The Body at Midgley Bridge Page 12

  “The next shooting that we became aware of was at Hoover Dam’s parking lot. It was on the Arizona side of the river in Mohave County, Arizona. A woman from Kansas was gazing at Lake Mead with the hand of her six-year-old daughter in her right hand and that of her four-year-old son in her left. Her husband was parking their vehicle when a shot entered the back of her head and blasted away most of her face as it exited. From the trajectory we determined that it was probably fired from an informal overlook at least a kilometer away. The caliber was the same as in the other deaths.”

  He paused and looked at the audience who seemed spellbound. “A second death occurred the following day. We received a report that a silver van was submerged in about fifteen feet of water at Salt Brush Launch, an informal boat launch and fishing area on Lake Mead. When we pulled the Mercedes camper van from the water, we determined that it was probably the same van seen in the Greenlee County campgrounds and also seen driving across Hoover Dam near the time of that murder. It had also been reported near the homicide in Sedona, but it now had a different license tag. It had the Arizona Cardinals affinity tag GO!CARDS. That had been the tag on a red Chevy Tahoe owned by John Gregory of Surprise, Arizona. We assumed that the sniper had stolen another vehicle that had been at the boat launch. Captain Bill Ponder and I searched on horseback along the sides of the dirt road that led to the boat launch.”

  He paused and choked up slightly. “We found the remains of a friend of mine, Jerry Brewer. He had been dumped in the desert together with the camper shell from his white Ford 150 truck. Jerry was a good friend to many Kingman residents, an avid fisherman and a decorated Marine who did four tours in Nam and received a Silver Star and two Purple Hearts. He’d been shot in the back of the head with a weapon of similar caliber to the one used in the other murders. When we contacted our associate Captain Mike Damson here in Flagstaff, he quickly made the connection between the missing Gregory family and the tag recovered from Mercedes van. In coordination with Maricopa and Greenlee Counties a massive search for the Gregory family began. We assumed the worse. Now, I will turn the briefing over to Captain Mike Damson to complete the sad story.”

  Chapter 17

  Mike was not exactly nervous since he’d done scores of press briefings during his years as a senior homicide detective in LA as well as several important ones here in Coconino County. However, he regarded this briefing as particularly significant. His presentation needed to tie-up the loose ends into a convincing case that there was a dangerous serial killer active in the western United States. If he succeeded, it would be impossible for the Justice Department to keep the danger quiet.

  He began when an image of the four Gregory boys and their father was projected on the huge screen behind him. It was a happy photo of the group at Chucky Cheese celebrating the tenth birthday of the oldest boy.

  “Since the GO!CARDS tag that was found on the abandoned Mercedes camper van belonged to John Gregory’s Chevy Tahoe, we assumed that the missing family might be either dead or in great danger somewhere in the mountains in east central Arizona. The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Department assisted the small Greenlee department with the search. The Tahoe was spotted from the air in a dry ravine about twenty miles from the campground where the family had spent the night and had the run-in with the man in the Mercedes camper van. When law enforcement reached the vehicle, they found Mr. Gregory dead from a single shot through the forehead. His four sons were in a bloody pile one on top of the other with their throats slit with a combat-style knife. Crime scene technicians found a .338 caliber round imbedded in the floor of the vehicle. This was consistent with the caliber of round used in the previous murders.”

  He changed the photo on the big screen behind him to an image of a sniper rifle. “This is a Russian sniper rifle, a .338 cal. ORSIT T-5000. It is our best guess as to the type of scoped rifle used in these murders. They are not generally for sale in the US, but some have been imported and resold by Russian crime figures.”

