Latest / Shades of Murder / 68 : Evidence of Evil - The Shoe Fetish Slayer part 2

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68 : Evidence of Evil - The Shoe Fetish Slayer part 2 · Shades of Murder

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Hello and welcome to Shades of Murder.
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I am your host Alita Caldwell. In this podcast, I discuss cases
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of murder from around the world and throughout history,
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attempting to unravel the layers of darkness that help make
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humans into monsters. Please be forewarned that each
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episode contains specific and at times very graphic and
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disturbing details of the case. This show is not intended for
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all audiences and listener discretion is strongly advised.
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Prior to the confession made in the murder of Karen Springer,
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there had not been enough probable cause for a search
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warrant to be issued of his residence, garage, or any other
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known items. What a lot of people in society
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are not aware of is that in order to secure the integrity of
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what is collected during a search and therefore admission
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of evidence during a trial is that specific items, evidence
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areas, and persons, when applicable, must be listed.
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This is critical to uphold an individual's 4th Amendment
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rights concerning search and seizure, and search warrants
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can't list general or overly broad categories because this
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opens up for the possibility of a police fishing expedition.
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For example, unless an officer suspects something is hitting
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inside a box within a bedroom, the police don't have the right
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to search, much less collect the box or its contents.
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The only exception to this rule is what is known as the
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Plainview doctrine. This allows an officer to search
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and seize an item not listed in the warrant if it is discovered
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in Plainview. There are specific limitations
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in its scope. In the case of Jerome Brutos,
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thanks in large part to his babbling on and on very proudly
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in very specific detail about his crimes, Detective Stovall
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had a large list of items to include in the search warrant.
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These included pictures, bras, underwear, shoes, auto parts,
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ropes, copper wire and the hook and the ceiling, the come along,
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the leather strap, possessions belonging to the victims, and
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even the breast paperweights. The placard above Jim Stovall's
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desk was one which he modeled his investigative process after
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and was a reminder, a source of inspiration, of what is always
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needed. In any successful case.
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The elements of scientific proof must be present to establish and
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substantiate a scientific conclusion.
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The statement rang more true for this investigation than ever
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before in his long career. Jerome Brutus's older brother
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Larry, along with his defense attorney Dale Drake, were there
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to unlock the residence and accompanied Detective Stovall
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Frazier, District Attorney Gortmaker, and Lieutenant
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Pennock of the State Crime Lab with his team of crime scene
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analysts. The group was meticulous and
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very careful, preserving and photographing each inch of the
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house, the garage and his workshop.
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They were fully committed to ensuring that any and all
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evidence was collected. Inside the workshop were found
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the tools, a Brutus's atrocious, almost unspeakable crimes.
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There was the hook in the ceiling he had hung the women
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on. There was a 30 foot 316th inch
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rope that was used around some of their necks and the come
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along device that helped lift them up.
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They found the leather postal strap he had used to choke both
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Jan Whitney and Linda Soleil to death.
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There was a nylon cord, a vice and a locked tool chest and
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hundreds of keys that appeared to belong to vehicles and
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houses. In a wastebasket, investigators
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found ashes that appear to be residue from film and developed
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photographs. Inside the chest was a
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collection of women's shoes, including spiked black patent
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leather heels, various other heels and a pair of low laced
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tennis shoes. However, when the investigative
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team went on to search the main house, this is where they
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discovered the full spectrum and size of Jerry Brutus's
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collection. In the attic were 40 pairs of
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high heels. They ranged in all sizes from
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4:00 to 10:00 and came in all colors including white, black,
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red and brown. Some heels were suede, others
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were patent leather, spiked pumps and open toed.
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And then they discovered his prized collection of stolen
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undergarments. 15 bras were counted, ranging in size from
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30A to 38D. There were fancy bras in lace
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and satin, sheer black nylon, and others were basic everyday
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cotton bras. Some were freshly laundered and
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others still held the victim's perfume.
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There were also Lacy slips, panties and dozens of girdles,
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all of which were small. The officers and crime scene
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analysts were speechless. The Brutus's house wasn't
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particularly abnormal. It appeared to be like any other
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normal household, especially one with young kids.
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There were children's toys scattered on the floor and food
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left in the fridge. In the kitchen was a roll of
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brown paper towels, the same kind of towels that have been
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shoved into the brassiere Brutus had forced upon Karen
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Sprinkler's dead body after slicing off her breasts.
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And in the living room, on a high shelf above the fireplace,
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head criminalist Pennock discovered the weights that have
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been made from women's breasts. On the same shelf, they found
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pictures. Photos of Jerry Bruto's wearing
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a long black slip. The men returned to his workshop
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for a second look around. On a bench in a dimly lit area
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of his shop was another breast paperweight.
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This one was much smaller than the much fleshier one that had
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been found above the fireplace. They both looked too realistic
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to not be. Detectives decided to open the
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locked toolbox. In the upper right hand drawer
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was a thick packet of photographs.
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They were black and white taken of his victims, Jan Whitney and
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Karen Sprinker, two young helpless women who've been
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forced to fulfill the sexual fantasies of their evil captor.
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Another image was found. This one was of a woman nude and
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suspended on the hook at the ceiling.
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The woman's face was covered by a black hood, but she was later
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identified as Jan Susan Whitney. The images of Karen Sprinker in
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many respects were the very worst because she had been
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forced to endure his sadistic pleasures while still alive.
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There was a huge collection of her in various clothing and some
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none at all. None of the items belonged to
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Karen. Brutus had forced her to play
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dress up for him over and over and over again before he killed
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her and then desecrated and mutilated her body.
