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[Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at any
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time you need support please contact your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support
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and for a more detailed list of content warnings please the show notes for this episode on your app or on our
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website today's episode involves crimes against children and won't be suitable for all
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[Music] listeners married couple Deborah and Sherwood helmi worked hard to provide a
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comfortable life for their three young children in mid 1985 the couple saved enough money to move out of the home
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they'd been sharing with relatives and into a space of their own the Shiloh mobile home park in South
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Carolina's Richland County provided modest yet Pleasant accommodation with just 13 trailers on
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the property it was a relatively close-knit hardworking Community where residents looked out for one
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another by June the Helix had been living at the trailer park for 2 months although their busy schedules didn't
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leave them much time for socializing with the other tenants they were starting to settle
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in on the afternoon of Friday June 14 Deborah prepared for her waitressing shift at a local barbecue
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restaurant her husband Sherwood hadn't yet returned home from his construction job so Deborah had little choice but to
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bring her three children along for the drive Deborah didn't have a car but her neighbor Vicki was happy to help out
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Vicki agreed to drop Deborah at the restaurant and then keep an eye on her kids until Sherwood knocked off from
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work work just as they were about to leave Sherwood returned home 6-year-old Becky
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still wanted to go for the drive but 9-year-old Deborah May and 3-year-old Woody decided to stay home the
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youngsters said goodbye to their mother then went to play outside while their father cooled down
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indoors Ricky Morgan lived in a neighboring trailer four doors down at around 400 p.m. he heard a noise outside
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and looked out the window a silver car that Ricky didn't recognize rapidly pulled into the
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trailer park it stopped near the two helmic children who were playing at the front
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of their trailer a white male got out of the vehicle leaving his motor running and
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the door open he walked over and began speaking to the two children in his hand appeared to be a white
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bag Ricky didn't think much of it assuming he was a friend of the family but suddenly the man grabbed Deborah May
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around the waist and raced back towards his car Deborah May began Kicking and Screaming the man threw her into his
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vehicle where Deborah May continued to scream and started kicking the roof by the time Ricky realized what was
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happening it was too late he raced outside but the car sped past him and out of the trailer park
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3-year-old Woody desperately scrambled underneath a nearby Bush shaking with fear when asked what happened a
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terrified Woody later explained the bad man said he was coming back to get [Music]
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me Sherwood helck had been just 20 ft away getting changed in his bedroom where the
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buzzing of his air conditioner unit drowned out the sound of his daughter's screams but a friend who had given him a
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lift home from work was sitting in the front room of the helmet trailer and overheard the commotion he told shwood
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what was going on and the two quickly raced outside just quick enough to catch a glimpse of the silver car as it
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disappeared down Old peral Road a long rural stretch running through the H of Richland
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County they jumped in sherwoods France car and gave Chase but the vehicle was long
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gone officers were alerted and a search for the 9-year-old kicked off immediately trailer park resident Ricky
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Morgan had gotten a decent look at the kidnapper describing him as aged in his early to mid 30s 5'9 and weighing
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roughly 200 lb he had a brown receding hairline short brown beard and was wearing shorts
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with a light colored sleeveless top the car itself had red stripes down the side and was possibly a 1982 or 1983
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model Chevrolet Monte Carlo or pontiaka Grand Prix tire tracks at the Park were consistent with it being a General
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Motors model vehicle Ricky had caught a glimpse of the South Carolina license plate just
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long enough to see that it started with the letter D the helmets were beside themselves
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they had no known enemies and couldn't think of anyone who would want to harm their
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daughter Deborah May was an incredibly smart young girl who was obedient well behaved and a little shy not the type to
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to speak to strangers although the helmets mostly kept to themselves neighbors described
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them as a likable family no one had noticed any other suspicious Behavior around the
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property the only plausible explanation seemed to be that Deborah may had been the target of an opportunistic
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predator for investigators there were a couple of details that caused particular
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concern Deborah May helmi's abduction had occurred on the two we anniversary of Sherie Smith's kidnapping right down
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to the hour the two girls lived roughly 24 mies apart both had been brazenly taken from
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the front of their own homes while their parents stood nearby oblivious to what was
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happening although there was an 8-year age difference between Sherie and deborra may they shared similar physical
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characteristics both were blonde with blue eyes there were immediate concerns that
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Deborah may could have fallen victim to the same fate as Sher at the time of her
