1 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:24,500 [indistinct radio chatter] 2 00:00:24,500 --> 00:00:27,900 [Lt. Joe Kenda] It's February 12th of 1994. 3 00:00:28,900 --> 00:00:31,567 Officer Carter from the Thornton Police Department 4 00:00:31,567 --> 00:00:34,000 is arriving for work. 5 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:36,567 And sitting in front of the Thornton PD, 6 00:00:36,567 --> 00:00:38,166 is a running car. 7 00:00:38,166 --> 00:00:41,400 It's gone up over the curb and it's sitting in the grass. 8 00:00:43,467 --> 00:00:45,300 All he's trying to do is come to work 9 00:00:46,166 --> 00:00:48,500 And he discovers that work has come to him. 10 00:00:51,867 --> 00:00:54,433 He didn't know whether this was a drunk driver crash 11 00:00:54,767 --> 00:00:56,100 or otherwise. 12 00:00:59,100 --> 00:01:01,967 [Lt. Joe Kenda] He goes into police officer mode 13 00:01:01,967 --> 00:01:05,600 and pales out of his car to see what's happening. 14 00:01:18,300 --> 00:01:21,667 There is a woman behind the wheel, covered in blood. 15 00:01:21,667 --> 00:01:24,433 She has suffered multiple gunshot wounds. 16 00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:28,300 [woman] Help me. Please. He shot me. 17 00:01:29,567 --> 00:01:30,700 Please, please. Help me. 18 00:01:30,700 --> 00:01:32,900 [D.A. Robert Grant] She was able to communicate that 19 00:01:32,900 --> 00:01:36,000 a passenger in her car had been abducted by a man. 20 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:38,900 There's another victim in the hands of the shooter 21 00:01:38,900 --> 00:01:41,800 and he's fled off into the early morning light. 22 00:01:42,500 --> 00:01:44,300 She said this just happened. 23 00:01:44,900 --> 00:01:46,200 You have to find him. 24 00:01:49,567 --> 00:01:50,900 He's got that woman. 25 00:01:54,467 --> 00:01:57,400 I spent my career closing murder cases. 26 00:01:58,967 --> 00:02:02,533 But I'm not the only one who answered the call. 27 00:02:04,100 --> 00:02:07,600 It takes a rare breed to solve the unsolvable, 28 00:02:08,467 --> 00:02:10,433 to catch a ruthless killer. 29 00:02:11,166 --> 00:02:13,500 To find justice for the dead. 30 00:02:15,100 --> 00:02:19,934 That's what it takes to be an American detective. 31 00:02:32,066 --> 00:02:33,200 I'm Rick Archer. 32 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:36,000 I'm a retired Thornton Police Department detective. 33 00:02:37,266 --> 00:02:38,467 I've never introduced myself 34 00:02:38,467 --> 00:02:39,667 that way I'd introduced myself. 35 00:02:39,667 --> 00:02:42,166 Hi, I'm Rick. [laughs] 36 00:02:42,166 --> 00:02:44,867 I was in college in Indiana State University. 37 00:02:44,867 --> 00:02:48,266 And I had full intent ongoing to law school. 38 00:02:48,266 --> 00:02:51,767 This was not the lid to fit my pot. 39 00:02:51,767 --> 00:02:54,867 So, look, I've got this great education, 40 00:02:54,867 --> 00:02:57,600 and what I do with it? I guess I'll become a police officer. 41 00:02:59,166 --> 00:03:02,834 I hit my stride when I was moved into detectives. 42 00:03:03,900 --> 00:03:07,266 I got to use more brain power. 43 00:03:07,266 --> 00:03:10,233 And ultimately, was named as lead to homicide investigator. 44 00:03:17,900 --> 00:03:19,367 I was sound asleep, 45 00:03:19,367 --> 00:03:21,533 enjoying rest which I rarely got. 46 00:03:22,867 --> 00:03:26,066 Then I just got a call from patrol sergeant. 47 00:03:26,066 --> 00:03:28,266 There's not a lot of times you end up with a shooting victim 48 00:03:28,266 --> 00:03:30,767 on the front lawn of the Thornton Police Department. 49 00:03:30,767 --> 00:03:33,934 So, just the circumstances, really unique. 50 00:03:36,266 --> 00:03:38,300 [Kenda] Detective Rick Archer is summoned 51 00:03:38,300 --> 00:03:39,767 to handle a crime scene 52 00:03:39,767 --> 00:03:42,767 at his own police department. Somewhat odd. 53 00:03:42,767 --> 00:03:44,567 We've don't provide curb service, 54 00:03:44,567 --> 00:03:46,266 but sometimes we have to. 55 00:03:49,367 --> 00:03:53,000 [Archer] So, I get over there and I take a look around the scene. 56 00:03:54,500 --> 00:03:56,600 And there it is. 57 00:03:58,300 --> 00:04:00,400 The gold Cadillac in the front lawn 58 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:01,867 of the Thornton Police Department. 59 00:04:01,867 --> 00:04:04,700 Uh, driver side door and passenger side door open. 60 00:04:05,867 --> 00:04:09,133 There was, uh, blood throughout the interior. 61 00:04:10,166 --> 00:04:12,166 [Kenda] Archer looks more closely at the car 62 00:04:12,166 --> 00:04:15,000 and sees bullet holes in the driver's door 63 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:17,500 and sees a bullet hole in the seat. 64 00:04:19,700 --> 00:04:20,900 [Archer] There was also evidence 65 00:04:20,900 --> 00:04:23,367 of somebody having been drug 66 00:04:23,367 --> 00:04:26,867 from the passenger side into the street. 67 00:04:26,867 --> 00:04:28,667 And they're telling me that there's a possibly 68 00:04:28,667 --> 00:04:31,600 abducted woman as part of this. 69 00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:33,667 And your mind just races trying to figure out. 70 00:04:33,667 --> 00:04:35,600 "Okay, what resources am I going to need?" 71 00:04:38,467 --> 00:04:41,500 [Kenda] The only person that knows details 72 00:04:41,867 --> 00:04:43,567 is in a Denver Hospital. 73 00:04:43,567 --> 00:04:45,367 EMTs are not confident 74 00:04:45,367 --> 00:04:47,133 that this woman is going to survive. 75 00:04:48,166 --> 00:04:49,367 [Archer] From that point, 76 00:04:49,367 --> 00:04:51,400 I send a team of two detectives 77 00:04:51,400 --> 00:04:53,266 to the hospital so that 78 00:04:53,266 --> 00:04:57,367 if Jaquie's able to provide any statements pre-surgery, 79 00:04:57,367 --> 00:04:58,467 we have somebody there to get them. 80 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:10,166 [Kenda] Some people have a very strong will to live 81 00:05:10,166 --> 00:05:12,767 and that's obviously the case with this girl. 82 00:05:12,767 --> 00:05:15,467 She has suffered three gunshot wounds 83 00:05:15,467 --> 00:05:19,233 but she's with us, and she is conscious. 