Pod Insights Murder In America EP. 242 - ARIZONA: Three Serial Killers, One City: Phoenix’s Summers of Terror Part 2 (The Baseline Killer & Serial Shooters) About this episode Part 2 of this series brings us to the unmasking of the Baseline Killer, a man who terrorized Phoenix for over a year. His name was Mark Goudeau. A father. A husband. A hardworking member of the community. But beneath it all, he was the monster stalking the streets. As 2005 turned to 2006, his thirst for murder and violence only grew, and police knew they had to stop him before it was too late.
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Transcript 15,789 words · 16 speakers
Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.
0:00 Colin Brown? Warning: The following podcast is not suitable for all audiences. We go into great detail with every case that we cover and do our best to bring viewers even deeper into the stories by utilizing disturbing audio and sound effects.
0:12 Courtney Brown? Trigger warnings from the stories we cover may include violence, rape, murder, and offenses against children.
0:18 Colin Brown? This podcast is not for everyone. You have been warned.
0:22 Courtney Brown? In part one of this series, we discussed three serial killers who were operating in Phoenix, Arizona at the same time in 2005. First, there were the serial shooters Dale Hausner and Sam Deepman, two men who would smoke meth together and then drive around town shooting at random. By the end of 2005, they had killed dozens of animals and murdered a total of six people. But they weren't the only ones terrorizing the streets of Phoenix. While Dale and Sam were committing their drive-by shootings, another predator was on the loose named Mark Gudoe. Mark started the summer of 2005 raping women and children around Baseline Road, which is
1:05 Courtney Brown? how he earned the name "The Baseline Rapist." However, he soon escalated to murder, earning him the new name "The Baseline Killer." But by the time 2005 came to an end, authorities didn't even realize they had three serial killers operating in their city. And sadly, 2006 would bring even more bloodshed. So this is part two, the final episode on the summers of terror. I'm Courtney Brown.
1:34 Colin Brown? And I'm Colin Brown.
1:36 Courtney Brown? And you're listening to Murder in America.
2:35 Courtney Brown? The serial shooters Dale Howesner and Sam Deepman ended the year 2005 with a bang, shooting three people in one night, killing two of them. But after their night of bloodshed, Dale and Sam would lay low for a while, which was good because the baseline killer Mark Gudoe was just heating back up. Now, as a recap, in 2005, Mark took the lives of two women, 19-year-old Georgia Thompson and 39-year-old Tina Washington. Both had been shot in the head at close range with a .380 automatic pistol. But that's not all he did. In the months surrounding those murders, there's estimated to have been between 10 to 15 sexual assaults that Mark Gudoe committed.
3:20 Courtney Brown? And sadly, those are just the ones that we know about. Unfairly, so many victims of assault carry shame, shame that makes it hard to speak to police. And considering the fact that Mark liked targeting young girls and people who were down on their luck, it's not a stretch to imagine that there are more victims out there who never reported what happened to them. But by the end of 2005, the sheer amount of confirmed attacks, with all the victims describing the same man, the Phoenix Police Department finally announced that they had a serial rapist in their city. So, leading into the new year, Mark was riding a high. He had gotten recognition, and in his eyes, respect.
4:04 Courtney Brown? It wasn't long before he set out into 2006 to make an even bigger name for himself, this time with a double homicide.
4:14 Colin Brown? On February 20th, 2006, 38-year-old Romelia Vargas and 34-year-old Myrna Palma-Roman were preparing food inside the Grill King Express food truck near a construction site when Mark Gudoh picked them as his next target. Both Romelia and Myrna were hard-working mothers, determined to do anything to support their families. Romelia had six children, including a set of four-month-old twins, and Myrna had five children between her and her live-in boyfriend. Every morning, around 5:30 a.m., the two would drive the truck to the same location to feed the hungry construction workers and nearby residents. Everybody knew and loved them. Ralph Garcia, who lived in the area and regularly purchased food, said, "They were the nicest girls.
4:58 Colin Brown? They never acted like they were doing a job, they really seemed happy doing what they were doing." Going to the food truck was the highlight of many workers' days, but on February 20th, the bright spot faded forever.
5:10 Courtney Brown? By 7:30, a line had formed outside the food truck, but Romiella and Myrna were both nowhere to be found. The smell of food wafted out of the truck. The lights were on, the "open" sign was even flipped, but the women weren't there to greet them at the window. After several minutes, a concerned regular decided to boost himself over the counter to see if there was any clue inside as to where the women had gone. But what greeted him instead was an image he would never be able to forget. Romiella and Myrna laid on the floor of their beloved business, lifeless, squished between the aisle of equipment, and tangled with one another.
5:53 Courtney Brown? Blood oozed out on the tile from gunshot wounds. The regular screamed at someone to call 911. He then flung himself into the truck, desperate to save them. And while someone outside used a phone to call the police, he administered CPR. Within minutes, the Phoenix Police Department was on scene. The regular stepped out of the truck with a defeated look on his face. He was slick with Romiella and Myrna's blood. He shook his head, telling the first responders, "They're not breathing." The CPR was no use. Both had been shot in the head at close range. They likely died instantly.
6:32 Colin Brown? Early on in the investigation, the Phoenix PD believed that the murders were drug-related. According to the Arizona Republic, sources came forward with information that cocaine was regularly sold out of the food truck. In fact, two construction workers admitted that they had witnessed drug deals there on numerous occasions. They stated that the women had sold cocaine to other construction workers in the area, but both of their boyfriends denied that Romelia and Myrna were involved in drugs. Myrna's boyfriend, Higienio Cruz, told investigators that Myrna was not a drug dealer. Romelia's boyfriend, Alvin Hoag, admitted that the family was struggling financially. However, he insisted that she would have never turned to selling drugs.
7:13 Colin Brown? Now, inside the food truck, investigators found $1,451.87 in cash. So clearly, robbery had not been the motive. Something else was. And keep in mind, the baseline killer was big news in Arizona at this time. But even so, investigators didn't believe he was responsible. Because people claimed the girls sold drugs out of the truck, police were convinced it was drug-related. In addition, there was no DNA evidence left behind, making it extremely difficult for investigators to pinpoint who exactly was responsible. But the brutal murders of these women shocked the community. In the case of Romelia and Myrna, no one could understand why two friendly women were shot to death while cooking food.
7:57 Colin Brown? A few weeks after their murders, Westview High School students held a car wash to raise money for their children. The ultimate goal was to raise $1,100 so each child would receive $100. Although it wasn't much, it was a gesture of support that meant the world to the 11 children who had lost their mothers. As for Mark Gudoe, life went on as usual. He went home every night to his wife. He continued working on his car, mowing his lawn, and saying hi to his neighbors. But every free second of the day, he was plotting his next move, looking for victims in the unlikeliest of places. That was the precise reason why the city of Phoenix was gripped with so much fear. The baseline killer had no pattern, and no one could predict his next move.
8:39 Colin Brown? In the beginning, most of the rapes and robberies had occurred on and around Baseline Road, but after a few months, he targeted other locations. Not only in South Phoenix, but also Central Phoenix. Mark had no preference for his victims' ages, race, or gender. He could strike anyone, anywhere, at any time. And on March 15th, 2006, he made his next move.
9:04 Courtney Brown? It was just past 10:00 PM when 20-year-old Liliana Sanchez-Caparrera and 23-year-old Chow George Chu walked out of their shifts at Yoshi's Restaurant on 24th Street and Indian School Road. Not wanting Liliana to walk home alone with two killers on the loose, George offered to give her a ride. Liliana agreed. It was her very first night at the restaurant, and going with George, who had been training her, seemed like a much safer option than walking the streets alone. So, around 10:30 PM, the two got into George's car and left the restaurant together. Unfortunately, they wouldn't make it very far. When Liliana and George failed to return home that evening,
9:48 Courtney Brown? their families grew concerned and called the police. But it wouldn't be until the next morning, around 8:02 AM, when investigators discovered George's car in the parking lot of a Burger King on East Indian School Road. Apparently, employees of the Burger King saw the car around 5:00 AM. They didn't think much of it. However, hours later, when they went outside and the car was still there, an employee decided to walk over and check it out. But inside, he found something horrific. It was the body of Liliana. Her pants were unzipped and pulled down, exposing her, and a single gunshot wound marred her face. As police arrived on scene, the sight was horrible,
10:32 Courtney Brown? and it raised other questions. If Liliana had been murdered in George's car, then where was George? Hours later, at 11:45 AM, the police got their answer. About a mile away from Liliana's body, George's body was discovered. He had been killed by a single gunshot wound to the head. The owner of Yoshi's restaurant where they worked was distraught when he learned the news. He told the Arizona Republic, quote, "She seemed very nice, but I know George was a very nice and polite young man. He came to family gatherings of mine, and this is all terribly sad. His family was on their way here from Taiwan," end quote.
11:14 Courtney Brown? Liliana's family was utterly devastated. At trial, her mother told the jury, quote, "If I could just rip out my heart and put it in my hand to show you my great pain. Living without Liliana is the most painful thing my family has gone through. I remember the day I gave birth to her. Such a tiny thing, so tender. I had so many dreams for her, but when I see pictures of her, I wonder what she would be like today. I never imagined that life would give me so much pain," end quote. Now investigators theorized that Liliana had been the intended victim, and that George was collateral damage. After looking at all the evidence, the police theorized that Liliana
11:56 Courtney Brown? and George had been approached while they were stopped in their car along Indian School Road. The killer immediately shot George in the back of the head, pulled his body out of the car, and then drove Liliana one mile away to the Burger King parking lot where he attempted to sexually assault her. But something happened, something police had seen before. You see, there was a pattern beginning to emerge with the baseline killer. In some of his cases, the victim's pants were pulled down, but they were never sexually assaulted. Police believed it was because the victims were fighting back, so instead of sexually assaulting them, he just took their lives by shooting them point blank.