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But it was her expression in the photos that impacted the
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officers and the others the most.
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Her eyes were blank, empty, dead, as if she had given
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herself over to the darkness that had come for her.
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The men in the room were silent. No one spoke as Lieutenant
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Pennock, one by one, pulled out the images by its edges so as
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not to taint any known fingerprints.
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They were sickened and traumatized by being witness to
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what this monster had done. One officer couldn't hold it in,
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expressing all of their feelings, muttering Damn him,
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damn him. Then investigators found another
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set of photographs. Inside a three ring binder were
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variations of the same pictures, except a great many of them were
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of nude female torsos with their heads cut off with scissors.
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It was evident that all of the photos have been captured within
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the workshop. The blue shag rug that had stood
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out as weird amongst the environment of the workshop was
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present in all of the pictures, as was the Craftsman tool chest
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standing behind the girls. It was almost impossible for the
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officers and analysts to conceive that within feet of his
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neighbors homes and with only a small walkway between here and
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his home was a torture haven for a sadist, A rapist, A
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necrophiliac, an unimaginably evil serial killer.
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More images or burnt remnants of proofs were located in the
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wastebasket and in the backyard. Detectives couldn't help but be
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curious what were on those images that he had proactively
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burnt them but kept the others. Then Lieutenant Pennock noticed
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the corner of a photograph stuck between the workbench and a
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wall. It was of a woman in a black
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lace slip, panties and garters, and she was suspended hanging
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from the hook on the ceiling. The camera was angled to focus
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on the girl's crotch area, which was reflected in a mirror that
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had been placed on the floor. There was no movement in her
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body. The young woman was obviously
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dead. The detectives and team of
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analysts were horrified when they saw that she wasn't alone
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in the image. The monster had been captured in
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the mirror, staring in ecstasy at his own creation.
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It was obvious that this image didn't make it to the trash bin
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to be burnt like the others. Nothing made his guilt as clear
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as 100% undeniable as this one photograph.
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The detective still wanted to look further into the suspects.
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Hundreds of keys. Could they be proof that there
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were other victims? The keys found on a brown
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leather ring were confirmed to be the keys to Jan Whitney's red
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and white Rambler. Other case were verified to open
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the main entrance and the apartment where she had lived.
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Officers interviewed his friend Ned Rolls, who worked on several
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cars with Jerry Brutos. He specifically remembered an
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engine head from an early 1969 GM model.
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It had several bad valves on it which he gave detailed
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information to Lieutenant Pennock where the flaws would be
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located on the particular engine head.
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When the grease covering was removed from the engine head
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that officers had an evidence storage.
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It matched the exact area Ned Rolls had described.
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Within a week of being charged with first degree murder of
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Karen Elena Sprinker, Jerome Henry Brutos would now be
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charged with the murders of both Jan Susan Whitney and Linda Don
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Soleil. Salem attorney George Rhoten
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joined Jerry Brutus's defense counsel and when they learned of
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what would be known as the picture that portrayal of an
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enthusiastic murderer at the death scene, they promptly
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changed tactics. Jerome Brutos would submit a not
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guilty plea and not guilty by insanity plea when asked by
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Judge Sloper how he pleaded to the murder of Karen and Linda
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Sprinker. But was he insane under the law
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as determined by the McNaughton rule?
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Did Jerome Brutos understand what he did was wrong at the
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time of the offence, or was he suffering from a mental
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condition that prevented his understanding of the difference
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and thus was incapable of distinguishing what was morally
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right and wrong? A basic approach to establishing
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that a defendant was not insane at the time of the offence is
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for the prosecution to present evidence showing steps of
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premeditation and steps to conceal the crime, both of which
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there was ample evidence that Jerome Brutos had done.
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However, the sick depravity of his crimes was beyond heinous
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and disturbing to the degree that it was difficult to doubt
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he wasn't mentally ill. Jerome Brutus had been
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determined as a teenager when he was a charged deviant sexual
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predator to not be a serious threat to society.
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They have been deadly wrong with their psychological assessment
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of the young man whose crimes grew to such monstrous
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proportions that almost no one could grasp.
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Jerome Brutus would be closely examined by 7 different
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psychiatrists. They observed many conflicting
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behaviours around the defendant. When they entered the room.
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He couldn't sit still, He acted agitated, pent up with tension,
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and would frequently rise up and down from his chair and pace
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around the room. The man's fingernails were
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terribly chewed up, as if he was a nerve wrecked teenager.
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Jerome Brutos described himself as being a loner, but he was
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very chatty, even witty at times.
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He exhibited signs of grandiosity.
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He was immature and included unnecessary details in his
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answers, perhaps in an attempt to avoid discussions of any real
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issues. During one session, Jerome Bruto
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said he was a good guy, the kind of guy who would give the shirt
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off his back if need be. But then only a few minutes
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later he told the doctor that he acts the way he does because
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everyone takes advantage of him. It was clear to all 7 mental
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health professionals that he held no remorse or regret for
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his crimes. When he discussed the killings,
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he never expressed any emotion, much less empathy for the
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victims, and treated them as if they were negligible.
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They didn't mean anything at all to him.
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When he discussed his childhood, he had trouble connecting events
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with time. It was obvious that he had a
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childhood not worth remembering. He pretended to have blocked it
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out, but he didn't hide his deep resentment and boiling hatred
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for his mother. That hatred was the key to all
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of his horrendous actions that had been committed against
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females. The doctors all attested to how
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much he hated her and women. All women except for his wife,
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Darcy. He confessed that the only thing
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that was wrong with Darcy is that she wouldn't dress up like
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other women, which made him feel sorry for himself.