84 00:05:56,800 --> 00:05:58,467 [Kenda] And she thinks maybe they need 85 00:05:58,467 --> 00:05:59,967 some assistance of some kind 86 00:05:59,967 --> 00:06:03,000 and she pulls over behind the car and stops. 87 00:06:03,900 --> 00:06:07,400 It was a small blue Geo Metro. 88 00:06:12,567 --> 00:06:15,900 [Kenda] And all of a sudden, a girl not wearing a top 89 00:06:15,900 --> 00:06:18,934 runs to her car, jerks the door open. 90 00:06:25,567 --> 00:06:27,400 Uh, and so Jackie took off. 91 00:06:32,967 --> 00:06:37,000 The girl told her her name was Rhonda Maloney. 92 00:06:43,166 --> 00:06:46,400 She got off work and she was driving back home 93 00:06:46,400 --> 00:06:48,934 when she got rear-ended by a car. 94 00:06:49,567 --> 00:06:51,967 It just bumped her 95 00:06:51,967 --> 00:06:54,800 so she stopped to see what the damage was. 96 00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:09,767 And when she got out of the car 97 00:07:09,767 --> 00:07:11,500 she was immediately attacked. 98 00:07:25,367 --> 00:07:27,834 So now, they've driven only a short distance. 99 00:07:30,467 --> 00:07:32,367 The car the girl got out of 100 00:07:32,367 --> 00:07:34,133 begins to immediately chase them. 101 00:07:42,567 --> 00:07:45,967 The driver of the car continued firing on them 102 00:07:45,967 --> 00:07:47,400 all the way up the highway. 103 00:07:48,367 --> 00:07:51,100 [Kenda] Jackie feels herself get hit with a bullet. 104 00:07:51,100 --> 00:07:52,867 Multiple gunshot wounds. 105 00:07:52,867 --> 00:07:54,867 But she continues to drive. 106 00:07:54,867 --> 00:07:57,166 She's determined to reach the police. 107 00:07:57,166 --> 00:07:58,567 At some point, she realized that 108 00:07:58,567 --> 00:08:00,300 her legs weren't working. 109 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:11,000 And ended up coming to rest 110 00:08:11,000 --> 00:08:13,834 on the lawn of the Thornton Police Department. 111 00:08:16,667 --> 00:08:20,133 [Kenda] That's normally when a criminal goes the other way. 112 00:08:21,667 --> 00:08:25,233 Not this guy. He's not done yet. 113 00:08:30,266 --> 00:08:31,533 [woman] No! 114 00:08:32,400 --> 00:08:35,100 [Kenda] This guy looks directly at her... 115 00:08:39,367 --> 00:08:41,233 points to gun at her face. 116 00:08:53,600 --> 00:08:56,266 Rhonda was curled up in a ball in the passenger side. 117 00:08:56,266 --> 00:08:58,900 [Grant] The fellow pulled Rhonda out, 118 00:08:58,900 --> 00:09:01,400 saying, something like, "You thought you were gonna get away?" 119 00:09:13,467 --> 00:09:16,266 He drags his screaming woman back to his car 120 00:09:16,266 --> 00:09:17,533 and they drive off. 121 00:09:22,367 --> 00:09:24,467 Good God. Who are we dealing with here? 122 00:09:24,467 --> 00:09:26,100 Is this Jack the Ripper? 123 00:09:32,200 --> 00:09:34,900 He was described as a younger light-skinned 124 00:09:35,266 --> 00:09:37,166 moon-faced black male. 125 00:09:37,166 --> 00:09:40,867 She says, "His face is burned into my mind." 126 00:09:40,867 --> 00:09:42,100 She's a very good witness. 127 00:09:47,967 --> 00:09:50,200 The reason that was unique to us 128 00:09:50,200 --> 00:09:54,100 was just there weren't a lot of Saturns out. 129 00:09:54,100 --> 00:09:55,600 I don't think most people even knew 130 00:09:55,600 --> 00:09:57,433 what a Saturn was in those days. 131 00:09:58,467 --> 00:10:01,266 So, at that point in time, 132 00:10:01,266 --> 00:10:03,333 the immediate thing is to find Rhonda. 133 00:10:07,166 --> 00:10:09,400 [Kenda] Anytime a kidnapping has occurred, 134 00:10:09,400 --> 00:10:12,300 the urgency is absolutely extreme. 135 00:10:12,300 --> 00:10:14,967 The only way for a kidnapping to end 136 00:10:14,967 --> 00:10:17,600 and for a criminal to ensure his escape 137 00:10:18,200 --> 00:10:19,600 is to kill the victim. 138 00:10:24,066 --> 00:10:26,800 [Archer] Our focus was trying to find that Saturn. 139 00:10:26,800 --> 00:10:28,767 We had already requested assistance 140 00:10:28,767 --> 00:10:32,367 from the Air National Guard to come out with helicopters. 141 00:10:32,367 --> 00:10:34,133 And doing anything they could for us. 142 00:10:36,266 --> 00:10:38,300 [Kenda] They do a search of the area 143 00:10:38,767 --> 00:10:40,133 and they find nothing. 144 00:10:41,066 --> 00:10:43,266 [Archer] Jaquie had told us where Rhonda's car was. 145 00:10:43,266 --> 00:10:45,000 And we went down there. 146 00:10:46,667 --> 00:10:50,066 Rhonda's vehicle was a small blue Geo 147 00:10:50,066 --> 00:10:52,600 and it had some minor damage on it. 148 00:10:54,000 --> 00:10:55,600 [Kenda] There's a fresh dent 149 00:10:55,600 --> 00:10:58,000 in the rear of Rhonda Maloney's car. 150 00:11:00,867 --> 00:11:02,166 [Archer] There were some footprints. 151 00:11:02,166 --> 00:11:04,967 There were some tire tracks. 152 00:11:04,967 --> 00:11:06,266 We had nothing else. 153 00:11:06,967 --> 00:11:09,467 [Kenda] Archer is thinking about this case now 154 00:11:09,467 --> 00:11:13,400 as the pursuit hopefully begins soon on the Saturn. 155 00:11:13,400 --> 00:11:15,867 And he remembers something. 156 00:11:15,867 --> 00:11:19,400 An intelligence report he read several years before 157 00:11:21,166 --> 00:11:23,166 about a girl who wound up murdered 158 00:11:23,166 --> 00:11:25,567 in Estes Park in 1988. 159 00:11:25,567 --> 00:11:26,900 Seventy miles northwest 160 00:11:26,900 --> 00:11:28,533 of the Thornton Police Department. 161 00:11:32,467 --> 00:11:33,767 [Archer] So, at that point in time, 162 00:11:33,767 --> 00:11:35,100 I reached out to Larimer County 163 00:11:35,100 --> 00:11:37,133 and then I got a copy of their case file. 164 00:11:37,500 --> 00:11:39,066 It had never been solved. 165 00:11:39,066 --> 00:11:42,700 And reading through the case file, 166 00:11:42,700 --> 00:11:46,000 it was just carried on, just literally vanished. 167 00:11:49,500 --> 00:11:51,100 [Kenda] There are moments in cases 168 00:11:51,100 --> 00:11:53,500 where something comes to light 169 00:11:53,500 --> 00:11:56,734 and it just strikes you as like a lightning bolt. 170 00:11:57,400 --> 00:11:59,500 That happens to Archer. 171 00:11:59,500 --> 00:12:04,734 And he wonders, "Could this be the same guy?" 172 00:12:11,700 --> 00:12:14,934 The search continues for Rhonda Maloney without success. 