12:39 Courtney Brown? This was exactly the case with Liliana. Pants pulled down, no sexual assault, shot in the head. They had seen this scene before, and they knew that this was the work of the baseline killer.
12:52 Colin Brown? At this point, the Phoenix Police Department was overwhelmed with the work of two serial killers on the streets. One was sniping out victims at random, including animals, and the other was a serial sexual predator. The Arizona Republic reported, "The random nature of the crimes and the victims makes it more difficult to pursue and predict." Meanwhile, the city holds its breath. The police pursue, waiting, hoping for that break, that mistake. Serial rapists, serial killers, won't stop on their own. They will stop only when they are captured. Residents of Phoenix were frightened to leave their homes, fearing that they too might become victims of one of the serial killers. One young man told the Arizona Republic, "My mom, she doesn't want me to work nights here. But what are you going to do?"
13:36 Colin Brown? With all the panic felt around the city, police were desperate to stop the attacks. But they didn't have many leads. Hundreds of police officers were assigned task forces for the baseline killer and the snipers, resulting in undercover and surveillance units patrolling the streets around the clock. Yet, for the baseline killer, no matter how many officers patrolled a seven-block radius, he always seemed one step ahead. And towards the end of March 2006, he struck again.
14:03 Courtney Brown? Around midnight on March 29, 2006, a local swimming pool businessman named Glenn Notch noticed blood streaks and drag marks on the gravel of his parking lot. Immediately, Glenn called the police to report it. However, when officers arrived, they did a search of the area and found nothing. But Glenn had this uneasy feeling. He knew that something had happened, and something was deeply wrong. One week later, on April 4, that uneasy feeling grew into terror. As Glenn stepped into that same gravel parking lot, he was overwhelmed by a foul odor. His dog at his side instantly began to follow the smell, leading him to a pile of debris
14:47 Courtney Brown? in between his business and a storage shed. In between the piles of cardboard and pallets, he saw a flash of skin. He later told the Arizona Republic, quote, "I remember seeing an arm and a leg with no clothing on them, and I just ran out of there," end quote. The body belonged to 26-year-old Kristin Nicole Gibbons.
15:09 Colin Brown? Born on May 4th, 1979, Kristin had made her way to the Phoenix area from Dallas. Sadly, not much is known about her life, and little is known about where she died. But by the time her body was discovered, she had been dead for around a week. However, her cause of death immediately told police who was behind it. Like every other victim of the Baseline Killer, she had been murdered by a single shot to the head by a .380 automatic pistol. With the discovery of her body, police were even more desperate to find the killer. But at this point, all investigators had was a composite sketch of an African-American male with dreadlocks and a fishing hat. They pleaded to the public to come forward with any information on the suspect, saying, "We don't want anyone else to be harmed."
15:53 Colin Brown? But the Baseline Killer had no intentions of stopping his crime spree, and on April 10th, 2006, he would strike again.
16:00 Courtney Brown? That afternoon, 37-year-old Sofia Nunez had taken the day off from work to attend an immigration reform march. Described as a hard-working, dedicated mother, Sofia was not the type to fail to pick up her children from school. But that's exactly what happened. Her eight-year-old son waited for her to show up, but she never did. So he was forced to walk home. It was a hard day for him already, but what he found inside would leave him forever traumatized. As he walked up to his house, he noticed the garage door was slightly ajar. He was able to wickled himself underneath to gain access to the house.
16:42 Courtney Brown? But when he called out for his mother, there was no answer. From there, he made his way down the hall. He could hear the sound of water running, and he figured his mom was taking a shower. Approaching the bathroom, he saw the door was closed, but water was spilling out from underneath. Terrified, he threw open the bathroom door. And there, in the tub, was the body of his mother, partially nude, and submerged beneath the water. Sofia had two gunshot wounds to her head. At just eight years old, the young boy pulled her up out of the bathtub, and he tried to perform CPR, but it was no use. Sofia Nunez was dead. Sobbing, her son called 911.
17:27 Courtney Brown? The Phoenix Police Department rushed to the scene. In the beginning of their investigation, they focused heavily on Sofia's ex-husband. But he had an alibi on the day she was murdered. Eventually, DNA left behind by the killer would clear him, but it would take time for investigators to process it and identify the suspect. At the time, the police weren't even considering the baseline killer. After all, his murders all took place outside in the streets. He had never broken into someone's house. And it wouldn't be until much later, when they made a sobering discovery, that they realized she too had fallen prey to him.
18:07 Colin Brown? On May 1st, 2006, around 9:00 PM, a woman was abducted at gunpoint and sexually assaulted in her car at 2950 North 32nd Street, the same location where Mark had robbed Los Bracces and Little Caesar's Pizza only months before. The woman would later testify that her attacker posed as a homeless man pushing a shopping cart towards her as she walked to her vehicle, but then he pulled out a gun and forced her into her own car. From there, the nightmare continued. The woman would later say, "He asked me to touch myself. At that point, I realized it was going to be a rape, and I was afraid to die. He said, 'Suck my dick', and he was going to kill me if I didn't. I said, 'Go ahead and kill me.'" He said he was going to blow my brains out in the car and my parents were going to read
18:50 Colin Brown? about it in the newspaper the next day. He pulled the trigger and there was a loud clicking noise. I realized that I wasn't dead, and so I got out of my vehicle and I ran. Fortunately, the woman survived to tell her story, but many more women would be put through the same ordeal in the coming months. But on May 5, 2006, the Phoenix Police Department went public with 18 crimes that they believed were committed by the baseline killer. The article stated that they had evidence the same man was responsible for these violent crimes around Phoenix, and they wanted the public to be aware and alert. They even offered a $100,000 reward for any information leading to his arrest. In addition to this, the composite sketch of the baseline killer was plastered all around
19:33 Colin Brown? the city of Phoenix: on billboards, bus stops, and on the front windows of businesses and churches. For weeks, the Phoenix Police Department received hundreds of tips, but after chasing down each and every one, nothing came of it.
19:46 Courtney Brown? In two their dismay, it's around this time, when their other serial killers were gearing up for their next string of murders. Now people close to Sam and Dale would later say that they suspected they were committing robberies together, maybe even harassing some people around town. But no one expected what they were doing in the shadows was so heinous. Dale was from the outside, pretty normal. While Sam struggled to work, Dale was a reliable worker at the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport: he had a car, a nice apartment, and a good life. In fact, Dale actually had a two-year-old daughter, who lived with him part-time. His relationship with her mother had soured.
20:30 Courtney Brown? It had also been plagued with abuse. But everyone thought he was at least a decent father. No one could have ever imagined that he and Sam Deepman had been killing people around Phoenix: six people to be exact. But by May of 2006, Dale Hausner and Sam Deepman hadn't killed anyone in five months. After their murder spree at the end of December, Tolleson Police Department gave their first statement about the serial shooters. And for the next few months, they actually went quiet. During that time, Sam moved in with Dale. The serial shooters were officially living together, hiding from police.
21:12 Courtney Brown? During those first few months of 2006, there were almost no shootings, animal or human. But that didn't stop the police from pursuing them. In fact, more people seemed to be talking about them than ever before.
21:27 Colin Brown? In April, John Walsh with America's Most Wanted contacted Detective Jewell, wanting to air a segment on the serial homicides. Detective Jewell was more than happy to get more eyes and ears on the case, but he had one request. He asked John not to mention the types of weapons used in the crimes. His reasoning was simple. He feared that if the killers knew that they knew what gun they had been using, they would switch weapons, and it would be impossible for police to link any further shootings to them. On April 15th, 2006, the show aired.
21:59 Speaker 02 Investigators believe they can connect as many as 19 shootings of people and animals starting in the summer of 2005, including another murder.
22:10 Speaker 03 Four of these shootings have been related positively by physical evidence. The rest of the shootings all have similarities. The characteristics and the times that they occurred and the locations that they occurred are similar.
22:21 Speaker 02 But nothing in any of the case files can point police to the identity of the mysterious killer or killers stalking their streets. And nothing can tell them when or where there will be more gunfire.
22:34 Speaker 03 This is definitely a case that I could use the public's help on. With the amount of shootings that we've had, I've got to believe that the person or persons responsible for all these shootings have been bragging about it.
22:42 Speaker 02 Would they be proud, do you think, they'd be shooting their mouths off about this?
22:46 Speaker 03 Absolutely. They haven't been caught for over six months.
22:49 Speaker 02 Because some victims were shot with small caliber bullets and others were shot with a shotgun, police think the shooter or shooters could be using two different weapons. But one very interesting police theory has the shooter using a combination weapon, which is part shotgun and part rifle. It can shoot small caliber bullets, then switch to shotgun shells.
23:12 Speaker 04 This is an unusual survival type rifle. Originally developed by the Air Force in the 1950s. It's basically a combination rifle shotgun.
23:19 Speaker 02 That means it can shoot both.
23:20 Speaker 04 Correct. Small caliber rifle on top, small bore shotgun on the bottom.
23:24 Speaker 02 But it's not necessarily all military, then?
23:26 Speaker 04 Correct. It's still available in civilian circles to purchase.
23:30 Speaker 02 Some witnesses believe the shooter or shooters are driving a dark colored mid 1990s sedan, possibly a Honda. If you know anything about these mysterious shootings in Phoenix, please call our hotline right now at 1-800-PRIME-TV.
23:46 Speaker 05 Who really knows why someone does something like this? Maybe it's anger run amok or some sick version of a good time. One thing we do know is that we need to stop it before anyone else is shot. Now, as you just saw, cops believe the weapon used in these shootings could be this unusual combination weapon. It shoots small caliber bullets and shotgun shells.