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They watched and listened as this man who had killed 4 young
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women and described the horrific mortars and torture in precise,
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emotionless terms, cry when he talked about how his wife Darcy
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made him feel bad. When asked by psychiatrist what
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kind of person you are, Jerome Brutus declared.
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I don't like to be told what to do.
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I live in a world full of people, but I feel all alone.
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I don't know if I knew right from wrong at the time of the
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deaths of those girls, but I know I didn't think about it.
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The thing that bothers me most right now is that I'm stuck
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here. Jerome Brutus then requested to
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be treated at a hospital, telling the doctors that he was
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confident he could become a positive member of society and
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continue to raise his children. Only when it fit his needs was
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Jerome Brutos ever willing to receive mental health treatment.
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His brain was tested to determine if his vile sexual
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fantasies were a result of brain damage or some other kind of
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impairment. They were not.
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There was nothing abnormal in his brain function.
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His intelligence and cognitive development were also tested and
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they indicated to be above average intelligence.
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All seven mental health care professionals deemed him as not
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insane. Jerome Henry Brutos was not
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diagnosed as being psychotic, but now psychopathy is an
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entirely different story. Doctor Guy Pavares for the
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defense presented this evaluation for the defense.
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This was submitted to Brutus's attorneys.
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In psychiatric examination. He was obviously anxious,
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agitated and depressed. He cried frequently, seeing he
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was sick and that he could not have help.
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Throughout the detailed discussion of the crimes, he
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appeared very preoccupied, emotionally detached and quite
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certain that these things had to be done.
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There was a prevailing impression throughout the
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interview that basically this man had been threatened all his
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life with his emotional and physical existence.
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So much so. That he has developed a well
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organized paranoid thinking. There was no doubt.
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The murders had to be done whether I wanted it or not.
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In general, I did not find any evidence of a psychotic process
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or evidence of perceptual disturbances.
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His cognitive processes are well maintained and he is able to
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give details of past and recent events.
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Based on clinical assessment, his intellectual capacity is
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above average. He shows poor and faulty social
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judgement. It is my clinical opinion that
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Mister Brutos understands the nature of the charges against
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him and can assist in his own defense.
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This man has a paranoid disorder and his behavior is a product of
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this disorder. Despite this, I believe he can
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differentiate between what is morally and socially right and
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wrong. A review of his past and the
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current examination make me believe this man is a menace to
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himself and society. Doctor George R Suko examined
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Jerome Burdos for the state and diagnosed him with antisocial
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personality disorder which has been manifested by fetishism,
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transvestism, exhibitionism, voyeurism and sadism.
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He further stated in his opinion the defendant would not confined
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is an extremely dangerous person to young females in particular
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and that he shows little evidence of being treatable.
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Jerome Brutus was declared to be sane as defined by McNaughton,
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Tess. Not long after, his defense
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counsel would switch their approach and urge him to plead
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guilty. They knew that based on the
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specific details that would be presented to court and
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ultimately to the media, that the jury and judge and the
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community would vilify him and persecute him.
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Fortunately for Jerome, Bruto's death wasn't a possibility.
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As a punishment, Oregon had abolished the death penalty by
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popular vote in 1964. His attorneys knew that he was
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guilty, and even though they had committed to upholding his
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constitutional rights to be represented, they also couldn't
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lie or misrepresent the fact that he had confessed in
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nauseatingly graphic detail to Detective Stovall and the
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appointed psychiatrist of the defense.
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They wanted to know what exact physical evidence the state had.
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Defense attorneys Drake and Rhoden went to the evidence
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room, but they were not prepared for what was laid out before
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them. The pictures, the breast molds,
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the leather postal strap, the stolen shoes and lingerie, the
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nylon cords and ropes. All that was left was for Jerome
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Brutos to avoid a trial and plead guilty.
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He decided to follow his lawyer's advice, but Brutus
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wanted to see his wife, Darcy one last time.
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Darcy Brutus remained over the months since her husband had
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been arrested to be in shock and denial.
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She ended up living with a cousin of hers while her
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children stayed with her grandparents since she couldn't
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afford the rent on their house and she really couldn't imagine
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living there any longer. She claimed to not know
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anything. Darcy Bruto spoke to
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psychiatrist about her husband being strange and that over time
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she had grown afraid of him. Yet she went to see her husband
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in jail more than a few times and even brought their two young
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children along. The papers described how he had
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killed women in his workshop, yet she claimed to not know
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anything. On June 27th, 1969, Jerome Henry
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Brutos did the unthinkable. He listened to someone else's
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wisdom and allowed himself to relinquish control and be
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directed by his attorneys. It is unknown why, at the end of
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the day, he decided to plead guilty and avoid a trial.
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Maybe it was as simple as he didn't want his wife and the
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kids and the entire courtroom to hear about the horrifying,
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disgusting details of his crimes.
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He didn't want to be perceived as an evil villain, a monster,
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barely a human being at all. He doesn't want anyone to make
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him feel bad about himself. Jerome Brutos clearly didn't
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care about doing the right thing by the women whom he had
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brutally murdered and whose bodies he had desecrated.
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It wasn't about them. It was always about him.
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And when he made his plea of guilty for the murders of Karen
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Elena Sprinker, Jan, Susan Whitney and Linda Don Sillet, he
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appeared to be pleased with himself.
