♪♪
Narrator: A former soldier turns to the dark side.
[ Men shouting indistinctly ]
Kidd: That feeling of power
and being in control of something like that.
The adrenaline fueled me.
Narrator: He leaves the military a changed man
and reigns terror with his friends
on Halloween night.
Yo, man.
These were victims that could have been you.
Trick or treat, old man!
I believe he would have killed her.
Don't you move! Don't you move!
Kidd, I referred to as the one with the dead eyes.
This looks like the car.
Narrator: With police hot on his heels,
he must decide...
Surrender or face the ultimate showdown?
I was willing to shoot at the cops if I had to.
♪♪
Narrator: No criminal wants to go to prison.
So some go on the run. Get down! Get down!
This is the story of how one man
almost got away with it.
Captions by vitac... www.Vitac.Com
captions paid for by discovery communications
man: Pick up the pace, soldiers!
Let's go!
Pick it up. Pick it up, soldiers.
You're on my time now.
Narrator: At an army base near El Paso, Texas,
19-year-old Michael kidd
is pushing himself to be the best.
Fall in.
The urban-combat specialist
is a rising star in his troop.
You should be proud of yourselves,
especially you, kidd. Thank you, sir.
I was really good at it. Like, super-good at it.
Everything that they put me up against, I just excelled at.
I was top of my class.
I think you guys earned some r and r this weekend.
That made me proud.
It felt like I was meaningful, you know?
Fall out. You are dismissed.
Kidd.
Front and center.
Yes, sir.
I mean that when I say exceptional job, son.
If anybody had asked me then,
"could you imagine where you're gonna be in 10 years?"
You know, I would have been like,
"yeah, I'll be high rank in the army,
and, you know, I'll have a cushy life."
Thank you, sir. You're welcome.
Fall out.
Narrator: Kidd's upbringing helped set him up for success.
Kidd: I was a really good kid.
My parents were very involved in my life.
Nobody had a drug or alcohol problem.
I grew up in Farmington, Maine.
It's very tight-knit.
Everybody knows everybody, waves to everybody.
It's small-town u.S.A. At its finest.
Narrator: But inside, the ambitious young soldier
carries a deep-seated hurt he can't get rid of.
In high school, he suffered a tragic loss.
My freshman year,
my father got diagnosed with skin cancer... melanoma.
By the time he went to the hospital,
he was already in stage iv.
So there was not much that they could do.
Narrator: When his father dies, kidd's world shifts.
Kidd: Something inside had changed.
And I tried not to show it.
Michael. I didn't really cope with it.
I didn't really show emotion.
I didn't go to counseling or anything like that.
Party at Nate's tonight.
I don't know if you heard about it.
We're all gonna go to that. You going?
Yeah. Yeah.
Narrator: After his father's death,
kidd numbs the pain with alcohol.
Uh, all right.
Yeah. Yeah. I'll come with you guys.
I was just dying inside
for something to fill that void.
Narrator: Now, three months after finishing basic training,
19-year-old kidd is a private in the U.S. army.
[ Indistinct conversations ]
Man: How many shots?
Man #2: Go for it, go for it.
One night while at a civilian party
off the military base,
kidd's army buddy Tim offers him a risky new distraction...
[ Sighs ]
Hey, man, can I get another one of those beers?
Bro, you don't want another beer.
Got the good stuff right here.
A drug called spice.
Kidd: There were people in the barracks
that were smoking spice.
It was called spice. It's like synthetic marijuana.
It had just come out. And it was this huge thing.
I don't know, man. Isn't that stuff illegal?
No, dude.
It doesn't even show up on the drug test.
The C.O.'s never gonna find out.
Come on. There you go, bro.
He's a risk-taker.
Somebody offered him something, he was probably gonna try it.
Kidd: So, I tried this out.
And I loved it.
[ Laughs ]
[ Laughter ]
That's the stuff.
♪♪
[ Alarm beeping ]
Narrator: The drug quickly becomes
the young soldier's newest form of escape
and part of his daily routine.
Kidd: So, I kept smoking spice.
I just couldn't get away from it.
That turned into more problems.
I didn't really realize that at the time.
But instead of just trying to straighten out those voids,
I was just putting these band-aids over these huge cuts.
[ Laughter, indistinct conversations ]
Narrator: By December, kidd's got a serious addiction...
You got next round, right?
That is draining his bank account.
Kidd: I was spending, like, boatloads of money.
So, I was probably spending $150 a day on spice
and $100 on booze.
Hey, man. You got some money?
[ Scoffs ] I need another beer, man.
I don't get paid till next week, man... same as you.
Narrator: In desperate need of cash,
kidd quickly comes up with an outrageous plan.