173 00:12:16,000 --> 00:12:18,300 But Archer believes he's dealing with someone 174 00:12:18,300 --> 00:12:19,934 who's a repeat offender. 175 00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:23,000 He then reaches out 176 00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:25,000 to the Larimer County Sheriff's Department 177 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:26,667 and asks to speak to the detective 178 00:12:26,667 --> 00:12:30,867 who worked the Jessica Arredondo case in 1988. 179 00:12:30,867 --> 00:12:33,600 And he's put in touch with Detective Toppenberg. 180 00:12:34,700 --> 00:12:36,200 [Archer] I didn't know Toppenberg, 181 00:12:36,200 --> 00:12:40,400 but I hear a lot of really, really good things about John. 182 00:12:41,367 --> 00:12:44,100 I'm John Toppenberg. Retired deputy 183 00:12:44,100 --> 00:12:46,667 with the Larimer County Sheriff's Department. 184 00:12:46,667 --> 00:12:50,133 I retired as a detective working major crimes. 185 00:12:52,467 --> 00:12:54,300 -Detective Archer. -Toppenberg. 186 00:12:54,300 --> 00:12:56,200 [Toppenberg] There were obvious similarities 187 00:12:56,200 --> 00:12:57,767 between these two cases. 188 00:12:57,767 --> 00:13:00,800 This particular case started with people, 189 00:13:00,800 --> 00:13:03,000 uh, that were going south 190 00:13:03,000 --> 00:13:05,000 out of Rocky Mountain National Park. 191 00:13:13,367 --> 00:13:16,433 -[man] This is really nice. -[woman 2] Yeah. Beautiful really. 192 00:13:17,867 --> 00:13:19,367 [Kenda] Two tourists are returning 193 00:13:19,367 --> 00:13:20,800 from an early morning visit 194 00:13:20,800 --> 00:13:22,834 to Rocky Mountain National Park. 195 00:13:25,467 --> 00:13:28,767 They spot another overlook next to the highway. 196 00:13:28,767 --> 00:13:31,700 Turnouts, where you can go and take photographs. 197 00:13:37,200 --> 00:13:39,500 And then they find something horrible. 198 00:13:45,667 --> 00:13:49,300 They observe the naked body of a female 199 00:13:49,767 --> 00:13:51,600 lying in the rocks. 200 00:13:53,867 --> 00:13:56,000 Detective John Toppenberg 201 00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:58,000 from the Larimer County Sheriff's Department 202 00:13:58,000 --> 00:13:59,533 responds to the scene. 203 00:14:01,800 --> 00:14:03,767 [Toppenberg] From examination of the scene, 204 00:14:03,767 --> 00:14:06,800 it was obvious that the body was airborne 205 00:14:06,800 --> 00:14:09,000 for a short while. 206 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:12,634 And came to rest 26 feet from where she was thrown. 207 00:14:17,667 --> 00:14:20,100 Uh, there were tire tracks 208 00:14:20,100 --> 00:14:22,967 that indicated a car pulled into the turnout 209 00:14:22,967 --> 00:14:25,000 and threw it over the impingement. 210 00:14:30,467 --> 00:14:31,900 She was without clothes 211 00:14:31,900 --> 00:14:35,266 when she was thrown over the edge. 212 00:14:35,266 --> 00:14:37,900 It was obvious that she had sustained 213 00:14:37,900 --> 00:14:42,033 significant trauma to major portions of her body. 214 00:14:44,967 --> 00:14:48,367 [Kenda] The body shows signs of sexual assault. 215 00:14:48,367 --> 00:14:52,000 Her face shows evidence of enormous blunt trauma. 216 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:55,266 She's been kicked. She's been stomped. 217 00:14:55,266 --> 00:14:58,600 Her teeth are caved in backwards, still in her mouth. 218 00:14:59,767 --> 00:15:03,500 This was perpetrated with purpose, with emotion. 219 00:15:05,567 --> 00:15:08,900 This is someone who is enjoying what he's doing. 220 00:15:08,900 --> 00:15:11,400 He is in a wild rage. 221 00:15:11,400 --> 00:15:13,700 [Toppenberg] We did not know who the victim was. 222 00:15:13,700 --> 00:15:15,700 It became clear 223 00:15:15,700 --> 00:15:19,467 that a missing person case in Denver 224 00:15:19,467 --> 00:15:22,867 uh, coordinated with the description of the victim. 225 00:15:22,867 --> 00:15:25,166 The girl is Jessica Arredondo, 226 00:15:25,166 --> 00:15:27,634 who just turned 21 years of age. 227 00:15:28,300 --> 00:15:30,967 She is from a Denver suburb. 228 00:15:30,967 --> 00:15:34,500 We followed up with Joe Arredondo, 229 00:15:34,500 --> 00:15:36,500 the victim's father. 230 00:15:39,367 --> 00:15:42,800 [Joe] I was such a... So, so sad that that happened. 231 00:15:43,967 --> 00:15:46,467 We were hoping for the best but no... 232 00:15:46,467 --> 00:15:48,600 It just was terrible, what happened. 233 00:15:49,000 --> 00:15:50,767 Jessica is very sly. 234 00:15:50,767 --> 00:15:52,600 And uh, very beautiful. 235 00:15:52,600 --> 00:15:54,900 She was very, very bubbly. 236 00:15:54,900 --> 00:15:58,500 She was a head cheerleader and she was very popular. 237 00:15:58,500 --> 00:16:01,166 She got along with everybody. 238 00:16:01,166 --> 00:16:04,166 [Kenda] This is just a young girl starting her life, 239 00:16:04,166 --> 00:16:06,767 age 21, has her first job. 240 00:16:06,767 --> 00:16:09,667 She works at US West as a telephone operator. 241 00:16:09,667 --> 00:16:12,867 We are really, really proud of Jessica. 242 00:16:12,867 --> 00:16:14,800 She's just a perfect daughter. 243 00:16:17,300 --> 00:16:19,700 [Joe] The last time I saw her was on that Friday night. 244 00:16:19,700 --> 00:16:22,900 And she had plans to go with her boyfriend. 245 00:16:22,900 --> 00:16:25,967 They were going to go out that night to a nightclub. 246 00:16:25,967 --> 00:16:28,500 And at the last minute, she decided 247 00:16:28,500 --> 00:16:30,734 she wasn't feeling well and didn't want to go. 248 00:16:34,367 --> 00:16:35,900 [woman 3] All right, babe. 249 00:16:35,900 --> 00:16:38,467 [Joe] She said, I'll take you down there to the club 250 00:16:38,467 --> 00:16:41,400 and I can leave you off there and I'll come back and pick you up. 251 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:44,367 So that's what she did. She went... 252 00:16:44,367 --> 00:16:47,133 She took him to the club and that's it. 253 00:16:48,300 --> 00:16:50,100 [Kenda] She drops him at the bar, 254 00:16:50,100 --> 00:16:52,266 says she'll be back in an hour, 255 00:16:52,266 --> 00:16:54,033 and she never returns. 