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He stood proudly when it was acknowledged that he was too
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intelligent and too sane to plead otherwise.
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It was, of course, his shining moment.
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Now. Everyone knew he was smart and
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capable. He admitted to the deliberate
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and premeditated killing of each girl, describing how he ended
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their life. Under the law.
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A convicted defendant has 48 hours to wait until their
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sentence is read. Brutos waived this right and
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requested that his punishment be read immediately.
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Jerome Henry Brutos was sentenced to an indeterminate
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period of time, with a maximum period being the remainder of
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his natural life for each of his three victims to be served
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consecutively, meaning one after the other.
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However, in Oregon, even someone who was sentenced to life could
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be out in as little as 12 years with good behavior.
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The likelihood of that was very low in this case, since he had
26:51
been given three life sentences. Jerome Brutus would be 66 years
26:57
old at the minimum when he would be first allowed to apply for
27:02
parole. He was promptly remanded into
27:04
the custody of the Oregon State Penitentiary.
27:08
It is important to note that Linda Slauson was killed in a
27:11
different jurisdiction than Karen Linda Soleil in January,
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so at this point if she would ever receive justice was
27:20
unknown. In only 90 days, this amazing
27:26
dedicated team of investigators had done what is almost unheard
27:30
of. The detectives had identified
27:33
and tracked down their suspect, placed him under arrest, and the
27:37
killer had received his penalty, all in three months.
27:42
It was an incredible feat for law enforcement to have
27:46
accomplished. If only there were more examples
27:50
of such swift justice today. Instead, justice seems to lag
27:56
forever between charges made against the defendant to the
28:00
sentencing. Sometimes it takes several
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years. Tragically, it would turn out
28:06
that even though Jerome Henry Brutos had confessed to her
28:10
abduction, murder, and disposal of her body into the Willamette
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River, Linda Catherine K Slauson never received justice.
28:23
Brutos had initially been charged with her murder, but
28:26
since her remains were never recovered nor was there any
28:29
physical evidence found to directly link him to her murder,
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the prosecution ended up dropping the charges.
28:38
The nightmare was finally behind everyone involved, especially
28:42
the investigators and the victims families.
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In true Jerome Brutus fashion though, once he was placed in
28:51
prison, he began to realize how unfair he had been treated the
28:58
way everyone had always treated him throughout his entire
29:02
existence. While her husband was being
29:05
sentenced for life for the savage murders of three young
29:09
women, Darcy Brutus remained dependent upon her relatives.
29:13
She didn't have a job, she lived with her cousin while her kids
29:17
still stayed with her parents, and most of her possessions had
29:20
been collected as evidence. On July 1st, she attempted to
29:25
strive for some independence by applying for welfare.
29:30
She would be able to live with her children again.
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Darcy Brutos knew that she couldn't stay married to Jerome
29:39
any longer. He would never be coming home,
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at least not for decades, and she was beginning to believe all
29:50
of the horrible things he had confessed to doing.
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The media and the community were disappointed that Brutos had
29:59
accepted a plea and there wouldn't be a trial.
30:03
They felt cheated by not being able to witness this evil man be
30:08
ripped apart in court and be fully exposed for the monster he
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was. And then there was Darcy Brutos,
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the wife of this monster whom some believed it was impossible
30:24
for her not to know something was going on.
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It seemed unbelievable that a woman was so dependent, so
30:34
submissive and obedient to her husband that she was totally
30:38
clueless as to what he had done. The general belief by the public
30:44
was that she and her serial killer husband engaged in kinky
30:50
sex and whose bizarre sexual fantasies ultimately demanded
30:55
other female participants. The evidence also indicated her
30:59
involvement. There have been a collection of
31:02
women's panties and bras, not to mention 40 pairs of shoes found
31:08
in their home. Even more shocking was the
31:12
breast paperweight that was discovered on the fireplace
31:15
mantle. It wasn't logical to think Darcy
31:19
Brutus would ignore such items and not ask questions unless she
31:24
was also involved in his crimes. What about the children?
31:29
How could she have allowed him to be around their kids?
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No one believed that the complete story had been told.
31:40
Vicious gossip and rumors would manifest themselves into tips
31:45
made to the Salem Police Department and Oregon's Children
31:50
Protection Services. Detective Stovall never believed
31:55
that Darcy Brutos was involved. During his interviews with
32:00
Brutos, he had shown a side when talking about Darcy that was
32:04
radically different from how he viewed all other females.
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He placed his wife, Darcy upon a pedestal of sorts.
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He acted gentle and protective toward his wife.
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Detective Stovall believed that Darcy was a scared, naive and
32:25
timid wife, although there were photographs in which she was
32:29
nude wearing the same black patent leather heels he had
32:35
forced Karen Sprinker to wear. On July 17th, the Brutus
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children, 7 year old Megan and Jason who was almost two years
32:45
old were picked up by detectives including Stovall at their
32:49
grandparents house and placed in the custody of Oregon State
32:54
Children's Services Division. Megan may have only been 7 but
32:59
she was very smart and knew exactly what her father had
33:03
done. She commented very matter of
33:05
factly to the detectives saying that my daddy killed three, I
33:11
mean five women. The child freely babbled on with
33:14
the officers, telling them that she didn't like policemen
33:18
because they took her daddy away and how he was very sick and had
33:23
been since he was a child. On her way to a foster home, she
33:27
told detective to Sophie how her brother is too little to know
33:31
what daddy did and that she knew many secrets, secrets she may
33:37
spill one day. Then the next time she was in
33:40
the detective's presence, Megan clammed up saying that she
33:43
forgot all of her secrets. Only Megan Brutos knew the
33:48
truth, but she was just a child and her life would be full of
33:54
complications and extremely difficult from this moment
33:58
forward. As it was, Darcy Brutus remained
34:03
as she always was, clueless as to what was happening.
