All language subtitles for The Murder Tapes S01E03 Jane Doe

We arrive on scene.

I activated my body-worn camera.

Little did I know
what I was walking into.

I was very shocked
that the body was found.

She was just genuinely
loved by everybody.

I was impacted by it.
I had nightmares.

We really were
kind of scrambling

to make an identification.

The suspect had several weeks
of a head start on US.

To think that
another human being

would do this to a person
was very disturbing.

I wanted to get this guy.

It was like my life's mission.

A woman has just discovered

what she believes
to be a dead man

in a wooded area in
new port richey's north end.

Pasco county sheriff deputy
Matthew adamo

responds to the call.

We think we're responding to

a standard death
investigation call.

It was relayed to US as a dead
homeless male in the woods.

We arrive on scene.

I activated my body-worn camera.

Little did I know
what I was walking into.

Officers talk
to the 911 caller right away.

The woman tells officers

the remains
are beside a shopping mall

next to a mobile home community.

Ideally, we would like
to preserve the scene

as much as possible.

Typically, we will
set up a perimeter

that's going to encompass
the entire crime scene.

We establish an outer perimeter
and then sometimes establish

a smaller inner perimeter
to work within.

Investigators call
a CSI team to the scene

and then search for witnesses.

The urgency for canvassing

is to ensure that we're
getting surveillance footage

before it's overwritten.

We want to ensure that
we're locating any witnesses

before they leave the area
or forget what they saw.

Deputies start
with the residents

of a nearby neighborhood.

One of the difficult
things to navigate

in canvassing a neighborhood

is speaking with
the witnesses you find

or people that are willing
to talk with you.

You're not sure what information
they're going to give.

You're not sure if
it's accurate.

You're not sure
if it's relevant.

Back at the strip mall,

deputies question business
owners for information

or if they have working
surveillance cameras.

Simply because we see
surveillance video cameras

doesn't mean that we're gonna
get any information from them.

Typically, they don't record,

or they don't retain the footage
for very long,

or the operator doesn't know
how to obtain the footage.

Unfortunately,
surveillance video

did not help US
in this situation.

Investigators hope
a closer look at the remains

will yield
more definitive clues.

This scene was a little
more difficult than others

due to it being outside and
in a very densely wooded area.

Yeah.

Walking in a little further,
when I got closer to the body,

the body appeared to have
some female clothing on.

So that changed a little bit

of the dynamic
of what we were looking at here.

Right away,
investigators believe

they might know
whose remains they've found.

21-year-old brook Lynn peck

disappeared in October 2015,

just over a mile
from the wooded area

where the body was found.

Her family has been
searching for her ever since.

My relationship with
brook Lynn was very, very close.

More like a daughter to me.

Brook Lynn was liked
by everybody who met her.

Everyone who would
meet her would say

what a lively
personality she had.

Even if she didn't
have something,

she would go out of her way

to make sure that someone
else had something.

I have not met one person

that had something negative
to say about her.

She was just genuinely
loved by everybody.

At the end of the day,
what I would like to hear

about brook Lynn's disappearance
is just closure.

If she was murdered,
I'd like to know.

I mean, you don't ever
want to hear the worst,

but hearing the worst is better
than hearing nothing.

Confirmation on whether
the woman's body is brook Lynn

will have to wait until
the coroner conducts an autopsy.

Crime scene techs move in
to examine the body.

Investigators finally get their
first close look at the remains.

In this case, we believed

that there was
foul play involved.

There was evidence

of blunt force trauma
to her head.

Her dress was pulled
over her face.

Her stockings were ripped.

Normally, if a body's found,

one indication
that they were robbed

could be that they're
not wearing any jewelry.

This was one of the more
brutal scenes I had been to.

To think that another human
being would do this to a person

and leave them
without an identity

or without any cause

or care for that person

was very disturbing.

Found in close
proximity to the body,

investigators bag the pair
of women's flip flops,

an empty bottle
of rubbing alcohol,

and multiple items of garbage.

There was some trash
on the ground,

and we had to decipher through
what was evidence

and what was not evidence.

Early in the investigation,

there was some difficulties
that we faced,

like we didn't have the decedent
positively identified.

We didn't have any suspects,
any motives.

We just knew
that the suspect had

several weeks
of a head start on US.

Pasco county, Florida, deputies

believe they may have found
the body of a 21-year-old woman

who vanished just over a mile
from their crime scene.