24:11 Courtney Brown? Unfortunately, as you just heard, the type of guns used in the shootings was made public. Detective Jewel couldn't believe what he was watching. He felt like all of his hard work had been erased. There was no doubt in his mind that the serial shooter was watching. And that now, after it had been plastered all over the news, he would certainly change his weapon of choice. However, it took quite some time to learn if that was true. Because for months, the serial shooter was silent. But that would all change on May 2, 2006.
24:46 Colin Brown? 21-year-old Claudia Gutierrez Cruz was an incredibly hard worker. Her life had been one marred by strife, but she refused to let it get her down. About four months prior, she had immigrated from Mexico to the United States, leaving her parents and most of her siblings behind. It was a hard decision to make, but one that she believed would make her life better. Even if she had to sneak into the country with the help of a so-called coyote who smuggled undocumented immigrants into the US for a high fee. For Claudia, it was worth the risk. And very quickly after arriving in the US, she made a good life for herself. She settled into an apartment with her cousin, her cousin's boyfriend, and eventually, a boyfriend of her own. Her boyfriend was actually from her hometown in Mexico, and the two had reunited upon
25:31 Colin Brown? her arrival in the US. So far from home in a strange new world, they clung to each other and aimed to build a life for themselves in the US where they could live out dreams that would have been impossible back home. It seemed by all accounts that Claudia was doing just that. Despite having only been in the US for four months, she had two jobs: a morning shift at Inza Coffee and an evening shift in a swanky restaurant in Scottsdale called Barcelona. She often worked seven days a week without giving it a second thought. And on May 2nd, that was no different. When she was offered an extra shift at Barcelona, she left at the opportunity. Everyone was thrilled to have her working the shift. She was friendly, funny, and responsible, always a reliable employee and a coworker.
26:16 Colin Brown? That evening, she was happy to help out. But it actually ended up being slower than the staff had expected. As a result, she was sent home by 7:44 PM. Now, she usually had a friend pick her up, and she rarely took the bus, because there was a rumor that immigration enforcement targeted bus stops. However, that night, she had no choice. She successfully boarded the bus to Thomas Road. Once she got off the bus, she had to get on one more bus that would finally take her home. But as she rushed over, she realized that she had just missed it by mere minutes, and there wasn't another bus for her to take. So Claudia had no choice but to walk the rest of the way, several miles, back home.
26:55 Courtney Brown? Around 10:30 PM, a man named Daniel Brown was on his way back home from visiting his girlfriend. As he cruised down Thomas Road, he spotted what he thought was a dog, slumped halfway in the road. As he got closer, he realized, it wasn't an animal. It was a woman. He immediately pulled over and rushed to her aid. She was alive, but completely hysterical. She was also holding her testins in with her hands. Daniel later said, quote, "She was kind of lying on her side, because I guess she wasn't able to use her legs at all, so she, they were, she was kind of dragging them behind her. She was kind of supporting herself on her hands, kind of like almost in a bad push-up
27:40 Courtney Brown? position, with her hip on the ground, on her side." And you know, she was kind of waving me down with one hand, calling to me to help, end quote. Daniel called 911, and in the background, Claudia could be heard screaming in Spanish for someone to call her sister, but Daniel didn't speak Spanish. He had no idea what she was saying, what she needed. Really, all she wanted to do was say goodbye to her sister, something that tragically, she never got the chance to do. It wasn't long before an ambulance came, and she was rushed to Scottsdale Memorial Hospital. Trauma doctors discovered that she had been shot at close range with a shotgun, piercing
28:24 Courtney Brown? her internal organs with multiple pellets. But it was too late. Tragically, Claudia passed away at the hospital, and she wasn't the only one subjected to the horror of the serial shooters that night.
28:38 Colin Brown? That same night, 17-year-old Kabili Tomato opted to go pick up milk for his mother at a nearby convenience store. After fleeing war-torn Sierra Leone, Kabili quickly acclimated to life in the United States and loved it, particularly the safety of it. Where he lived, he couldn't walk around in the streets or do anything without hearing gunfire or the cries of war. Here, he felt safe. He was one of few people who realized what a blessing it is to be able to do something as simple as walk to the store and buy food when so many people in the world can't. He was happy to walk beneath the stars and feel the desert air on his way to Circle K, but as he walked along 44th Street, he heard a car engine creeping up behind him. Then there was a pop.
29:21 Colin Brown? Kabili was hit, but he remained standing, leaping back and shouting at the occupants inside. The men simply sped away. Fortunately, Kabili was able to stagger to a nearby Radisson Hotel, dripping blood along the way. Once inside, 911 was called, and he was taken to a hospital where he would ultimately survive his gunshot wound.
29:41 Courtney Brown? In early May, several detectives around Arizona began having weekly meetings concerning the serial shooters. They wanted to get together to brainstorm and reassess the ongoing investigation, because as the months wore on... It became clear that the killer wasn't going to stop anytime soon. And the next one was right around the corner. On May 30th, 2006, 56-year-old James Hodge walked out of his apartment at 11:00 PM for a cigarette. He was a Vietnam veteran. He had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, but he didn't always take his medication. He left his porch and walked towards the end of a building along Camelback Road. It was a nice night.
30:24 Courtney Brown? James casually puffed his cigarette as he walked around. But then suddenly, two loud blasts rang out. James started screaming. Residents of the apartment complex rushed outside to see him pacing back and forth, bleeding from his back. 911 was called, and within a matter of minutes, several first responders were at the scene. Fortunately, two men in the area had rushed to James's aid, and they willingly spoke to police. While neither of them actually witnessed the shooting, both reported seeing James bleeding, and they said they had jumped a gate to help him. At the time, they claimed that they were in the area looking for their cat.
31:06 Courtney Brown? At first, the police and the victim, James, thought that these men were in the right place at the right time. But something struck James as a little odd when he later reflected on the situation. While the men were helping aid his wounds, one of them repeatedly asked him about his pain, not with a concerned tone, with one that almost sounded excited. He kept asking, "How bad does it hurt? What does it feel like?" James thought it was strange, but not criminal. After all, the two were helping him patch up his wounds, and when the police arrived, they even gave a description of what happened. In the end, they even told police that they would agree to testify if they ever caught
31:51 Courtney Brown? the shooter. The detective on scene thanked them, and he asked them for their names.
31:57 Colin Brown? I'm Dale Hausner. This is my roommate, Samuel Dietman.
32:01 Courtney Brown? It was one of the riskiest moves the shooters ever made. And over the next week, they made several more.
32:08 Colin Brown? On May 31st, 2006, Miguel Rodriguez was walking along Indian School Road around 1:38 a.m. Out of nowhere, he heard gunfire and felt pain radiate from his back. He collapsed on the sidewalk, bleeding from a single gunshot wound. Several witnesses heard the sound and dialed 911. Miguel was rushed to Good Samaritan and would ultimately survive, but soon enough, the men spotted their next victim. Daryl Davies was walking along Camelback Road, something he often did to relieve his chronic back pain. He preferred walking after dark, when the heat had subsided. He later said, "I heard an extremely loud blast. It felt like I was in a tunnel. It knocked me almost to the other side of the road. Then my knees buckled and I smacked the concrete. I was dazed.
32:52 Colin Brown? All the animals in the neighborhood started barking. I was in excruciating pain. I realized I had to get up. I had to remain calm. I didn't want to pass out. But I found I couldn't get up. I knew I was shot and needed help. I was screaming, but soon my lung collapsed and I couldn't scream anymore. I was flip-flopping my cane in the air, trying to attract attention." Eventually, Daryl was spotted by a neighbor in the area and 911 was called. He too was rushed to Good Samaritan. He would spend two weeks in the hospital, but luckily, he would survive. But with all the recent victims, investigators knew with complete certainty that the serial shooter was responsible.
33:29 Courtney Brown? But the break in the serial shooter case didn't come from a shooting. It came from a much more unexpected place. On June 8th, 2006, two separate arsons were reported at Walmart stores in the Phoenix area. The first at 9:30 p.m., and the second at 10:15 p.m. In both fires, smoke filled the aisles as people rushed to get out of the buildings. It was reported that both started in the silk house plant sections of the buildings. Some people were rushed to the hospital, while others were treated at the scene. But luckily, no one lost their lives. But for the police and the fire department, it was complete chaos. They were stretched thin.
34:13 Courtney Brown? At the time, the baseline killer was still operating in Phoenix, as were the serial shooters. And now they have two burning buildings. But in the midst of it all, shortly after 10 p.m., they received another call, this time about a shooting. About forty-five minutes after the fire at Walmart, forty-five-year-old Paul Patrick found that he was completely out of cigarettes. He had been following the stories of the baseline killer and the serial shooter. So he contemplated going out. It was dark and the streets weren't safe. But he needed his nicotine fix. So he decided to walk outside. Patrick told himself that out of all the people living in Phoenix at the time,
34:57 Courtney Brown? what are the odds I would actually be picked as a victim? Well, he was about to find that those odds were not in his favor. Paul was walking along Indian School Road when suddenly, he felt a pain in his stomach. He recalled hearing a loud blast and seeing a car speed away. When he looked down, he saw the blood. He quickly grabbed his intestines and held them in his body as he screamed for help. Fortunately, Saul Guerrero lived in the area. He had heard Paul's screams. He rushed outside armed with his own gun in case he needed to defend himself. Saul used his army medic training to help Paul until first responders arrived.
35:40 Courtney Brown? And luckily, he would go on to make a full recovery. But doctors at the hospital would not allow detectives to speak with Paul. And it would take weeks before he was well enough to give police his own story. In the meantime, Phoenix news reports were flooded with the Walmart arson's. In regard to the fires, Phoenix Police Chief Jack Harris gave a news conference saying, quote, "Someone knows who these people are or has information that will lead us to them." End quote. Now, both arson's caused an estimated $25 million in damages. And there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the suspect's arrest. In the beginning, investigators thought that a disgruntled employee had set the fires.
