Zahn: THE VOICE OF A PREDATOR.
HE HAD A DARK OBSESSION.
ONE WOMAN TRIED TO KEEP AWAY FROM HIM.
THEY SAID, "GO IN YOUR HOUSE AND LOCK THE DOOR."
ANOTHER WANTED TO UNDERSTAND HIM.
YOU HAVE TO KNOW
THAT SOME PEOPLE FIND THAT EXTREMELY TROUBLING.
TWO WOMEN COME FACE-TO-FACE WITH A SERIAL RAPIST.
I BRUSHED UP AGAINST SOMETHING COLD AND DARK AND EVIL.
[ HORNS HONKING ]
[ HELICOPTER BLADES WHIRRING ]
ONCE YOU KNEW WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO YOU...
THE POLICE COME TO VISIT YOU.
[ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS ]
--Captions by VITAC-- www.vitac.com
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
HI. I'M PAULA ZAHN,
AND TONIGHT WE'RE ON THE CASE IN DENVER, COLORADO,
FOLLOWING THE TRAIL OF A SERIAL RAPIST.
OUR STORY FOCUSES ON TWO WOMEN LIVING THROUGH A NIGHTMARE --
ONE, A VICTIM WHO REFUSED TO BE DEFINED BY A PREDATOR'S ATTACK,
AND THE OTHER,
A NEWSPAPER REPORTER DETERMINED TO UNDERSTAND HIS RAGE.
BOTH WOMEN WOULD BE CHANGED FOREVER
BY THEIR TERRIFYING BRUSH WITH DARKNESS.
IT BEGAN IN THE DARK.
A MAN LUNGED AT A WOMAN IN THIS ALLEY.
IT WAS A BRAZEN ATTACK,
JUST STEPS FROM A WELL-LIT STREET IN DOWNTOWN DENVER.
I LOOKED UP, AND HE WAS RUNNING TOWARDS ME,
AND I THOUGHT, "OH, GOD. HERE WE GO."
Zahn: THE MAN RAPED HER AT KNIFEPOINT,
VAULTED OVER A FENCE, AND DISAPPEARED INTO THE NIGHT.
FOUR MONTHS LATER, IN AN AFFLUENT DENVER NEIGHBORHOOD,
ANOTHER SHOCKING ATTACK.
THIS TIME, THE VICTIMS
WERE TWO LITTLE GIRLS AND THEIR GRANDMOTHER.
A GRANDMOTHER WAS RAPED,
ALONG WITH HER TWO GRANDCHILDREN,
IN THE SAME HOME.
THAT, I JUST FOUND UNBELIEVABLY SICKENING.
IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO HEAR THE DETAILS
AND NOT FEEL A SENSE OF REVULSION.
I WAS ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED AND HORRIFIED.
VETERAN CRIME REPORTER AMY HERDY
COVERED THE STORY FOR THE DENVER POST.
I'M A MOTHER. I HAVE CHILDREN.
AND ONE OF MY CHILDREN WAS AROUND THAT AGE.
AS AMY DUG INTO THE CASE, HER YEARS OF CRIME REPORTING
TOLD HER THESE WERE NOT ISOLATED INCIDENTS.
SHE SCANNED THE POLICE BLOTTER
AND DISCOVERED TWO OTHER WOMEN HAD RECENTLY BEEN RAPED
IN THE SAME AREA.
SO, IT WAS THE SIMPLE GEOGRAPHY
OF WHERE THESE CRIMES WERE COMMITTED
THAT MADE YOU THINK THIS COULD BE A SINGLE PERPETRATOR.
IT WAS THE GEOGRAPHY,
AND IT WAS ALSO THE DESCRIPTION OF THE PERPETRATOR.
IT WAS A WHITE MALE, MEDIUM BUILD,
SHORT, BROWN HAIR, WIRE-RIMMED GLASSES.
I MEAN, THOSE THINGS, AFTER A WHILE, BECOME DISTINCTIVE.
ONE MAN RESPONSIBLE FOR TERRORIZING AN ENTIRE CITY.
IT WASN'T AS IF IT WAS ENOUGH
FOR HIM TO ASSAULTHIS VICTIMS.
HE WENT OUT OF HIS WAY
TO HUMILIATE THEM AND TO TORTURE THEM, REALLY.
NO ONE FELT SAFE.
WHAT WAS THE SENSE OF FEAR IN DENVER?
PEOPLE WERE ARMING THEMSELVES
WITH BASEBALL BATS AND HOCKEY STICKS.
AND PEOPLE WERE AFRAID TO WALK OUTSIDE,
IN DAYLIGHT OR DARK.
THEN POLICE GOT A BREAK.
DNA EVIDENCE CHECKED AGAINST CRIMINAL RECORDS
REVEALED THE IDENTITY OF THE RAPIST.
HE WAS 35-YEAR-OLD BRENT BRENTS...
...A SEX OFFENDER WHO HAD RECENTLY FINISHED SERVING TIME.
BUT NOW POLICE HAD NO IDEA WHERE HE WAS.
Whitman: IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION
LEADING TO HIS POSSIBLE LOCATION AT THIS TIME,
YOU NEED TO CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY.
Zahn: BRENTS' FRENZIED CRIME SPREE WAS BIG NEWS.
33-YEAR-OLD TIFFANY ENGLE LIVED IN THE AREA
WHERE BRENTS SEEMED TO BE FOCUSING HIS ATTACKS.
EVERYBODY KNEW ABOUT HIM.
EVERYBODY KNEW THE NAME AND TO WATCH OUT FOR HIM.
WHERE WAS HE LAST SEEN? WHERE DO I HAVE TO BE CAREFUL?
ON FEBRUARY 17, 2005,
TIFFANY CAME HOME TO FIND SQUAD CARS BLOCKING OFF HER STREET.
THEY'D RECEIVED A TIP BRENTS WAS CLOSE-BY.
THEY SAID, "GO IN YOUR HOUSE AND LOCK THE DOOR."
AND SO I DID, AND I CALLED MY SISTER THAT NIGHT,
AND I TOLD HER, "I CAN'T BELIEVE
THIS IS HAPPENING IN MY OWN NEIGHBORHOOD."
TIFFANY WAS THE PART-TIME MANAGER OF AN APARTMENT COMPLEX.
ONE OF HER TENANTS CALLED HER TO SAY HE WAS CONCERNED
ABOUT SOMETHING HE HAD SEEN IN A VACANT APARTMENT.
I HAD A TENANT CALL AND LEAVE ME A MESSAGE AND SAY,
"I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW,
"I THINK THERE WAS SOMEBODY IN THAT UNIT LAST NIGHT.
WHEN I CAME HOME FROM WORK, THE LIGHT WAS ON IN THE KITCHEN."
TIFFANY HAD OTHER THINGS ON HER MIND.
SHE WAS HEADING OUT OF TOWN THAT WEEKEND ON A SCUBA-DIVING TRIP.
STILL, THE NEXT DAY, TIFFANY DROPPED BY THE APARTMENT
TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING WAS OKAY.
SO, ON THE DAY YOU SET OUT
TO GO CHECK OUT THIS APARTMENT...