256 00:16:56,300 --> 00:16:59,600 The father says that the night she disappeared, 257 00:16:59,600 --> 00:17:02,700 she was driving a new car she had just purchased. 258 00:17:03,066 --> 00:17:05,100 [Joe] An '88 Mustang. 259 00:17:05,867 --> 00:17:07,767 And she had to have that car. 260 00:17:07,767 --> 00:17:08,967 She loved that car so much. 261 00:17:08,967 --> 00:17:12,000 She didn't want any scratches or anything to happen to it. 262 00:17:13,667 --> 00:17:15,266 [Kenda] And the next question is obvious. 263 00:17:15,266 --> 00:17:17,100 Where is that car? 264 00:17:18,700 --> 00:17:21,000 So, Toppenberg puts out a BOLO 265 00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:23,700 to all law enforcement agencies Denver Metro. 266 00:17:23,700 --> 00:17:26,100 Within hours, the Mustang is found. 267 00:17:27,667 --> 00:17:29,767 [Toppenberg] The vehicle's proximity to the bar was... 268 00:17:29,767 --> 00:17:31,533 It was least a mile away. 269 00:17:34,166 --> 00:17:36,300 So, Toppenberg arrives at this car. 270 00:17:37,567 --> 00:17:40,100 The hazard lights are flashing. 271 00:17:43,767 --> 00:17:46,266 The keys are in the ignition. 272 00:17:46,266 --> 00:17:51,166 Now, this is this girl's dream to own this brand new car. 273 00:17:51,166 --> 00:17:53,900 Is she gonna walk away? No. 274 00:17:56,467 --> 00:17:58,400 It would be speculative, but obviously, 275 00:17:58,400 --> 00:18:01,867 there would have been a kidnapping. 276 00:18:01,867 --> 00:18:03,300 Violent kidnapping. 277 00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:07,100 Where she was taken. 278 00:18:07,100 --> 00:18:09,200 [Kenda] Toppenberg looks more closely at the car 279 00:18:09,200 --> 00:18:12,667 and he notices fresh rear end damage. 280 00:18:12,667 --> 00:18:15,000 As if she's been tapped from the rear 281 00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:17,100 by someone in a car. 282 00:18:17,100 --> 00:18:21,166 What if the driver of that car is the killer? 283 00:18:21,166 --> 00:18:24,233 And he is trying to get her to stop. 284 00:18:30,600 --> 00:18:33,200 She puts her four-way flashers on 285 00:18:33,200 --> 00:18:35,367 and gets out of her car 286 00:18:35,367 --> 00:18:38,400 to check the damage of her dream machine. 287 00:18:41,166 --> 00:18:42,667 [woman 4] What the hell, man? 288 00:18:50,900 --> 00:18:54,600 [Kenda] He gets out of his car and grabs her by the throat. 289 00:18:56,700 --> 00:18:58,567 And now she's gone 290 00:18:58,567 --> 00:19:02,333 and winds up thrown off a cliff on Highway 36. 291 00:19:03,567 --> 00:19:05,867 But as that case progressed, 292 00:19:05,867 --> 00:19:09,100 we ran into way too many dead ends. 293 00:19:09,100 --> 00:19:11,934 The Arredondo case goes cold. 294 00:19:19,567 --> 00:19:22,433 Until February 1994. 295 00:19:23,867 --> 00:19:27,567 It looked like it was a case basically like Rhonda. 296 00:19:27,567 --> 00:19:29,767 If I didn't know better, I'd say the same person 297 00:19:29,767 --> 00:19:32,400 who killed her killed Jessica Arredondo. 298 00:19:32,400 --> 00:19:35,867 Our Killers MO is the use of a fender bender, 299 00:19:35,867 --> 00:19:37,667 all for a simple reason. 300 00:19:37,667 --> 00:19:40,066 it's successful. 301 00:19:40,066 --> 00:19:44,066 [Toppenberg] The Arredondo case came into sharp focus 302 00:19:44,066 --> 00:19:49,333 the moment the Rhonda Maloney case came into view. 303 00:19:50,367 --> 00:19:53,000 And, uh, there was no looking back. 304 00:19:54,367 --> 00:19:56,667 [Kenda] Archer and Toppenberg are both convinced 305 00:19:56,667 --> 00:19:58,200 this is the same fellow. 306 00:20:04,200 --> 00:20:06,000 Using the same technique. 307 00:20:12,700 --> 00:20:14,200 This is him. 308 00:20:20,967 --> 00:20:24,800 [Kenda] Archer and Toppenberg are investigating two cases. 309 00:20:24,800 --> 00:20:28,066 It's the current case of the missing Miss Maloney, 310 00:20:28,066 --> 00:20:29,467 who still hasn't been found, 311 00:20:29,467 --> 00:20:32,333 and of course the death six years earlier 312 00:20:33,100 --> 00:20:35,900 of Jessica Arredondo. 313 00:20:35,900 --> 00:20:38,700 These are girls from the Denver suburb. 314 00:20:38,700 --> 00:20:41,367 They were hit from the rear by another vehicle. 315 00:20:41,367 --> 00:20:44,767 [Archer] I was literally just matching Toppenberg's case. 316 00:20:44,767 --> 00:20:47,767 to my suspect who had the exact same MO. 317 00:20:47,767 --> 00:20:51,700 [Toppenberg] I don't recall having any real question about 318 00:20:51,700 --> 00:20:55,300 whether that was perpetrated by the same suspect. 319 00:20:55,567 --> 00:20:57,100 It all fit. 320 00:20:57,100 --> 00:20:59,567 This is only the beginning of this case. 321 00:20:59,567 --> 00:21:01,500 And there's about to be another murder 322 00:21:01,500 --> 00:21:03,033 if we don't find that girl. 323 00:21:04,500 --> 00:21:06,066 [Archer] At that point, we were still searching 324 00:21:06,066 --> 00:21:08,700 for Rhonda and that Saturn. 325 00:21:08,700 --> 00:21:11,467 And so, I start reaching out to Rhonda's family 326 00:21:11,467 --> 00:21:13,300 'Cause that's where we wanted to start. 327 00:21:13,300 --> 00:21:15,166 Where did she come from? Where was she going? 328 00:21:15,166 --> 00:21:18,600 Why was she wherever she was, when she was abducted? 329 00:21:19,200 --> 00:21:20,734 My name is Kerri Gemeinhardt. 330 00:21:22,166 --> 00:21:23,800 I'm Rhonda Maloney's sister. 331 00:21:24,266 --> 00:21:26,300 Rhonda was my best friend. 332 00:21:26,300 --> 00:21:29,100 We spent, um, the majority of our time together. 333 00:21:29,100 --> 00:21:32,567 Growing up, she was always with me. 334 00:21:32,567 --> 00:21:35,100 We pretty much did everything together. 335 00:21:35,100 --> 00:21:39,667 Rhonda was a happy person who was lively and funny, 336 00:21:39,667 --> 00:21:42,066 and had a great sense of humor, 337 00:21:42,066 --> 00:21:44,700 and could live life to the fullest. 338 00:21:45,767 --> 00:21:47,400 At the time that this happened, 339 00:21:47,400 --> 00:21:52,166 it was myself, Rhonda, my brother-in-law, Carey, and my mom. 340 00:21:52,166 --> 00:21:54,500 We all lived in a house together in Broomfield. 341 00:21:56,166 --> 00:21:58,467 They told us that they had found Rhonda's car 342 00:21:58,467 --> 00:21:59,900 on the side of the highway. 