36:26 Courtney Brown? But eventually, they recovered the security cameras. And those would prove that that wasn't the case.
36:32 Colin Brown? Walmart's asset protection coordinator Patricia Davies had the difficult task of combing through hours of surveillance footage. But her hard work paid off when she spotted two men, one large with dark hair and another much smaller in a bright yellow t-shirt grabbing a shopping cart and heading toward the silk houseplant section. They abandoned their cart in the aisle and 60 seconds later, smoke could be seen in the area. Both men were also seen at the second Walmart doing the exact same thing. Finally, investigators had a description of the arsonists. Due to the extensive damage, still photos of the men were circulated through the media. It wasn't long before several tips were called in regarding the identities of the two individuals.
37:13 Colin Brown? When Joetta Gonzalez saw the photos on the news, she couldn't believe her eyes. She knew one of the men far too well. In fact, she had dated one of them. She quickly scribbled down the telephone number and made an appointment to speak with investigators on June 20th, 2006. When that day came around, she told ATF agents that the man she recognized was named Sammy, and she knew it was him because of a unique tattoo on his right forearm, a skull from the Misfits album. According to Joetta, Sammy drank a lot, used drugs, and regularly bummed rides from other people because he didn't own a car. She told them that he wasn't able to hold down a job, that he was originally from Minnesota and sometimes wore t-shirts with swastikas on it.
37:56 Colin Brown? As far as she knew, he was living with one of his friends. But that's not all she told them. Joetta admitted that the last time she spoke with Sammy, he was upset and rambled on and on about shooting a bike rider. Even worse is that Sammy admitted that wasn't the only time he had shot someone. Now, Joetta said that she never called to report this because she just thought Sammy was drunkenly talking nonsense. As investigators listened, they were hopeful. They showed Joetta photos of the getaway vehicle, a silver Toyota Camry, but she claimed she had no idea who it belonged to. However, it was the detectives' first real lead.
38:32 Courtney Brown? Now, around this time, the task force in charge of solving the Baseline Killer was still hard at work, combing through thousands of tips. Later, it would be revealed that Mark Goudo's name had come up in the investigation several times in both 2005 and 2006. However, with the thousands of pages of leads and statements, his name was simply buried. And as a result, many more people were victimized, including Carmen Miranda. On June 29, 2006, 37-year-old Carmen, a mother of two, went to a local car wash around 9:30 p.m. Surveillance footage captured her washing her car and then moving it to the side of the
39:15 Courtney Brown? building to the vacuuming station. As she happily chatted on her cellphone, a man was seen approaching on the passenger side door. According to Carmen's boyfriend, who was on the phone with her, she told him that a homeless man was coming towards her. It appeared he wanted some change. Her boyfriend was just about to tell her to be careful, but mid-conversation, there was a scream, and then a thud. All her boyfriend could hear was Carmen screaming, and then the slam of a car door. Footage in the car wash revealed that the man rushed towards Carmen. He then grabbed her, threw her in the backseat, before tearing out of the parking lot. Terrified, her boyfriend called 911.
39:59 Courtney Brown? It wasn't long before word spread that Carmen had been abducted. Within a few hours, her family members and friends were outside at the scene. By then, Phoenix PD had already secured the area with yellow crime scene tape. Her loved ones could only stand there and cry as they waited for more news. Eventually, officers moved them to a nearby apartment complex while they surveilled the scene. The entire area around the car wash was investigated thoroughly. They searched for Carmen for hours, and eventually, they found her. At around 4 a.m., only 100 yards away, they found her vehicle behind a barber shop.
40:41 Courtney Brown? As with the baseline killer's previous victims, Carmen's pants were unzipped and pulled down, and she had a single gunshot wound to her head. One of her friends, who had been at the apartment complex with her family members, told the Arizona Republic, quote, "We waited there until about 4 or 5 in the morning. That's when they told us they had a car with a dead body in it. That's all they said," end quote.
41:06 Colin Brown? Carmen Miranda marked the ninth homicide attributed to the baseline killer. By then, he had victimized 23 people in just one year. Phoenix Police Chief Jack Harris told the Arizona Republic, "There's still a segment of the population that's not getting the message and not responding to it. Keep your alert level up. We're not asking that someone be so scared that they don't go out in the street. If you're a woman and you're going out late at night, take someone with you. Be more alert of your surroundings." People were rightfully terrified, especially because in some of these cases, the victims weren't even by themselves. Some were with men, who were also shot and killed. No one felt safe. Behind the scenes, police were more desperate than ever for answers. But before they would find any of their other killers,
41:49 Colin Brown? the other serial killers in town would take more lives around Phoenix.
41:53 Courtney Brown? On July 1st, 46-year-old Diane Bien walked out of a women's shelter she had been living in to smoke a cigarette. A security guard at the Arizona State Hospital on East Van Buren Street noticed her. And then, he watched as she dropped to the ground. A few hours later, 24-year-old Jeremy Ortiz was listening to music on his headphones on East Oak Street, when he too was shot four times. Luckily, both Diane and Jeremy would survive. But just two days later, Sam and Dale were out on the streets of Phoenix once again. A man named Joseph Roberts was riding his bicycle near Indian School Road when a light-colored sedan approached him, with its headlights off. As the vehicle got closer,
42:38 Courtney Brown? Joseph saw the barrel of a gun creep out of the driver's side window. Then, he heard a gunshot. He too would survive, and he was able to tell investigators exactly what he saw. Four days after that, David Perez was shot in the neck while talking on his cellphone in front of his house in North Phoenix. Luckily, he survived as well.
43:01 Colin Brown? A day later on July 8th, 27-year-old Ashley Armenta had a date with her husband Javier. The couple had been married for five years and had two children. But that night, the kids were spending the evening with Javier's parents, and they were going out to dinner, and then to a dance club for a much-needed date night. Around 2:00 a.m., Ashley and Javier left the club and got in their car headed down Indian School Road. They were on their way to pick up their children. However, during the drive, the couple got into an argument. Ashley demanded to be let out of the car. Javier did what she asked and pulled over. They were still a mile away from their in-laws' house, but Ashley didn't care. "I'll walk the rest of the way," she said, slamming the door. Wanting company while she cooled down from the fight, she pulled out her cellphone and called her friend Kelly.
43:46 Colin Brown? But as the two chatted, she immediately tried running across the street. But that's when she heard the shot. Almost instantly, she felt pain in her neck and back. While still on the phone with her friend Kelly, Ashley told her everything. She then hung up the phone and called her husband. Javier was just down the road, so he quickly turned around, picked her up, and rushed her to the nearest hospital.
44:08 Courtney Brown? Ashley Armenta was shot in the head. But fortunately, she survived, and was able to tell investigators about the mysterious Toyota Camry that was idling at a stop sign. Ashley was someone who knew a lot about cars, so she was able to determine that it was a 1998 model, and she wouldn't be the only victim that night. Shortly after shooting Ashley, Sam and Dale spotted 41-year-old Gary Begay. He had just left his job at Circle K and was walking past Honey Bear's Barbecue when he felt a car creeping up behind him. When he turned, he saw a light-colored sedan, with the driver's side window rolled down. Then, there was the barrel of a shotgun aimed in his direction.
44:53 Courtney Brown? Gary was shot in the face, but he was able to walk back to Circle K, where his coworkers called 911. Somehow, he too would go on to make a full recovery. But the attacks seemed to be coming rapidly now, moving faster than ever. Within one week, Sam and Dale had shot six people. Luckily, none of them died. But while all of this was happening, the Glendale Fire Department was still trying to find the identities of the two arsonists who set fire to those Walmarts. And as we mentioned, that woman named Joetta told investigators that one of the men's names was Sammy. But there was someone else in town who had been following the news as well. His name was Ron Horton.
45:38 Courtney Brown? Now, we briefly mentioned Ron in part one, but in early 2005, after Sam was kicked out of his parents' house, Ron met Sam at a local bar. He saw that Sam was down on his luck, and he allowed Sam to move in with him and his family. During that time, Sam would help Ron with some handiwork around his house. Sometimes, Sam would even babysit Ron's three boys. But in the summer of 2006, Ron Horton found himself glued to the TV, following the news of the serial shooters. And he was positive that he knew the shooter's identity. Feeling a pit in his stomach, he dialed the tip line.
46:19 Courtney Brown? When the operator picked up, Ron could only manage a few words.
46:24 Colin Brown? I believe my friend Sammy might be the serial shooter.
46:27 Courtney Brown? Then, he hung up.
46:32 Colin Brown? And now for a brief ad break.
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47:47 Courtney Brown? Investigators had a million more questions, but finally, they had made a connection. According to these tipsters, both the arsonist and the serial shooter were named Sammy. They both drove a light-colored sedan, meaning they were likely the same person. So it's here where the Glendale Fire Department and the Serial Shooter Task Force got together to try and find out who this Sammy could be.
48:15 Colin Brown? Now, across town, Ron Horton was once again struggling under the weight of what he knew. He had already called in the tip about his old friend Sam, but the tip he gave them wasn't just a suspicion of his. In fact, earlier that summer, Sam Dietman told Ron firsthand that he had killed people before. They had run into each other at a barbecue restaurant in town, exchanged pleasantries, and decided to share a meal. Ron said that Sam had been drinking, but it was clear he wanted to get some things off his chest. Then, out of nowhere, Sam asked Ron an unsettling question. Do you know what it's like to kill a person?
48:50 Courtney Brown? Obviously, Ron told him no, shocked at the question. Sam shrugged and told him.
48:57 Colin Brown? I didn't know either, until about a month ago.
49:01 Courtney Brown? Ron said that Sammy started getting emotional. He cried over his meal, as he said.