MM-HMM.
...YOU DIDN'T FEEL THAT SAME SENSE OF THREAT
YOU FELT IN YOUR OWN NEIGHBORHOOD THE NIGHT BEFORE.
NO, 'CAUSE I DIDN'T SEE ANY POLICE OFFICERS.
THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANY STREETS BLOCKED OFF.
IT WAS JUST A NORMAL NIGHT IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
BUT EVERYTHING CHANGED
WHEN SHE WALKED INTO THE APARTMENT.
THERE WAS A MAN AND A WOMAN IN THERE, BOTH NAKED.
AND IT WAS JUST AN INSTANT FEAR,
AND, YOU KNOW, THE HAIR STOOD UP ON MY NECK.
YOU WERE AFRAID. YEAH.
AND THE FEAR WENT WELL BEYOND
SOMEONE JUST WALKING IN ON A COUPLE
BEING IN AN APARTMENT THEY'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE IN,
HAVING SEX.
YEAH. OH, YEAH. ABSOLUTELY.
I DIDN'T EVEN HAVE TIME TO THINK,
"WHO IS THIS PERSON? WHY IS HE HERE?
HE SHOULDN'T BE HERE. I NEED TO CALL THE COPS."
NONE OF THAT EVEN CAME TO MY MIND.
TIFFANY HAD COME FACE-TO-FACE WITH BRENT BRENTS,
THE MOST WANTED MAN IN DENVER.
WHEN I SAW HIM IN PERSON THE FIRST TIME,
HE LOOKED MUCH SCARIER THAN HE DID IN A MUG SHOT
THAT THEY WERE FLASHING, YOU KNOW, ON THE NEWS.
HE JUST LOOKED...DARK,
YOU KNOW, SORT OF OMINOUS LOOKING.
TIFFANY IMMEDIATELY KNEW SHE WAS IN TERRIBLE DANGER.
SHE TURNED TO LEAVE THE APARTMENT,
BUT BRENTS POUNCED FROM ACROSS THE ROOM.
HOW DID HE GRAB YOU?
HE JUST GRABBED ME BY THE ARMS AND PULLED ME BACK IN.
FROM BEHIND.
MM-HMM.
TIFFANY CRIED OUT.
SHE SCRATCHED AND CLAWED AND TRIED TO HIT HIM,
BUT HE OVERPOWERED HER.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, HE WAS SITTING ON ME.
I COULDN'T MOVE MY LEGS.
HE HAD BOUND MY HANDS, AND IT WAS --
I HAD NOWHERE TO GO, NO LIMBS LEFT TO THROW AT HIM.
AND YOU'RE STILL SCREAMING AT THIS POINT.
OH, YEAH.
AND I WAS SCREAMING AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS.
BUT IN HER HEART,
TIFFANY KNEW NO ONE WOULD HEAR HER CRIES.
THE WINDOWS WERE CLOSED,
AND MOST OF THE RESIDENTS WERE AT WORK.
THE WOMAN SHE'D SEEN WITH BRENTS SEEMED PARALYZED IN FEAR.
TIFFANY WAS ON HER OWN.
BRENTS STARTED TO CHOKE HER.
I REMEMBER WONDERING,
"HOW WAS IT THAT I COULD SCREAM IF HE WAS CHOKING ME?"
THE OTHER WOMAN STARTED YELLING AT BRENTS,
BEGGING HIM TO STOP WHAT HE WAS DOING.
BRENTS TOLD HER TO LOOK FOR TIFFANY'S CAR KEYS.
THEN THERE WAS SILENCE.
REALLY, I JUST KEPT MY EYES CLOSED
AND JUST TRIED TO BREATHE, YOU KNOW, VERY SHALLOW
SO THAT MY CHEST WOULDN'T MOVE,
SO THAT WHOEVER WAS THERE MAYBE WOULDN'T KNOW I WAS AWAKE.
AND THEN I JUST WAITED AND LISTENED.
AND THEN... EVERYTHING WENT BLACK.
IT WAS JUST PAST 6:00 P.M.
WHEN TIFFANY STAGGERED OUTSIDE THE APARTMENT BUILDING.
HER BLOND HAIR WAS SOAKED WITH BLOOD.
POLICE LATER DETERMINED
BRENTS HAD BEATEN HER OVER THE HEAD WITH A 2x4.
A MOTORIST STOPPED TO HELP.
HE PULLED OVER, AND THEN ANOTHER WOMAN PULLED UP BEHIND HIM,
AND THEY BOTH CAME TO GET ME,
AND THEN THEY REALIZED THAT THIS REALLY WAS SERIOUS,
AND THEY CALLED 911.
THEY COVERED TIFFANY WITH A BLANKET
UNTIL THE AMBULANCE ARRIVED.
SHE WAS RUSHED TO A HOSPITAL IN CRITICAL CONDITION.
TIFFANY MANAGED TO TELL INVESTIGATORS
BRENTS HAD STOLEN HER CAR ALONG WITH HER CELLPHONE.
WHEN BRENTS USED THAT PHONE TO MAKE A CALL,
POLICE STARTED TRACKING HIM.
COMING UP, A HIGH-SPEED CAR CHASE...
...ENDS IN A SHOWDOWN IN THE MOUNTAINS.
BRENTS ATTEMPTED TO PUSH OUR PATROL CAR OFF THE CLIFF.
A MASSIVE MANHUNT WAS UNDER WAY TO CATCH BRENT BRENTS,
A SERIAL RAPIST WHO HAD ATTACKED FIVE WOMEN IN SIX DAYS.
AFTER HIS LATEST ATTACK, BRENTS MADE A CRITICAL MISTAKE.
HE PLACED A CALL
USING A CELLPHONE HE HAD STOLEN FROM HIS VICTIM.
POLICE WERE ABLE TO LOCK IN ON HIS LOCATION.
NOW THEY HAD TO CATCH HIM.
ABOUT 9:45 THAT NIGHT,
WE GOT WHAT THEY CALL A "BOLO" FROM DENVER P.D.,
ADVISING US THAT HE WAS POSSIBLY HEADED THIS WAY.
[ SIREN WAILING ]
Zahn: IT WAS NIGHTTIME IN GLENWOOD SPRINGS,
A MOUNTAIN TOWN MORE THAN 150 MILES FROM DENVER.
BRENTS CAME RACING OFF THE HIGHWAY
WITH POLICE IN HOT PURSUIT.
BRENTS SUDDENLY MADE A SHARP U-TURN ONTO A DIRT ROAD.
THE POLICE KNEW HE WAS TRAPPED. IT WAS A DEAD END.
[ SIREN WAILING ]
Young: IT WAS HARD TO TELL WHAT HE WAS GONNA DO WHEN HE STOPPED.
WE WERE CONCERNED
THAT HE MAY TURN IT INTO A VIOLENT CONFRONTATION.
Zahn: WHEN BRENTS REALIZED HE COULDN'T GO ANY FURTHER,
HE LIT A CIGARETTE AND THEN PUT HIS CAR IN REVERSE.
