I Would Find a Girl Walking (25 page)

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Authors: Diana Montane,Kathy Kelly

BOOK: I Would Find a Girl Walking
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August 29, 1985
 
Dear Kathy,
 
I just received your letter of Wed. pm.
I too am shocked at that being declined.
I have written inmate requests to Mr. Dugger (Superintendent) and Mr. J.R. Reddish (Assistant Superintendent of Programs.) This was done before I wrote to you.
I want you to contact Don Jacobson, and tell him to call here and find out what happened. Nobody can refuse an interview but me, and believe me, I wasn’t even notified you called this time, like I was last time.
If you call again, please ask for Mr. J.R. Reddish or Mr. Dugger. These are the two you should talk to.
These people really have me upset over this, and it’s not good cause I have high blood pressure and take medication for it.
Kat, no one has pressured me about talking to you. Not even my father. No one knows except us. That’s how I want it until I’m ready to tell others.
This problem will be worked out if I have to file legal papers on them. But we (you and I) won’t give up on this. You keep calling for an interview with me and I will stay on these people with inmate requests.
But,
don’t
give up Kat. We have something working, and I know you and I both want it to work out.
Kat, please keep trying on the phone. Maybe even have Paul try calling for the both of you.
Things are going along real well now. That is why we can’t give up on this.
Kat, I am being honest with you also, about everything. As I said before, you are the only person in your field I have consented to do this with.
I knew something was wrong, when I got your letter written by hand. Just sit tight, and do what I said—keep calling here for an interview and have Paul try also. Because I want to see you again, Kat.
Let me know who you spoke with when you called here, and they declined our interview.
Please write me back on this Kat.
Also, be careful and stay calm. Let me do the worrying for us. Okay? Besides, I worry about you now cause of this.
 
Yours truly,
Jerry
 
P.S. I am working on that assignment for you, but will take care of this matter at hand first.
 
Jerry
August 29, 1985
 
Dear Kathy,
 
As I said last night in my letter to you, I will be formulating all the facts I can remember about it.
It was rough last night cause I saw the whole thing all over again. Think I got about 3 hrs. of sleep. Luckily I have coffee and cigarettes, cause I was at them last night.
Let me start by describing the car I had. It was a light green 1973 Plymouth Duster. It was a small about six engine with a 3 speed on the column, with Avenger 60’s with chrome slotted mags and high-jack air shocks, am / fm stereo eight-track, anti-theft door locks, and always in immaculate condition. It even had two chrome mirrors I put on. I was really proud of that car. I got it brand new from Cheltenham Chrysler in Penn.
I was working at Burroughs Corp. running computers in Paoli, Penn. We had a new # 7700 I was running for demonstrations to different companies.
It was one night when my Dad and I got a call that my Grandfather died. After that night, I was never the same. I loved him very dearly. So, one night after work, I decided to drive to Florida. Figured I would make it straight through. You see, I was upset about my grandfather dying, and also the fact I was going into the Navy, and I would probably lose Yvonne (my girlfriend) too. All of this was playing on my mind while I was driving. I got as far as Gainesville and I figured I better turn back, cause I had a job, and girlfriend who needed me, and my grandfather would have wanted me to keep both. So, I drove around Gainesville for a few hours, and came upon two girls hitchhiking. I stopped and asked if they needed a ride, and they got in. I told them I was thinking of going to college here. I was drinking beer and the girls were a little nervous about that.
The subject turned to sex then, and I was wanting to get into bed with one or both. But they took a negative attitude cause I was a little overweight, and that triggered something in my brain, and I pulled out my hunting knife from under my seat. All I wanted was sex, I wasn’t out to murder them. But it ended up with me stabbing both girls to death. I even had to chase down one of the girls. I carried that one to a wooded area off the road, and went back to my car, and the other one was slumped over moaning. So I stabbed her a few times in the back and carried her almost as far. After that, I cleaned up my car, and myself, and headed back to Pennsylvania and my job.
You see, Kat, there was another that was close in months, but these two were the first. I ought to know which ones are which, I was there when it happened.
When I got back to Pennsylvania, I went about my business like nothing had happened. I didn’t even have to worry about taking a day off for travel time. I went home, cut the grass, and then went over to Yvonne’s house. No questions were asked where I was last night, cause she trusted me, and knew I was upset about losing my grandfather.
That is what happened with the first case I ever did.
Kathy, it was even worse when I lost my grandmother. I was married at the time and all my (ex) was interested in, was how much money was left to me. She learned that none was left to me, and took an entire different outlook at me then. She was spending more time at her mother’s and less time at our house. This can be discussed later, Kat.
I am going to try and get a few hours of sleep now, cause I have put down what happened with that case.
Please forgive me for cutting this short, but I am a walking zombie. Will write more this weekend.
Sorry I took so long writing back to you, but I was waiting for an answer on those inmate requests I filled out about our visit.
I got a real nice letter from Paul last night. It was good to hear from him. Kat, he will help us get our interviews.
Well, I want to get this in the mail tonight. Please write soon—and be careful where you go.
 