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kidnapping N9 days had passed since Sher Smith's body had been discovered and despite their tireless efforts
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investigators were no closer to identifying her killer witness Ricky Morgan was shown
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the suspect sketch of sher's abductor and noticed similarities to the man who had taken Deborah
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May although the man Ricky witnessed was younger and stockier with darker hair and a beard he also drove a completely
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different vehicle it was believed that Sher had been forced into her attack his car at
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gunpoint yet Deborah may had been physically grabbed if the two attacks weren't linked this prompted another terrifying
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possibility what if sher's killer had inspired a copycat if the same perpetrator was
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responsible for both abductions police held grave concerns for Deborah May's welfare they wasted no time in launching
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a fullscale investigation with officers from surrounding counties called into to
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assist while helicopters surveilled overhead if the Smith case had taught them anything it was that the
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perpetrator thrived on Power and attention investigators therefore anticipated that if the same person was
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responsible for both crimes it was a matter of time before he contacted Deborah May's
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family but there was one issue the helmet didn't have a phone if the 9-year-old had been
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targeted at random the perpetrator likely didn't know this instead investigators monitored the phone in the
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manager's Office of the trailer park but the days ticked by and the kidnapper remained
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silent when the Smith family found out about deorah May's Abduction the first thing
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they did was pray for the helmets they told reporters we knew when we lost Sher that
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no one could give us as much comfort as God that was able to strengthen us and we want to pass that
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along unlike the Smith family the helmets refrained from making any public appeals they were too
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traumatized Sherwood was unable to cope with the fact that his daughter had been
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taken while he was mere meters away and he wept uncontrollably his wife Deborah sunk
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into a deep depression blacking out from stress and requiring Medical Care they clung desperately onto the
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hope that Deborah May would be found alive but the very real possibility that that may not be the case left them
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crippled with distress Sherwood refused to let his other two children out of his
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sight when he finally summoned the strength to speak to a reporter for the Columbia record he
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said you've got a wacko out there and you never know what he might do up until this point the composite
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sketch of Sher Smith's abductor had been withheld from the public desperate for leads the decision was made to release
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it for the first time it prompted an overwhelming response with the Abduction of a second
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young girl from neighboring counties the already fearful Community became increasingly
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paranoid everyone was viewed with suspicion police tip lines rang off the hook with locals wanting to report
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everything from Psychic Visions to their own personal theories officers who were already
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working around the clock to try and solve Sher Smith's murder were thrown into a spin with the introduction of a
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second possibly linked case hours of crucial investigative time went into checking license plate numbers as
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tipsters reported every suspicious bearded man driving a car similar to the ones witnessed during the
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abductions complicating matters further was the fact that both kidnappings and The Dumping of sher's body had taken
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place in different jurisdictions leading to issues when it came to communication
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and coordination between the different law enforcement agencies one official appeared on the
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news his stress evident as he told reporters we are on an 18-hour work schedule now we just can't take really
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much more with the rumor mill swinging into overdrive and wreaking havoc on both
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investigators and the public Lexington County Sheriff James matz took a media vow of silence refusing to speak about
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either case until substantial progress was made although investigators were treading with caution in case both
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abductions were linked they still had no evidence to confirm this Deborah May helmi's case was being
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treated as a missing person investigation and hopes continued to be held that she'd be found
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alive just like they had with the Smith case the community rallied behind the helmic with an outpouring of support in
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the form of food and financial donations it was impossible for other parents not to put themselves in the
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helmic shoes with one woman remarking every time one of my children walks out the door I pray to God that
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they'll come back safely Sherwood helck told reporters he was optimistic that investigators would
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solve his daughter's case within a couple of days but by the time sher's killer made
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contact with with Dawn Smith on Saturday June 22 Deborah may had been missing for
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8 days as soon as the caller asked Dawn Smith if she had quote heard about Deborah May hamr investigators listening
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in hung on to his every word Dawn was aware of the young girl's kidnapping but she responded
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no realizing he had mispronounced Deborah May's surname the caller corrected himself and said
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helmic this time dor responded that yes she did know about deborra May okay now listen carefully said her
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sister's killer go one North well one West turn left at Peach Festival Road or Bill's
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Grill go 3 and 1/2 miles through Gilbert turn right last dirt road before you come to stop sign at Two Notch Road go