HE SLAMMED INTO THE SQUAD CAR BEHIND HIM,
PUSHING IT TOWARDS THE EDGE OF A CLIFF.
WE PUT OUR S.U.V. INTO DRIVE AND PUSHED HIM BACK UP THE HILL.
Zahn: AND WITH THAT, BRENTS GAVE UP.
HE SURRENDERED MEEKLY,
EVEN APOLOGIZING FOR THE TROUBLE HE HAD CAUSED.
Young: I WAS SURPRISED BY BRENT BRENTS' APPEARANCE.
HE DID NOT LOOK LIKE A MENACING INDIVIDUAL.
Zahn: WHILE POLICE WERE CHASING BRENTS ON THE INTERSTATE,
DENVER POSTNEWSPAPER REPORTER AMY HERDY
HAD BEEN ASSIGNED TO CHASE DOWN INFORMATION ON HIS BACKGROUND.
COVERING BRENTS WOULD END UP BEING MORE THAN A JOB.
IT WOULD BECOME INTENSELY PERSONAL.
IN HER INITIAL BACKGROUND SEARCH,
AMY FOUND OUT THAT BRENTS HAD SERVED 16 YEARS
FOR TWO ASSAULTS COMMITTED IN 1988.
KAREN STEINHAUSER PROSECUTED THOSE CASES
AND REMEMBERS THEM WELL.
THIS PERSON, WHO WAS 19 AT THE TIME,
PICKED OUT TWO CHILDREN AT RANDOM,
LURED THEM IN BY MEANS OF --
I BELIEVE HE ASKED THEM TO HELP LOOK FOR A LOST PET,
AND THEN ASSAULTED THEM BY THREATENING THEM WITH A WEAPON.
IT WAS A VICIOUS ATTACK.
Zahn: TO PROTECT THE YOUNG VICTIMS
FROM THE TRAUMA OF A TRIAL,
SHE HAD OFFERED BRENTS A DEAL.
IF HE AGREED TO PLEAD GUILTY,
HE WOULD BE SENT TO THE COLORADO STATE HOSPITAL
INSTEAD OF PRISON.
BRENTS TOOK THE DEAL.
Steinhauser: IF WE COULD AT LEAST MAKE IT SO HE WOULD BE GETTING TREATED
DURING THE TIME THAT HE WAS LOCKED UP,
THE HOPE WAS THAT WHEN HE GOT BACK ON THE STREETS
THAT THERE WOULDN'T BE ANY MORE VICTIMS.
Zahn: BUT A LITTLE MORE
THAN JUST TWO YEARS INTO HIS SENTENCE,
THE STATE HOSPITAL DISCHARGED BRENTS,
CLAIMING HE WAS NO LONGER DANGEROUS,
EVEN THOUGH HIS RECORD SHOWED
HE HAD ASSAULTED STAFF AND INMATES AT THE HOSPITAL.
HE WAS HANDED OFF TO THE PRISON SYSTEM TO COMPLETE HIS SENTENCE.
AND YEARS LATER, WHEN HE WAS RELEASED,
HE EMERGED UNTREATED AND UNCHANGED,
A TICKING TIME BOMB.
BY THE TIME HE WAS LET OUT, HE WAS...
GOING TO DO SOMETHING AGAIN.
Zahn: AND NOW THE PROSECUTOR'S GRIM PREDICTION
HAD BECOME REALITY.
BRENTS' CRIMINAL HISTORY MADE AMY WONDER
WHETHER BRENTS HAD SHOWN ANY WARNING SIGNS GROWING UP,
ANY CLUE THAT HE WOULD TURN INTO THE PREDATOR HE HAD BECOME.
SHE HEADED TO ARKANSAS,
HOPING TO GET AN INTERVIEW WITH HIS MOTHER AND SISTER.
I REMEMBER SEEING THEM WALK INSIDE THE FRONT DOOR,
AND I JUMPED UP AND GRABBED MY NOTEBOOK
AND RAN ACROSS THE STREET, AND I WALKED UP TO THEIR DOOR.
AMY SAYS BRENTS' SISTER SCREAMED AT HER TO GO AWAY.
HIS MOTHER STARTED CRYING.
I'M STANDING IN THE DOORWAY BRACING MYSELF,
BECAUSE HIS SISTER WAS REALLY IN MY FACE.
AND I WAS TRYING TO LOOK PAST HER
AND SIMPLY TALK TO HIS MOM.
EVENTUALLY, BRENTS' MOTHER AGREED TO TALK.
ONCE INSIDE, AMY NOTICED A PIECE OF REINFORCED STEEL
HANGING NEAR THE DOOR.
HIS MOTHER SAID, "THAT'S FOR IN CASE BRENT COMES HOME."
SHE SAID THAT TO YOU?
YEAH.
HAD HE THREATENED HER?
SHE WAS VERY AFRAID OF HIM. SHE WAS VERY AFRAID OF HIM.
WHAT HAD BRENTS DONE ALONG THE WAY
TO MAKE HIS MOTHER SO AFRAID?
HIS MOTHER TOLD ME THAT HE HAD BEEN ABUSIVE WITH HER
FROM THE TIME THAT HE WAS A YOUNG BOY,
THAT HE WOULD THROW THINGS AT HER, THAT HE WOULD HIT HER,
THAT HE WOULD PUSH HER INTO THE WALL.
WHEN AMY PHONED HER EDITORS
TO TELL THEM ABOUT THE INTERVIEW,
THEY TOLD HER BRENTS HAD JUST BEEN ARRESTED.
I REMEMBER FEELING A SENSE OF RELIEF.
I REMEMBER SITTING AT MY LAPTOP AS I WAS WRITING MY STORY
AND THINKING, "GOOD. IT'S OVER NOW."
IT WAS FAR FROM OVER.
AMY WROTE A LETTER TO BRENTS,
ASKING HIM FOR AN INTERVIEW.
SHE TOLD HIM TO CALL HER COLLECT AT THE DENVER POSTNEWSROOM.
ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE ENVELOPE, I WROTE,
"PLEASE DON'T BE AFRAID TO OPEN THIS,"
BECAUSE I KNEW THAT HE WAS
BEING PORTRAYED IN THE MEDIA AS A MONSTER,
AND I DIDN'T WANT HIM TO FEEL THAT IT WAS GOING TO BE
ANOTHER ANGRY LETTER FROM SOMEONE WHO HATED HIM.
THE REPORTER DIDN'T ALLOW HERSELF
ANY FEELINGS ABOUT BRENTS.
SHE WAS INTENT ON DOING HER JOB,
TRYING TO LAND AN INTERVIEW WITH HIM.
SHE NEVER DREAMED IT WOULD WORK,
BUT TWO WEEKS LATER, THE PHONE RANG.
ONE OF THE EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS, I REMEMBER,
STOOD UP AND YELLED FROM ACROSS THE NEWSROOM,
"AMY, IT'S BRENT BRENTS ON THE PHONE!"
COMING UP, INSIDE THE MIND OF A PREDATOR.
AMY HERDY, AN AWARD-WINNING JOURNALIST,
HAD BEEN REPORTING ON SERIAL RAPIST BRENT BRENTS
FROM THE BEGINNING OF HIS EXPLOSIVE CRIME SPREE.