49:07 Colin Brown? It was a woman. I wouldn't have killed her if I knew she was a woman. It was an accident. I thought it was just another dude. But it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. They can't trace a .410. It's a shotgun. They just can't trace it. They'll never pin it on me. They'll never know I killed a woman.
49:22 Courtney Brown? At first, Ron thought Sam was bullshitting him. He wasn't a killer, at least not the Sam that he knew. That Sam was friendly. He was great with kids. Ron said he was like a big teddy bear. Now Ron did his best to ignore the comments. He paid for their meals and then said goodbye to his old friend. But after that, he couldn't stop thinking about what Sam told him.
49:47 Colin Brown? Interestingly, during another meetup with Sam, Ron said that Sam mentioned something about RVing with one of his buddies. Apparently, it meant random recreational violence. Sam said it was a fun way to pass the time. So when Ron called in the tip that day, he didn't just suspect that the serial shooter was Sam Deepman. He was confident that it was him. Now, it took some time for investigators to track Ron down, but once they did, they set up a meeting with him at a Mexican restaurant. During it, Ron was clearly struggling. He didn't want to believe that Sam was a cold-blooded killer and feared that even mentioning his name could have dangerous consequences. But he knew deep down that it was the right thing to do. So he gave them everything.
50:31 Courtney Brown? As he sat at the table with two detectives, he gave them specific details about what Sam had told him. The detectives then handed him a picture. It was a photograph taken from the Walmart security cameras. "Is this him?" they asked. "Is that Sam Deepman?" Ron nodded his head. When he was shown a picture of the getaway car, the silver Toyota Camry, Ron stated he didn't recognize it and that Sam didn't own a vehicle of his own. So now, investigators had to figure out who Sam's accomplice was. They urged Ron to contact Sam, "Reach out to him and try and get more information," they said. But Ron knew it wouldn't be easy. Sam was notorious for being difficult to reach.
51:16 Courtney Brown? He constantly changed his cellphone number. But still, Ron promised to do his best. Because time was ticking. By the end of July, both Sam and Dale were feeling anxious. The news of their crimes was spreading all over the country, as well as pictures of them and the vehicle they had been using during the shootings. So that month, they decided to rent a car and drive to Las Vegas for a few days. When they finally came back into town, it was July 29th, and another murder was on the horizon.
51:49 Colin Brown? Twenty-two-year-old Robin Blaznik was described as gentle, kind, and trusting, the type of person who always saw the good in people. Despite having a disability of her own, she volunteered with other disabled children after high school. But during the summer of 2006, Robin was at a difficult point in her life. She had recently broken up with her boyfriend after he decided that he couldn't fully commit to her. Robin was devastated. She tried to fill her time with friends, hobbies, and her career as a secretary, but she missed her ex-boyfriend. Apparently, he missed her too. On Saturday, July 29th, they decided to meet up. After years of being together, they truly loved one another and they wanted to talk things through. However, the meeting didn't go the way she had planned.
52:34 Colin Brown? Apparently, her ex was firm on his decision that they were too young for marriage. Robin left his house upset, but determined to make the best out of her situation. On Sunday, July 30th, Robin went to church with her parents, had dinner with her friends at Olive Garden, and then returned home for the evening. In fact, her mother later said that Robin was in her pajamas and her fuzzy blue bedroom slippers when she said "goodnight" and retreated to her bedroom. When all the lights went out, Robin waited for her parents to fall asleep, and around 11:00 PM, she snuck out the back door. Apparently, one of Robin's friends had texted her to come over. Without changing into normal clothes, she slipped out into the darkness wearing a pink
53:15 Colin Brown? spaghetti-strapped tank top, pajama pants, and fuzzy blue slippers.
53:20 Courtney Brown? Across town, Ron Horton sat at his kitchen table staring at the clock. He had just met up with detectives days earlier, and agreed to try and get more information from Sammy. He had called Sammy that day, but he hadn't picked up his phone call. However, a little after 11:00 PM, Ron got a text.
53:39 Colin Brown? Hey, Ron, sorry I missed your call. I just came back into town from Vegas.
53:44 Courtney Brown? Ron tried to continue the conversation, but Sammy was busy. He and Dale were busy prowling the streets. And eventually, they spotted 22-year-old Robin Blaznik, walking down the street in her pajamas. She was looking down at her cellphone, completely oblivious to the fact that a silver Toyota Camry had driven past her multiple times. Then suddenly, a loud bang rang out. It was so loud that neighbors in the area ran outside. And there on the sidewalk, Robin was on her knees, attempting to use her cellphone to call for help. She'd been shot. A woman grabbed multiple blankets from her house and applied pressure to Robin's stomach as 911 was called.
54:29 Courtney Brown? But it would be too late. As they waited for police to arrive, Robin passed away, bleeding out on the pavement.
54:37 Colin Brown? Robin Blesnik's parents were alerted of her death around 5 a.m. on the morning of July 31st. They believed she was safe, asleep in her own bed. The idea that she was dead was almost unfathomable. To make matters worse, they had already lost a daughter to an automobile accident 10 years prior. And this loss wasn't any easier. They were devastated, as were all of her friends. Several had even heard from her that night, and one said Robin had called shortly before she was shot. Apparently, Robin had left a voicemail and her friend stated she would never erase it. Ron Horton also saw the news, another victim of the serial shooter. He felt sick.
55:17 Colin Brown? He believed he was responsible for her death, and he vowed to do anything in his power to take his friend down.
55:24 Courtney Brown? So two days after Robin's murder, on August 1st, 2006, Ron reached out to Sammy again. He asked him to meet at one of their favorite hangout spots, the Stardust Inn. Sammy agreed. Later that evening, Ron picked him up, and they drove to the bar together. After that, the two drove to the Wild Horse Pass Casino for more drinks and gambling. Investigators followed the pair to each location. Towards the end of the night, Ron told Sam that he wouldn't be able to take him home. And since Sammy didn't own a car, he pulled out his phone and called his friend. That friend was none other than Dale Hausner.
56:07 Courtney Brown? Soon enough, investigators watched from the parking lot as a silver Toyota Camry pulled up. Sam hopped inside and they drove off. With police following behind, they tailed the pair through the streets of Mesa, Gilbert, and Chandler. They actually watched as the Camry crept past pedestrians. They made quick U-turns, but then sped off when other cars were nearby. Investigators feared that they were looking for another victim. But then it started to rain, so the two drove off. Police watched as the silver Camry pulled into an apartment complex. One of them grabbed a black bag from the car and took it inside apartment 1083.
56:48 Colin Brown? For the next few days, investigators watched their every move. They even put a GPS tracking device on the Camry and tailed them as they drove aimlessly around the streets of Phoenix. In order to protect potential victims, investigators would speed up if the car slowed down near a pedestrian or bike rider, hoping to spook the serial shooters. And it worked, but they still didn't have enough to place the pair under arrest. So they kept watching. They even placed a listening device inside their neighbor's unit, hoping they would confess to something. Sadly, they didn't. But eventually, Sam emerged from the apartment and threw a black plastic bag into the dumpster. Officers quickly retrieved it, and inside they found a map of Phoenix, pinpointing areas where the serial shooters struck.
57:32 Colin Brown? They also found a discarded soda can and a 410 shotgun shell. As they tested the evidence, they kept watching. Soon enough, Dale Hausner returned to his apartment with his two-year-old daughter, Mandy. From the listening devices, investigators listened to Dale interacting with his daughter. He even turned on the movie The Jungle Book for her to watch, and while she was distracted, Sam and Dale watched news reports of the DC Sniper. Much like their crimes, the DC Sniper also shot and killed people from a car. Investigators figured this was their moment, and it was. Investigators listened as Dale told Sam that they weren't as skilled as the DC Sniper. Next, a local report on the serial shooter popped up on the TV.
58:15 Colin Brown? The reporter said the shooter was responsible for 27 deaths. Dale stated, "We killed 35." Apparently, Dale also said that he intended to kill at least 500 people. Now, in addition to this, they also discussed their favorite methods of killing people, including shooting them in the back. They laughed and joked as they spoke about their victims, the ones who had no idea it was coming. For them, it was hilarious. They even had Dale's two-year-old daughter, Mandy, joke about the killings right along with them.
58:49 Speaker 07 What's up, man? Goodnight, Sam.
58:54 Speaker 07 Night, uh, see you in the morning. See you in the morning. Hey, don't kill anybody.
59:00 Speaker 07 Oh, I'm glad. Hey, what's your ass?
59:04 Colin Brown? On the night of August 3rd, 2006, investigators decided that it was time to act. It was too dangerous to allow Dale and Sam to remain on the streets. With constant surveillance, they waited until Sam emerged from the front door with another trash bag, taking him down on the asphalt outside. He was cuffed and placed into the back of a police cruiser. Inside, Dale Hausner waited for his friend to return. Instead, the door busted open and several SWAT team members rushed in, holding him at gunpoint. Fortunately, two-year-old Mandy was asleep in a back room, but from there, they were able to take Dale and Sam into custody without incident. During the search of their apartment, investigators found multiple guns, ammunition, and a scrapbook filled with newspaper clippings regarding the serial shooters and the baseline killer.
59:49 Colin Brown? They seemed to be fascinated by the fact that the three killers were operating all at once. Police also found buck knives, ice picks, lighters, a bag of crystal meth, a glass pipe, and several bottles of liquor. Inside the Toyota Camry, they found more ammunition and shotgun casings, key evidence that would be linked to several murders. After the arrest, police officers, detectives, and others who had invested time and effort into the case hugged and shook hands. The serial shooters were finally off the streets.