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through chain and no trespassing sign go 50 yards and to the left go 10 yards debbah May is
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waiting God forgive us all the location the caller had described was in Lexington County
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roughly 14 Mi west of the Smith's home and 30 mi from the helmet the manner in which he' given
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directions was so similar to the way he described the location of sher's body that officers descending on the scene
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had little doubt as to what they would find there following the instructions took
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them to a remote location in the back roads outside the small town of Gilbert where they located the no trespassing
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sign as described it led down a hill that backed onto a wooded area at the bottom of the hill lay the
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body of Deborah may helmi as with Sherie Smith Deborah May's body was severely decomposed to the
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point that her exact cause of death couldn't be ascertained however the residue of
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adhesive material in her hair indicated that she too had likely been suffocated the 9-year-old was still
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dressed in the same clothing she'd been wearing at the time of her abduction pinstriped shorts and a lavender colored
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t-shirt the level of decomposition meant it couldn't be determined whether she'd
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been sexually assaulted but evidence found on her body indicated there was a sexual motivation to the
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crime Deborah May was still wearing the same pair of cotton underwear she'd been
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dressed in on the day of her kidnapping but over the top was a pair of adult women's silk bikini
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briefs when criminal profiler John Douglas heard this detail and gave him further insight into what kind of
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perpetrator they were dealing with as explained in his book When a Killer calls Douglas suspected that the killer
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wouldn't feel particularly good about taking a child victim with Sher Smith he could convince
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himself that the two had some kind of reasonable relationship without this delusion he
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would likely feel somewhat ashamed of his actions Douglas believed it was like that the adult underwear belonged to
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another of the Killer's victims by putting them on Deborah may it was possible he was trying to
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diminish his guilt about attacking a child the call placed to Dawn Smith was traced to a payone outside a Kentucky
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Fried Chicken fast food restaurant in the South Carolina town of suta roughly 72 mies from where Deborah May's body
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was found as was the case with all his previous calls the killer had left behind no discernable
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Clues but with the addition of a second body and a second crime scene investigators were able to piece
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together a few more details about the perpetrator the remote location where de's body was found added further weight
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to the belief that the killer lived locally like the Masonic Lodge where sher's body was dumped this wasn't the
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kind of location one would just stumble upon by accident furthermore the fact that he'd scattered his crimes among
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three different counties supported the theory that he had knowledge of forensic proceedings investigators believed he'd
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intentionally spread his offenses between jurisdictions knowing it would hinder the
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investigation by this point 22 days had passed since Sher Smith had been abducted in that time the perpetrator
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had successfully pulled off a second abduction and two murders he'd made multiple calls to Sher
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Smith's family and one to news reporter Charlie keys yet despite unrelenting efforts
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made by multiple law enforcement agencies including the FBI no Prime suspects had
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emerged on his latest call to dawn Smith the killer didn't disguise his voice this indicated two possibilities
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either he was getting sloppy or he was getting cocky the helmets were saved from having
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to view their daughter's Body by identifying her based on her clothing instead as soon as Deborah helmi saw the
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pink hair clip she'd placed in her daughter's hair before leaving for work on the day of the abduction her worst
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nightmare was confirmed as The Grieving parents came to terms with their loss a press
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conference with was held for police to break the news to the public Sheriff James Mets reluctantly
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confirmed what everyone had been fearing since Debra May was taken a serial killer was on the
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loose Mets urged parents to remain Vigilant saying I don't want to frighten anybody but as your Sheriff it is my
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duty to tell you that you should exercise extra caution during these trying times the ECT sketch was revised to
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reflect the sightings from both kidnappings and was published in all the local papers it showed a white heavy set male
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aged between 28 and 35 with longish hair and a dark beard although if profiler John
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Douglas's assumptions were anything to go by the perpetrator's physical appearance would likely have changed
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since his Crim spray kicked off he might be losing or gaining weight looking uncamp and could be drinking
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heavily if members of the public were paranoid before they were now well and truly
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petrified panicked parents Ved for a spot in a community program about child safety while concerned citizens sought
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out self-defense classes and continued to report even the most remotely suspicious
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activity people called the police to voice concerns that their families could be targeted next
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tipline switchboards were completely overwhelmed with unsubstantiated rumors with police becoming so inundated that
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they threatened to prosecute anyone who deliberately hindered the investigation as journalist Margaret OA