343 00:22:00,800 --> 00:22:03,133 You know it's not going to be good at that point. 344 00:22:05,100 --> 00:22:08,834 Rick Archer made quite an impression on me. He just... 345 00:22:09,367 --> 00:22:10,266 seemed very focused. 346 00:22:10,266 --> 00:22:13,567 You have to be understanding and patient 347 00:22:13,567 --> 00:22:17,367 while professionally pushing for the answers you need. 348 00:22:17,367 --> 00:22:22,033 It was really established early on that Rhonda had been at work. 349 00:22:27,567 --> 00:22:29,000 [Joe] She works in a casino, 350 00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:31,667 in one of the mountain towns close to Denver, 351 00:22:31,667 --> 00:22:33,767 where gambling is permitted. 352 00:22:33,767 --> 00:22:35,367 [Kerri] Uh, Rhonda was a cocktail waitress. 353 00:22:35,367 --> 00:22:37,066 She loved it. She made great money. 354 00:22:37,066 --> 00:22:39,934 She was really happy out there. 355 00:22:43,266 --> 00:22:48,000 She had to work the later shift, 6:00 p.m. till... 356 00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:50,500 2:00 in the morning, 'cause that's when the casinos close. 357 00:22:51,667 --> 00:22:53,700 [Joe] You're looking for a sexual predator, 358 00:22:53,700 --> 00:22:57,867 and here we have a pretty, young woman, who works in a casino 359 00:22:57,867 --> 00:22:59,700 as a cocktail waitress. 360 00:23:01,800 --> 00:23:04,900 Has our man been a customer in that casino? 361 00:23:06,367 --> 00:23:08,000 We just had no idea. 362 00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:12,967 It was very important to get into the central city casinos, 363 00:23:12,967 --> 00:23:15,700 to review, um, security footage, 364 00:23:15,700 --> 00:23:18,467 because, as we all know, 365 00:23:18,467 --> 00:23:21,133 a lot can happen in a corner where somebody else isn't going to see it. 366 00:23:28,266 --> 00:23:30,767 We wanted to know 367 00:23:30,767 --> 00:23:33,000 if there was a casual connection 368 00:23:33,000 --> 00:23:35,967 with Rhonda and, uh, a young, black man up there, 369 00:23:35,967 --> 00:23:38,700 that could have expanded into something like this. 370 00:23:38,700 --> 00:23:40,667 Or maybe somebody was a little handsy, 371 00:23:40,667 --> 00:23:43,600 or... a little bit too interested. 372 00:23:44,266 --> 00:23:46,066 [Joe] Archer reviews all of that 373 00:23:46,066 --> 00:23:49,166 to see to it that, yes, she was at work that night, 374 00:23:49,166 --> 00:23:51,567 normal hours, no confrontations. 375 00:23:51,567 --> 00:23:53,867 No one followed her out the door. 376 00:23:53,867 --> 00:23:58,100 She left work when her shift was over and was headed home. 377 00:23:58,100 --> 00:24:00,200 So, that reveals nothing to him. 378 00:24:03,367 --> 00:24:05,500 It's now been 24 hours 379 00:24:05,500 --> 00:24:08,367 since Rhonda Maloney was dragged out of the front yard 380 00:24:08,367 --> 00:24:10,200 of the Thornton Police Department. 381 00:24:10,967 --> 00:24:13,567 And we still have not found her. 382 00:24:13,567 --> 00:24:16,634 The search for the car continues, but no result. 383 00:24:18,467 --> 00:24:20,867 So, at that point in time, 384 00:24:20,867 --> 00:24:24,600 we actually returned to the initial scene where Rhonda's car was. 385 00:24:26,066 --> 00:24:29,300 Now, the car was already gone because we'd impounded it. 386 00:24:29,300 --> 00:24:31,467 [Joe] The crime scene is all you've got. 387 00:24:31,467 --> 00:24:33,600 And when you're not getting anywhere, 388 00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:36,100 you go back and start over. 389 00:24:36,100 --> 00:24:40,500 Look again and see again. See something new. Who knows? 390 00:24:41,100 --> 00:24:43,367 [Archer] The scene down on I-76, 391 00:24:43,367 --> 00:24:44,867 it was dynamic. It was... 392 00:24:44,867 --> 00:24:49,367 It was changing... not even daily. It was changing hourly 393 00:24:49,367 --> 00:24:52,900 based on traffic flow and... and weather conditions. 394 00:24:53,467 --> 00:24:55,300 [Grant] They, um, spent hours... 395 00:24:56,100 --> 00:24:57,233 canvassing that scene. 396 00:24:57,233 --> 00:24:59,667 And the detective walking up towards the abutment, 397 00:24:59,667 --> 00:25:03,066 which was, uh, some ways away from the car, 398 00:25:03,066 --> 00:25:06,800 he saw a black shape that was in the snow. 399 00:25:06,800 --> 00:25:09,367 [device beeping] 400 00:25:09,367 --> 00:25:12,400 [Archer] He heard something in the snow and walked over, 401 00:25:12,400 --> 00:25:13,634 and found a pager, 402 00:25:14,467 --> 00:25:16,333 something that nobody else had seen. 403 00:25:18,066 --> 00:25:20,233 [Joe] This is 1994. 404 00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:24,400 People carried pagers, 405 00:25:25,600 --> 00:25:28,300 a little box that hooks on your belt, 406 00:25:28,900 --> 00:25:31,567 tied to a telephone number, 407 00:25:31,567 --> 00:25:35,000 where someone can transmit information to you. 408 00:25:35,000 --> 00:25:38,567 [Grant] They had... were able to turn the pager on, 409 00:25:38,567 --> 00:25:39,500 and discovered that 410 00:25:39,500 --> 00:25:41,567 it had a message on... on there that said, 411 00:25:41,567 --> 00:25:43,300 "This is Belt Harlan, 412 00:25:43,300 --> 00:25:46,567 Detective Sergeant, Denver Police Department. 413 00:25:46,567 --> 00:25:50,400 If you found this pager, please return it to me at the Denver Police." 414 00:25:56,300 --> 00:25:59,467 [Joe] What's a Denver PD pager doing here? 415 00:25:59,467 --> 00:26:03,300 What if our sexual predator, killer, is a cop? 416 00:26:09,100 --> 00:26:12,367 Archer is shocked to discover 417 00:26:12,367 --> 00:26:17,000 this pager belongs to a Denver Police Department detective. 418 00:26:17,000 --> 00:26:19,266 What is it doing at a crime scene 419 00:26:19,266 --> 00:26:21,800 of a kidnapping and an attempted murder? 420 00:26:23,734 --> 00:26:26,800 [Archer] We pretty quickly 421 00:26:26,800 --> 00:26:29,100 put together a lot of information on Belt Harlan. 422 00:26:29,100 --> 00:26:31,667 Belt Harlan had a... 423 00:26:31,667 --> 00:26:32,834 [chuckles] 424 00:26:32,834 --> 00:26:34,867 ...challenging career at the Denver Police department. 