Hey, man. I got an idea.
There's that supply store down the street.
It just kind of sprouted in my mind
that we could Rob somebody.
Narrator: The small supply store is in El Paso,
5 miles from the base.
Yeah. Man, we got to get in there.
Hey, let's go. Let's go.
They arrive ready for combat.
Yeah. Make sure we're clear.
Kidd: We took all of our army gear
and, like, dressed up in camouflage.
And it was crazy how much the army
had taught me that came into play.
Narrator: The two thieves
sweep through the store searching for valuables.
Check those shelves.
Kidd: We took a lot of gold coins,
any things that would be easy to pawn off
without any questions being asked at pawnshops.
Whoo!
Hey. Come check this out, man.
You got something? A lot of cash, man.
Whoo-hoo-hoo!
We made probably $500, $600.
Top-shelf money right there, dude.
All right, let's go back to the bar. Let's get out of here.
♪♪
Couple more beers, please.
We were in and out in such a short amount
of time... 20 minutes.
You boys better pace yourselves.
Kidd: That feeling of power
and being in control of something like that.
Fun night, man.
The adrenaline, like, fueled me.
Round two.
[ Both laugh ]
Narrator: The burglary's investigated by police.
But it's never solved.
Get over that wall, private!
Double time! Let's go!
Back at the base, kidd's military career is in jeopardy.
Kidd, what is your issue?
I'm exhausted, sir.
Get with the program!
Let's go! Let's go!
His drug-addled behavior
has been raising eyebrows for months.
Yes, sir. Absolutely.
[ Knock on door ]
Okay. I will make sure I get that done.
Before the army can give him the boot,
kidd beats them to the punch.
What's on your mind, private kidd?
Kidd: I sat down with my platoon sergeant.
And we discussed me getting out of the army.
I think I'd be doing our country a disservice.
My head's just not in the right place.
I'd like to request an honorable discharge.
I just said, "listen, it's not for me anymore."
Narrator: January 2011.
On his 20th birthday, kidd's honorably discharged
and moves back to Farmington, Maine.
But at home, things just get worse.
What?
I moved in with my mother first.
And she noticed changes in me immediately.
I thought you were gonna look for a job today.
Do some tomorrow.
He didn't look healthy.
His eyes were kind of sunken in.
And he stopped being around family,
chose different friends than the ones
that had always spent time with.
Remember... work on your résumé.
Michael.
[ Sighs ]
♪♪
Narrator: Instead of hunting for a job,
the former soldier immediately hits the streets,
looking to score some drugs.
He soon meets a marijuana grower
and, within weeks, starts a small business selling pot.
Spice wasn't available up here, really.
And it wasn't as big yet.
What's up, man? Hey. How's it going, man?
How you doing? Pretty good. Pretty good.
Narrator: One of kidd's first customers
is 27-year-old Kevin crandall,
who wheels and deals in prescription painkillers.
You got, uh, 50 bucks? Oh, man, I-I don't have, uh...
I don't have cash right now,
but I got something better.
What is it? Percocets, man.
Hmm.
Man: I like you guys. I like you guys, man.
Yo, here. There you go.
Hey, you see this bottle right here, man?
This will get me 5,000 grand by the end of the week.
Narrator: Within a couple of months,
crandall and kidd become roommates.
[ Laughing ] Yeah.
We were, like, partners in crime,
I guess you would say.
We had each other's back.
And, you know, we...
We felt safe in each other's company,
where we could trust each other.
And that was something that I hadn't had in a long time.
I'm coming over here more often.
Narrator: Marcus Thompson is their neighbor.
And he's invited his girlfriend to join the party.
- Hey! - Hey.
Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm! How you doing?
Narrator: She brings a friend, who catches kidd's eye.
Okay, so, this is my girl Holly.
Kidd: I'm kind of looking at this girl.
I think he's drunk.
Kevin sees me looking at her.
And he's like, "no, no, no, no." You don't want that girl, man.
What do you mean, I don't want that girl?
You don't want that girl, man. She's a stripper.
She's a mess. You don't want her, man.
I'm trying to help you here. That's my type right there.
I'm trying to help you here, man.
"Oh, man. She's a drug addict.
And she strips at the local club.
And she's bad news. You can't be talkin' to her."
I'm, like, thinking in my head. I'm like, "perfect.
That's exactly who I want in my life right now."
Narrator: Holly shares kidd's passion for drugs.
And the two hit it off. You know what?
I'll have whatever he's having.
Well, you're gonna need about four of these then.
Woman: Hey!
Kidd: She falls head over heels in love with me.
Of course, we're toxic for each other.
Narrator: Within a couple of weeks,
kidd's spending nearly every night at Holly's.