  “Soon after the Gregory family was discovered, the white Ford 150 that belonged to Mr. Jerry Brewer of Kingman was recovered from a parking lot for a long-distance trail in Zion National Park in Utah. Earlier that morning a retired couple were killed by a single sniper’s shot that went through both the woman in the front passenger seat and also killer her husband who was driving. That brings the death toll attributable to this maniac to thirteen in less than a month: that was three in New Mexico, eight in Arizona, and two, so far, in Utah. We have no reason to believe that the first murder on this list at Santa Fe ski area was the killer’s first homicide or that he will stop now.”

  The projection changed to a video of the camper van parking in the lot at the Barnes & Noble in Flagstaff. It also showed the Sebastian Gorka lookalike getting out and walking into the bookstore. “We found the Mercedes van of the suspect had been parked at a local bookstore the day before Ms. Riley was killed near Sedona. It has the same Texas tags as reported by the deputy in Greenlee County.”

  He switched to the close up of the suspect’s face. “This is the man who drove the van. It was taken as he paid for several magazines he’d purchased, including one called Sniper.”

  Mike took out his laser pointer and began to show details of interest. “We assume that once this image is widely distributed, the killer will attempt to change his appearance. Notice that the sideburn color is not an exact match to the rest of his hair. It is blacker with a touch of gray rather than solid brown. We believe he has deliberately disguised himself using a brown hairpiece and by growing a goatee. And yes, he does look like a FOX News contributor by the name of Sebastian Gorka. Several witnesses have remarked on the resemblance including the Greenlee County deputy who interacted with him at the campground when he met the Gregory family. Notice this substantial mole by his right eye. It’s shaped like the state of Illinois. That will be difficult to disguise. We will be sending this photo to all the plastic surgeons and dermatologists in the western Untied States. Also notice the dimples beside his mouth as he smiles and the bit of tattoo that is showing near his collar. It appears to be the tip of a wing, perhaps an eagle. Also notice the rather distinctive attached earlobes and the remnants of previous piercings, four on each ear. They would also be difficult to change without plastic surgery.”

  Mike had the technician change the screen to the four photos of what the sniper might look like after changing his appearance. “These are attempts to show what our killer would look like if he shaved his beard and changed his hair. We will provide copies of these images to all of you. Do you have any questions for our three sheriffs or me?”

  Everyone in the audience was shouting for attention. Mike said, “Ms. Evans, please mention which of us you would like to answer.” She was the crime reporter for the Arizona Republic and a person that Mike knew fairly well. Since the Republic was the largest circulation paper in the state and owned by Gannett, who also owns USA Today, it’s reporter normally got the first question. Mike thought a photo of the killer on the front page of USA Today would be among his most important goals for this press conference.

  “Mike, is the FBI involved in investigating this multistate homicide spree? I don’t see their representative here.”

  “The FBI is definitely involved. They processed the evidence at the Gregory crime scene and provided information about the likely weapon that was used. The relevant FBI unit is no longer in Arizona because the most recent homicides are in Utah. You might want to ask their public information officer in Phoenix about their role in the other crime investigations. Of course, the local sheriff’s departments handle most homicides in rural areas of Arizona. The same is true for adjoining states.”

  Mike wondered if the FBI could continue to dodge the issue, but that was not his choice. The press conference would stir things up and get the photos and drawing widely distributed, which was the main goal.

  The Phoenix reporter from FOX News was jumping up and down in the first row. Mike didn’t see any way of ignori
ng her question, although he would normally call on CBS next. He always alternated between print and broadcast journalists. “Ms. Hollister.”

  “Do you think there is a political motive behind these murders? That fact that he would disguise himself as someone prominent from a major news outlet seems political to me.”

  “As far as we can tell, all of these crimes involve complete strangers chosen as targets of opportunity; that is except for the Gregory murders. The Gregory homicides may have an element of retaliation for reporting his marijuana use. As to the killer’s actual motives, I don’t know. I called him a maniac, but that is probably too simple. As to his personal politics, all I can say is that he knows who Sebastian Gorka is and chose him as a disguise. I’ve been in law enforcement over thirty years. I’ve concluded that the vast majority of people who murder strangers are neither Republicans nor Democrats; they are almost never actually registered to vote.”