SHE HAD INTERVIEWED HIS FAMILY
AND INVESTIGATED HIS CRIMINAL HISTORY,
BUT SHE STILL NEEDED TO UNDERSTAND
WHAT WAS BEHIND BRENTS' HORRIBLE CRIMES.
SHE WAS ABOUT TO GO INSIDE THE MIND OF A PREDATOR.
AFTER BRENTS' ARREST,
POLICE RELEASED MORE INFORMATION ABOUT HIS VICTIMS.
AMY WAS DETERMINED TO TELL THEIRSTORIES.
UNTIL YOU'VE PUT SOME PERSONAL DETAILS
ON A CRIME LIKE THIS,
UNTIL YOU HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING
OF WHAT THESE PEOPLE WENT THROUGH,
YOU'RE REALLY NOT GONNA HAVE A TRUE UNDERSTANDING
OF THE FULL HORROR OF THESE CASES.
WHEN AMY INTERVIEWED 49-YEAR-OLD MARGARET ANDERSON,
SHE STILL HAD BRUISES AROUND HER NECK
FROM THE DAY BRENTS HAD ATTACKED HER IN HER HOME.
HOW DID HE ATTACK HER? WHERE WAS SHE?
SHE HAD BEEN OUT WALKING,
AND HE HAD BEEN STALKING HER FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS.
AND WHEN SHE WENT TO OPEN THE DOOR,
HE CAME CHARGING OUT OF NOWHERE
AND PUSHED THROUGH THE DOOR AND DRAGGED HER IN THE HOUSE
AND THEN STARTED BEATING HER.
HE GRABBED ME BY MY FEET,
AND HE GOES, "IF YOU DON'T SHUT UP, I'LL KILL YOU!
I SAID, 'I'LL KILL YOU!'"
AND I JUST KEPT TELLING HIM,
"YOU CAN TAKE ANYTHING YOU WANT. TAKE EVERYTHING YOU WANT."
AND I JUST FELT LIKE -- HE STARTED, JUST, CHOKING ME,
AND I JUST FELT LIKE, "I'M DEAD. I'M DONE."
HE LOOKED LIKE THE DEVIL WHEN HE ATTACKED ME.
WHEN IT WAS ALL OVER, POLICE TOLD MARGARET
THAT A CASE LIKE HERS WOULD PROBABLY NEVER BE SOLVED.
IT HASN'T EVEN BEEN THREE WEEKS,
AND IT'S ALREADY GONNA BE PUT AWAY.
ARE THEY REALLY GONNA DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT?
DO THEY WANT TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT?
MARGARET'S NIGHTMARE STILL HASN'T ENDED.
I JUST DON'T FEEL LIKE I'M THE SAME PERSON ANYMORE.
I'M ALWAYS SCARED. I'M ALWAYS JUMPY.
I FEEL LIKE I'M STUPID. I FEEL LIKE I'M CRAZY.
IT JUST DOESN'T FEEL THE SAME ANYMORE.
AMY WAS PIECING TOGETHER A DISTURBING PICTURE OF BRENTS.
HE WAS A SON WHO HAD TERRIFIED HIS OWN MOTHER,
A RAPIST WHO HAD DESTROYED LIVES.
WHAT DROVE HIM?
SHE GOT A CHANCE TO ASK HIM FOR HERSELF,
WHEN, OUT OF THE BLUE, HE CALLED THE NEWSROOM,
COLLECT, FROM JAIL.
I YELLED, YOU KNOW, "ACCEPT THE CHARGES!"
THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME
BRENTS HAD SPOKEN WITH A REPORTER.
WHEN SHE PICKED UP THE PHONE,
SHE REALIZED IT WAS A HUGE SCOOP.
AND AT ONE POINT,
I REMEMBER LOOKING UP AND COUNTING EIGHT PEOPLE
WHO WERE HOVERING OVER ME AS I WAS INTERVIEWING HIM,
AND I REMEMBER SIMPLY SAYING TO MYSELF,
"JUST STAY FOCUSED."
BRENTS WAS AGITATED.
EVEN THOUGH HE'D CALLED AMY, IT WAS CLEAR HE DIDN'T TRUST HER.
HE SAID, "I'M GONNA ASK YOU A QUESTION,
AND I WANT YOU TO TELL ME THE TRUTH."
AND I SAID, "OKAY," AND I BRACED MYSELF,
AND HE SAID, "EVERYBODY IS CALLING ME A MONSTER.
DO YOU THINK I'M A MONSTER?"
WHAT WAS YOUR ANSWER?
MY ANSWER -- I IMMEDIATELY SAID,
"I THINK WHAT YOU'VE DONE IS MONSTROUS.
I DON'T THINK THAT YOU'REA MONSTER."
IT WAS THE BEGINNING OF AN HOUR-LONG PHONE CALL.
AMY WOULD HEAR A CHAOTIC STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS
BY A MAN CONSIDERED SO DANGEROUS,
HE WAS BEING HELD ON $25 MILLION BAIL.
HE WAS VERY EMOTIONAL.
AT SOME POINT, HE CRIED. AT SOME POINT, HE WAS ANGRY.
AT SOME POINT, HE SOUNDED, YOU KNOW, SORRY.
IT WAS VERY VOLATILE.
BRENTS TOLD AMY HE WAS SORRY FOR WHAT HE HAD DONE.
HE ALSO TOLD HER HIS BIGGEST CONCERN
IN THE AFTERMATH OF HIS APPALLING CRIME SPREE
WAS THE WELFARE OF HIS DOG.
DIDN'T THAT SEEM COMPLETELY WEIRD TO YOU?
AFTER HE HAD VICTIMIZED SO MANY PEOPLE,
HE'S WORRIED ABOUT HIS DOG?
IT WAS A HUGE DISCONNECT.
I THOUGHT DURING THE CONVERSATION
THAT I WAS NOT TALKING WITH SOMEONE WHO IS VERY RATIONAL.
THEN BRENTS MADE AMY AN OFFER.
HE TOLD HER TO COME TO HIS COURT HEARINGS,
TO SEND HIM MORE LETTERS, GET TO KNOW HIM A LITTLE.
IF SHE DID THAT,
HE'D GIVE HER THE STORY SHE WAS LOOKING FOR.
HE KEPT TELLING ME
THAT HE WANTED THE PUBLIC TO UNDERSTAND HOW HE WAS MADE,
IN ORDER TO PREVENT ANOTHER HIM.
IT WAS A REPORTER'S DREAM --
EXCLUSIVE ACCESS ON A BIG STORY.
BUT FOR AMY, IT ALSO SOUNDED LIKE A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL.
SHE HEADED HOME THAT NIGHT, HER MIND RACING.
I REMEMBER HAVING THIS SENSE
OF FEELING LIKE I HAD JUST BRUSHED UP
AGAINST SOMETHING COLD AND DARK AND EVIL.
IT WAS REALLY UNSETTLING.
HER HUSBAND TOLD HER
NOT TO BRING BRENTS' EVIL INTO THEIR LIVES.
