [Sonny.]
You mean when I walked in? - You knocked.
- Sure.
We had a date, but she didn't answer, so I tried the door, it was unlocked, so I walked in, I've told you a hundred times.
- And you saw her, where? - On the floor by the bed.
It was horrible, all that blood.
I tried to help her, but she was dead.
- Where'd you get the knife, Sonny? - On the floor beside her, I didn't get it anywhere, I never saw it before.
- Why didn't you take your boots with you? - [Sonny.]
Boots? What, the ones in the closet? You gotta be kidding.
- Then they were your boots.
- I didn't think about them at a time like that, I left them there before.
I stayed all night a couple of times.
But I swear I never did nothin' to her! But you're gonna pin this on me, aren't you, because you can't find who did it, so it's me, right? - Did you do it? - No! - You sure? - I walked in there, I saw her all cut up, it was a nightmare.
I heard someone outside, I turned out the lights, and when they came in I pushed them out of the way and I ran, I didn't do it.
I didn't do it.
- Alright, you get him out of here, take him to holding.
- But we had a date, I didn't do anything to her! I didn't do it.
- You think he did it? - We have no prints, we got no hard evidence of any kind, nothing that ties him in, except the fact that he was there.
If he killed that girl we're gonna need a confession.
- What about the original murders? He would've been only - He says he was in Oklahoma at the time of those murders.
If he can prove where he was on the dates those girls were killed, we gotta let him go.
- What have we got left? - Coed Fashions magazine.
- Are you saying we missed something? - I'm saying we didn't dig deep enough.
That little model, Tina? She didn't miss a beat about what was going on, I'd like to talk to her, but away from Beaman and Richards.
Come on.
Stacy, you find where she hangs out.
(upbeat rock music) Sure this is the place? - Mr.
Beaman lie to me? - It's the kinda place that sticks to the soles of your shoes.
(upbeat rock music) Sweet little Miss America hangs out here? - I remember you, and you.
You know, I saw you watch me yesterday, and I thought maybe you were gonna hit on me but you just walked out.
- Well you know, I don't mix business with pleasure.
- Wrong, I don't know, but I'd like to.
- What we want right now is some answers to some questions, do you think you can handle it? - Sure, you wanna know about that girl, um, what was her name? - Ann Banning.
- Right, right.
Well she came in one day last week, cute, but she did not know anything about being a model.
- Was she looking for work? - Oh yeah, she wanted a job.
- Why do you think Richards said she hadn't been there? - Oh I don't know.
- How many times has she been there? - Far as I know, just that one time.
You know, I've never had a thing with a cop.
- Well I don't think you're going to.
Unless you want an appointment with a man from vice.
- That's not what I had in mind.
- Well thank you, Tina, you've been a great help.
- Any time.
I mean any time at all.
(upbeat rock music) - Beaman and company have a lot of explaining to do.
Let's get out of here.
Did you see a woman, blonde, wearing dark glasses? - No.
- Who was she? - I don't know, something about her, I don't know.
- We just got a call.
They found a body, looks like another Ripper.
- Where? - Six blocks from here.
- Let's go.
(car engine roars) Couple next door heard a lot of screaming.
They called the police.
Husband banged on the wall, probably scared the killer off so he didn't get much work with his knife.
- He left it behind.
- Well, we can forget about Sonny, he didn't do this one.
(sinister music) - What is it? - It's hairs from a wig.
The woman who got away.
Now I know why she seemed so familiar.
(suspenseful music) (menacing music) (menacing music grows louder) (Stacy gasps) - Put the knife down, Richards.
Let her go.
- You stay away.
You stay back! Or she dies.
- [Stacy.]
Come on, let me go.
- Shh, shhh, you were gonna be next anyway, baby, you know that.
- No she wasn't.
What are you, kidding? She's blonde, you don't kill blondes, only girls with dark hair.
- You can't prove that.
- That knife you're holding, that'll prove it for me.
- Nobody is gonna believe you.
- The jury'll believe me when they see how that knife matches the other knives.
And they're gonna wanna know who it is you keep killing, over and over again.
(Richards yells) - Now you take one more step and she dies.
You, go over there.
- You're not listening to me, that's not the girl.
Look at her.
Look at her! Now put the knife down.
- No, you locked me up.
I couldn't stand that again.
- Is that where you've been the past four years, Richards.
- Well that's for you to figure out now, isn't it? - Richards we wanna help you.
Let her go.
- You're trying to trick me.
Just like she did! It's not gonna work.
You see I told her how much I loved her and she laughed at me, but I made her stop laughing.
- Nobody's laughing at you now, believe me.
- Take her! (dramatic, rousing music) (car horn honks) (tires squeal) - [Hooker.]
Stay right there! - I kept killing her again and again, but she wouldn't stay dead.
(sinister notes play) - Whoever she was, she'll stay dead this time.
(police recruits chanting) - How'd you put it together? - Simple.
When Richards bumped into me at the club I just didn't have the urge to dance with him.
- Even though he looked good in heels? - Not my type.
And the blonde hair with the gum at the end of it, that tied in with the modeling and the magazine.
- Ann Banning and the other victims weren't afraid of another woman.
- That's right.
- Richards did close to four years in a New jersey psycho ward for a knife attack on a young woman.
- Well that ties it up, doesn't it.
- All but one little thing, now McSweeney over at the motor pool is wondering if you can be put back on foot patrol.
- Me, why? - That was the third black and white you've totaled in the last 10 months! - I know, but doesn't it count that I got out alive? - Not to McSweeney.
- Tell him I'll be more careful next time.
- If you believe that I've got some swamp land in Arizona for sale.
(laughs) (guitar music) ("T.
J.
Hooker Theme" by Mark Snow)