  Next Mike called on the reporter from the Tucson Sun who asked a question about the Gregory boys’ murders of Sheriff Rodney from Greenlee County. The sheriff described the crime scene in detail and explained how the boys probably thought the man had come to help after their car wreck. He described how the boys had been murder oldest to youngest. The second oldest boy had run when he saw his older brother murdered, but the killer had chased him through the forest and drug him back to slit his throat while he grasped the young boy’s arms behind his back using his left hand, bent him over his brother’s remains, and with his right hand slit his throat. The two younger boys had been still in their SUV when the killer used his knife to cut the seatbelt of the next boy. Later he removed the youngest from his car seat before murdering him in the same manner. No one who say that crime scene will every forget it.

  The graphic description made the room quiet for a few seconds before another round of questions began about the other homicides. Mike answered a few more questions, but mostly the three sheriffs described the crimes in more detail.

  Mike ended the press briefing by returning to the podium while the technician put up a collage of photos of the victims. Mike said, “I will answer any additional questions by phone or in personal interviews. You can make an appointment for an interview by calling the Coconino County Sheriff’s Department, 800 555 4321. Thank you for coming. Your wide distribution of these photos is extremely important in solving this brutal series of homicides.”

  After the press conference, a woman approached Mike and introduced herself. “Hi Captain Damson. I’m Maria Garcia from the New York Times. I was transferred from Houston to Phoenix in March, and I’ve heard good things about you from my colleagues. I wonder if you have time for a one-on-one interview this morning. I think this story could make the front page of tomorrow’s national edition together with your photo of the sniper and the drawings of what he might look like now.”

  “I’m very pleased to meet you Ms. Garcia. I’ve read some of your crime reports from Houston, including the one about the local gangs making a peace treaty last December. I would have called on you in the press conference if I’d realized you were with the Times. Yes, of course you may have an interview. Would you like to start in fifteen minutes in my office, number 157? I need to speak with the sheriffs for a few minutes.”

  Mike entered the conference room where the sheriffs had gathered to discuss the press conference. There was general agreement that it had gone well and would produce wide publicity and wide distribution of the photo of the sniper.

  Sheriff Taylor explained, “Millie Riley’s sons have offered to print five thousand circulars with the photo of the Park Sniper and the drawings of what he might look like without his disguise. The printer can produce them overnight, and starting tomorrow, they can be distributed to almost every public space and bulletin board in Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico. We’ll send a bundle to every sheriff and police department and every post office and public buildings those states.”

  Sheriff Duncan said, “Greg, it can’t hurt, but I don’t think he’ll be back in Arizona or Utah anytime soon. After the noon news shows broadcast those images, it will be too hot for him here. I’m confident that he’ll move on to other states.”

  “I think you’re right Jimmy, but at least having his picture plastered everywhere should discourage him from killing more Arizona residents. It’s up to the FBI to protect the other states. I’m including New Mexico and Utah in our distribution because we’ve already been in contact with several sheriffs in those states.”

  “Mike, is there anything else you can think of to protect Arizonans?”

  “We don’t know much about the man’s financial resources,” Mike replied. “I think he probably stole the Mercedes camper van, but the FBI has not confirmed that. They took the van to their Phoenix office for investigation. They’re not good about sharing, but I can try and find out more. My point is that if he did purchase the hundred thousand dollar vehicle, we may be dealing with someone with money. He might fly anywhere and have the mole and tattoo removed. If he has a passport, he might go to Canada, Mexico, or even Europe for plastic surgery. I think we need these photos at airports and border crossings. I’ll ask Special Agent Goldman about the van and about the photo going to airport security and border patrol personnel. This is a priority FBI case even if they’re shy about public acknowledgement of it.”

  Sheriff Duncan commented, “Let me know if you can get anything out of that arrogant ass Goldman; you’re better at ass kissing than I am. He won’t even take my calls.”