HE SAID, "THIS KIND OF MATERIAL
"IS SO VILE, AND IT IS SO HORRIBLE.
WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO SUBJECT YOURSELF TO HEARING ANY OF IT?"
AND I REMEMBER NODDING MY HEAD
AND LISTENING TO HIM AND SAYING,
"YOU'RE RIGHT. YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT."
AND AT THE SAME TIME, I KNEW I WAS GONNA DO IT ANYWAY.
HE WANTS HER ATTENTION, AND HE WANTS HER TO WRITE ABOUT HIM.
Zahn: FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGIST DR. N.G. BERRILL
SPECIALIZES IN EVALUATING SEX OFFENDERS.
HE SAYS BRENTS WAS USING AMY.
THIS IS HIS LAST OPPORTUNITY, YOU KNOW,
TO HOOK ANOTHER PERSON IN,
TO ENGAGE IN, YOU KNOW, A SEDUCTION, AS IT WERE.
Zahn: MINDFUL OF THE RISK,
AMY SAW IT AS AN OPPORTUNITY, TOO.
SHE STARTED WRITING TO BRENTS.
WHY? WHAT DROVE YOU?
WHY WOULDN'T YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW THIS MAN WAS MADE?
WHY WOULDN'T YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT CREATED HIM?
THAT MAY BE TRUE, BUT YOU ALSO KNEW
YOU WERE GONNA BE USED AS A PLATFORM FOR A VOICE
THAT PEOPLE FIND SO HIDEOUS, SO DEPRAVED,
THAT IT WAS GOING TO CREATE A LOT OF CONTROVERSY.
YOU TRY TO DO IT IN A WAY THAT IS RESPONSIBLE,
AND YOU TRY TO HAVE HIS STORY TOLD
IN A WAY THAT ISN'T SENSATIONALISTIC
AND THAT DOESN'T RE-TRAUMATIZE PEOPLE.
AMY ATTENDED ALL OF BRENTS' COURT HEARINGS,
AND EVERY WEEK, SHE WROTE HIM LETTERS,
AND WHEN HE COULD, BRENTS WOULD CALL HER FROM JAIL.
AMY WANTED TO KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT BRENTS.
HE WANTED TO KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT HER, TOO.
BEFORE HE WOULD GIVE HER
THE CRITICAL DETAILS SHE NEEDED FOR HER ARTICLES,
HE DEMANDED THAT AMY SHARE THINGS ABOUT HERLIFE,
EVEN HER MARRIAGE.
HE'S TRYING TO FIGURE OUT
IF SHE'S THE RIGHT PERSON TO TAKE THE MESSAGE ACROSS,
WHETHER OR NOT HE CAN BE ENTERTAINED
BY SPEAKING WITH HER.
AND IT IS SORT OF A DANCE
WHERE BOTH SIDES, YOU KNOW, HAVE THEIR OWN AGENDA.
Zahn: AND THEN BRENTS MADE A CHILLING CLAIM.
HE SAID HE HAD SEEN AMY BEFORE HIS ARREST,
THAT HE HAD STOOD TWO FEET AWAY FROM HER
IN THE ELEVATOR AT HER OFFICE.
BRENTS SAID HE HAD RECOGNIZED AMY
FROM APPEARANCES THE NEWSPAPER REPORTER HAD MADE ON TV.
WAS THE PREDATOR TRYING TO SEDUCE THE REPORTER?
AMY WAS UNNERVED, BUT IT DIDN'T STOP HER FROM WRITING TO BRENTS,
AND, AT LAST, HE REWARDED HER
BY OPENING UP ABOUT HIS COMPULSION TO ATTACK WOMEN.
HE SAID THAT THE VERY FIRST TIME THAT HE RAPED SOMEONE,
IT WAS SUCH A SENSE OF POWER AND CONTROL
THAT HE IMMEDIATELY BECAME ADDICTED.
BRENTS COMPARED THE FEELING TO BEING HIGH ON DRUGS.
HE SAID HIS FIRST RAPE WAS THE MOST INTENSE
AND HE'D BEEN CHASING THAT FEELING EVER SINCE.
BRENTS TOLD AMY
HIS FIRST TIME IN PRISON DID NOTHING TO REHABILITATE HIM.
HE SAID HE RAPED A PROSTITUTE ON HIS FIRST DAY OF FREEDOM
AND HIS DETERMINATION NOT TO GO BACK
JUST MADE HIM BETTER AT COVERING HIS TRACKS.
HE WOULD SHAVE HIS HEAD,
HE WOULD BE CAREFUL ABOUT WEARING LATEX GLOVES,
THAT HE CARRIED A BAG
THAT HAD HIS KNIVES AND OTHER THINGS THAT HE NEEDED IN IT,
THAT HE WOULD BE CAREFUL ABOUT TRYING TO WASH AWAY DNA.
DID HE EVER SAY
THAT IN THE MIDDLE OF ANY OF THESE ATTACKS
HE HAD ANY SECOND THOUGHTS?
NO.
AND THAT NO AMOUNT OF PLEADING OR TEARS FROM HIS VICTIMS
WOULD DETER HIM AT ALL.
NOTHING WOULD STOP HIM.
BUT HE SAID THAT ONE VICTIM'S FACE DIDHAUNT HIM,
THE ONE VICTIM WHO HE HADN'T STALKED AND SINGLED OUT,
THE ONE VICTIM HE HAD ATTACKED ON IMPULSE WHEN HE LOST CONTROL.
IT WAS TIFFANY ENGLE,
THE APARTMENT MANAGER BRENTS ATTACKED WITH A 2x4.
COMING UP,
HIS TERRIFYING CRIME SPREE BROUGHT A CITY TO ITS KNEES.
HOW MANY VICTIMS COULD HAVE BEEN SPARED?
HE CONFESSED TO SEXUAL ASSAULT,
AND THEY LET HIM WALK OUT OF THE ROOM.
WHY?
BRENTS TOLD REPORTER AMY HERDY THAT, OF ALL OF HIS CRIMES,
THERE WAS ONE HE REGRETTED --
WHEN HE BEAT TIFFANY ENGLE WITHIN AN INCH OF HER LIFE.
SOMEHOW, SHE HAD MANAGED TO SURVIVE,
BUT NO ONE COULD PREDICT
IF SHE WOULD EVER FULLY RECOVER FROM THE ATTACK.
TIFFANY HAD BEEN RUSHED TO THE HOSPITAL IN CRITICAL CONDITION.
THE DOCTOR'S DIAGNOSIS WAS GRIM.
SHE HAD A FRACTURED SKULL AND NEEDED EMERGENCY SURGERY
TO RELIEVE THE PRESSURE ON HER BRAIN.
THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHETHER I WOULD COME OUT A VEGETABLE
OR IF I WOULD, YOU KNOW, SPEAK TWO WORDS AGAIN
OR WHAT I WOULD BE LIKE.
THEN IT WAS A WAITING GAME.
FRIENDS AND FAMILY GATHERED AT TIFFANY'S BEDSIDE.
YOU HAD A HEAVILY PREGNANT FRIEND
VISIT YOU IN THE HOSPITAL.