1:00:18 Courtney Brown? But the city of Phoenix couldn't breathe a sigh of relief just yet. There was still another killer out there, and police were desperately trying to learn his identity. After Mark Gudoe killed Carmen Miranda at that car wash, he went quiet for a while. By August of 2006, it had been over a month since he prowled the streets of Phoenix. But luckily, investigators were making headway in that case as well. By this point, it's suspected that Mark had murdered nine people in a little over a year. But he did have survivors. Those survivors had been working with investigators to create a composite sketch. And that summer, that sketch was posted everywhere.
1:01:02 Courtney Brown? It eventually caught the attention of a woman named Darlene Fernandez. Now in part one, we talked about Darlene. She was one of Mark Gudoe's first victims, the woman he had beaten within an inch of her life in 1989. By 2006, it had been almost two decades since her attack. But that summer, as she was watching TV, that composite sketch popped up on her screen. Darlene said that as soon as she saw it, she knew instantly who the man was. She called to make a statement, reporting that she had no doubt the man was none other than Mark Gudoe.
1:01:41 Courtney Brown? Eventually, that tip ended up on the desk of Officer Clark Schwarzkopf, the same officer who had responded to her attack in August of 1989. And when he saw the name Mark Gudoe in large, bold letters on the report, he admitted that a lightbulb went off inside his head. Mark's prior crimes against Darlene, the sexual assault, kidnapping, and attempted murder, they were all eerily similar to the baseline killer's MO. And for the first time, investigators felt like they finally had a lead. From there, they set out to find Mark and put him under surveillance. It seemed as if Darlene, who in many ways was denied justice after what happened to her,
1:02:25 Courtney Brown? was now the one bringing justice to dozens of women across the city.
1:02:30 Colin Brown? While investigators began to follow Mark, others started to reexamine several cases where they believed the baseline killer had been involved. That included the sexual assault of the two Larra sisters on September 20th, 2005. If you recall, the two sisters, one of whom was pregnant, had been brutally assaulted. Afterwards, in an effort to destroy DNA he had left on the victims, the attacker forced them to rub dirt on themselves. The two immediately went to the police, who were able to collect DNA samples. DNA samples that had been sitting in a crime lab, untested, for nine months. Nine months while several other women were killed, raped, and violated. Nine months of trauma. Nine months of a whole city living in fear. And the answers to the problem laid in a test tube.
1:03:14 Colin Brown? In August of 2006, the DNA was finally sent to the Arizona State Laboratory. When the DNA was entered into the system, it produced a match. Because Mark Gudoe had spent 13 years in prison, his DNA was already on file. And that DNA came up as a match to the assault on the Larra sisters. Police were in disbelief.
1:03:34 Courtney Brown? September 6th, 2006, was Mark's 42nd birthday. And as he exited his vehicle in the driveway of his home after returning from work, several Phoenix police officers surrounded him, weapons drawn. Mark looked up from his car utterly stunned. The same officer who had arrested him over a decade earlier had officially cracked the case. Mark did not resist. And although he had no weapons on him, officers did find cocaine in his pocket. Now, he wasn't being arrested for the baseline killings. Not yet, at least. This arrest was for the brutal sexual assault of the two sisters. For now, that would be enough to hold him in jail while investigators tried to link
1:04:19 Courtney Brown? him to other crimes. And they knew exactly where to go looking for it.
1:04:24 Colin Brown? On the same day that Mark was taken into custody, police obtained a search warrant for his house on Pinchot Avenue. Inside, they found a toy gun and a mask that matched one of the witness's statements. That was compelling, but nothing could compare to what they found in Mark's closet. There, they discovered a pair of white Nikes, speckled with what appeared to be blood. Later DNA analysis would prove that the blood belonged to Kristen Nicole Gibbons and Chow George Chu. On a black ski mask that was stuffed into his closet, police discovered several blood droplets that also matched Kristen's DNA. Then, of course, there were the guns, which were a perfect match for the shell casings found at several of the crime scenes. Police were certain that they had their guy, but they needed as much evidence as possible.
1:05:08 Colin Brown? So, in October of 2006, they returned for a second search. During this more thorough search of their home, a detective discovered a ring that was a match for the one Tina Washington wore every single day. It was engraved with the names of her three young sons and also had the message "We Love Mom" inscribed in it. To any sane person, it was a heartbreaking reminder of how important Tina's life was. For Mark, it was nothing but a trophy. And sadly, it wasn't the only one in the home. Stuffed inside a shoe, investigators discovered baggies stuffed with jewelry that had been taken from several of the homicide and rape victims.
1:05:45 Courtney Brown? While going through Mark's cellphone records, police didn't find much at first. But then, they made an odd discovery. Sofia Nunez, the mother who had been murdered in her bathtub back in April, was in Mark's contacts. But not just in his contacts, on his call logs, time and time again. Between March and October of 2005, Mark called Sofia a startling 300 times. Calls which, more often than not, she didn't answer. Sofia's aunt, Alicia Bell, would later tell investigators that Sofia had met Mark at a video game arcade, and that he had pretended to be a disabled baseball player.
1:06:27 Courtney Brown? According to Alicia, Sofia didn't buy Mark's story. And although the two exchanged numbers, she wasn't romantically interested in him. She knew he was married, despite his insistence that he wasn't. But there was something in his eyes that made her uncomfortable. But soon after, Mark's obsessive calling slowed down. And when he reached out to her in the new year, offering to help Sofia around her house with odd jobs, she agreed. At one point, he came to her home to install a storm door. So he knew where she lived. On the day of the murder, we don't know if he had come over under the guise of helping her with something, or if he had simply broken in. But one thing was for certain.
1:07:11 Courtney Brown? Mark was the person who killed her. DNA recovered from her body matched Mark Gudoe. And the 380 caliber shell casing found at the scene matched his weapon. Now again, why that evidence wasn't tested before, we don't know. But with all of the evidence they had against him, Mark was facing over 80 criminal charges. Rape, assault, kidnapping, robbery, and at least nine homicides. For police in Residence of Phoenix, it seemed like the nightmare that was the baseline killer was finally behind them.
1:07:45 Colin Brown? Within one year, Sam Dietman, Dale Hausner, and Mark Gudoe terrorized the streets of Phoenix. But now, within a month's span, they were all behind bars. The city could finally breathe a sigh of relief. And now, it was time for them to face justice. The first being Mark Gudoe. Though, not everyone seemed to agree that he was the phantom who had been haunting the city. Despite the overwhelming evidence against him, Mark's wife, Wendy Carr, was adamant that Mark was innocent. She said that racism and his criminal past is why the Phoenix Police Department picked him to be the fall guy.
1:08:18 Courtney Brown? She told the Arizona Republic, quote, "A monster did commit these crimes, but it wasn't Mark," end quote. Wendy went as far as to say that the woman who called in the tip, Darlene Fernandez, was, quote, "unemployed, mentally unstable, and a methamphetamine addict," end quote. Wendy accused Darlene of sending in the tip on Mark because she was trying to collect the $10,000 reward money. Mark's niece, Ebony Gudoe, told the Arizona Republic, quote, "He's innocent. They need a scapegoat." He didn't do it, end quote. Other family members believed that due to his criminal background, and because he lived in and around the baseline road area,
1:09:01 Courtney Brown? the Phoenix Police decided to pin the crimes on him, because they were desperate to solve the case. Mark's older brother Oscar stated that there was no way Mark was, quote, "bold enough to do something like that," end quote. But of course, the DNA evidence didn't lie, and it all pointed to Mark Gudoe.
1:09:20 Colin Brown? In August 2007, Mark went on trial at the Maricopa County Superior Court for the sexual assault of the two sisters who had been attacked and assaulted in late 2005. Mark pleaded not guilty. During the trial, the prosecution focused heavily on the DNA evidence found on the two sisters' bodies. Forensic scientist Lorraine Heath testified that it was statistically impossible for the DNA to belong to anyone other than Mark Gudoe, placing the odds at 1 in 360 trillion. But Mark's defense attorneys, Corwin Townsend, Carrie Lackey, and Rodrick Carter, argued that the DNA could have come from another male in the Gudoe family, and that it was a simple case of mistaken identity. Defense attorney Corwin Townsend even argued that the DNA wasn't a perfect match.
1:10:05 Colin Brown? In fact, he claimed that only three of the 13 genetic markers were a match. One of the defense experts, Dr. Charles Brenner, testified that it was possible that the DNA belonged to one of Mark Gudoe's brothers. He said, "People share a lot of DNA with their relatives." Interestingly, it was revealed that two of Mark's relatives lived near the park where the assaults had taken place. Even further, during a photo lineup, one of the sisters had picked out a different man. So the defense hoped that the jury would believe that Mark Gudoe was the victim of mistaken identity. Now, after six and a half weeks of trial, both the defense and prosecution rested their cases, and Mark's fate lay in the hands of the jury. On September 8, 2007, after only three hours of deliberations,
1:10:49 Colin Brown? a unanimous verdict was reached. The jury found Mark guilty on all 19 charges, including assault, kidnapping, aggravated assault, weapons violations, rape, and possession.
1:11:01 Courtney Brown? Before sentencing, Mark addressed Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Andrew Klein. He said that what happened to the two Laura sisters was horrific, but he added that he was innocent, claiming, quote, "I had nothing to do with it," end quote. But it didn't seem like anyone believed him. On December 14th, 2007, Mark was ultimately sentenced to 438 years in prison. During sentencing, Judge Klein told Mark that it appeared he had "two diametrically opposed personalities." One was mild-mannered and calm, the demeanor he displayed in the courtroom, while the other was diabolical and brutal.
1:11:45 Courtney Brown? But that wasn't the end for Mark. In July of 2011, he was back on trial for the nine homicides that had been attributed to the baseline killer. This time, he faced an additional 74 charges, including kidnapping, sexual assault, attempted murder, armed robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, child molestation, and nine counts of first-degree murder, which made him eligible for the death penalty. Once again, Mark Godot pleaded not guilty to all charges.