  Sheriff Taylor said, “Goldman is not the one keeping things quiet about this case. It’s coming from a much higher level at the Justice Department. They are so skittish about any criticism of the FBI or the Attorney General that they would prefer that thirty or more murders remain unconnected and secret. I spoke with a senior deputy; the non-public nature of this investigation is coming directly from the highest levels. He implied it was a decision from high in the White House.”

  That comment only produced a few obscenities, and the meeting broke up.

  Chapter 18

  Mike slipped into an empty interview room to call Special Agent Goldman. “Adam, we had the press conference this morning. I’m sure the FBI will be getting questions soon.”

  “I know. I listened live on a local all-news radio station, and the NBC affiliate broke into programing for an announcement that there was a serial killer in the Las Vegas area with a full report to follow on the noon news. Only a minute ago, the head of the local office told me he had a flood of calls from reporters about the Zion National Park double homicides. Most crime reporters realize that the local FBI office usually investigates serious crimes in national parks. The story about the ranger killed at Bryce Canyon National Park is also out, and some reporters are making the connection. We’re waiting for instructions from Washington, but we’ll need a press conference by this afternoon. I think you tactic will force our hand in disclosing the whole Park Sniper case.”

  “Someone high up at the Justice Department called Sheriff Taylor this morning and tried to get our press conference cancelled. Sheriff Taylor has a couple of asks for you. We will be sending out five thousand copies of an old-fashioned paper wanted poster, and we would like your assistance. The suspect will try and change his appearance, maybe using a plastic surgeon, and we will get the flyer to dermatologists and plastic surgeons in the West, but we also want copies of the photos at every point of entry, every ICE office, and every airport in the area.”

  “I’ll do that. What else do you need?”

  “Have you traced the Mercedes van? It’s important to our search to know if he had the hundred grand to buy one or if he stole it.”

  “Mike, I have some bad news there. The van was sold to a front company called Leisure Travel LLC by a dealer in North Carolina. A company registered in the Cayman Islands owns Leisure Travel, but that Cayman Island company is a subsidiary of a Swiss holding company. The Swiss are not willing to release information, we suspect the sniper set up th
is account in person in Switzerland, normally the only way possible for this type of account. The balance in the checking account of Leisure Travel LLC at Bank of America holds enough money to buy not only another van but to support his travels indefinitely. The bank that holds his funds in Switzerland has a minimum deposit of ten million Swiss franks.”

  “Damn, he could go anywhere to change his appearance and lay low, even go to Europe.” Mike said.

  “We suspect our killer is a filthy rich American, but he might actually be a European. As you pointed out a few days ago, the deputy who spoke to him at the Greenlee County campground thought he might be European. That might have been either an imitation of Sebastian Gorka or a real accent. We’re keeping track of his B of A account, but its deposits were through a Bitcoin account that we can’t trace. Our financial experts think the sniper may have other untraceable accounts that he can feed Bitcoin deposits into. Even though we know he has plenty of money, we can’t stop him from accessing it.”

  “So, this maniac has the resources to leave the country or remain and change his appearance as well as get a new identity. We need to catch this bastard soon, or we’ll be starting over. Do you have any other ideas we can use to trace the Park Sniper, any idea as to where he might go next?”

  “No but I have more bad news. We found the make and model of the vehicle he stole from the trailhead parking at Zion, but last night it was discovered in the long-term parking lot at the Salt Lake City Airport. Stealing cars from an airport’s long-term parking lots makes it almost impossible to identify the vehicle until the travelers whose vehicle was taken return home. We have been checking the airport security cameras all night, but we don’t think he even entered the airport terminal. He paid for parking and drove away in the stolen vehicle.”

  They talked for a few more minutes, and Adam agreed to keep Mike informed about developments. Mike walked back to his office where Maria Garcia was waiting.