34:08
She was in complete shock that her children were taken away
34:11
from her on August 7th. The reasons would be made
34:17
abundantly clear. The wife of the monster was
34:21
charged with aiding and abetting in the first degree murder of
34:26
Karen Elena Sprinker in order for the prosecution to prove her
34:31
involvement. Every nasty, grotesque detail
34:35
would be discussed and revealed in court.
34:39
The press and the public finally would be able to satisfy their
34:45
MC Cobb hunger for justice and revenge while awaiting trial.
34:51
Darcy Brutus was described as being emotionless, calm, never
34:57
showing any signs of innocence or guilt.
35:02
In September 1969, the day would at last arrive.
35:09
The courtroom held 125 seats for spectators, and the public
35:14
fought to claim one as their own.
35:19
Armed deputies were there to protect Darcy Brutos from the
35:22
many angry residents, some of which had threatened her life.
35:27
Darcy Brutos didn't fit into the image of the wife of a murderer,
35:33
whatever that meant. District Attorney Gary
35:36
Gortmaker, in his opening statement to the jury, said he
35:39
would present to them a witness who saw Darcy Brutos help her
35:43
serial killer husband force a young woman who was wrapped in a
35:48
blanket into the residence. Then the defense counsel pointed
35:52
out that his defendant had refused to destroy evidence,
35:58
evidence that could convict her husband who had requested that
36:02
she get rid of after he was arrested.
36:06
These were not the actions of a guilty woman.
36:10
On the morning of the trial, 7 year old Megan Brutos was
36:14
brought in to determine whether or not she was a competent
36:17
witness. Children under the age of 10 in
36:20
the court as witnesses are always handled with great
36:23
scrutiny. Children are often not mature
36:27
enough to be able to relay facts, so their testimony isn't
36:30
perceived as being reliable, not to mention the unnecessary
36:35
trauma they are put through. Judge Hay addressed the child,
36:40
asking her simple, basic questions about telling the
36:43
truth and her grades in school. Both the state and the defense
36:47
refrain from asking Megan Brutos any questions, and the child was
36:52
accepted as a potential witness against her mother.
36:57
It was observed in the courtroom how both Megan and Darcy sobbed
37:03
when they saw one another. The defense team had attempted
37:06
to keep the mass amounts of evidence that detectives had
37:10
collected out of the trial, but the judge allowed the admission
37:17
of 2000 pieces. Lieutenant Pennock of the State
37:22
Crime lab testified as to removing the clothing from Karen
37:26
Sprinker's badly decomposed corpse when he opened the seal
37:31
that held her rotting clothes. The terrible stench permeated
37:36
the courtroom. The smell was so strong and
37:40
stubborn that it would take the removal, stripping and
37:45
revarnishing of the benches to get rid of it.
37:49
The identification of each piece of Karen Sprinkler's last
37:54
clothing she was known to have worn before she was abducted and
37:59
viciously slain was only the beginning of one of the most
38:04
macabre criminal trials in history.
38:09
Lieutenant Pennock was asked whether he found anything inside
38:12
the black brassiere that Karen was dressed in.
38:15
The circus like atmosphere of the spectators changed to shocks
38:20
of horror when he revealed that there were wadded up paper
38:24
towels in the bra cups and how the autopsy revealed Karen
38:31
Sprinkler's breasts had been removed.
38:35
Then the macabre parade of shoes were brought in.
38:43
All of them were high heels except for the low laced up
38:47
tennis shoes that were identified as Karen Sprinkers.
38:51
Next was the enormous box of women's bras, slips, girdles,
38:59
and underwear Jerome Burdos had collected throughout his life.
39:05
The evidence only continued to escalate.
39:08
Pictures were given to Lieutenant Pennock to identify,
39:12
then passed around the jury and then handed over to Darcy's
39:15
defense team. The images were beyond horrific,
39:21
beyond disturbing. There was an image of a woman
39:24
hanging from a hook, motionless in death with a black hood
39:29
covering her face. Then the picture of Karen
39:33
Sprinker wearing panties and black patent leather pumps with
39:38
a glazed over terror present in her eyes.
39:43
The binder of pages upon pages of naked female torsos, their
39:48
faces and therefore their identities ripped away with
39:53
scissors. Images of her husband were also
39:57
shared with the courtroom dressed in a black slip.
40:02
Stockings and heels posing for the camera.
40:07
The last photograph was the worst imaginable of them all.
40:14
It stunned everyone in the courtroom to silence.
40:20
It was of Karen Sprinker, hung by a rope hanging from the
40:25
ceiling. And in the mirror, the
40:28
reflection of Darcy's husband, he wore a lustful, terrifying
40:36
expression across his face that was completely unaware that it
40:42
had been captured. It wasn't over yet.
40:47
Lieutenant Pennock was now holding in his hand the breast
40:52
moulded paperweight. When he was asked where this
40:56
item was found, he stated that it was in the defendant's home
41:01
on a shelf above the fireplace. The faces of the jury looked
41:07
nauseated and grey, as if they couldn't handle one more piece
41:13
of evidence. Fortunately for them, that was
41:18
the last piece of the States. Edna Beecham was a friendly
41:23
sister to 1 of Darcy Brutus's neighbors.