425 00:26:34,867 --> 00:26:38,100 He had got angry at someone in the drive-up lane, 426 00:26:38,100 --> 00:26:40,300 and he tried to climb through the window 427 00:26:40,300 --> 00:26:42,567 of the drive-up place to get at this guy. 428 00:26:42,567 --> 00:26:45,233 He was known for having a terrible temper. 429 00:26:45,967 --> 00:26:47,333 [Joe] If a policeman decides 430 00:26:47,333 --> 00:26:50,900 to start committing crimes, he's a dangerous criminal indeed. 431 00:26:52,000 --> 00:26:53,233 He knows the game. 432 00:26:54,166 --> 00:26:56,367 [Archer] We knew he had a troubled past. 433 00:26:56,367 --> 00:27:00,200 But the primary thing was that 434 00:27:00,200 --> 00:27:05,767 he didn't even come close to matching the description of our suspect. 435 00:27:05,767 --> 00:27:10,734 [Grant] He was older, up in age, darker-skinned, 436 00:27:10,734 --> 00:27:15,000 nothing at all like the description that Jaquie gave. 437 00:27:15,000 --> 00:27:16,433 [ringing] 438 00:27:18,400 --> 00:27:21,266 [Archer] Around that same time, my partner, 439 00:27:21,266 --> 00:27:25,867 through, uh, his computer work at DMV, found a Saturn 440 00:27:25,867 --> 00:27:28,100 with the plate number, "cha-ching". 441 00:27:29,667 --> 00:27:32,266 This really interested us, because we really felt that 442 00:27:32,266 --> 00:27:34,800 that was the sound that a one-armed bandit makes 443 00:27:34,800 --> 00:27:37,300 at the casinos, is "cha-ching" when it pays out. 444 00:27:37,767 --> 00:27:39,767 [Joe] He is a gambler. 445 00:27:39,767 --> 00:27:44,066 Well now, Miss Maloney is a waitress in a casino. 446 00:27:44,066 --> 00:27:49,567 He does some more checking and he finds that the owner of that car is Robert Harlan. 447 00:27:49,567 --> 00:27:52,433 Robert was a light-skinned black man with a moon face, and young. 448 00:27:54,000 --> 00:27:56,166 [Joe] We're not looking at a detective here. 449 00:27:56,166 --> 00:27:58,100 We're looking at a detective's son. 450 00:27:58,100 --> 00:28:00,233 It was the craziest thing I've ever seen. 451 00:28:00,867 --> 00:28:02,400 [exhales] Craziest thing. 452 00:28:06,266 --> 00:28:09,000 [Joe] So, he looks up Mr. Robert Harlan. 453 00:28:09,000 --> 00:28:11,266 What Archer is amazed by, 454 00:28:11,266 --> 00:28:14,467 is the length and depth of his criminal record. 455 00:28:14,467 --> 00:28:17,667 Robert Harlan was a bad egg. 456 00:28:17,667 --> 00:28:23,367 Robert Harlan had many, many allegations of sexual assault, 457 00:28:23,367 --> 00:28:28,000 many, many allegations of sexual harassment in the workplace. 458 00:28:28,000 --> 00:28:29,166 In addition to that, 459 00:28:29,166 --> 00:28:31,500 Archer discovers something else. 460 00:28:33,600 --> 00:28:36,200 He worked at US West, 461 00:28:36,200 --> 00:28:39,367 which is where Arredondo worked. 462 00:28:39,367 --> 00:28:43,100 He worked there when she worked there, six years ago. 463 00:28:43,100 --> 00:28:45,266 He is the perfect candidate 464 00:28:45,266 --> 00:28:47,000 for who we're looking for. 465 00:28:48,266 --> 00:28:49,500 This is our guy! 466 00:28:50,100 --> 00:28:52,567 So, at that point in time, 467 00:28:52,567 --> 00:28:54,600 in our world, it was called "balls to the wall." 468 00:28:55,734 --> 00:29:00,066 This was the most dynamic case I have ever seen in my life. 469 00:29:00,066 --> 00:29:04,266 Things were unfolding so rapidly. 470 00:29:04,266 --> 00:29:06,233 Our focus was trying to find Rhonda. 471 00:29:07,166 --> 00:29:09,900 In... In a case like this, you... we always use SWAT. 472 00:29:11,767 --> 00:29:15,400 [Joe] In a cop world, everything is "RFN." 473 00:29:15,800 --> 00:29:18,166 "Right [bleep] Now." 474 00:29:18,166 --> 00:29:19,800 "I need a SWAT team." 475 00:29:20,500 --> 00:29:22,567 "I need a hundred policeman." 476 00:29:22,567 --> 00:29:24,300 "I need a helicopter." 477 00:29:25,367 --> 00:29:29,000 Whatever it is you require, is going to show up... 478 00:29:29,000 --> 00:29:32,000 right [bleep] now. 479 00:29:39,967 --> 00:29:41,567 [Archer] We knew he was armed, 480 00:29:41,567 --> 00:29:44,600 and absolutely knew he wasn't afraid to shoot. 481 00:29:48,000 --> 00:29:50,400 So, we used explosive entry 482 00:29:50,400 --> 00:29:51,467 - and... -[muffled explosion] 483 00:29:51,467 --> 00:29:52,800 ...flash-bangs. 484 00:29:52,800 --> 00:29:54,333 [Joe] A flash-bang detonates, 485 00:29:54,333 --> 00:29:56,667 -creating this enormous noise which will... -[shouting indistinct orders] 486 00:29:56,667 --> 00:30:00,467 ...deafen anybody for a few seconds, and a brilliant 487 00:30:00,467 --> 00:30:02,967 flash of light that will blind you. 488 00:30:02,967 --> 00:30:06,100 You are completely disoriented. You can't hear, 489 00:30:06,100 --> 00:30:07,667 and you can't see. 490 00:30:07,667 --> 00:30:09,767 And that's the point. 491 00:30:09,767 --> 00:30:13,767 [Archer] Uh, the SWAT team made a dynamic entry into the grandmother's house, 492 00:30:13,767 --> 00:30:16,100 and we found Robert Harlan in his bedroom. 493 00:30:16,100 --> 00:30:17,500 [man in house shouting indistinctly] 494 00:30:17,500 --> 00:30:19,200 We woke him out of his sound sleep. 495 00:30:19,200 --> 00:30:21,266 We took him into custody 496 00:30:21,266 --> 00:30:24,567 with, literally, no issues whatsoever. 497 00:30:24,567 --> 00:30:26,767 -[radio beeps] -[dispatcher over radio] Seven-eight, twenty-nine. 498 00:30:26,767 --> 00:30:28,800 [dispatcher continues indistinctly over radio] 499 00:30:28,800 --> 00:30:30,800 [Joe] Here is Robert Harlan. 500 00:30:31,567 --> 00:30:33,700 There is no Miss Maloney. 501 00:30:34,567 --> 00:30:35,800 Where is she? 502 00:30:38,100 --> 00:30:40,667 -[yelps] -They've got a canine with them. 503 00:30:40,667 --> 00:30:43,767 The canine hits on the car. 504 00:30:43,767 --> 00:30:46,567 They can see in the window, nothing's in the car. 505 00:30:46,567 --> 00:30:49,000 But they can't see into the trunk. 506 00:30:51,600 --> 00:30:56,367 Archer is concerned he's going to find something horrible 507 00:30:56,367 --> 00:30:58,133 in the trunk of this machine. 508 00:31:12,567 --> 00:31:14,400 Archer opens the trunk. 509 00:31:19,467 --> 00:31:20,400 And it's empty. 510 00:31:20,400 --> 00:31:23,700 Where is she? And what did he do with her? 511 00:31:29,934 --> 00:31:33,567 [Archer] We transported Robert back to Thornton Police Department. 