Kidd: And she's, like, super into pills.
Oh, hi. Good morning.
I actually got worse
because of the relationship with her.
[ Inhales deeply ]
So now I'm doing pills with her every day.
♪♪
Narrator: By Halloween, the friends
are all battling serious addictions
to prescription painkillers.
You know what? I-I need a Percocet.
I just... - We don't have any percocets.
We don't? We don't have any?
You took the last Percocet yesterday.
You don't remember taking the last Percocet yesterday?
All you want is the next high, the next thing.
And you're fueling that monster inside of you.
I think we have some Xanax around.
All right, yeah. Grab a xanny. Xanax?
I don't want... I don't want a Xanax.
That monster, he's never full.
And it plays into your addiction.
Why don't you go to the strip club
and go get yourself some money
to get yourself some Percocet?
Narrator: The couple is unraveling.
Their supply is running dry.
And so is their money.
Hey, man. How about we go find a house
and we get the money?
Yeah. I got just the thing. Wait here.
I'll be right back.
For the residents of Farmington...
- Freeze, bitch! - Oh!
Narrator: Halloween night is about to turn terrifying.
Perfect Halloween costume, right?
♪♪
Narrator: Halloween 2011.
20-year-old Michael kidd
and his friends Kevin crandall and Marcus Thompson
need cash to fuel their drug habit.
- Freeze, bitch! - Oh!
Their solution... burglary.
Come on, dude. You look great.
Let's go. Come on. I don't know, man.
Narrator: After spending the past few hours smoking pot
and popping Xanax,
the trio is ready to put their brazen plan into action.
[ Clock ticking ]
Oh, man. Look at this place, man.
[ Laughs ]
Oh, it's gonna be tight. You ready for this?
You ready for this? Totally, man.
Narrator: Kidd's girlfriend, Holly, lets them use her car
to scope out an upscale neighborhood.
Hey, look at that place. Look at that place.
I've always driven by there
and seen that they're really nice houses.
And I said, "we should Rob one of those."
Uh, medicine for you.
I'm gonna take another one. I'm gonna take another one.
The first house, we noticed
that there was no car in the driveway.
Yeah, yeah.
There was no smoke coming out of the chimney.
Narrator: There's nobody in sight.
We're in the middle of nowhere, too.
We're out in the woods. Kidd: Masks down.
We're pretty reckless at this point anyway
'cause we're all high.
So we just went up and knocked on the door.
And when nobody answered, we turned it.
And it opened. It was unlocked.
That's not uncommon in that area
that people don't lock their doors
because things like this just don't happen.
Narrator: Inside, the three criminals ransack the home,
grabbing everything they can find.
Hey, crandall. What?
Check it out, man.
Kidd: You're running through everybody's personal belongings,
but you're literally seeing dollar signs.
You're feeling powerful. You're seeing your next high.
Or you're seeing your comfortable living
for another week.
All you're seeing is money, money, money, money, money.
That addiction controls that aspect of your mind.
Narrator: After several minutes, they examine their take.
- What'd you get, crandall? - I got a laptop.
And I got some jewelry.
What do you got, man? I got... I got jewelry.
That's not jewelry. Those are plastic.
You got any cash? You got any cash?
No. We don't have any cash?
So, we weren't really happy with our take,
I guess you could say.
All right, look. We'll just try another house.
Grab your stuff. Let's get out of here.
Get out of here.
[ Laughing ]
Whoo! Yeah!
Narrator: They drive to the next town,
a mile away, casing expensive homes
until they see the one that looks empty.
You guys ready? Yeah.
Let's go. Let's go, let's go.
This time, they go around back.
- Open the door, man. - All right.
- See anything in there? - Yeah. Right there.
And I could see a safe.
It's huge. It's this huge gun safe.
Hey, Marcus, go get the crowbar, man.
Of course, the drug-addict side of me is like,
"I have to know what's in the safe.
I absolutely have to get in the safe."
See if we can get this open.
[ Police radio chatter ]
Narrator: Meanwhile, just a few miles away,
the Franklin county sheriff's department
is responding to a call
about a burglary in hilltop estates.
Responding to the burglary, ma'am.
A homeowner came home and found items were missing...
Some firearms and, I believe, jewelry and some other items.
Woman: Everything's in disarray, and...
At that time, there were no clues whatsoever...
No witnesses, no surveillance cameras,
no physical evidence to speak of,
nobody to say who might have done it.
Narrator: The Franklin county sheriff's office
tells their patrol officers
to be on the lookout for anything unusual.
With Halloween night approaching,
police are concerned for the safety of the community.
[ Crandall laughing ]
See if we can get this open.