41:26
They had coffee together a few times at Darcy's house and she
41:30
had never had any issues with her or the neighbor.
41:34
Edna Beecham testified for the state.
41:38
She claimed that on March 27th, 1969, she watched as Jerome
41:44
Brutos pushed a young woman who was wrapped up in a blanket from
41:48
the garage toward the kitchen door, which was open.
41:53
There were three cement steps that ascended to the porch.
41:57
Darcy Brutos was waiting there. She claimed that the woman
42:02
inside the blanket began to jerk around in an attempt to escape,
42:07
but Darcy helped her husband force the person inside their
42:11
house. Next came Edna Beecham's cross
42:15
examination. The defense drilled into the
42:19
woman who swore she saw Jerome Brutos with his arms wrapped
42:23
around the girl and she had a gag in her mouth.
42:27
They first asked about the gag and how if there was a blanket
42:30
on this girl's head, how did she know there was a gag.
42:35
Miss Beecham stated that there was an opening in the blanket.
42:39
Then she was asked about the type and colour of the blanket
42:43
but she didn't know. The defence attorney inquired as
42:46
to how she even knew it was a girl at all.
42:50
She said that she could see the legs and shoes, but she couldn't
42:53
recall the colour of the shoes even though she remembered her
42:56
nylons were a cocoa beige. The eyewitnesses lack of
43:01
consistent memory was a concern when she was asked how was it
43:06
possible that she saw this event so clearly when her sister's
43:11
property had a tall green hedge that obscured the view.
43:16
Miss Beecham had been holding her rosary during the entire
43:19
testimony and suddenly she threw her left hand high in the air
43:23
and declared to the courtroom as God is above, I saw it.
43:27
Why then had she not contacted the police?
43:32
She replied that her sister asked her not to tell anyone,
43:37
but she had also told her husband about it.
43:39
The woman continued to grow flustered and exhibited
43:42
confusion when shown pictures of different views between the
43:46
properties. She was not a reliable witness.
43:50
It appeared for the moment that the tides had shifted for Darcy
43:54
Bruto's. That is until they brought in
43:59
her daughter, Megan. Megan only came off as the
44:02
frightened and sad little girl she was at first.
44:06
She said that she remembered seeing Karen one day in the
44:09
springtime when her dad was in the workshop and her mother was
44:13
home. However, follow up questions to
44:15
this show that she was likely confused between seeing pictures
44:19
of the girls that were shown to her by the investigators versus
44:23
having seen any of them in real life.
44:27
No further damage was done to Darcy Brutus's case by her
44:32
daughter. It was the defence's turn to
44:35
paint a picture to the jury of a woman who was completely
44:39
dominated by her controlling husband and she had absolutely
44:44
nothing to do with his terrible crimes.
44:49
Charlie Burke for the defence, asked Jerome Brutus's older
44:52
brother Larry to describe in his own words his brother Larry
44:57
Brutus described Jerome as being aggressive, overbearing to the
45:03
point of being violent toward himself and his parents.
45:08
Former friend and witness to the state Ned Rawls explained to the
45:11
court how Jerome Brutos was excessively strong.
45:16
He could lift a £300 refrigerator and engine heads on
45:19
his own without barely breaking a sweat.
45:22
Ned Rawls also admitted to having seen photographs of nude
45:26
women with their heads cut out of the image and the breast
45:29
mold. He thought it was odd, but
45:33
Brutos said he had made it for a friend.
45:36
Several of Darcy's girlfriends testify that during the months
45:39
of February and March, she spent four days a week at one of their
45:44
houses. They also told the courtroom
45:46
that Brutus would often call them to check on her, and Darcy
45:51
told them how she wasn't allowed to return home before phoning
45:55
him first, so he knew she was on her way.
46:00
Their testimony all poked holes in the state's case.
46:04
What came next was even more significant.
46:08
A surprise witness, Doctor Ivor Campbell, was called to the
46:12
stand. Doctor Campbell had testified in
46:14
over 6500 cases. Not only was he one of the seven
46:18
psychiatrists who examined Jerome Brutos, but he had
46:21
interviewed the defendant Darcy Brutos on several occasions.
46:26
Doctor Campbell testified to Darcy Brutos being a normal
46:30
woman whom he didn't consider dangerous at all and was highly
46:36
unlikely to have committed murder.
46:39
Further, when he was asked by the defense, Doctor Campbell
46:42
confirmed that Jerome Brutos would be able to control her
46:45
actions, like not allowing her back into her own house until he
46:50
said so. When the defense asked Doctor
46:52
Campbell to compare Jerome Brutos to other patients, he
46:56
said he couldn't compare him to anyone.
47:00
Doctor Campbell described Jerome Brutos as a true psychiatric
47:04
anomaly. He was the type of patient whose
47:07
mental disturbances were so bizarre that a psychiatrist
47:12
examine such an individual once in a lifetime, if ever.
47:18
On Thursday, September 30th, at the encouragement of her defence
47:23
team, Darcy Brutos took the stand in her defence.
47:28
Taking the stand to testify in one's own defense is not very
47:32
common. It is usually discouraged by
47:35
defense attorneys because on cross examination, a case can
47:41
quickly head down the wrong direction.
47:44
This is particularly true if the defendant has any kind of
47:47
criminal history or questionable moral background.