Deputies believed
it was a missing person

named brook Lynn peck
who was reported missing

out of new port richey
police department.

When we were first contacted

about the body
that was found west of 19,

we were told that maybe
this might be her.

"But we don't want
to get your hopes up.

But we'll get back to you
and let you know."

At that point, I was pretty much
to the point

of whatever is, is.

Now at the crime scene,

investigators find signs
of sexual assault.

The way she was positioned,

it didn't appear to be natural.

She didn't place her dress
over her head.

She didn't position herself

to where her legs
were in a "v"-shape.

Her legs were posed in a manner

that's consistent
with a sexual battery.

We ended up getting word

from the medical
examiner's office

that the cause of death was
blunt force trauma to the head.

Despite the deteriorated
condition of the body...

...investigators are able
to pull fingerprints,

which they'll run to confirm
the victim's identity.

They also find traces of DNA

they believe could have been
left by the killer.

Corporal Joseph ioppolo
from the new port richey p.D.

Has been working brook Lynn's
missing persons case.

Brook led a very
high-risk lifestyle.

Had a pretty rough upbringing.

But it was out of the ordinary

for her to be gone
for more than a couple days

without contacting
family or friends.

Brook Lynn peck's
aunt contacted me

to initiate a missing persons
report on brook Lynn.

Detective ioppolo asked
a lot of questions

in the beginning.
No detail was too small.

He wanted to hear everything.

So, anytime we have
a missing person case,

you want to talk
to family, friends,

kind of get an idea
of her lifestyle,

where she frequented.

Given the area
where the body was found,

it was quite possible
it was brook peck,

'cause she frequented
those areas.

With the case now a homicide,

detectives pore over
every last detail

of brook Lynn's
missing persons file.

And note a unique
physical characteristic

that may be relevant
to the case.

We learned
that brook Lynn was missing

the tip of her pointer finger
on her left hand.

That information was relayed to
the medical examiner's office.

But the victim
found in the woods

had all of her fingers intact.

At this point, we realized

that the decedent
was not brook Lynn peck.

When we heard
that this wasn't brook Lynn,

we had a whole different
range of emotions.

We went from being happy
and relieved that it wasn't her

to also being sad
that it wasn't her,

because we were kind of hoping
at this point

that we would have some closure.

At that point,
it was bittersweet

that it wasn't brook Lynn peck,

because now we don't have
an identity for this victim.

We really were
kind of scrambling

to make an identification.

Police comb through
their missing persons cases

to see if they can find their
newly unidentified Jane Doe.

And almost right away,
they get a hit.

Family and friends are really
worried about judi therianos.

They say it's not unlike her
to disappear for a few days,

but it is unusual
not to hear from her.

This week, they filed
a missing persons report

with the Maine state police,
who say

they have notified
authorities down in Florida.

52-year-old judi therianos

disappeared around march 14th,

nearly a month before the body
was discovered in the woods.

Judi and I
took a road trip down to Florida

to visit our friend
who had cancer.

She stayed behind
to take care of her,

and I returned back to Maine.

Judi and I got referred to
as mother and daughter,

because our age difference
is about 20 years.

But that didn't stop US.

Our friendship was
more like soul sisters.

I was leaving to go north,

and I said, "be careful,

and don't be stupid,"

that, you know --

"just watch your back."

The medical examiner's office
was able to get a fingerprint

from the deceased person,
and they were able to determine

that our deceased
was Judith therianos.

Where one victim's
family finds hope,

others find only despair.

I was in complete shock.

Reality really hit in
after her sister told me

that her body was found.

Investigators
have to somehow find out

where judi was
and who she was with

in the days and hours
leading up to her murder.

Her best friend, glenda cook,
provides them with a lead.

Glenda actually had
a voice message from Judith.

And we followed up with that

with interviewing other people.

Particularly, on this case,
there was a person's name

that came up in the case
named Charlie,

and we started
investigating that.

Judi met this old guy, Charlie,

that showed up at
an acquaintance's house,

and it was the last person
that physically saw her.

The only information
that we had on Charlie

was he was approximately
70 years old,

had a long, white beard.
We didn't have his full name.

We didn't know where he lived.
We didn't have a phone number.

We didn't know
anything else about him.

At that point,
we were basically

starting at square one
to try to identify him.

The search for Charlie
would be cut short

when, out of the blue,
he simply shows up

at the police station.

When Charlie decided
to come to the sheriff's office,

it was a little odd
and kind of threw US for a loop.