Back at the second house, kidd, Thompson, and crandall
have ransacked the premises...
Let me do it, let me do it.
But are having no luck
trying to bust open the ironclad safe.
Exasperated, they decide to haul it out to Holly's car.
- Get it up over there. - We're carrying it out.
We drag it down the driveway.
All right, Marcus, open the back seat.
That's not gonna fit. What are you talking about?
What do you mean, it's not gonna fit in the back seat?
Shh! Um, yeah, uh...
What should we put it in?
We pop the trunk.
And we slide it in.
And it goes in a little ways.
But it's not balanced. And it's gonna fall out.
So I'm sitting there, scratching my head.
I'm like, "oh, what are we gonna do?"
And there's gonna be cars going by soon.
Take it down the gravel road at least to the high school.
I'll make sure it doesn't fall out the back.
- All right. All right. - Let's go. Let's go.
So, here I am running down the middle of the road,
holding this safe in the back of a car.
[ Thunder rumbling ]
All right, swing it.
Narrator: 100 yards away, they stop.
We threw it in the woods.
I'm gonna go grab the gun. All right?
Crandall: What do you need a gun for? What are you doing?
And I tried shooting the lock off the safe.
What are you doing?
You gonna kill us?
No, man. I'm trying to get the safe open, all right?
I don't know why I thought that would work.
And it didn't do anything but ricochet.
Hold on. Just give me a second, okay?
All right. I'll think of something.
Kevin started talking about this house...
With a safe in it.
Kidd: And how he knows
there's so much stuff in this house.
They're old, so they're gonna have, like, you know,
like, pills and medication, you know.
Kidd: And he's going on and on and on about gold and a safe.
Narrator: The house is nearby.
But there's one problem.
I don't know, man. I don't want to hurt anybody.
We're not gonna hurt anybody, Marcus.
Kevin said that they were normally home,
that he thought they were retired
or that they maybe lived on a pension or something.
Crandall: Hey, help me with this, man.
Kidd: I didn't really feel anything at that point.
I was high, and I was just out for myself.
Narrator: The three reckless criminals
decide to abandon their treasure and move on.
Looks good.
[ Indistinct shouting, knocking ]
Narrator: As trick-or-treaters start hitting the streets...
Trick or treat.
The chances of being seen are increasing by the minute.
Crandall: Hey, Marcus. You good back there, man?
You ready?! Yeah, yeah!
[ Groans ]
Hey.
Ease up back there, man.
Kidd: The feeling of invincibility...
You know, that in itself is a drug.
Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop.
This the place? This is the place, man.
It's scary. It's definitely scary
to have that much power in your hands.
- Let's do it. - Let's go.
Narrator: They leave Holly's car
behind a small Ridge in a nearby field.
Then, kidd, crandall, and Thompson
check out the house.
♪♪
- They're home. - Yeah, but we can take that.
Come on, now. Kidd: We're looking in.
I can see a guy reclined in the chair.
His wife is laying on the couch.
You're right. This will be easy.
Narrator: Kidd comes up with a game plan.
I learned in the military how to breach doorways.
Kidd: I start telling them about, in the army,
how we used to break down doors.
All right, let's go.
Okay, over here.
[ Both laughing ]
Narrator: Dennis and Karen Collins
moved to Farmington 10 years ago
because it seemed like a safe place to retire.
This is why we can't have people over.
Trick-or-treaters?
I'd never had trick-or-treaters before, but we thought,
"well, maybe we'll get our first one this year."
It's a good thing we have a sweet tooth.
Yeah.
Let's go.
Trick or treat, old man!
- Trick or treat! - Trick or treat!
Narrator: Halloween 2011. 5:30 P.M.
Michael kidd, Kevin crandall, and Marcus Thompson
have spent the afternoon burglarizing empty homes
in the small town of Farmington, Maine.
- They're home. - Yeah, but we can take that.
Come on, now.
Narrator: And they've just raised the stakes.
Trick or treat, old man!
Hey! [ Bowl clatters ]
- Get down! - Get down, get down!
When Mr. Collins opened that door,
he expected to see some nice young people
out standing there with their parent collecting candy.
- Don't move! Do not move! - Hey! Get the curtains!
Narrator: With his judgment impaired,
kidd is feeling brash and invincible.
I have no problem putting a bullet
in your head right now.
Don't move! Go, go. Hurry.
Crandall and Thompson bolt upstairs to hunt for valuables
while kidd keeps watch over the collinses.
They were waving a gun at my head
and told me to stay on the floor where I was.
And at the same time, the person holding the gun
was holding a knife pointed at Karen,
telling her to stay where she was.
Right now! Kidd: She's visibly shaking.