I DID. MY BEST FRIEND.
WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT HER BEING THERE,
AND HOW MUCH DID IT HELP YOU?
UM, WELL, THIS IS WHERE I'M GONNA CRY.
[ LAUGHS ]
[ Voice breaking ] I REMEMBER THAT SHE LIFTED UP HER STOMACH
TO SHOW ME HER BELLY, AND I GOT TO -- UM, SORRY.
AND I GOT TO RUB HER BELLY,
AND IT WAS GOOD TO KNOW THAT I WAS STILL THERE.
TO FEEL NEW LIFE?
YEAH.
TIFFANY'S FAMILY TRIED TO SHIELD HER
FROM THE EXTENT OF HER INJURIES.
THEY KEPT HER AWAY FROM MIRRORS,
BUT A WELL-WISHER BROUGHT IN SOME GET-WELL BALLOONS.
ONE OF THEM FLOATED ENOUGH IN FRONT OF ME
THAT I COULD SEE THE BACK OF IT,
WHERE IT WAS JUST THE REFLECTION.
WHEN I LOOKED UP AND I LOOKED AT MYSELF
AND I WAS ALL BLACK AND BLUE AND, YOU KNOW, CUT UP,
IT WAS THE FIRST TIME I HAD SEEN MYSELF,
AND IT REALLY KIND OF SHOCKED ME.
TIFFANY WORRIED
ABOUT WHAT KIND OF FUTURE SHE WAS FACING.
"WHAT IF I ALWAYS HAVE TO LIVE
"WITH SOMEBODY TO TAKE CARE OF ME?
"WHAT IF I ALWAYS HAVE TO HAVE SOMEBODY DRIVE ME AROUND
IF I CAN'T DRIVE MY OWN CAR?"
YOU KNOW, IT WAS ALL THE "WHAT IFs"
THAT I WAS WORRIED ABOUT.
SHE BEGAN MONTHS OF PHYSICAL AND SPEECH THERAPY,
RELEARNING THE SIMPLEST TASKS.
IT WAS A TEDIOUS AND SOMETIMES HUMILIATING EXPERIENCE.
I REMEMBER GOING OUT THE DOOR OF MY HOSPITAL ROOM,
TAKING ME DOWN A CORRIDOR, TURNING THE CORNER,
GOING A FEW MORE FEET, STOPPING,
AND SAYING, "OKAY, NOW GO BACK TO YOUR ROOM."
AND I HAD NO IDEA HOW TO GET THERE.
JUST COMPLETELY...
...LOST.
HOW ANGRY DID YOU GET?
I WAS VERY MAD. "I KNOW THE LIFE I WANTTO LIVE.
WHAT IF I CAN'T BECAUSE OF THIS INJURY?"
TIFFANY HAD READ IN AMY'S ARTICLE
THAT BRENTS FELT SORRY FOR WHAT HE HAD DONE TO HER.
THAT WAS THE LAST THING SHE WANTED TO HEAR.
I REALLY DON'T CARE WHAT HE THINKS.
I DON'T CARE WHAT HE FEELS. I DON'T CARE ANYTHING ABOUT HIM.
BUT AS ANGRY AS SHE WAS AT BRENTS,
TIFFANY WAS JUST AS MAD AT THE POLICE IN AURORA, COLORADO,
A TOWN JUST OUTSIDE OF DENVER.
SHE LEARNED THAT FOUR MONTHS BEFORE THE CRIME SPREE,
BRENTS HAD ADMITTED TO THE POLICE
THAT HE HAD MOLESTED HIS GIRLFRIEND'S SON.
BUT, INCREDIBLY, HE HADN'T BEEN ARRESTED.
WHO DOES THAT?
THESE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE PEOPLE PROTECTING US.
THEY HAD THEIR OPPORTUNITY, AND THEY JUST LET IT GO.
AMY HAD UNCOVERED
SOMEOF THE DETAILS OF WHAT HAPPENED
WHILE SHE WAS REPORTING ON BRENTS' CRIME SPREE.
Herdy: HE SAT IN A ROOM WITH TWO DETECTIVES,
AND THEY RECORDED HIM WITH A DIGITAL RECORDER,
AND HE CONFESSED TO SEXUAL ASSAULT ON A CHILD,
AND THEY LET HIM WALK OUT OF THE ROOM.
WHY?
IGNORANCE? APATHY?
LACK OF TRAINING? LACK OF PROPER PROTOCOL?
PICK ONE.
AND HOW MANY CRIMES DID HE COMMIT AFTER THAT?
I WOULD SAY IT'S SAFE TO SAY, EASILY, DOZENS, AT LEAST.
DOZENS?
DOZENS.
AND IT WASN'T JUST THE AURORA POLICE
WHO HAD DROPPED THE BALL, ACCORDING TO REPORTER AMY HERDY.
SHE SAYS THE DENVER POLICE
HAD FAILED TO FOLLOW UP ON SOME VICTIMS' REPORTS, TOO.
BECAUSE POLICE MADE MISTAKES, MORE PEOPLE SUFFERED.
ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE HAD BEEN 25-YEAR-OLD TRACY SEIDEL,
THE WOMAN WHO WAS WALKING THROUGH AN ALLEY
IN DOWNTOWN DENVER WHEN BRENTS ATTACKED HER.
THAT HAD HAPPENED IN OCTOBER 2004 --
FOUR MONTHS BEFORE BRENTS' CRIME SPREE.
HE WAS TELLING ME, YOU KNOW, "I'LL KILL YOU."
Zahn: BRENTS GRABBED TRACY AND HELD A KNIFE TO HER THROAT.
HYSTERICAL WITH FEAR, SHE PLEADED WITH HER ATTACKER.
I SAID, "PLEASE DON'T HURT ME! PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!"
Zahn: TRACY HAD REPORTED THE ASSAULT
TO THE DENVER POLICE DEPARTMENT WITHIN MINUTES.
BUT IT TOOK INVESTIGATORS A FULL WEEK
TO SUBMIT HER RAPE KIT TO THE CRIME LAB,
AND IT WASN'T PROCESSED FOR ANOTHER TWO MONTHS.
WHY?
I DON'T KNOW WHY.
I CAN ONLY GUESS IT'S BECAUSE SHE WAS A PROSTITUTE,
AND, SO, HER CASE DIDN'T GET AS HIGH A PRIORITY
AS SOMEONE ELSE'S MIGHT HAVE.
SO SHE WAS BEING PENALIZED
SIMPLY BECAUSE SHE WAS A PROSTITUTE.
WELL, THEY NOTED IN THE REPORT
THAT SHE HAD A HISTORY FOR PROSTITUTION.
THAT'S SO SICK.
IT'S VERY SAD.
EVEN AFTER LAB TESTING WAS COMPLETED IN TRACY'S CASE,
A COMPUTER MALFUNCTION CREATED MORE DELAYS
IN IDENTIFYING BRENTS.
AND DURING THE MONTHS OF DELAY, BRENTS STRUCK AGAIN AND AGAIN.
AAH!
THINK OF ALL THE TIME THAT ELAPSED.