47:52
For Darcy Bruto, she had neither, so her defense
47:56
attorneys believed that it was in her best interest to present
48:01
to the jury who she really was. So Darcy Brutos told her story
48:10
about marrying a man to escape her own father and mother three
48:15
months after they had met. How things turned downward three
48:20
years in after they got married, when she refused to let him take
48:25
more nude photos of her and that she couldn't wear high heels all
48:31
the time because her back hurt. Her husband instructed her what
48:36
to do and when, especially when it regarded his workshop.
48:42
She wasn't allowed to go in there, and his rules became
48:45
increasingly more controlling and bizarre over the years.
48:51
Darcy Brutus also confessed to all of the signs she didn't see
48:55
as serious throughout the years. The strange paperweight that
48:59
looks like a woman's breast, the time her husband walked out in
49:04
women's lingerie and the pictures of him dressed up.
49:09
She later found she also had found pictures he was developing
49:13
of other women, but at the time he said it was for a friend.
49:19
She came off as genuinely clueless to what her husband had
49:24
done. Darcy Brutus was naive,
49:28
submissive, and easily manipulated and controlled.
49:34
Everything seemed to be falling into place for the defense.
49:39
The state DA, though, wasn't done with Darcy Brutus.
49:45
They presented to the jury what would undoubtedly be the most
49:50
shameful moment in her life, the nude pictures of her dressed in
49:56
the same shoes as seen on the feet of the murdered girl, Karen
50:04
Sprinker. Earlier in the trial, Darcy
50:06
Brutus had sworn that she didn't recognize any of the shoes, and
50:12
yet there they were, in plain sight, on her own 2 feet,
50:18
inexplicit pictures that were taken by her serial killer
50:24
spouse. According to Darcy Brutos, she
50:27
thought he had gotten rid of them because that's what he
50:30
said. On Thursday, October 2nd, the
50:35
fate of Darcy Brutos would be revealed.
50:39
District Attorney Gortmaker spoke for the prosecution.
50:44
In his closing statement, he depicted the defendant as a
50:48
morally impaired woman, a woman who of her own free will, helped
50:54
torture and murder an innocent young woman and then helped her
50:58
serial killer husband assist in the disposal of her body.
51:03
When it was the defence's turn, defence attorney Bert addressed
51:08
the jury with a well known poem. Lizzie Borden took an axe, gave
51:13
her father, 40 wax When she had seen what she had done, she gave
51:19
her mother 41. The infamous poem tells the
51:23
story of the young woman who had been accused in the 1800s of
51:28
killing her parents. That she was acquitted by a jury
51:33
seemed to be lost in history. Instead, society's obsession
51:40
with gruesome and bizarre deaths, especially murder,
51:44
changed the narrative of the case, turning it into folklore
51:49
in which she was the killer. The primary point in his address
51:54
for the jury was for them to ask themselves if Darcy Brutus is
51:59
being prosecuted or persecuted for her association with a
52:05
killer. He presented the very worst of
52:08
the photographic evidence Jerome Brutus lust and vengeance filled
52:15
face caught in the death photo of Karen Elena Sprinker.
52:21
Then he stated to the jury Darcy Brutals is not a killer because
52:26
she is married to a madman. Now if they bought Enda Bejam
52:32
story then go ahead and convict her but if not she must be freed
52:39
at four O 9. The jury adjourned to a
52:42
deliberate. A little under 4 hours later
52:46
they returned with their verdict.
52:48
They found the defendant Darcy Brutos not guilty.
52:53
The defendant was elated and relieved like never before in
52:58
her life. Jerome Brutos, now known as
53:02
Oregon State Prisoner 33284, would not give up on attempting
53:07
to get his old life back. Although there was a little to
53:12
no chance of his ever being released, he hated everything
53:19
about being locked up, especially because no one
53:23
respected him inside. In fact, he was completely
53:28
ostracized by his fellow inmates.
53:31
As many of us are already aware, most prisoners, even the most
53:36
serious of offenders, do not condone the killing and sexual
53:42
assault of women. They may be thieves, career con
53:46
men, fraudsters, robbers, and some even killers.
53:51
But for the high majority of males inside prison walls, the
53:55
lowest on the criminal hierarchy are inmates that are categorized
54:01
as sex criminals. Men who have committed acts of
54:06
rape, harmed children, and who kill women are the scum of
54:12
offenders there, and they're lucky if they are simply
54:16
ignored. On August 13th, 1969, a fellow
54:20
inmate slammed a bucket of water against his head.
54:24
Brutus was rushed to the Infirmary, but the damage was
54:27
minimal. This incident convinced Jerome
54:31
Brutus that everyone was out to get him.
54:34
Being incarcerated had only further induced his paranoid
54:38
tendencies and his delusional narcissism.
54:42
Darcy Brutus had pretty much shut him out completely.
54:45
He didn't receive any letters from her anymore and his
54:48
children had been taken away from him.
54:51
Brutus attempted to contest this, claiming he was a fit
54:54
parent, but his cries were ignored.
54:56
By 1970, Darcy Brutus had divorced him and changed her
55:01
name to something that would help her to be anonymous, to
55:05
blend in with the rest of society.
55:09
He fought tirelessly against the system and the severest of
55:12
punishments he had received. Jerome Brutos wouldn't just lie
55:18
down and die in prison. He sought out bizarre, even
55:22
creative ways to appeal his life sentence.
55:26
Brutos began to study law and believed he was smart enough to
55:29
convince the system that he had been wronged.
55:33
First, he submitted A petition requesting a receipt and payment
55:38
for all the items that were seized and sold from his garage.