Was he was trying
to help US out,

or is he trying to throw US off?

In pasco county, Florida,

the last person to see
judi therianos alive,

Charlie,

has just shown up
at the police station.

He went to one
of our district offices

with some of Judith's belongings

and reported
that he had been with Judith

prior to her death.

Charlie tells the officer

that judi was staying at his
house before she disappeared.

Charlie then says
he called judi,

who told him she was
at a different restaurant

and needed a ride.

Charlie claims
he called judi over and over,

but she didn't pick up
and never returned his calls.

He also says he brought with him

some of judi's things
she'd left behind.

At that point, we didn't know

what role he played
in the investigation.

We didn't know
if he was a suspect,

if he was a witness,

if he was the last person
to see her alive.

Charlie insists
he cared for judi.

He shows officers text messages
he exchanged with her

before she disappeared.

The officer on duty
collects judi's belongings

from Charlie
and photographs everything.

When Charlie gave US
some of her property,

it assisted in the investigation
to help US understand

who Judith was and places
that she may have visited

by being able
to go through her property.

While Charlie claims
he had no idea

what ultimately
happened to judi...

Detectives learn where
she had last called him from

and go canvass the area.

We separated into groups.

A few detectives went to locate
her last-known whereabouts,

and a couple of US went
to a convenience store

to obtain video.

We concentrated
on a convenience store

and several other
businesses in the area.

Investigators
hope to locate judi

and perhaps even her killer
on this surveillance footage.

But reviewing all this video
is a painstaking process

that will take time.

Meanwhile, back in Maine,
judi's friends and family

gather to say goodbye

to the woman
whose life was cut short

by a demented killer.

We had a memorial
service for judi.

It was a really difficult day,

to see her mother
just mourn judi

and to see the whole family
and myself mourn her,

even though that
her body wasn't home yet.

It was a really hard,

a hard day to witness.

In Florida,
pasco county sheriff detectives

hope the surveillance video they
recovered from the area canvass

will provide the answers
they are looking for.

Then they get a break.

The first surveillance
video that we located

was her purchasing alcohol
in a convenience store

nearby of an area
that she was known to frequent.

In the surveillance
video footage,

we observed Judith
purchasing her items.

At the time, she was seen
accompanied by another person.

Detectives wonder,
could this mystery man

be connected to judi's murder?

Now my focus
for the investigation

is identifying
who this person is with Judith.

Investigators searching
for judi therianos' killer

have a brand-new lead.

When we located
the surveillance video of Judith

in the convenience store
with a male,

we didn't know if he was
responsible for her death

or if he was another
just acquaintance of her.

Maybe he can assist US
with the investigation.

Whether witness or a suspect,

police need to find him.

Investigators show a screenshot
of the man in the video

to people living
in the neighborhood

near where judi's
body was found.

We received information that
there was a man named grizzly

who lived nearby
in a mobile home park,

that he had known Judith.

So we had gone to speak with him

to see if he had
any kind of information

that could assist
with this investigation.

Grizzly tells detectives

he recognizes the man with judi

and even says he let the man
stay at his place

for a few nights.

Grizzly claims the man was
looking to get out of town.

Grizzly says the man left behind

a bag of clothes at his place,

which he hands over
to investigators.

When we collected those items,
we examined them,

and we believed
that it was the same shirt

and the same backpack that was
in the surveillance video

at the convenience store
while she was with the man.

Grizzly, he knew that he had
a twin brother named Jared,

but he didn't have any further
information on his identity.

Investigators send the clothes
to forensics for analysis.

And then they're approached
by another neighbor.

After we spoke to grizzly,
I was walking back to my car,

and a man named Stefan said,

"hey, detective, can I talk
to you about the I.R.S.?"

And he gave me a wink
as he said it to me.

Which made me believe that
he didn't want to talk to me

about the I.R.S., and he
probably had more information.

Stefan says he knows judi

and the man from the photo.

He also tells detectives about
a terrifying conversation

he'd had with the man
later that night.

That's not the only thing
Stefan says the man told him.

At the scene, we located
a rubbing alcohol bottle.

At the time, we didn't know
the significance of it.

Now we know
that he took rubbing alcohol

and poured it on her body

in an attempt to conceal
his identity by killing the DNA.

Stefan says he was terrified

that the man would
turn on him next.

Stefan identified the man
as Timothy Johnson.