Morals and right and wrong...
Those have gone out the window at this point in my life.
I didn't care.
Narrator: Dennis is a retired Vietnam veteran
who still suffers from PTSD.
Dennis: Probably the biggest thing working to keep control
of myself was, uh,
after I left the war, I made a promise
I wasn't gonna hurt anybody again.
So fighting... Not so much an option.
Karen: Kidd, I referred to as the one with the dead eyes.
We couldn't see, obviously, much of their features,
only their eyes and their mouth.
No emotion. Just all the light was taken out of them
and just kind of staring.
If one of those people had made the wrong move,
I would have killed them in the state of mind that I was in.
I have no problem putting a bullet in your head!
Officer: Charlie 26. I'm in the neighborhood responding.
Woman: Copy that, Charlie 26.
Narrator: 15 minutes have passed
since the trio entered the collinses' home.
And just a few blocks away, Farmington police
are responding to another burglary.
Um, they took the safe, though.
And look where it was. It's a heavy safe.
Bowering: Once again, homeowner came home,
found some forced entry into their residence
and found firearms, cash,
jewelry, electronics missing.
Narrator: The detectives suspect the burglaries are connected.
.44. Yeah, I can get a description for you.
Some ammunition is missing.
Bowering: Police don't believe in coincidences.
When you've got burglaries that are reported
within an hour or two of each other,
you know you've got somebody that's out there
right now actively committing these crimes.
Narrator: Police officers drive around the area
looking for anything suspicious.
Their route takes them straight past the collinses'.
Our blinds were drawn closed.
We had no idea the police
were right outside our door, practically.
There's a safe in here. I know it.
Narrator: In the couple's upstairs bedroom,
crandall is having difficulty locating the safe.
Yo, man.
Hey, hand me that one. Hand me that one.
Yeah, yeah. That one.
But they do find Dennis' weapons.
Downstairs, kidd scans for valuables.
And I could see a money bag in the kitchen.
Stay right there. All right?
No funny business. All right?!
We had a bunch of cash
for an American legion dance and dinner the night before.
So I had over $1,500 in there.
Knew there was a safe here. I know it!
Narrator: Meanwhile, crandall is obsessing over the safe
he thought would be upstairs.
I'm gonna make him tell me where it is.
He's not gonna like this.
The situation is about to spiral out of control.
Kidd: I unzipped the bag.
And I took a lot of cash out of this bag.
Narrator: Kidd quietly pockets the cash.
All right. Don't you lie to me. I know you have one.
Where's the safe? We don't have a safe.
Don't you lie to me! Don't you move!
Don't you move! - We don't have a safe.
Narrator: Crandall is starting to come unhinged.
He's yelling, "you're lying! You're lying!"
Don't lie for your husband!
This is your last chance, I swear. Where's the safe?!
He said, "you better tell me
where the safe is, or I'm going to kill you."
And he would wave the gun in my face.
Karen: We don't have a safe.
I said, "look, you're just gonna have to kill me
because I don't have a safe."
I just wanted to keep them focused on me.
He just has been through so much with,
you know, being in Vietnam.
[ Voice breaking ] I wasn't sure how he was gonna hold up.
Hey. I-I really don't think they have a safe, man.
What?! I can tell she's not lying.
And I said, "did you have a safe at one point in time?"
"No, we've never had a safe."
It might be the previous owners or something, man.
I-I just don't think there's a safe in here.
But, you! You got an atm card, don't you?
Yeah. Get up!
Kidd: I said, "okay, well, we're gonna go to the atm machine."
And he kind of looked at me funny.
And I said, "we're gonna drive to the atm machine.
You're gonna give us some cash.
We're gonna come back. And we'll leave."
We're going on a little field trip.
Come on, Marcus. Let's go. Come on.
Narrator: Crandall stays behind with Karen.
Sit. Shut up. [ Crying ]
Kidd and Thompson force Dennis to take them to the nearest atm.
Dennis: When Karen was back at the house with crandall,
my worst fear was, I might come back
and find her already dead.
I didn't know what to expect.
So I tried to keep positive thoughts about it.
You know where we're going, right?
Narrator: The atm is only a couple of miles away.
Kidd: We pull up to the drive-through atm.
And I kind of sit back in the shadows
in the front seat of the car.
So I have him at gunpoint in the car.
All right, I want the full amount.
All right?
[ Atm beeping ]
Hurry up!
He drew out $400.
And it stopped him. What's this?
That's all it would give me. That's the maximum amount.
Well, we're gonna go downtown.
Narrator: There's only one other atm in town.
Kidd: I knew that there was another bank
at the downtown location.
He's not gonna hurt my wife, right?