HOW MANY MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN WERE OUT THERE
BEING ASSAULTED BY HIM BECAUSE OF THAT MISTAKE?
AND THEN, PERHAPS THE MOST OUTRAGEOUS OMISSION OF ALL.
AFTER ANOTHER ATTACK, ONE OF BRENTS' VICTIMS
HAD ACTUALLY GIVEN DENVER POLICE HIS LICENSE-PLATE NUMBER.
IF THEY HAD RUN THAT TAG, THEY WOULD HAVE FOUND HIM,
BECAUSE THE TAG CAME BACK
TO THE PERSON'S HOUSE WHERE HE WAS LIVING.
IT WAS A TROUBLING TIMELINE OF MISSED OPPORTUNITIES
THAT STRETCHED BACK MONTHS.
WHEN CONTACTED,
THE AURORA POLICE DEPARTMENT REFUSED TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS
ABOUT THE CASE.
THE DENVER POLICE DEPARTMENT TOLD US IT HASN'T
"IDENTIFIED ANY ERRORS BY OUR PERSONNEL
RELATED TO THE INVESTIGATION AND BRENTS' ARREST."
AMY CONTINUED HER DIALOGUE WITH BRENTS.
THE MORE SHE TALKED TO HIM,
THE MORE SHE HAD WONDERED IF HIS LIFE AS A SEXUAL PREDATOR
COULD HAVE BEEN STOPPED MUCH EARLIER
OR MAYBE EVEN BEEN PREVENTED.
COMING UP, VICTIMS ARE OUTRAGED
AS THE PREDATOR FORMS A SPECIAL BOND WITH THE REPORTER.
ARE YOU TROUBLED AT ALL
BY THE RELATIONSHIP AMY HERDY HAS WITH BRENT BRENTS?
YES.
I THINK IT'S DESPICABLE, ACTUALLY.
I THINK IT'S DISGUSTING.
Zahn: WANT MORE ON THE CASE?
GO TO...
...AND VIEW MORE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS
AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO.
AMY HERDY HAD BUILT A REPUTATION
AS A REPORTER WHO WAS SENSITIVE TO CRIME VICTIMS.
AFTER GETTING TO KNOW SERIAL RAPIST BRENT BRENTS
THROUGH COUNTLESS LETTERS AND PHONE CALLS,
SHE BEGAN TO WONDER IF HEHAD BEEN A VICTIM, AS WELL.
BRENT BRENTS HAD MADE SOME SHOCKING CLAIMS
IN HIS LETTERS TO HER.
HE TOLD HER THAT BOTHHIS PARENTS HAD ABUSED HIM
PHYSICALLY AND SEXUALLY FROM THE TIME HE WAS 4 YEARS OLD.
BRENTS TOLD AMY HE WAS SO ANGRY AT HIS PARENTS
THAT HE STARTED ACTING OUT WITH A FURY.
HE WAS ARRESTED AT THE AGE OF 6 FOR VANDALISM.
AT THE AGE OF 12, HE COMMITTED HIS FIRST RAPE.
BRENTS WAS SENT
TO A SERIES OF BOYS' HOMES AND DETENTION CENTERS.
BUT HE TOLD AMY
THESE PLACES ONLY MADE HIM MOREANGRY AND CONFUSED.
BRENTS TOLD AMY, BY THE TIME HE REACHED HIS TEENS,
HE HAD BECOME A FULL-FLEDGED SOCIOPATH,
THAT HE HAD FOUND PLEASURE IN OTHER PEOPLE'S PAIN,
AND WHEN HE ATTACKED, HE WOULD SOMETIMES SEE HIS MOTHER'S FACE.
IT WAS REVEALING AND DISTURBING,
BUT WAS ANY OF IT TRUE?
WAS ANYBODY ABLE TO CONFIRM THAT ABUSE?
THE RECORDS BACK IT UP.
THERE ARE MEDICAL RECORDS THAT SHOW THAT,
JUST AS HE TOLD ME IN HIS STORY,
THAT HIS FATHER BEAT HIM WHEN HE WAS 12 AND FRACTURED HIS EYE.
THERE'S A MEDICAL RECORD TO BACK THAT UP.
YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT PHYSICALABUSE.
WAS THERE EVER ANY INDEPENDENT CONFIRMATION
THAT BOTHOF HIS PARENTS SEXUALLY ABUSED HIM?
IT'S IN HIS PSYCHOLOGICAL HISTORY
AND IT'S IN HIS MEDICAL HISTORY
THAT BOTH PARENTS SEXUALLY ABUSED HIM.
DID HE EVER REPORT IT TO ANYBODY?
DID HE TELL ANYBODYAT ALL ABOUT THIS ALLEGED SEXUAL ACTIVITY?
HE FINALLY TOLD -- I BELIEVE IT WAS A TEACHER.
AND HE WAS REMOVED FROM THE HOME FOR A TIME.
AND THERE WERE CHARGES FILED AGAINST HIS FATHER.
BUT THE CHARGES WERE DROPPED.
IT'S NOT CLEAR WHY FROM THE RECORDS.
BRENTS' MOTHER TOLD AMY HER SON WAS A LIAR.
SHE REPEATEDLY DENIED ABUSING HIM.
BRENTS' FATHER DIED IN 2004.
FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGIST DR. N.G. BERRILL SAYS,
EVEN IF BRENTS IS TELLING THE TRUTH,
HIS CHILDHOOD DOESN'T EXCUSE OR EVEN FULLY EXPLAIN
WHAT HE BECAME.
FOR ALL THE KIDS OR ALL THE ADULTS,
OR PEOPLE WHO ARE NOW ADULTS,
WHO, AS CHILDREN, WERE SEXUALLY EXPLOITED AND ABUSED,
THE REAL QUESTION IS,
ARE ALL OF THEM SEXUAL PREDATORS AND SADISTS?
AND THE ANSWER, OF COURSE, IS NO.
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THE PEOPLE OUT THERE,
THAT BY BUYING INTO THE NOTION
THAT HE WAS SEXUALLY ABUSED BY BOTH OF HIS PARENTS,
YOU'RE JUST CREATING EXCUSES FOR HIM?
I'M NOT MAKING EXCUSES FOR HIM.
I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND HOW HE WAS MADE.
THERE'S GOING TO BE MORE LIKE HIM.
THERE AREMORE LIKE HIM
WHO ARE OUT THERE RIGHT NOW HURTING PEOPLE.
SO WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS SO WRONG
IN OUR CULTURE AND IN OUR SOCIETY
THAT THESE MEN HAVE THIS LEVEL OF RAGE.
THE DYNAMIC WAS CHANGING.
AS AMY LEARNED MORE ABOUT THE PREDATOR,
SHE FELT COMPASSION FOR HIM,
AND BRENTS BEGAN TO DEVELOP STRONG FEELINGS FOR HER.
AND ALTHOUGH IT WASN'T A FRIENDSHIP AMY HAD SOUGHT OUT,
SHE DID AGREE TO DO THINGS FOR BRENTS, DEEPLY PERSONAL THINGS,
LIKE DISPOSING OF HIS ASHES AFTER HE DIES.