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wrote In The State newspaper other crimes have shocked the public conscience and other murders have
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provoked Community outrage but none have so completely gripped the Midlands in intense
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pervasive fear as have the abductions and deaths of Sher Smith and Deborah May helmi the terror has circumscribed the
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lives and thoughts of thousands consumed with the Stark and Dreadful knowledge that a bold killer or killers were at
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large no driveway no front yard no pool or Pond no place where children play could be assumed to be safe
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anymore despite the killer claiming a second victim and the ongoing concerns that
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Dawn Smith could be targeted next the Smith family agreed to go ahead with the staged memorial service for sher's
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birthday as planned on Tuesday June 25 undercover officers strategically placed themselves
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around the cemetery while covert security guards lay in wait in case anyone tried to cause any
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harm when the service ended Dawn took one of sher's cherished stuffed koalas and placed it on her
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grave various members of the press were there to report on the event in the hopes the media attention would
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re-engage the killer to make further contact speaking afterwards to the Colombia record Bob Smith said the only
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way they coped was through their belief in God Hilda added it's even harder today
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knowing that this is the day you gave birth and she's not here with you knowing she's not ever going to be here
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with you again the following day was Deborah May's Funeral over 300 people gathered to
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mourn the loss of the smart young girl who dreamed of becoming a teacher or School
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principal the presiding Minister told those in attendance this is a very difficult time for all of
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us we are afraid angry and confused we are all sad and broken we are afraid for our children we don't feel safe in our
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front yards we distrust every stranger we ask when will it end convinced that the killer could be
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among the crowd plain clothes officers were positioned around the cemetery while a police helicopter circled
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overhead meanwhile sher's grave site was surveilled around to the clock and the license plate of every vehicle that
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passed by was taken down but the Trap didn't appear to be working no one made any attempt to take
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the stuffed koala nor had the killer made a peep all that didn't matter on the same day that Deborah May
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helmi was laid to rest Specialists were finally able to run Sher Smith's last will and testament through an electronic
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detection apparatus known as an Asda machine with the use of graphite an Asda can pick up images that aren't visible
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to the naked eye such as indentations left on paper the esda revealed several latent
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Impressions on Sherry's last will and testament on the same pad she'd used to write her letter someone had written
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what appeared to be a grocery list but that wasn't all there was a string of numbers looking closely investigators
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realized what they were looking at a phone [Music] number the discovery of a latent phone
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number number on Sher Smith's final letter was a major breakthrough but there was just one problem only nine
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digits of the 10-digit phone number were visible investigators could make out the
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first three digits 205 this was the interstate area code for Alabama the next three digits were 837
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which was the local exchange for Huntsville an Alabama city roughly 380 Mi West of
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Lexington but of the last four digits only three were visible this was only a minor setback
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investigators realized the missing number could only be one of 10 options they tried every possible
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combination and crosschecked each one against phone records to identify if any of the Huntsville numbers had
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Communications around the Lexington County area one of them had one investigator dialed the
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number a friendly sounding man answered he sounded like he was in his 20s or 30s
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but his voice didn't match the killer he said his name was Joe Shepherd and that he was stationed at an army
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base which he hadn't left in recent weeks but when asked if he knew anyone in South Carolina Joe said yes his
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parents lived in Saluda County 50-year-old Ella Shepard was an electrician he and his wife Sharon lived
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near Lake Murray less than 10 miles from the home of Sherie Smith and just 2 miles from the location where Deborah
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May helmi's body was found investigators immediately descended on their home but as soon as
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they met the couple it was blatantly obvious that Ellis didn't fit the profile file of Sher and Deborah May
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killer for starters he was older and didn't match the suspect description secondly he had a squeaky
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clean criminal record with no prior run-ins with the law thirdly he and Sharon were happily
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married going against the belief that the perpetrator would be a loner with a history of failed
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relationships although the Shepherds were caught off guard by the police presence nothing in Ellis's demeanor
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indicated that he was nervous when asked if they knew about the recent abductions and murders
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happening in the area the couple said yes they were aware of them but they'd been out of town at the time that each
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incident had occurred and they didn't know all of the details they could think of no reason
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why their son's phone number could have appeared on the final letter written by one of the
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victims the investigators described the the behavioral profile of the killer to the Shepherds and implored them to think
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if there was anyone they knew who fit that description the two exchanged a knowing