1:12:16 Speaker 08 "Back here at home, a wolf in sheep's clothing," those words describing Mark Godot during opening statements in the baseline killer trial. Godot was arrested and accused in a series of attacks six years ago that terrorized the valley. ABC 15's Christopher Sein has been our lead reporter on this story. He's live in the newsroom tonight. And Chris, fireworks to start the trial already today?
1:12:37 Speaker 06 Absolutely, Katie. You know, both sides came out swinging. And keep in mind, this is just day one of what could be a year-long trial. And something I noticed today, the jury was certainly on the edge of their seats.
1:12:49 Speaker 09 Steve alleges Mark Godot.
1:12:51 Speaker 06 It took 12 minutes to read all 74 felony counts against Mark Godot. The man police called the baseline killer sat with no emotion, at times taking his own notes as the prosecution came out swinging.
1:13:03 Speaker 08 When the victims refused to turn their bodies over to him, he executed them.
1:13:08 Speaker 06 The prosecution spent an hour outlining its case of why Godot is guilty. The defense team spent 25 minutes explaining why he is innocent.
1:13:16 Speaker 02 You're going to see just how weak the evidence against Mr. Godot actually is. He wore disguises.
1:13:22 Speaker 06 Hats, glasses, wigs. Investigators say DNA, ballistics, and other evidence links him to the series of crimes that terrorized the valley dating back to 2005. But again, the defense punched back.
1:13:35 Speaker 02 There is absolutely no physical evidence that shows, points to, illustrates that Mark Erdel had anything to do with any of these crimes.
1:13:45 Speaker 06 The prosecution left the jury with a simple request. This man, for what he truly is, guilty.
1:13:53 Colin Brown? Throughout the 14-month trial, dozens of witnesses, including victims, friends, and family members of victims, and robbery victims, gave emotional testimony. Sofia Nunez's son, now 13 years old, recounted the horrific details regarding what he found at the crime scene and how he tried to save his mother's life.
1:14:11 Speaker 10 The door was locked, but her car was there. And so, the door, everything was locked, the back door, the front door, except for the garage, that's how I got inside the house. And so, when I went inside the garage, I heard the bathtub running, and then I thought she was taking a shower, and then I eventually found her.
1:14:34 Speaker 06 Gilbert's mother, Sofia Nunez, had been shot in the head.
1:14:38 Courtney Brown? The studio owner, Peter Ochoa, positively identified Mark as the same man he had witnessed standing over Tina Washington's lifeless body on December 12, 2005. He admitted that Mark had tried to kill him too, but he was able to escape. He told the jury, quote, "I will never forget those eyes," end quote. In addition, several survivors who had been sexually assaulted all gave eerily similar accounts of what had happened to them. Brutal crime scene photos were shown in court, and each time an image flashed across the screen, family members could be heard weeping. Liliana Sanchez's mother testified, quote, "I wish I could stick my hand into my heart and pull it out and show it to you," end quote.
1:15:24 Speaker 11 For us, she will always be in our hearts.
1:15:27 Speaker 06 Juana Sanchez rarely talks about her daughter Liliana's murder. It's affected her so much that she has a hard time remembering any happy memories.
1:15:39 Speaker 11 I used to, but I don't anymore. Everything is different.
1:15:44 Colin Brown? Mark's defense attorney argued that there was simply no evidence to convict him. Many of the witnesses gave varying accounts on the suspect's identifying characteristics. In addition, he stated that there was no evidence against Mark at any of the baseline crime scenes. No footprints, no hairs, no fingerprints, or anything. He even went as far as to say that all of the evidence found in Mark's house could have been planted by Phoenix PD so they could close the case. He pointed out that most of the damning evidence was found in their second search of Mark's home, which begged the question, why didn't they find any of it during the first search? Now, as for the DNA evidence, his attorney suggested that it was possible that Mark and the victims had consensual sex before they were murdered. He argued that Mark was targeted due to his race and criminal background.
1:16:28 Colin Brown? During the trial, Mark's wife Wendy Carr started an online blog where she continuously lashed out against the victims and their family members. Since she wasn't allowed to be in the courtroom, she took her frustrations to the internet. She attacked Alejandra and Lorena Lara, the two young sisters who had been raped by Mark in 2005. She wrote, "Alejandra, you know that you do not remember the face of your attacker, even telling your boyfriend Mitchell that you can't put it back together, that you're trying to throw the memory away. You never got a good look at your attacker's face, and even if you did, it's unbelievable that nearly two years later you claim that you can recognize him. Lorena, you picked out Mark's attorney, who was a light-skinned black at the June 22nd hearing.
1:17:10 Colin Brown? Before you entered the courtroom, the prosecutor had coached you who to pick out as light-skinned, and you did. Only, it wasn't Mark. It was one of his attorneys, Carrie Lackey. When you were previously shown a photo lineup of suspects before the trial, you shook your head and told the detective, 'I can't remember.' And yet, now you claim you can. Your nerve is unbelievable." But finally, on October 31st, 2011, Mark Gudoe's trial came to an end. The jury found him guilty on 67 charges, including nine counts of first-degree murder. And now, it was time for his sentencing. Mark was facing the death penalty. In November 2011, shortly before he was set to be sentenced for his crimes, his wife Wendy sat down with ABC 15 for an exclusive interview.
1:17:54 Colin Brown? She told them, "He's the baseline killer scapegoat. He's the person that was just black enough to be arrested. He's too old, he's too big. I see an innocent person who was served up on a silver platter. People who think I'm in denial, first of all, they don't know me, nor do they know Mark. All they know is the misrepresentation of the facts."
1:18:13 Courtney Brown? On Wednesday, November 16, 2011, Mark walked back into court to be sentenced. And there, he addressed the 12 jurors. He stated numerous times that he was not a monster, and that his stint in prison had made him a changed man. Here is a part of that statement.
1:18:32 Speaker 02 I'm an innocent man. I did not commit these crimes. I had nothing to do with these crimes. They found the [BLEEP]. They found the scapegoat in my neighborhood. And they planted evidence on me. I'm sorry, y'all. I'm very angry here.
1:18:44 Courtney Brown? But the victims and their families disagreed. Max Henry told The Arizona Republic, "As a family friend of one of his many victims, I attended this heartbreaking trial. I agree with Gudoe that he is neither a wolf nor a monster. Certainly, no wolf, and not even a monster could be so cowardly, so perverted, so cruel, so heartless, so evil to the core. Mark Gudoe has not shown one ounce of remorse for his crimes or pity for his victims. The baseline killer is not a wolf or a monster. He is a demon from hell, and he fears being sent back there." And here is part of what the judge had to say.
1:19:27 Speaker 12 For 10 months, you acted as a terrorist in our community. My goal is not to make a parody today, but simply to impose the sentence you deserve for each of your sneak attacks on folks.
1:19:41 Courtney Brown? On November 30, 2011, Mark Gudoe was sentenced to death for the homicides of his nine victims: Georgia Thompson, Tina Washington, Romiella Vargas, Myrna Palma Roman, Liliana Sanchez, Chow George Chu, Kristen Nicole Gibbons, Sofia Nunez, and Carmen Miranda. But the verdict did not bring relief for the victims' family members. Outside of the courtroom, Sofia Nunez's mother, Maria, said, "You want me to say I'm happy? I'm not happy. It's not going to bring Sofia back." For many of the people affected by this crime, the trial and sentencing did bring some closure, but it would never heal their broken hearts.
1:20:26 Courtney Brown? And Mark's stay in court still wasn't over. After being sentenced to death, he also received a sentence for his other charges that included kidnapping, sexual assault, attempted murder, armed robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, and child molestation. For those, Maricopa County Judge Warren Gravel sentenced Mark to 1,200 years in prison. Outside of the courthouse, county attorney Bill Montgomery told reporters, quote, "If he were to spend 1,000 years in hell, it wouldn't begin to alleviate the suffering," end quote.
1:21:02 Colin Brown? But there are actually a number of people out there who think Mark isn't the baseline killer. People who believe that the real killer is a man named Terry Wayne Smith. Now, Terry had been questioned in connection to the murders of Romelia Vargas and Myrna Palmer Roman, the food truck workers. According to author Jack Smith in his book titled, "A Year of Terror on the Streets of Phoenix," Terry was a convicted felon who had a long criminal history that included aggravated assault, robbery, rape, and at one point was the suspect in two separate murder cases. He had been released from prison on the days before the baseline killer attacks started in Phoenix. Apparently, Terry also lived near the baseline road area and looked strikingly similar to Mark Gudoe.
1:21:44 Colin Brown? And days before Mark was arrested in 2006, Terry was also arrested for holding his own family at gunpoint. When investigators spoke to his mother about him potentially being the baseline killer, she stated that he often bragged about how many people he had killed and told her that he heard voices of women being raped. There were also notes found inside his house where he admitted to hating prostitutes and shooting them in the head and then kissing them on the lips. For Mark Gudoe, Wendy Carr, as well as other Mark Gudoe supporters, they believed that Terry Wayne Smith was the baseline killer and that Mark had been framed. However, according to investigators, Terry has been cleared of any involvement and was actually in jail during one of the baseline killer attacks.
1:22:28 Colin Brown? Now, a number of people out there also believe that the Phoenix Police Department was involved in some corruption when it came to this case. With three serial killers on their hands, they were desperate to make an arrest. And people speculate that they planted evidence in Mark's home to put the murders on him. We aren't taking a side here, we're just telling you all parts of the story.
1:22:48 Courtney Brown? Mark Gudoe would try to appeal his conviction over the years, but they've all been denied. And so, he continued to sit on death row. But even with Mark behind bars, the dark chapter of the Baseline Killer in Phoenix's history would not be closed. In March 2017, he was actually linked to a cold case that occurred on February 27th, 1985. According to Phoenix Police Sergeant Jonathan Howard, a 22-year-old woman had reported that she was abducted at gunpoint near 36 and Oak Street and forced to drive to an isolated location. It's exactly what the Baseline Killer was known to do.