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO YOUR CRITICS OUT THERE
THAT YOU'VE CROSSED A LINE AS A REPORTER?
I'VE NEVER CROSSED A LINE AS A REPORTER.
AND YOU READ MY WORK, AND MY WORK STANDS FOR ITSELF.
DO YOU THINK BRENT BRENTS IS A MONSTER?
NO.
I THINK HE'S A HUMAN BEING,
A DEEPLY FLAWED AND BROKEN HUMAN BEING.
SO YOU HAVE EMPATHY FOR HIM.
I DO.
AND YOU HAVE TO KNOW
THAT SOME PEOPLE FIND THAT EXTREMELY TROUBLING.
I'M SURE THEY DO.
IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT FOR METO COME TO TERMS WITH IT.
I STRUGGLED BECAUSE I COULDN'T HATE HIM.
BRENTS' VICTIMS BELIEVE
AMY'S REPORTING DID MORE HARM THAN GOOD.
ARE YOU TROUBLED AT ALL
BY THE RELATIONSHIP AMY HERDY HAS WITH BRENT BRENTS?
YES. YES.
I THINK IT'S DESPICABLE, ACTUALLY.
I THINK IT'S DISGUSTING.
WHY SOMEONE WOULD WANT TO BEFRIEND
OR IN ANY WAY HAVE CONTACT
WITH SOMEONE AS HORRIBLE AS BRENT BRENTS,
I CANNOT FATHOM IT.
TIFFANY HAD SPENT WEEKS
PSYCHING HERSELF UP TO CONFRONT BRENTS IN COURT.
WITHIN DAYS OF HIS ARREST,
HE HAD AGREED TO PLEAD GUILTY TO ALL THE CHARGES AGAINST HIM.
BUT TIFFANY WAS DETERMINED TO HAVE HERSAY AT HIS SENTENCING.
IT FELT GOOD TO BE THERE. IT FELT...VERY GOOD.
SEEING HIM BROUGHT IN IN THAT ORANGE JUMPSUIT,
SURROUNDED BY POLICE OFFICERS
AND LOOKING A LOT MORE WEAK THAN I REMEMBER,
I KNEW THAT WHEN MY TURN CAME
TO GET UP THERE AND SPEAK TO HIM,
NOT ONLY COULD I SAY WHATEVER I WANTED,
BUT IF HE SO MUCH AS, YOU KNOW, LOOKED AT ME FUNNY,
THE POLICE WOULD BE ALL OVER HIM.
AS TIFFANY SPOKE, BRENTS PUT HIS HEAD DOWN AND WEPT.
DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT YOU SAID?
I DO.
I REMEMBER A LOT OF IT WAS CRYING
WHEN I WAS, YOU KNOW, SPEAKING ABOUT FAMILY AND DOCTORS
AND JUST ALL MY THANKS.
I REMEMBER QUOTING OUT OF A BOOK
THAT I READ WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL
THAT, ODDLY ENOUGH, I HAD REMEMBERED ALL THESE YEARS
AND NEVER KNEW WHY.
WHICH WAS?
AND IT SAYS, "I CANNOT BUT CONCLUDE
"YOU ARE THE MOST ODIOUS VERMIN THAT NATURE EVER SUFFERED
TO CRAWL UPON THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH."
THE JUDGE SENTENCED BRENT BRENTS TO 1,300 YEARS IN PRISON.
AFTER BRENTS' SENTENCING,
AMY HERDY DID SOME HARD THINKING ABOUT HER OWN LIFE.
SHE QUIT HER JOB AT THE DENVER POST
AND TOOK A NEW JOB AT COLORADO UNIVERSITY
ADVISING STUDENTS ON THE CAMPUS NEWSPAPER.
BUT ONE THING HASN'T CHANGED.
EVERY WEEK, THERE'S STILL A LETTER FROM BRENTS
AND A PHONE CALL.
ALTHOUGH HE TOLD AMY
HE NOW HAD REMORSE FOR THE CRIMES HE HAD COMMITTED,
BRENTS ALSO TOLD HER THERE WAS NO ESCAPING HIS NATURE
OR HIS COMPULSION TO HURT OTHERS.
THE FACT REMAINS HE'S A PREDATOR,
AND THAT'S WHAT REALLY DRIVES THIS GUY.
THERE'S VERY LITTLE TREATMENT THAT COULD BE PROVIDED
THAT WOULD TURN THIS GUY AROUND.
Zahn: EVEN THOUGH AMY IS NO LONGER A REPORTER,
SHE POSTS EXCERPTS
FROM HER COMMUNICATIONS WITH BRENTS ONLINE.
SHE HOPES IT WILL HELP START A DIALOGUE
ABOUT THE LARGER ISSUE OF HOW SOCIETY DEALS WITH RAPE.
WE'VE GOT TO STOP LOOKING AT THE ISSUE OF SEXUAL ASSAULT
LIKE IT'S A WOMAN'S PROBLEM.
YOU KNOW, GIVE WOMEN WHISTLES,
AND TELL THEM TO WALK IN PAIRS AFTER DARK.
WE NEED TO LOOK AT SEXUAL ASSAULT
FROM ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE AND SAY,
"HOW DO WE PREVENT THESE YOUNG MEN FROM BECOMING RAPISTS?"
Zahn: BRENTS CALLS HIS ONGOING RELATIONSHIP WITH AMY
THEIR "PROJECT."
SHE SAYS SHE HAS NO PLANS TO STOP WRITING TO HIM
NOR TALKING WITH HIM.
BUT FOR TIFFANY, IT'S A DIFFERENT STORY.
SHE IS DETERMINED TO PUT BRENTS AND WHAT HE DID TO HER
FAR BEHIND.
SHE STILL STRUGGLES WITH IMPAIRED HEARING AND VISION,
BUT SHE FINALLY MADE THAT SCUBA-DIVING TRIP
THAT WAS CANCELED BECAUSE OF BRENTS
AND CONTINUES TO GO ON DIVES
LIKE THIS ONE OFF THE COAST OF AUSTRALIA.
LIFE ISN'T PERFECT.
LIFE HAPPENS, AND YOU SORT OF JUST HAVE TO...DEAL WITH IT.
YOU CAN'T LIVE IN THE PAST, AND YOU CAN'T...
YOU CAN'T LIVE WITH THE "WHAT IFs."
I SORT OF JOKE NOW.
I SAY, "YOU KNOW, YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE.
OR TWICE, IN MY CASE. SO JUST DO IT."
AFTER BRENTS WAS SENTENCED,
TIFFANY ENGLE INITIATED A NEGLIGENCE SUIT
AGAINST THE CITY OF AURORA, COLORADO.
IN AN OUT-OF-COURT SETTLEMENT,
SHE AND OTHER VICTIMS RECEIVED AN UNDISCLOSED AMOUNT OF MONEY.
TODAY, TIFFANY HAS A FULL LIFE.
SHE WORKS IN COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE
AND HAS EVEN JOINED A RUGBY CLUB.
I'M PAULA ZAHN.
PLEASE JOIN US NEXT TIME WHEN WE'RE BACK ON THE CASE.