Nothing will happen to your wife.
This downtown location is right on a main four-way.
So there's college kids all over the place.
There's businesses.
Hey, you're gonna pull over. All right? Pull over.
Pull over, right here.
Here we are parked right in front of this atm machine.
And it's a walk-up atm.
And I'm in a ski mask with a handgun
in the front seat of this guy's car.
And there's college kids walking by.
Go down there. Grab me my money.
I could see him thinking this scenario through.
There was two or three people directly across the street.
And come right back. All right? No funny business.
Everything came back to her being alone with crandall.
Kidd: I said, "listen, if you think that I can't shoot you
from here to there,"
I said, "you're crazy. Just get the money, come back.
Don't say anything to anybody. And get back in the car."
Come on!
All thoughts I had of doing something...
I knew they had cellphones. I knew they had guns.
And I couldn't take the chance.
♪♪
[ Police radio chatter ]
Yeah, this definitely looks like the car.
Oh, yeah.
Narrator: Next door to the collinses' home,
police are investigating
a report of an abandoned vehicle.
There you go. Party.
We got a call from a property owner
just up the road,
not even 1/2 a mile up the road, said,
"hey, there's this vehicle that's parked in my field.
And they shouldn't be there. Can you check it out?"
Yeah, this would be them. Inside the vehicle,
they could see some other items
that led them to believe that, no doubt,
this is the vehicle involved with these burglaries.
Go ahead and call that in. Get a k-9 unit, too.
Dispatch, can you start us a k-9 unit?
We found the car. - 10-4.
Hurry up!
Narrator: Dennis completes the withdrawal
and returns to the car without asking for help.
[ Cellphone rings ]
Kidd: My phone is ringing.
And it's my girlfriend.
And she says, "my car's on the scanner,
the police scanner."
No way! All right.
All right. I'm gonna call you back in a little bit.
All right? - Dude, what happened?
Man, Holly just called me, man. They got the car.
The cops got the car, man. What?
Don't you lie to me! Where's the safe?
Narrator: Halloween 2011.
For nearly two hours, Michael kidd,
Kevin crandall, and Marcus Thompson
have been holding Dennis and Karen Collins hostage.
But police have just found their vehicle.
Yeah, this definitely looks like the car.
Kidd: I didn't know if Kevin had been caught.
I didn't know what the scenario was at that point.
We were only maybe 5 miles away.
Hurry up!
I could only get... I know!
Back to the house! Okay. Okay.
Narrator: They need to get back to Dennis' house,
where crandall is alone with Karen.
If crandall realizes the cops are closing in,
there's no telling what he might do.
I believe he would have killed her.
Yeah. Very strong possibility.
That's what was in my mind.
Check the trunk. Narrator: Back at the car,
police are still collecting evidence.
Yeah, a lot of evidence down here in the chest, all this stuff.
Bowering: Upon opening the trunk of the vehicle,
they found numerous items that matched the description
of the burglaries that had been reported.
To a Michael kidd.
Narrator: Best of all, they find names.
Oh, look what we got here.
Bowering: There was a couple I.D.S.
One belonged to Michael kidd, a paper I.D.;
and a driver's license for Marcus Thompson.
Officer: Get evidence down here to try for fingerprints.
Officer #2: Yep.
[ Police radio chatter ]
Hey, Dennis, pull over, man.
Pull over!
Narrator: When the Halloween bandits
arrive back outside the collinses' residence,
the coast looks clear.
We get probably 100 yards from his house.
And I don't see any blue lights, no cars.
Narrator: But kidd's gut tells him something's not right.
When you get back to the house,
you and crandall meet me at the tree lot.
You got it? At the tree lot.
All right?
Kidd leaves Thompson to deal with crandall and the collinses.
Thompson: Drive.
Narrator: Then, he sneaks up the small ridgeline
overlooking the field where Holly's car is parked.
When he reaches the top, his blood freezes.
There's spotlights everywhere all over the car.
There's dogs. There's cops everywhere.
Narrator: By now, the k-9s have picked up
on the trio's scent
and start tracing it away from the car.
♪♪
Back at the collinses', crandall is still explosive.
Don't you make a sound. Shut up.
[ Cellphone buzzes ] Yeah?
Hey, you and Marcus got to get out of there, man.
No. We have more to get. What are you talkin' about?
There's cop cars everywhere, man.
You guys got to get out of there.
Damn it! Fine!
If you guys call the cops,
I will come back here.
I will kill both of you myself. Do you understand me?
- Yes. - Do you understand me?!
- Yes, yes. - Yes.
He says, "I've done it before. Do you believe me?"
And I said, "yes, I do.
I absolutely believe you."