55:43
The state of Oregon had sold his belongings to help pay for the
55:46
court costs he had accrued. Brutos next recanted his
55:51
admission of guilt, even going so far to claim that the
55:55
photographs, in particular of the one in which he is shown
55:59
with a repulsive state of lust on his face while a young woman
56:04
is hanging dead in his workshop, was fake.
56:08
They had been manufactured to look like it was Jerome Brutos
56:11
when it wasn't. To add to the ludicrousness of
56:15
his petitions and writs, they were handwritten by him and
56:20
chock full of spelling and grammatical errors.
56:24
Brutos also said that he was threatened to confess to Jan
56:29
Whitney and Linda Slauson's murders, even though there were
56:32
no bodies. But in late summer of 1970,
56:37
along the Willamette River, a group of people picnicking below
56:41
the Independence Bridge spotted something gross looking caught
56:46
up in the branches near the shore.
56:48
They thought it was a lamb's carcass, but it wasn't a lamb at
56:52
all, but a body part from a human being.
56:57
Dental records would later identify the remains as
57:01
belonging to Jan Susan Whitney. Karma seemed to touch upon
57:06
Jerome Brutus's existence while in jail.
57:10
He was deemed a suicide risk, so his bedding was taken away from
57:14
him each night, and since he believed someone was trying to
57:18
poison him, he was given his food separately from the rest of
57:22
the prisoners. In response, Brutus attempted to
57:25
claim that the prison was treating him unfairly.
57:28
There are also records that indicated he was a frequent
57:31
visitor to the Infirmary, but the details were cryptic.
57:37
On January 1st, 1971, Brutus was treated for rectal bleeding, but
57:42
no other details were provided. His neck was broken that same
57:46
year, with the only information in the medical records stating
57:50
that he had fractured his C5. He was placed in a body cast.
57:55
Brutos also constantly complained about suffering from
57:58
migraines, depression, heart palpitations, and anything and
58:03
everything the man could whine about.
58:06
In 1972, his desperation for an appeal reached a new level of
58:13
cruelty and delusion. Jerome Brutus claimed that one
58:19
of the photographs of Karen Sprinker wasn't in fact the girl
58:24
at all, and he had been convicted of murdering someone
58:28
unknown at the time of her identification made by her
58:32
father. The police had only shown him
58:35
the portion of the picture which showed her face and not her
58:40
body. Jerome Brutus requested that
58:43
Karen Sprinkler's father be subpoenaed to have a closer
58:47
study of the photographs. Fortunately, for justice and the
58:54
sake of human morale, his appeal was denied.
59:00
By 1974, Jerome Brutus's lack of remorse and avoidance of
59:05
accountability for the heinous crimes he committed would reach
59:11
an all time low. Now he claimed that it was
59:15
because of his hypoglycemia. In other words, his low blood
59:20
sugar had induced his violent actions.
59:24
Even more alarming is that a psychologist agreed that is
59:28
certainly was a factor. This theory, referred to as the
59:32
too many candy bars and mashed potatoes theory, is, Needless to
59:36
say, very controversial. Some studies on low blood sugar
59:43
have found direct correlations with individuals who suffer from
59:47
headaches, drowsiness, hyperactivity, allergies, lack
59:52
of rational thought, violence, and even psychotic behavior.
59:57
In 1976, Jerome Brutos submitted this theory to the court,
1:00:03
seeking a way out of prison. A bizarre twist to the case came
1:00:07
when an esteemed pediatrician. Doctor Lyndon Smith, whom at the
1:00:12
time was known as the Children's Television Doctor, submitted a
1:00:16
letter on behalf of the convicted serial killer.
1:00:22
Doctor Smith was a proponent of this theory, believing that
1:00:26
hypoglycemia can cause antisocial behaviour.
1:00:31
Once again, justice would prevail and the court dismissed
1:00:37
his nonsense appeal. Jerome Henry Brutos never was
1:00:42
listened to after his murder confessions.
1:00:45
Although it is the fact that the legendary John Douglas of the
1:00:49
FBI's Revolutionary Behavioral Science Unit did interview
1:00:54
Jerome Brutos in the 1970s along with other notorious serial
1:01:00
killers like Ted Bundy. Its main purpose was to gain
1:01:04
further insight and understanding their criminal
1:01:07
profiles and complex motivations.
1:01:11
In 1995, the Oregon Parole Board denied his application and
1:01:16
informed him that he would spend the rest of his living days
1:01:21
behind bars. In true karmic justice, he would
1:01:27
end up getting liver cancer and die a horrible, painful death.
1:01:32
The shoe Vanish Slayer inhaled his last breath on March 28th,
1:01:39
2006. He was 67 years old.
1:01:43
This is the end of the second part to this in depth three
1:01:48
piece story about the crimes, life and mind of notorious
1:01:52
serial killer Jerome Henry Brutos.
1:01:55
In the next and final part of this story, I will discuss his
1:01:59
disturbing adolescent background and the bizarre type of offender
1:02:05
he was. Please make sure to follow rate
1:02:09
on Spotify or Apple and leave a review on Apple or Amazon Music.
1:02:15
Your feedback and support truly makes all the difference to me
1:02:20
and the show. Thank you for listening.
1:02:26
Until next time, stay safe and watch out for Shades of Murder
1:02:33
happening in the streets next door, especially inside your own
1:02:38
home. Shades of Murder is created,
1:02:43
researched, written and edited by Alita Caldwell.
1:02:48
Original music Stranger composed by Stereo Code.