It was a huge
turning point for US,

because it felt like
we were getting closer

to figuring out
who had killed Judith.

Detectives do a background
check on Timothy Johnson

and discover an extensive
criminal history.

Timothy Johnson
was previously arrested

four times in Florida
for aggravated battery,

a domestic battery, and two
times for fail to appear.

One of those aggravated
assault arrests took place

three weeks before Judy
therianos' body was discovered.

Johnson had been evicted
from his most recent home.

He was drinking heavily

and broke into a woman's home
late at night.

The arrest was captured
on pasco county police body cam.

Timothy Johnson
was so cold-hearted

and didn't show
any type of remorse

about the crimes
that he had committed.

Johnson has only
been out of jail

for a few weeks,
but now he's the prime suspect

in a homicide.

Pasco county detectives
launch a search,

but the words
of one of their witnesses

is ringing in their ears.

Has Timothy Johnson
slipped through their fingers?

Investigators are
searching for Timothy Johnson,

their prime suspect
in the Judy therianos murder.

I conducted research
on Timothy Johnson

in numerous databases
with the sheriff's office

trying to obtain a background.

I didn't have to look that far
for Timothy Johnson

'cause he was incarcerated,
and it makes me very happy.

Detective berberich and I
went to the jail

to speak with Timothy.

We felt we had the upper hand,

because we knew certain aspects
of the investigation

that he may not have thought
that we did.

At that point,
I was nervous, too,

because I wanted to make sure
I didn't screw it up.

I wanted to get this guy.

It was like my life's mission.

While talking to Timothy,
we were able to realize

that this is not
his first rodeo.

When he spoke to US,
he was calm, pretty soft-spoken.

He didn't appear
to be aggressive.

This was not the first time
he's been interviewed

by law enforcement.

He admitted that he knew Judith,

and then he admitted
to having sex with her.

So we knew as detectives
that we were getting closer

to having him confess
to murdering Judith.

Come on.
She may be a free spirit,

but she's not trash

to where she's gonna
have sex on a dumpster.

That's just stupid. You know,
like, it kind of made me mad.

Don't criticize
your victim like that.

Johnson doesn't respond,

but investigators keep pressing.

With that,
Timothy Johnson shuts down.

He was smart enough
to know when he shouldn't speak.

But I got him to admit

having sexual relations
with her.

As soon as he said that,
I knew I got him,

even though he hadn't confessed.

But I knew it was -- I mean,
I knew it was him.

Deep down,
my cop-tuition or whatever,

I knew it was him.

But they might not
need his confession.

That very day, before detectives
can even leave the jail...

...they receive word
that Johnson's cellmate

says he has more information
about Judy's murder.

The informant tells police

what Johnson told him
about the murder.

The informant
was able to provide US

with specific details.

He knew where it happened.

He was able to
provide US information

that he had sex with her
near a dumpster

and that he left her body
in the wooded area.

After the murder,
the informant says

Timothy Johnson
took Judy's debit card...

...and went to a restaurant.

I obtained surveillance
video footage

of him at the restaurant eating.

And it was the same time

as the transaction
on Judith's credit card.

Timothy was just
sitting there nonchalantly.

He wasn't panicked.
He wasn't freaking out.

It was like nothing
ever happened to him.

But then, the informant says,

Johnson returned
to the scene of the crime.

During all of the
investigations that I've worked,

I've never seen
anything like this.

The witness statements,

the debit card,
and surveillance video

give investigators
everything they need.

Afternoon.
Pasco sheriff's office

has arrested Timothy Johnson
with first-degree murder.

Based on the physical evidence

and the testimony
of his cellmate,

Timothy Johnson is convicted
of murdering judi therianos

and is sentenced
to life in prison.

We always see
the worst in humanity,

so nothing really surprises me.

So this was sick,
and it was disturbing,

but it wasn't something
that I was --

well, that's a lie.
I was impacted by it.

I had nightmares.

But not so much because of him,

but because her last moments
were really terrible.

I'm thankful, and I'm grateful
to have closure.

But my heart goes out

to the families
that don't have that closure,

that they're always wondering
and have that hope

that maybe their loved one
will just reappear.

The disappearance
of brook Lynn peck

remains unsolved.

If anyone does have
any information,

I would just really love
for them to come forward,

any information at all.

Nothing is too small
or unimportant.

It doesn't matter
if they're afraid.

Just reach out
and just let US know

exactly what happened
to brook Lynn.