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glance over the past month Sharon and Ellis had been away traveling one of Ellis's electrical assistants had been
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housesitting for them during that time the couple had left him a list of phone numbers on yellow legal paper that he
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could call in case of an emergency one of those numbers was for their son Joe as the Shepherds considered the
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criminal profile they realized just how many of those factors matched their house
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sitter but it wasn't until they were play a recording of the Killer's voice that they knew for
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sure Dirty son of a [ __ ] Ella said that's Larry Jean Bell 36-year-old Larry Jean Bell was a South
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Carolina local just like the profile anticipated he'd once been married with a child but the relationship ended in
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divorce after which Bill's ex-wife and Son relocated into State Bill had previously served in the
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Marines but was discharged within a year after he accidentally shot himself in the knee while cleaning his
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gun since then he'd had a range of jobs in including prison guard Airline reservations Clerk and electronic
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contractor a search of Bill's background revealed that 10 years prior he had approached a young woman at knife point
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and tried to force her into his car a passer by heard the woman screams and called the police who arrested Bell as
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he tried to flee Bell pleaded guilty to assault and battery and was sentenced to 5 years in
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prison a sentence that was ultimately suspended in favor of him paying a $1,000 fine 8 months after this failed attack
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Bell was in Colombia when he saw a woman slip and fall in the process of helping
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her to her fate Belle flashed a gun and tried to force the woman into his car again she fought back and Belle was
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arrested he pleaded guilty to AA and battery and was sentenced to 5 years in prison a mandatory psychiatric report
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concluded that the likelihood of B re offending was very high in one counseling session he told
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the psychiatrist I feel uncontrollable urges to attack females and want help before I
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really hurt someone regardless 2 years into his sentence he was released a couple of years later in 1979
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a 10-year-old girl began receiving obscene phone calls in which the caller detailed various sex acts he wanted the
00:31:03
two to perform together he seemed to know where the girl lived and threatened to stop by her
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house the girl's mother eventually recorded the calls and they were traced back to
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Bell again he pleaded guilty but was only given a 2 years suspended sentence by the time of the Smith helmic attacks
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Larry Jean Bell had spent the past three years living with his parents on Shaw Island in Lake Murray he rarely saw his
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12-year-old child and made NS meet by doing casual electrical jobs for various contractors when Ellis and Sharon
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Shepard asked Bell if he wanted to house sit while they traveled for 6 weeks he jumped at the
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chance but when Bell picked the couple up from the airport upon their return they were a little taken
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aback in the short amount of time they'd been away Bell had lost about 10B had stopped shaving and looked generally
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exhausted and uncamp he seemed to bit out of it all he wanted to talk about was the kidnapping
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and murder of Sher Smith Sharon had asked him to save any news about the case so she could catch
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up on the events when she got home but to her surprise Belle had gone above and beyond clipping newspaper articles from
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every newspaper in the area when the shepherd saw the revised sketch of the suspect they
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paused it looked remarkably similar to Larry Jean Bell they considered for a moment
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whether he could have something to do with the crimes but quickly shook this thought
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off although Bell could be a bit strange and spaced out at times they believed there was no way he was capable of
00:33:01
anything so heinous B was generally a quiet reserved person who'd never given them or anyone
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else any cause for concern neighbors knew him to be kind and gentle the type of guy you could
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count on for help and who made a great fishing buddy as one former coworker later told
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the Charlotte Observer Bell was always smiling and laughing he was the most likable person you ever
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knew Ellis sheeper tried to dismiss the idea that bill could be involved in the recent murders but the similarities he
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bore with the suspect sketch nagged at him late one night Ellis felt compelled to check on his gun he kept a loaded
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pistol at home and had told Belle about it in case he needed it for protection while they were
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gone but the gun wasn't there Ellis called Bell and asked about it Bell explained that he'd kept the
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pistol under the mattress of the guest bed he'd been sleeping in Larry went into the guest room and
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lifted the mattress there lay a copy of Hustler magazine on the cover was a blonde woman
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dressed in bondage gear and placed in a crucifix position beside the magazine was Ellis's
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gun he picked it up it had been recently fired on the morning of Wednesday June 26 1985 Larry Jean Bell made his way to
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the shepherd's house to begin a day of electrical work he was driving a gray Buick Riviera
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a car that didn't match the vehicle used in either abduction as he approached an
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intersection a police car cut him off and an officer placed him under arrest without
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incident inside his vehicle officers found a double-edged knife on the passenger
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seat Bell appeared to be caught off guard but not completely surprised asking simply can I call my
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mama Belle was taken into custody while search warrants were executed at the shepherd's home the guest room that Bell