Yours truly,
Jerry
 
P.S. Don’t give up on our interviews, Kat—keep trying, and have Paul try also. Will let you know when I hear from them, or why they refused our interview.
The “trigger” was the put-down about his weight from one of the girls, or both. And here it was, in black and white, how he “went about his business like nothing had happened.” The first murders were obviously out of frustration, and perhaps also triggered by the girls being lesbians. After that, he knew that he could kill again.
September 1, 1985
 
Dear Kathy,
 
I thought I would drop you a line, since there is nothing happening up here.
Besides, I am still steamed at these people for what they did to you on the phone. If I didn’t care about getting visits from my mother, and you, I would go off on them. Then, I would be placed on a disciplinary report with nothing (no visits, etc.) But you and mom are the only reason I haven’t done that.
I am also worried about this hurricane that is brewing on the West Coast. If it comes East, it will hit here, and you will have severe winds and flooding in Daytona. I hope you are in a high area like my parents. But they have a pool with screening and that would be torn to bits. If it comes your way, please make sure everything is tied down, and you take shelter. I don’t want anything to happen to you or my parents.
Bet your going to have a good time this weekend. Have fun, but be careful, okay?
We have a 3 day holiday up here, which holds our mail up one day.
Kat, let me know how long it takes for you to receive one of my letters. They like to read mail here on the way out, cause we can’t seal our envelopes. They do it for us here.
What I was thinking was, these people don’t like to let reporters, news people in too much, cause they know what some of them do. But don’t worry. Just keep calling, and have Paul try too if need be, Kat. I want to see you again, and also Paul too. With both of us working on these people, they will see what we mean.
Let me explain something, when a lawyer calls for an interview, they don’t contact us. They just call us in when he comes. But when a newspaper calls (mag, paper, tv) they contact us before for approval. I wanted you to know that. You see, they were to contact me before they gave you an answer. They took it upon themselves to answer for me, which is not right. But I have caught them at their own game. That is why I filed those inmate requests to these two people. Call again, when you get my last letter, but ask for one of those two people I mentioned, and find out why they declined our visit, and I will do the same here. Cause I will get to the bottom of this problem.
If you get a chance, please have Paul tell Sgt. Charles Connelly “Hello, and I am doing fine.” Charley and I went to jr. high together and was in the band. His mother knew my grandmother through the band. That was when Frank Northrup was band Director of Seabreeze Jr. High School. But that is history now.
Guess I will close for now, I don’t want to keep you from anything.
If you get a chance, drop me a line, and please tell whom you talked to when they declined our visit. That way, I can file a grievance request on the person.
Be careful on Labor Day Weekend.
 
Always,
Jerry
Again, he warned me to “be careful.” Anne Rule, who wrote
The Stranger Beside Me
, a firsthand account about her having worked alongside serial killer Ted Bundy, also recalled how, after she and Bundy finished their shift at a crisis-intervention center manning phones, Bundy would walk her to her car, advise her to roll up her windows and lock her doors, and say, “Be careful.”
September 5, 1985
 
Dear Kathy,
 
Hi! Thought I would start a letter to you. As you know, I go for the Pre-Clemency Hearing on Friday Sept. 6. I am a little nervous about it too. But we all (us men on D.R.) have to go through it once. Then, our case goes to Gov. Bob Graham for his consideration. After that, he signs a warrant for us, and we go to death watch for 30 days. I haven’t been there yet, but I might be there before this year is up. It all depends on how fast he rules on the case. But I have a feeling he will rush mine through, Kat.
I am still waiting to hear from those people whom I wrote about why our interview was declined.
I am listening to I-100 here in Daytona while writing to you. They are playing my artist, David Lee Roth “California Girls” and “Just a Gigolo.” The one song, “Just a Gigolo,” is my theme song. It fits me to a tee. Paul knows what I mean, Kat.
I wrote Paul a nice letter the other day. It was good to hear from him. At least Paul and I see eye to eye on some things. I am talking about questioning of different detectives.
Kat, I wrote you a letter in response to your question you asked. I wanted you to have the answer before I went to the Pre-Clemency Hearing on Friday. Write me, let me know what you want answered, Kat. I also told Paul to help out with our visits if need be.
And now I wonder why he told me about the songs in the context of all he did: “California Girls” and “Just a Gigolo.” After “Gigolo” there is too much information, another telltale sign of conning: “[It is] my theme song. It fits me to a tee. Paul knows what I mean.” And then again, of course, “Kat.”
Sunday, September 8, 1985
 
Hi Kathy,
 
Back again. I got responses to the inmate requests you sent. Both of them were worded the same. Am enclosing a photo copy for you, I have the originals.
I am waiting patiently for your next letter, and our next visit together.
Well, Friday is over.
My Pre-Clemency Hearing, they wanted to have three cases at once, but my lawyer was only prepared for the last case. I have to have a lawyer from Volusia County represent me for these 2 cases. I’m not looking forward to it again.
My parents were up today. Mom was really happy but the old man was a real snob. Sure would like to know why he has the attitude he has. I have enough problems on my mind than to have him bitch for 4–6 hours.
Guess I’ll close, Kat.
Please write when you get a chance.
 
Yours truly,
Jerry
 
P.S. Photo copy enclosed for you.

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