Narrator: Crandall and Thompson fill their pockets and leave.
I swear! [ Door closes ]
[ Sobbing ]
The collinses' nightmare is finally over.
We kind of sat there
for a few minutes holding each other.
We should call the police. No.
Yes. Honey, they're crazy.
They've got guns.
They could hurt... he is crazy.
He would come back and kill us.
I know.
Narrator: Kidd meets crandall and Thompson
at a tree farm next to the collinses' residence.
We got to lose all the stuff, lose all the stuff.
All right? You ready? Let's go. Let's go.
We're running through the woods
throwing gloves and ski masks and guns out through these woods
and whatever we had in our pockets.
And we're just trying to get away at this point.
[ Dogs barking ]
White: We started to track from that vehicle
and went right by the collinses' home
and into a Christmas tree farm.
Basically, we were just trying to get some distance
between us and the dogs.
[ Dogs barking ]
White: We spread out,
and the dog found some more jewelry.
Up in the trees, we started to find gloves,
masks that were worn during the robbery.
Narrator: With police on their tail,
there's no turning back.
What the hell's the matter with you guys?
But crandall and Thompson
don't have kidd's military stamina.
They can't keep up. - I can't do this right now.
Just give me a second. Get up!
Kidd: I mean, we're limping. It's cold.
And they're talking about giving up.
They're on their phones trying to get a ride,
Marcus and Kevin.
And I'm just trying to trek forward and keep moving.
If I can find a car or something, man,
we can get out of here.
I can hear the dogs, and I'm like, "I'm not giving up."
Like, "we're gonna go to prison."
I'm bailing, man. I don't want to get caught.
- Police! - Police! Police!
Officer: Get your hands up! Get your hands up!
- We didn't do anything. - Turn around!
You need to get on your knees.
Down on your knees. - Get on your knees!
Get on your knees!
Narrator: 100 feet away,
kidd hides under some farming equipment.
[ Handcuffs clicking ]
For crandall and Thompson, the jig is up.
This your money? This your necklace?
Bowering: They did not put up a fight.
They denied being involved in anything,
being involved in any burglaries,
knowing about any burglaries,
being in possession of anything stolen.
White: They were wet. They were cold.
And Mr. Thompson was missing one of his sneakers.
All right. Guys, search the area.
They obviously weren't out for a evening stroll.
Narrator: Police are sure kidd must be nearby.
I'm sitting there, and I'm thinking, "all right.
I got minutes until I'm gone for life."
Narrator: The brazen fugitive
is prepared to fight for his freedom.
And I was willing to shoot at the cops if I had to.
I was just trying to get away.
Officer: Get your hands up!
Get your hands where I can see them!
We didn't do anything!
Narrator: Halloween 2011.
Kevin crandall and Marcus Thompson
have just been arrested after an epic burglary spree.
Now the third suspect, Michael kidd,
watches police search the area.
[ Clock ticking ]
I almost felt like I was in a trap,
like maybe they were waiting
for me in the woods or something.
Narrator: Half an hour goes by.
The cops don't come back.
So, I'm thinking, like, "wow.
I actually just got away with this."
I'm by the high school.
Narrator: Kidd calls a friend to ask for a ride.
Come on, man. I got 50 bucks.
[ Clock ticking ]
Narrator: He makes it back to Holly's apartment undetected.
Baby.
And he's in the mood to celebrate.
How are you?
I was so worried about you.
Kidd: I feel on top of the world
because I'm a free man or whatever.
Where are the other guys? They got arrested.
I feel like I just got away with all this stuff
and, you know, I'm powerful.
I actually have something.
Oh, thank you, baby. Happy birthday.
You know what?
I got something for you, too.
We got high that night.
The next day was my girlfriend's birthday.
How do you like it? I love it.
Wow. Yeah? [ Chuckles ]
We kind of just celebrated that in our own fashion.
Officer: Take a seat.
Narrator: Meanwhile, at the police station,
detectives Marc bowering and Thomas white
are interrogating kidd's accomplices.
So, let me get this straight.
You were out with stolen stuff, ski masks.
What are you guys looking for... kicks?
Yeah. We got masks. It's Halloween, though.
Crandall denies knowing anything about the burglaries.
We know the car belongs to Holly.
Holly and kidd hang out sometimes.
Detectives have only slightly better luck with Thompson.
I know. He couch jumps a lot.
It's hard to pinpoint exactly where he's at.
Get him out of here.
All right, let's go.
Let's put out to all the agencies around here,
"hey, if you see him, you know, scoop him up for us."
Narrator: Holly knows police can trace her car right to her door.
She comes up with a plan.
I'm gonna call my car in to the officers,
say it's stolen.