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had been staying in was meticulously clean it appeared to have been recently dusted and vacuumed and the bed linen
00:35:34
was freshly washed but when investigators removed the sheets a special laser machine
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determined that the mattress topper was stained with a mix of urine semen and blood the blood was type A the same type
00:35:51
is Sher Smith's red fibers were also found these were compared to red fibers found on
00:35:59
sher's body and determined to be a match forensic investigators spent 12 hours painstakingly examining the
00:36:08
property in the bathroom they found six blonde hairs confirmed to be a match to Sher a search warrant was also executed
00:36:19
at the lakefront home of Bell's parents who were upstanding well-regarded citizens in their local
00:36:25
community unsurprisingly to investigators B's bedroom was meticulously organized he had a large pornography
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collection with a focus on BDSM a search of his dresser drawers revealed a bag of women's underwear with
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one pair of silk briefs similar to those that Deborah may helck had been dressed
00:36:48
in also found was a sheet of postage stamps featuring commemorative duck decoys the same as the stamp used to
00:36:57
mail Sher Smith's last will and testament meanwhile police combed through the surveillance photos taken
00:37:05
from sher's grave in one they saw a car parked on the roadside right near the grave the driver never got out of the
00:37:15
car a search of the license plate revealed the car was registered to none other than Larry Jane
00:37:23
[Music] Bell the circumstantial evidence against Bell was stucking up but to secure a
00:37:38
conviction investigators were hoping for one thing in particular a confession but upon questioning Bell
00:37:47
repeatedly denied any involvement in the murders of Sher Smith or Deborah may helmi he told interviewing
00:37:55
detectives this Larry Jean Bell didn't do it it's the bad Larry Jean Bell I know for a fact that Larry Jean Bell did
00:38:03
not do that to these poor women I'm not lying to you I'll do everything I can to
00:38:09
help you but I can't confess for someone else when pressed further Bell said all I know is that the Larry Jean
00:38:19
Bell sitting here couldn't have done such a thing but there's a bad Larry Jean Bell that could have
00:38:27
he then made an oddd request could he meet with sher's family Hilder and Dawn courageously
00:38:36
agreed and were taken into the interrogation room Belle began to mumble that the person sitting before them
00:38:43
could not be capable of such quote ungodly things while he admitted to feeling some
00:38:50
form of guilt he made no confession Bell told Hilda if I'm directly responsible for this
00:38:59
crime I do apologize if I've brought tragedy into your lives and tragedy to myself I don't know what to say to you I
00:39:09
just can't believe I've done those Terrible Things the mother and daughter made it
00:39:15
very clear to Bill that they knew he was the man responsible for killing Sher his denial filled Dawn with
00:39:24
disgust at the very least she heard HED he'd be man enough to own up to his actions and
00:39:30
apologize regardless Hilda told him I don't hate you there is not enough room in my heart for more
00:39:43
pain after interviewing friends and family members investigators could find no evidence to indicate that Larry Jean
00:39:50
Bell and Sher Smith were known to one another prior to May 31 1985 it appeared that Sherie had simply been
00:39:59
in the wrong place at the wrong time on the afternoon of Sherry's disappearance Bell had been in downtown
00:40:06
Lexington dropping his mother at a doctor's appointment he had likely caught sight
00:40:12
of Sherie as she got into her car after her friend's pool party and made the decision to follow her home from
00:40:19
there although Bell had probably been fantasizing about pulling off such a crime for a while the attack was
00:40:26
somewhat opportunistic when Sher arrived at her house and got out of her car to check
00:40:33
the mail Belle likely approached her brandishing a gun and demanded she get into his car back at the shepherd's
00:40:41
house he answered a call from a friend who worked as a waitress at a local restaurant Belle's parents had just
00:40:48
arrived for dinner and she invited Bell to come join them Belle said he'd rather
00:40:54
stay in and watch the College World Series Series baseball game Instead at this point investigators
00:41:02
believed Sher was tied to the bed terrified a night of sexual assault likely preceded sher's eventual murder
00:41:11
at 458 a.m. the time that Bell told the Smith family their souls became one during the search of Belle's bedroom
00:41:22
officers found a business card for a top soil company located on Old peral Road directly across from the trailer park
00:41:30
where the helck family lived the company belonged to B's sister Diane Diane and her husband occasionally
00:41:39
hired b to do some work for their business investigators theorized that b had caught sight of 9-year-old Deborah
00:41:47
May helmi while working for his sister and had targeted her because of her blonde hair and the fact she'd be easy
00:41:54
to control from the outset of the investigation criminal profilers believed the serial
00:42:01
killer would keep trophies of his victims despite extensive searches of Bell's home and vehicle nothing
00:42:09
belonging to Sherie Smith or Deborah May helck was found but there was no denying Larry
00:42:16
Jean Bell's obsession with the two cases not only had he kept the extensive collection of newspaper clippings for
00:42:23
Sharon Shepard a neighbor recalled that Belle had been eager to bring up sher's kidnapping the day after it
00:42:30
happened he claimed to be a good friend of the Smith family and had made the odd
00:42:36
comment she's dead now the neighbor hadn't thought anything of it at the time but he did notice one
00:42:45
thing Belle had always sported a full beard the day after sher's kidnapping he was clean
00:42:54
shaven questions remained regarding the vehicles used in the abductions the only car linked to Bell
00:43:01
was the gray Buick he'd been driving at the time of his arrest 2 days prior to this a cranberry
00:43:08
colored Buick Regal had been found abandoned in a hotel car park a search revealed it had been
00:43:15
reported stolen in April and the thief had never been apprehended but there was no evidence
00:43:22
inside to link it to Bell nor could investigators find the silvercolor General Motors vehicle used in the
00:43:28
Abduction of Deborah May helck however when Bell was arrested officers searched his car and found a
00:43:37
license plate in the trunk that didn't match those on display the witness to Deborah May's
00:43:43
abduction recalled the kidnapper's license plate beginning with the letter D the plate inside Bill's vehicle read
00:43:52
dce 604 [Music] news that an arrest had been made in the Smith helmet case was met with mixed
00:44:04
reactions while members of the community breathed the collective sigh of relief that someone had finally been held
00:44:11
accountable those who knew Bell were in disbelief neighbors and former colleagues struggled to comprehend that
00:44:18
the friendly and likable person they knew could be capable of such crimes many were convinced that police had
00:44:25
caught the wrong guy but investigators had no doubts after sorting out some complex
00:44:32
jurisdictional issues Larry Jean Bell was officially charged with the kidnapping and murder of both Sher Smith
00:44:39
and Deborah May helmi both cases would be tried separately both carried the possibility
00:44:47
of the death penalty but there was something else that investigators needed to get to the
00:44:53
bottom of while Bel was being transported for one of his court hearings he turned to one of the
00:45:00
accompanying officers Bell said that he wanted to speak to law enforcement in Charlotte a
00:45:06