512 00:31:33,567 --> 00:31:37,266 My sergeant informed me that 513 00:31:37,266 --> 00:31:40,467 he had selected two other detectives 514 00:31:40,467 --> 00:31:42,600 to conduct the interviews with Robert, 515 00:31:42,600 --> 00:31:45,400 and that I was supposed to go home... 516 00:31:46,467 --> 00:31:48,600 to get some rest. 517 00:31:48,600 --> 00:31:51,400 I just explained to them that's not ever going to happen. 518 00:32:00,567 --> 00:32:02,567 [Grant] Robert Harlan was wrapped in this blanket 519 00:32:02,567 --> 00:32:04,133 and... and speaking very softly. 520 00:32:04,133 --> 00:32:05,600 Of course, Rhonda was missing. 521 00:32:05,600 --> 00:32:08,400 And... And they were still hopeful... 522 00:32:09,333 --> 00:32:13,000 to some degree, that they might find her... alive. 523 00:32:21,233 --> 00:32:24,500 Deny, deny, deny... 524 00:32:24,500 --> 00:32:26,133 That's what he does. 525 00:32:32,266 --> 00:32:35,300 [Archer] I was watching the interview, and I was watching Robert... 526 00:32:35,667 --> 00:32:37,767 just run the entire thing. 527 00:32:37,767 --> 00:32:39,934 And after a bit, 528 00:32:39,934 --> 00:32:42,233 I just walked to the interview room, 529 00:32:42,233 --> 00:32:44,867 opened the door and said, "You two are done. Out." 530 00:32:47,967 --> 00:32:49,667 [Grant] Archer came in, fresh face, and... 531 00:32:49,667 --> 00:32:52,266 and a new sort of approach. 532 00:32:57,266 --> 00:32:58,367 [Archer] First thing, right in the door, 533 00:32:58,367 --> 00:33:01,133 I was like, "Okay, you're not in charge here. I am." 534 00:33:07,266 --> 00:33:10,266 Up to this point, he's been able to play the victim. 535 00:33:10,266 --> 00:33:13,133 Well, now, you have somebody who's going head to head with him. 536 00:33:25,967 --> 00:33:26,967 [Joe] What does he do? 537 00:33:26,967 --> 00:33:29,667 He puts himself with the victim. 538 00:33:29,667 --> 00:33:32,300 He says, "For the purpose of selling drugs." 539 00:33:33,266 --> 00:33:36,600 We say, "For the purpose of rape and murder." 540 00:33:36,600 --> 00:33:38,700 But he puts himself with her, 541 00:33:39,934 --> 00:33:41,367 and that is significant. 542 00:33:48,233 --> 00:33:50,166 [Archer] I was starting to get to him. 543 00:33:50,166 --> 00:33:53,834 And this has been part of my training for all those years, 544 00:33:53,834 --> 00:33:56,467 is to continue down that path. 545 00:34:06,967 --> 00:34:09,567 And behold, there is a knock at the door, 546 00:34:09,567 --> 00:34:11,634 'cause an attorney showed up at our police department, 547 00:34:12,400 --> 00:34:14,133 and, uh, put a stop to everything. 548 00:34:15,467 --> 00:34:16,533 Everything. 549 00:34:20,000 --> 00:34:21,300 It was horrible. 550 00:34:21,867 --> 00:34:23,667 It was absolutely horrible, 551 00:34:23,667 --> 00:34:26,467 because I knew that he was ready 552 00:34:26,467 --> 00:34:30,200 to give me his version of the rape. 553 00:34:31,000 --> 00:34:32,567 So, they're left with no confession, 554 00:34:32,567 --> 00:34:35,400 a few incriminating things maybe. 555 00:34:35,400 --> 00:34:37,900 But ultimately, the case stands as it is. 556 00:34:44,767 --> 00:34:47,834 But the next day, Archer's in his office, 557 00:34:47,834 --> 00:34:49,767 and gets a call from the front desk 558 00:34:49,767 --> 00:34:51,533 that Robert Harlan's father, 559 00:34:52,333 --> 00:34:54,367 Detective Belt Harlan, 560 00:34:54,367 --> 00:34:56,100 is there to see him. 561 00:34:56,100 --> 00:34:58,400 And he's carrying a cardboard box. 562 00:35:00,667 --> 00:35:03,166 [Archer] So, Belt told us that he received a call 563 00:35:03,166 --> 00:35:06,567 from his other son, who said that 564 00:35:06,567 --> 00:35:11,266 the day before, Robert had come by his place, 565 00:35:11,266 --> 00:35:13,000 he was fully covered in blood, 566 00:35:13,000 --> 00:35:15,400 um, asked if he could take a shower. 567 00:35:18,367 --> 00:35:19,667 [Grant] He took his shirt off, 568 00:35:19,667 --> 00:35:21,867 [shower water running continuously] 569 00:35:21,867 --> 00:35:23,400 and he took out a gun. 570 00:35:25,066 --> 00:35:27,133 [Archer] He'd left his gun there, 571 00:35:27,133 --> 00:35:29,233 borrowed his brother's car. 572 00:35:29,233 --> 00:35:30,266 And... 573 00:35:31,467 --> 00:35:35,000 went, what we assume, is looking for his pager. 574 00:35:36,367 --> 00:35:39,767 [Grant] And that's how that evidence was... was bought into the case, 575 00:35:39,767 --> 00:35:43,066 the gun that shot Rhonda and that had her blood on it, 576 00:35:43,066 --> 00:35:45,367 and the clothing that Robert had been wearing, 577 00:35:45,367 --> 00:35:46,867 that had her blood on it. 578 00:35:48,667 --> 00:35:50,100 [Archer] It takes an amazing person 579 00:35:50,100 --> 00:35:51,467 and a strength of character 580 00:35:51,467 --> 00:35:54,333 to be able to turn evidence in, 581 00:35:54,333 --> 00:35:56,500 and admit that your son's a killer. 582 00:35:56,500 --> 00:35:59,567 [Joe] Now, Archer has hard, physical evidence. 583 00:35:59,567 --> 00:36:02,567 Robert is bought and paid for, for this case. 584 00:36:02,567 --> 00:36:05,500 But they still don't know what happened to Miss Maloney. 585 00:36:06,934 --> 00:36:09,333 [Archer] Three days after taking Robert Harlan into custody, 586 00:36:09,333 --> 00:36:10,667 I received a call. 587 00:36:10,667 --> 00:36:13,500 It was, uh, a road out in Adam's County, called Imboden Road. 588 00:36:18,233 --> 00:36:23,367 And a small bridge over a, um, ditch or creek... 589 00:36:23,367 --> 00:36:26,967 And underneath the bridge, was Rhonda's body. 590 00:36:30,266 --> 00:36:32,166 [Joe] This girl is naked, 591 00:36:32,166 --> 00:36:34,367 savagely beaten and tortured. 592 00:36:35,233 --> 00:36:39,233 [Grant] Shattered jaw, shattered, uh, eye sockets, 593 00:36:39,233 --> 00:36:41,066 in addition to a bullet 594 00:36:41,066 --> 00:36:42,900 that was fired into her forehead. 595 00:36:44,266 --> 00:36:47,133 I was at that business for 28 years, 596 00:36:47,133 --> 00:36:49,567 and I've seen some horrendous crime scenes. 597 00:36:49,567 --> 00:36:52,400 And this is one of the most horrendous, 598 00:36:52,400 --> 00:36:54,834 in terms of the injuries done 599 00:36:54,834 --> 00:36:56,166 to Rhonda Maloney. 