[ Telephone rings ]
Kidd: I'm sure she didn't want her boyfriend in trouble.
And she's lived a life of crime
just as much as I had to this point.
Yeah. I'm just calling my car in.
I think it's been stolen. Okay.
There was some suspicion that kidd
might be there at the house.
There was some suspicion
that she might have made a fraudulent report
about the theft of her motor vehicle.
Well, that's done.
There was a whole bunch of suspicions.
I don't buy that for a minute.
Let's get somebody out there.
[ Clock ticking ]
Yeah, I would have called earlier,
but they said they were going to come back and kill us.
Narrator: On November 1st, Dennis and Karen Collins
report the home invasion.
I said, "they've got our guns.
And I'm afraid they're gonna use them on somebody else."
Narrator: Police are confident
that the home invasion and burglaries are connected.
The search for kidd intensifies.
Back at Holly's...
Right on, man.
All right. I'll see you in a bit.
Kidd thinks he's home free.
Kidd: I'm like, "well, they have no idea that I was part of that.
You know, they've already arrested their suspects.
And that's probably a closed case for them."
Narrator: Nevertheless, he decides to head to Massachusetts
for a few days just in case.
I'll leave some of these for you.
Where are you going? Just gonna go out real quick.
Kidd: I tell my girlfriend, I said, "listen.
I'm gonna be gone all day."
I didn't want to tell her that I was leaving state
because I knew she would want to go with me.
Narrator: The first thing kidd sees when he leaves Holly's
is a cop car.
So, I kind of put my hood up a little more
and pulled my hat down.
Narrator: His friend Joe has agreed to give him a ride.
You okay? Yeah. Yeah.
I'm good. How are you doing?
I tell Joe, I said, "just do the speed limit.
You know, don't break any of the laws."
Don't do anything stupid.
What do you think we're doing right now?
I don't know, man.
So, Joe starts driving.
And this cruiser pulls out behind us real slow.
I tell Joe, "don't give them a reason to pull us over."
Joe's panicking. He's never been in trouble.
He's like, "what did you do? What's going on?"
Is there something you're not telling me?
Narrator: Joe stops paying attention
and narrowly avoids hitting some pedestrians.
My heart just sinks, goes right to my stomach.
And I'm like, "oh, man."
His lights are on.
Yeah, his lights are on.
Narrator: Kidd's not ready to surrender.
Okay, okay.
Kidd: I go through this phase real quick
where I'm thinking I could just run.
I have all this money in my pocket.
Is he coming up on my side or yours?
Don't go anywhere.
But a part of me was like,
"how far are you gonna run? Where are you gonna run?
What are you gonna do? You have nowhere to go."
Yeah, officer? What's your name?
What are you asking me for, officer?
It's simple, boy. Tell me your name.
Just tell him your name, man.
My name's Michael kidd.
Michael kidd, step out of the car, sir.
Yeah, as soon as I said, "Michael kidd,"
the game was over.
Okay, okay. Put your hands on the car.
He slammed me up against the car
and handcuffed me and put on a big show.
We were right in front of a college campus.
So everybody's around, looking.
It was a scene.
Watch your head.
[ Engine starts ]
♪♪
Narrator: All three men plead guilty to burglary
and kidnapping charges.
I just want to say I'm so remorseful
for everything I did.
At the sentencing hearing 11 months later...
Crandall: If I could take it all back, I would.
They give prepared statements to the judge.
Kidd had a long, long story to tell.
My dad died when I was young.
And it messed me up a lot.
And basically, it was about him.
You guys don't know the struggles
that I've had in my life.
I don't believe I ever heard him say "I'm sorry" once.
He talked about his hardships and his problems.
Judge: All rise.
Kidd: I felt sad for myself.
Like, I got caught, you know.
And all I was really worried about was poor me.
Narrator: Dennis and Karen Collins
also give a prepared statement.
They explained how their lives
have changed since the home invasion.
Dennis: I still feel a lot of the anger and violation,
but I realized after giving too much control of my life
to these guys [chuckles] they can't have it.
Good night.
Love you. I love you, too, sweetie.
As far as forgiving,
that's not an option for me right now.
I'm over 70 years old,
and I am once again afraid of the dark.
That shouldn't be.
Trick or treat, old man!
Kidd: We had their lives in our hands
while we were committing that crime, you know?
That's not power that anybody should have,
you know, but god.
Narrator: Kidd and Thompson
are sentenced to 15 years behind bars.
Do you understand me?!
Crandall gets 20 years.
Kidd: I want to be portrayed as somebody
that made a mistake in their life.
You can change your life.
It doesn't matter how big your snowball is.
It's not ever too late to change it.