city in the neighboring state of North Carolina saying I want to tell them some things
00:45:13
about a missing girl named Sandy 26-year-old Sandy cornette was an insurance adjuster and part-time model
00:45:23
who lived in East Charlotte on Sunday November 18 1984 Sandy had dinner at home with her fiance who then left to
00:45:32
spend the night at his own home when Sandy failed to show up at work the next day with no explanation police went to
00:45:40
her house to conduct a welfare check the house was empty but the television was on the contents of sy's purse had been
00:45:50
dumped under her bed but nothing was missing besides a single ATM card and there was was no sign of a Breakin or a
00:45:59
struggle based on clothes missing from her cupboard it was deduced that Sandy had been wearing a navy blue velour
00:46:06
jogging suit at the time of her disappearance police considered whether she could have been attacked Upon
00:46:12
returning home from a run but those who knew Sandy said she often wore her running clothes when lounging around the
00:46:20
house however they also said she was not the type to ever open the door to a stranger
00:46:27
this raised the possibility had Sandy been abducted by someone she knew for days investigators searched the
00:46:37
surrounding areas but no sign of Sandy cornette was found a trace was put on sy's missing
00:46:44
ATM card providing what appeared to be a breakthrough when it was revealed that the card had been used several times at
00:46:51
a bank in Charlotte by a man and woman the suspect weren't identified and s's case eventually went
00:47:01
cold that all changed as Larry Jean Bell unprompted began telling the accompanying
00:47:07
officer on Monday God is going to reveal to me where Sandy cornet's body is he said her hands would be folded in
00:47:16
prayer position just like with Sher Smith an interview was arranged between Belle and authorities in Charlotte
00:47:24
during which he ran Ed for 12 hours saying that he was the most Gifted Man in the world and that God Zapped
00:47:32
messages down to him he claimed everything he knew about Sandy cornette was revealed to him by
00:47:41
God investigators did some digging and realized that at the time of sy's disappearance Larry Jean Bell lived just
00:47:49
four miles from sy's home in Charlotte's Mint Hill district the two were were vaguely known
00:47:56
to one another having met at a party years prior through a former boyfriend of sy's who worked with bell at Eastern
00:48:04
Airlines just a few weeks after Sandy vanished Belle moved away the theft element of sy's
00:48:13
disappearance didn't fit with B's Mo but he was able to give accurate details about the ATM withdraws that had never
00:48:20
been released to the public Belle quickly Rose to the position of prime suspect but
00:48:27
investigators failed to find any concrete evidence linking him to the crime but Sandy cornette wasn't the only
00:48:36
one during his 12-hour interview Bell hinted at having knowledge about two other cases involving young
00:48:44
women although he didn't mention the individuals by name investigators looked into other unsolved cases from around
00:48:52
Charlotte at the time Bill lived there and found two that matched his ammo 21-year-old Denise porch lived with
00:49:01
her husband at an apartment complex in Southwest Charlotte where she also worked as the residential
00:49:07
manager at 8:00 p.m. on Monday July 21 1975 her husband returned home from a day out to find a note from Denise from
00:49:17
earlier saying she was going to sha an apartment to a prospective tenant the television and air
00:49:23
conditioner were still on 's purse was inside and her car was still parked outside but there was no sign of Denise
00:49:32
herself nor was there any sign of a struggle the years went by without a single trace of Denise surfacing or
00:49:40
anyone being held accountable for her disappearance at the time Larry Jean Bell lived just 300 yards
00:49:50
away on Thursday December 18 1980 the body of 17-year-old Beth Marie Hagen was found dumped in the woods near Mint
00:50:00
Hill she had been strangled with an electrical Court Bell lived just one mile away not only did this put him within
00:50:11
the vicinity of both unsolved crimes but like Sher Smith and Deborah May helmi Denise porch and Beth Hagen were blonds
00:50:19
who fit Belle's preferred victim type in September 1985 acting on a tip off police searched a sand pit at the
00:50:30
top soil company on Old peral Road owned by Larry Jean Bell's sister and brother-in-law suspicions were raised
00:50:38
that the bodies of Sandy cornette or Denise porch could be found there the search turned up nothing not a
00:50:47
single piece of evidence was found linking Bell to either of the three cold cases
00:50:57
by the time Bell's trial for the kidnapping and murder of Sher Smith commenced in February
00:51:03
1986 public interest in the case hadn't dissipated curious members of the public
00:51:09
lined up outside the courthouse vying for a seat inside with two women even breaking into a
00:51:16
fight Belle arrived with a shaved head and a homemade badge pinned to his shirt that
00:51:22
read I am the victim I am innocent Bell's defense lawyer didn't deny that his client was responsible for
00:51:32
sher's kidnapping but said there was no proof that he was guilty of murder either way the lawyer argued that
00:51:40
bill should be found not guilty due to mental illness according to the lawyer the
00:51:46
multiple calls that Bell had made to the Smith family were proof that he was mentally unstable delirious and out of
00:51:53
touch with reality he asked the jury how many rational people who had abducted someone and who may have caused
00:52:02
a death would call the Family collect so the call could be traced the prosecution argued that
00:52:10
anyone out of touch with reality would be incapable of tormenting sher's family the way that bill
00:52:16
did they believed that Bill's mentally unstable Behavior was all an act and that securing a conviction of not guilty
00:52:24
on account of mental illness would be a victory for Bell as one psychologist who had spent
00:52:31
significant time with bell testified he wasn't mentally ill he simply had no conscience and derived sexual pleasure
00:52:40
from the pain of others the prosecution lawyer asked the jury the question is simple whether or
00:52:50
not Larry Jan Bell could follow the law or whether or not Larry Jan Bell would would follow the
00:52:57
law from the outset of the trial Belle's conduct in court was unpredictable and disruptive he often interrupted
00:53:05
proceedings by calling out nonsensical comments when one psychiatrist testified that he was a sadistic sexual deviant
00:53:14
even though it was in his defense Bell turned to the Press row and said if you all believe that Mona Lisa is a
00:53:24
man in a risky move for the defense Bill also took the stand he wouldn't sit down saying there
00:53:33
are no chairs at the gates of hell he refused to answer even basic questions such as his age instead repeatedly
00:53:42
saying silence is golden at one point he told the Press I'm so confused ain't we having
00:53:52
fun later he turned to the jury and said Food For Thought gifted dumb or a fruit
00:54:00
cake you pick one but if the defense hoped that putting Bell on the stand would prove to
00:54:08
the jury how irrational he was their plan failed after closing arguments it took
00:54:15
the jury less than an hour to deliver their verdict guilty on both counts outside Court a reporter asked
00:54:24
Bel how he felt about the verdict he responded silence is golden my friend Bill's sentencing took place 2
00:54:35
days later at one point he turned to Dawn Smith in court and asked Dawn will you
00:54:43
marry me my singing Angel look into my eyes my Holy Angel he told the jury from the top of my head to the tips
00:54:54
of my feet I'm lusting for daor Elizabeth Smith I'd like to take her hand in holy matrimony that's the only
00:55:02
thing I'm guilty of the prosecution had implored the jury to impose the death penalty saying if
00:55:12
this isn't the type of case in which the state should seek the death penalty and
00:55:16