1:23:29 Courtney Brown? According to the woman, she was sexually assaulted by a "black man, 20 to 25 years old, 5'7" to 6 feet tall, 175 pounds, black hair, with a medium to light complexion." After the assault, the man forced her to drive him back to the original location, where he fled the scene on foot. Now, DNA evidence was collected at the time of her attack. However, in 1985, they didn't have the technology to fully analyze it. But, in 2016, they did. And after some testing, it was discovered that the DNA matched Mark Gudoe. Now sadly, the statute of limitations had expired, so he was never charged with the
1:24:13 Courtney Brown? additional sexual assault. But luckily, Mark will never see the outside of prison. And today, he sits on death row in Tucson, Arizona. He and his wife Wendy Carr still maintain his innocence.
1:24:27 Colin Brown? But back in 2006, there were still two other killers that needed to face justice: the serial shooters Sam Deepman and Dale Hausner. When word of their arrests spread around town, many people were shocked. Dale's friends and neighbors said he was always pleasant, friendly, and talkative. However, one neighbor noted that his demeanor changed in late summer 2006, especially after Sam moved in with him. Dale no longer wanted to talk, and Sam was never friendly. Now, after their arrest, the men were taken back to the police station for questioning. And to everyone's surprise, Sam opened up about some of the killings.
1:25:04 Speaker 13 He was heading up, I don't know what the heck it was, 32nd or 44th Street or something. And he's like, "Well, sit back." I'm like, "All right, why?" And the window starts going down, and I pulled this little shotgun, and I fired at some fat guy that was walking down the street.
1:25:21 Colin Brown? But Dale refused to take responsibility.
1:25:23 Speaker 14 I think you're the mastermind of this entire operation, and have been from the get-go. But you involved Sam, and I think he was willing to belong. He's feeling police, not with me. No, no, it is with you.
1:25:39 Colin Brown? On August 7, 2006, Dale Hausner held a press conference. Wearing black-and-white striped jail clothing and shackles, he sat down in front of a group of microphones. He claimed he was innocent and placed all the blame on his good old friend Sam.
1:25:53 Speaker 15 Why I'm here is because I have Sam Deepman staying with me for about five weeks. And apparently at night, Sam had been taking my car out and using various weapons that I have in my house to commit crimes. And apparently, they tracked it through my car. And when they came and busted in the house, I was there. And I guess I'm just guilty by association, even though I did not shoot anybody or kill anybody.
1:26:16 Courtney Brown? But from the get-go, investigators believed that Dale was the mastermind of the two. And whatever he wanted to do, Sam went along. Now, this case would get a little tricky because investigators couldn't prove when the two were together. And they actually believed that Dale committed a number of the shootings by himself. Dale Hausner's trial started in September of 2008. And the main witness in his trial was none other than his accomplice, Sam Deepman. After Sam's arrest, he started working with investigators, telling them what he could remember of their crimes. Sam did admit that he used methamphetamine to forget the violence. He said he felt extreme remorse for what he had done, but it didn't make up for the
1:27:01 Courtney Brown? fact that he had willingly participated. Now, during Dale's trial, they actually played recordings they took from Dale's apartment. And at times, the two were joking about the murders. When Sam mentioned Robin Blasnick, Dale joked that he couldn't remember who it was, but that she should have been named Blast Neck.
1:27:22 Speaker 14 Oh my God. What's wrong? No, Blasnick? Um, I don't think so. I know Blast Neck, I'm a Jew, more like.
1:27:36 Colin Brown? Now, several witnesses were called to the stand, including victims who had survived their injuries. It was horrible to listen to their accounts of being hunted and shot. Many were left with permanent physical and emotional scars. But throughout the whole trial, Dale and Sam just kept pointing the finger at one another. Dale's defense claimed that Sam was trying to frame him, and during Sam's testimony, he admitted to pulling the trigger at times, but he said it was because Dale ordered him to do it.
1:28:03 Courtney Brown? To everyone's surprise, Dale actually took the stand at his trial. During it, he tried to paint himself in a positive light, telling everyone that he was innocent. "He was a Christian," he said. And the real serial shooter wasn't him. It was Sam. While also on the stand, Dale stated that Sam was bisexual, something he repeated frequently, even though it had nothing to do with the case. Dale also claimed that Ron Horton and Sam were lovers. Ron was the man who helped get the men arrested. Now sadly, Ron was unable to testify at trial. He had passed away the previous year from an infection. But Dale kept repeating that, as if it would make Sam look bad.
1:28:48 Courtney Brown? As for the murders, Dale told the jury that it was impossible for him to be the killer, simply because he wasn't there. He claimed to be with his girlfriend, a respected principal at an elementary school. During other murders, he said he was sleeping, running errands, or taking care of his sick daughter. But in the end, the jury didn't buy it.
1:29:09 Colin Brown? Ultimately, Dale was convicted of 80 charges, including six counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, drive-by shootings, firearms charges, aggravated assault, animal cruelty, and arson. On March 27, 2009, Dale was given six death sentences. For survivor Daryl Davies, the outcome was exactly what he had hoped for. He told the Arizona Republic, "I'm going to have front-row seats for the execution. I'm going to bring a bag of popcorn." As for Sam, he ended up pleading guilty to the murder of Claudia Gutierrez Cruz, and also to being an accessory to murder in the deaths of Robin Blasnik. Sam later said, "I did nothing to stop it, I'm guilty." Due to his plea, several other charges were dropped in connection to the serial shooter
1:29:54 Colin Brown? case. However, he still faced the death penalty if convicted. Sam told the Arizona Republic, "I'm in no way trying to play Mr. Innocent as Dale Hausner is. I've taken responsibility for my crimes. I signed a plea agreement to where I'm still going to death row. The only benefits I get out of that deal are avoiding an unnecessary trial and being able to help put Hausner away." Ultimately, Sam was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. But just like with the baseline killer, the story of the serial shooters didn't end there. On June 19, 2013, Dale Hausner was found unresponsive in his cell. He had died by suicide by overdosing on antidepressants.
1:30:35 Colin Brown? Shortly before his death, Dale wrote a letter to the Arizona Republic saying, "They say serial killers do not have real remorse for their crimes, only remorse they got caught. Where do you stand on this?" Very, very few have remorse for their crimes or their actions. Psychopaths don't feel sympathy for the victims. Most wish they could have killed more. On AZ Death Row, I've spoken to six to eight serial killers. None regret their crimes, not even the baby killers. The thing that made them a serial killer also stops them from having remorse. I have tried to repent for my sins as best as I can. I've asked for forgiveness and that the Lord could change my heart. The Bible states that if you believe in Jesus and call to Him, you will be saved. So, I think I will make it to heaven, even though I don't deserve it.
1:31:20 Colin Brown? I can't imagine why they would want me, but Saul, who was renamed Paul, was a murderer, and he was forgiven, so that gives me hope.
1:31:28 Courtney Brown? Sam Deepman is currently being held at the unit in Stafford, Arizona, where he will stay for the rest of his life. But looking back on these cases, it's hard to even think about that horrific year in Arizona. From the summer of 2005 to the summer of 2006, these three men prowled the streets, killing off anyone they wanted. One crept through raping and killing people. The others drove around high on meth, shooting at any person or animal they could find. Their trail of destruction left families devastated. They left victims with lifelong physical and emotional scars in a city forever marked by a year of horrific violence.
1:32:10 Courtney Brown? By the fall of 2006, when all three men were finally put behind bars, there was a long-awaited sense of relief. And the years after, Phoenix, Arizona would eventually move forward. But they would never forget.
1:32:26 Colin Brown? The main sources used for this episode were Camille Kimball's book titled, "A Sudden Shot: The Phoenix Serial Shooter", Jack Smith's book titled, "A Year of Terror on the Streets of Phoenix", "True Crime Cases of the Serial Killer Shooters", and "The Baseline Killer", and "The Naked Streets: The Shocking True Story of the Phoenix Sniper Murders and Baseline Killer", by Ronald Watkins. In honor of the victims of both the serial shooters and the baseline killer, we will be making a donation to Victims for Justice, a nonprofit organization that supports and advocates for people affected by violent crime. They offer counseling, financial support, resources for victims and their families, and court assistance. Their goal is to help people recover and cope following a violent crime.
1:33:10 Colin Brown? Hey everybody. Thank you so much for listening to today's episode of Murder in America. I'm going to keep this short and sweet. We appreciate everybody for listening every week and for tuning in. If you want to help support the show, please consider joining us on Patreon. On Patreon, you can get early ad-free access to every single episode of the show. So if you want to listen early and you don't like the ads, please consider joining us on Patreon because there you can get rid of those pesky ads. And also on Patreon, you can get access to an entire bonus library of bonus episodes. So there are like 150, 160 bonus episodes on there. If you have never joined, you can get immediate access to all of those full-length episodes. And yeah, I mean, there's, there's so much on there and
1:33:55 Colin Brown? we can't thank all of y'all enough who support us in that way. Also, do not forget to follow us on Instagram at Murder in America, and please leave us a five-star review wherever you listen to the show. Anyways, y'all, thank you for tuning into this two-part series. And yeah, we'll see you next week. Have a great weekend, and I'll catch y'all on the next one.
Previous EP. 241 - ARIZONA: Three Serial Killers, One City: Phoenix’s Summers of Terror Part 1 (The Baseline Killer & Serial Shooters) Next EP 243 - TEXAS: THE DARKEST CRIME IN TEXAS HISTORY: The Gang Killings of Elizabeth Peña and Jennifer Ertman Page updated October 30, 2026 · transcript and summary are machine-generated