600 00:37:00,266 --> 00:37:01,400 [Kerri] When they found her, 601 00:37:01,400 --> 00:37:05,400 I was with my dad, and I saw the look on his face. 602 00:37:06,266 --> 00:37:08,266 And all I remember was screaming at him, 603 00:37:08,266 --> 00:37:10,367 "No, don't... Don't say anything." 604 00:37:10,367 --> 00:37:13,166 Because I knew, as soon as I saw him. 605 00:37:13,166 --> 00:37:15,033 Her family was very much... 606 00:37:15,033 --> 00:37:17,867 "All we want, is for him to be convicted. 607 00:37:17,867 --> 00:37:19,533 And that... That's all we need." 608 00:37:19,533 --> 00:37:25,033 [Joe] Robert Harlan goes on trial for the first-degree murder of Rhonda Maloney, 609 00:37:25,033 --> 00:37:27,300 and the attempted first-degree murder 610 00:37:27,734 --> 00:37:29,767 of Jaquie Creazzo. 611 00:37:29,767 --> 00:37:34,100 In the autopsy, the toxicology report came back negative. 612 00:37:34,100 --> 00:37:36,834 This totally unravels Harlan's statement 613 00:37:36,834 --> 00:37:39,133 about selling this girl drugs. 614 00:37:40,233 --> 00:37:41,767 She doesn't use drugs. 615 00:37:41,767 --> 00:37:45,066 [Grant] We presented evidence that showed that Harlan 616 00:37:45,066 --> 00:37:47,467 was a sociopath, that he was a predator. 617 00:37:47,467 --> 00:37:49,867 And it was a way of his life. 618 00:37:49,867 --> 00:37:51,500 [Joe] The idea of surveilling 619 00:37:51,500 --> 00:37:53,734 and selecting a victim at advance, 620 00:37:53,734 --> 00:37:54,834 makes it plausible 621 00:37:54,834 --> 00:37:57,667 that Robert Harlan followed Rhonda Maloney's vehicle 622 00:37:57,667 --> 00:37:59,967 after she left work at the casino. 623 00:38:05,367 --> 00:38:08,834 He caused a minor vehicle accident, causing her to stop. 624 00:38:08,834 --> 00:38:10,967 She got out of her car to look for damage. 625 00:38:10,967 --> 00:38:13,400 -He was able to get her into his car... -[indistinct arguing] 626 00:38:13,400 --> 00:38:15,467 [Rhonda screaming and crying] 627 00:38:15,467 --> 00:38:17,900 ...raping her at gunpoint for two hours. 628 00:38:21,266 --> 00:38:22,700 [Archer] Jaquie came around the corner. 629 00:38:23,133 --> 00:38:24,700 Jaquie stops... 630 00:38:27,567 --> 00:38:28,967 And then, it's a foot race. 631 00:38:30,667 --> 00:38:31,667 [Rhonda] Help me! 632 00:38:31,667 --> 00:38:33,634 [Archer] Robert goes running towards them, 633 00:38:34,166 --> 00:38:35,800 trying to stop them. 634 00:38:38,000 --> 00:38:40,767 Hence, in the process, lost his pager. 635 00:38:40,767 --> 00:38:42,467 -[muffled scream and window shattering] -[Joe] Harlan fired at the car 636 00:38:42,467 --> 00:38:43,634 as he pursued it, 637 00:38:43,634 --> 00:38:45,400 -as they tried to escape from him, -[muffled scream] 638 00:38:45,400 --> 00:38:48,800 until they crashed in the front yard of the Thornton PD. 639 00:38:54,233 --> 00:38:56,166 So, he grabbed the victim again 640 00:38:56,166 --> 00:39:00,500 and dragged her out of that car, back into his. 641 00:39:07,767 --> 00:39:09,867 He ended Rhonda's life that night, 642 00:39:09,867 --> 00:39:14,400 and put her body in a place where he thought no one would ever be able to find. 643 00:39:15,867 --> 00:39:17,667 [Grant] Obviously, the central piece 644 00:39:17,667 --> 00:39:21,567 in this case, was Jaquie. She was shot in the spine, 645 00:39:21,567 --> 00:39:24,767 that caused her paralysis. And she testified... 646 00:39:24,767 --> 00:39:27,266 bravely, [chuckles] 647 00:39:27,266 --> 00:39:29,600 [titters] incredibly detailed. 648 00:39:30,367 --> 00:39:31,500 She just did amazing. 649 00:39:32,667 --> 00:39:35,300 [Joe] Jury finds him guilty of first-degree murder, 650 00:39:36,166 --> 00:39:37,867 of attempted first-degree murder, 651 00:39:37,867 --> 00:39:39,367 first-degree sexual assault, 652 00:39:39,367 --> 00:39:42,266 and second-degree kidnapping. 653 00:39:42,266 --> 00:39:46,400 Mr. Robert Harlan will spend his life behind bars. 654 00:39:48,066 --> 00:39:49,867 Robert Harlan never admitted 655 00:39:49,867 --> 00:39:52,867 to the murder of Jessica Arredondo. 656 00:39:52,867 --> 00:39:55,767 There was never enough evidence found or presented, 657 00:39:55,767 --> 00:39:59,767 to move anywhere forward with charging him with the homicide. 658 00:39:59,767 --> 00:40:02,100 [John] If it had not been for his attorney, 659 00:40:02,100 --> 00:40:05,266 we would have certainly gone and interviewed him. 660 00:40:05,266 --> 00:40:08,100 It left me with a feeling of frustration, 661 00:40:08,100 --> 00:40:09,300 a feeling of anger. 662 00:40:10,033 --> 00:40:11,233 [Joe Arredondo] We think he's involved, 663 00:40:11,233 --> 00:40:14,066 but he has never admitted 664 00:40:14,066 --> 00:40:16,467 or even said anything about it. 665 00:40:16,467 --> 00:40:18,567 We keep on hoping that something will come up, 666 00:40:18,567 --> 00:40:23,634 and that we will be able to, and, uh, know wha-- what really happened. 667 00:40:26,367 --> 00:40:29,900 [Archer] I think this case was really important. 668 00:40:30,834 --> 00:40:33,367 It left me feeling really proud 669 00:40:33,367 --> 00:40:35,600 of everything that we have accomplished. 670 00:40:35,600 --> 00:40:38,266 Proud and sad, because I did-- 671 00:40:38,266 --> 00:40:42,000 I didn't think Rhonda's family would ever really get over it. 672 00:40:44,467 --> 00:40:46,900 [Kerri] Her birthday, I'd go up to the cemetery and... 673 00:40:47,500 --> 00:40:49,367 I'll go sit and talk to her. 674 00:40:50,166 --> 00:40:53,000 And I tell her all the time, I love her, 675 00:40:54,767 --> 00:40:56,333 miss her. 676 00:40:56,333 --> 00:40:59,600 I never want Rhonda to be forgotten. 677 00:41:01,266 --> 00:41:04,567 [Joe] Robert Harlan is exceptionally dangerous. 678 00:41:04,567 --> 00:41:06,367 He is sociopathic. 679 00:41:06,367 --> 00:41:09,600 I don't believe that he sat still for six years. 680 00:41:10,567 --> 00:41:13,867 This guy is a sexual predator. 681 00:41:13,867 --> 00:41:17,100 I'm sure he committed other rapes in ad interim, 682 00:41:17,100 --> 00:41:18,867 but there's no proof that he did. 683 00:41:20,367 --> 00:41:23,600 You often hear people say, "There is good in everyone." 684 00:41:24,133 --> 00:41:25,634 I disagree. 685 00:41:26,367 --> 00:41:27,867 Not everyone.