expect the death penalty then there is none the jury agreed but the kidnapping and murder of Sher smth Larry Jane Bell
00:55:26
was sentenced to death it was over a year before the family of Deborah May helck finally got
00:55:37
their day in court and it couldn't come soon enough young Woody helmi continued to
00:55:44
struggle in the wake of his sister's murder he was plagued by nightmares caused by witnessing the kidnapping and
00:55:51
was constantly terrified that the bad man would come back to get him him he refused to go anywhere
00:55:59
alone the helmic had no doubt that police had caught the right person as reported by the Colombia
00:56:07
record when Woody saw Larry Jean Bell in court during the Smith trial he turned to his mother and said he's the man that
00:56:15
took Debbie the helmets prepared themselves for Bill's court room Antics after he
00:56:23
once again pleaded not guilty to deborra May's kidnapping and murder but they needn't bother in contrast to his
00:56:31
previous trial Belle remained silent throughout the proceedings and showed no emotion the defense didn't call any
00:56:39
Witnesses introduce any new evidence or put Bell on the stand again it took the jury just 1 hour
00:56:48
to find Larry Jean Bell guilty on both counts and again he was sentenced to death
00:56:57
as Belle sat on death row appealing his sentences police received a tip off from
00:57:02
a young man who claimed his conscience had been eating away at him for years according to this informant in
00:57:10
1984 at the age of 15 he and a friend were hitchhiking along the interstate 85 Highway in Cherokee County Georgia Larry
00:57:20
Jean Bell picked them up and took them to a location 4 mil off the Highway Belle allegedly LED them to an
00:57:28
abandoned well where he showed the teenagers two dead bodies according to the informant Belle
00:57:36
warned if you don't do what I say that's what will happen to you investigators weren't sure what to
00:57:46
make of the claim but the timeline matched with Sandy cornett's disappearance so they weren't taking any
00:57:52
chances if Belle wasn't indeed responsible for sy's death they needed to work fast to secure a conviction
00:58:00
before his execution despite 8 years passing since this alleged incident the young man was
00:58:07
able to retrace his steps through the rural dirt roads and thick Woods of Cherokee
00:58:13
County he couldn't recall the exact location of the well but remembered that it was near an old ranch style Farmhouse
00:58:20
and a wooden bridge leading a search party of officers dozens of abandoned Wells were
00:58:27
located and through a process of elimination investigators honed in on one water was pumped from the well and a
00:58:36
high-tech camera was used to search within but no human remains were found throughout his time on death row
00:58:47
Belle's questionable Behavior continued one psychiatrist once found him naked and washing himself with water
00:58:54
from from the toilet bowl he claimed to be the second to Jesus Christ and that he bathed in his own urine because it
00:59:02
was holy water he told another psychiatrist that there was a bird in his cell who had
00:59:08
been sent to him by God according to Bell he could memorize even the most complex medical textbook
00:59:15
in one night as the years went on concerns were raised that b would be found incompetent
00:59:23
for execution due to mental illness once he'd exhausted all appeals a competency hearing was held to
00:59:31
determine whether he was mentally fit the judge concluded that bill was able to control his mental illness and
00:59:38
exaggerate his problems when it benefited him and therefore was competent for execution Sheriff James Mets told
00:59:48
reporters for News 19 he ruined the families of two beautiful young ladies he ruined the
00:59:55
community of Lexington and greater Colombia Larry Jan Bell deserves to die and he should have died a long time
01:00:06
ago Bell was given the option of lethal injection or electric chair he chose the electric chair
01:00:13
reasoning that there were similarities between the wood of the chair and the wood of the
01:00:19
crucifix the execution was scheduled for Friday October 4 199 26 just over 11 years after his arrest for the
01:00:29
murders Sher Smith's family chose not to attend but several of sher's friends gathered outside the prison Gates
01:00:36
holding candles in her memory Deborah May helmi's mother told news9 reporters that she felt she owed
01:00:44
it to her daughter to be there while she genuinely believed that Larry Jean Bell was mentally ill she
01:00:51
also believed he knew right from wrong and wanted to see him punished for the pain he' caused her
01:00:59
family Belle gave no last words if he knew anything about the crimes against Sandy cornette Denise porch or Beth
01:01:08
Hagen he took that knowledge to the [Music] Grave for the helmic family life was
01:01:20
never the same after the day that Deborah May was kidnapped her sister Becky who on the day of the
01:01:27
abduction had chosen to drive to work with her mother instead of staying behind to play with her siblings
01:01:32
continued to carry guilt for not being there for Deborah May in the leadup to Belle's execution
01:01:40
Becky wrote a statement about the impact of B's crimes saying that Deborah May was a sweet innocent girl who had never
01:01:48
been beyond her childhood years Becky explained she had so many hopes plans and dreams for the
01:01:57
future they just all shattered right in front of my 5-year-old eyes the girl's father Sherwood helmi
01:02:07
began drinking heavily to escape his overwhelming grief he'd spent hours just sitting and staring at photos of Deborah
01:02:15
May shortly after his daughter's murder Sherwood lost his job altogether he had a nervous breakdown
01:02:23
and was hospitalized where he received a treatment to overcome his alcohol abuse his wife worked parttime in a
01:02:31
struggle to keep up with the bills and to keep food on the table but it wasn't enough and the homix eventually lost
01:02:38
their home but the surrounding Community wasn't going to let them go down without
01:02:44
a fight residents of Lexington and Richland counties rallied together to raise money to help their homix get back
01:02:52
on their feet a chairperson for the fundraiser committee told the Colombia record Deborah May helmi is not the only
01:03:01
victim here her family still suffers every day they shouldn't have to worry about whether they have a roof over
01:03:08
their heads too conditions improved for the helmets but Sherwood and Deborah's marriage
01:03:16
didn't survive and they divorced in the leadup to Bill's execution Deborah May's mother found
01:03:23
comfort in her daughter favorite doll named Scotty whom she began sleeping with in the wake of the crime she told a
01:03:30
reporter for the state it's not like having her with me but it's the next best thing in Sher Smith's last will and
01:03:42
testament Sher had assured her family some good will come from this The Smiths clung to this
01:03:51
sentiment for them that final letter provid provided more closure than any legal
01:03:57
outcomes Sherry's father Bob continued to serve as chaplain for the sheriff's department at one point he accompanied
01:04:05
officers when they had the unfortunate task of notifying another couple that their daughter had been
01:04:11
killed when the agonized father of the victim realized who Bob was he threw his arms around
01:04:18
him Bob tearfully told a reporter for the prison fellowship that the two had an immediate B
01:04:25
saying God had me there for a reason in the Years following sher's murder her sister Dawn went on to win
01:04:34
the Miss South Carolina beauty contest she became a public figure spreading her message about the importance of keeping
01:04:42
faith no matter what life throws our way later appearing on the True Crime TV show eyewitness dawn
01:04:51
said in her final moments sh Sher didn't choose fear she chose faith and courage
01:04:59
losing Sher made me realize every day that what I have is a gift God's given me and I have a decision what am I going
01:05:07
to do with it I am going to choose faith [Music]