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The Hunt with John Walsh

Torture House. Aired 9-10p ET

Aired July 26, 2015 - 21:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[21:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHN WALSH, CNN ANCHOR: Back in 1981, I had the American dream. The beautiful wife, the house in the suburbs, and a beautiful 6-year-old son. And one day I went to work, kissed my son good-bye and never saw him again. In two weeks, I became the parent of a murdered child and I'll always be the parent of a murdered child. I still have the heartache. I still have the rage. I waited years for justice. I know what it's like to be there waiting for some answers. And over those years, I learned how to do one thing really well and that's how to catch these bastards and bring them back to justice. I've become a man hunter. I'm out there looking for bad guys.

The stories appear to have been invented by Hollywood. Many of the cops involved said, this can't be true. It is too bizarre. Too twisted. They thought this is some type of drug induced fantasy by these prostitutes, but this really happened.

HARRY JACKSON, RETIRED VICE OFFICER, PORTLAND, OR: The story is kind of hard to believe. It was kind of a crazy story, kind of far out. I have heard of things like that happening but I had an experience and it hadn't been here to report. I was a career cop in Portland. Worked vice for five years, prostitution detail. The prostitution problem was really gigantic at that time. I really got involved in it. I got to know a number of the girls. I wanted to on a daily basis. I walk up to the working girls, talk with them. Have a conversation, tell them to move on. But you know if I catch you, you go to jail but if you need any help, you let me know. Michaelle was a lady that would work the area from her home MLK north bound down to Columbia boulevard.

MICHAELLE DIERICH, IDAHO: I was living a different lifestyle at that time. I was a prostitute, I was feeding my drug addiction and I was walking the streets and selling my body to pay for my addiction.

JACKSON: One day, I went to work and I saw her. She told me a story.

DIERICH: It was a night like any other night. I went out as I normally would. I would walk the street. It wouldn't take long. He was tall. Just looked unusual. And unsavory and unlikable. Unlovable. We made the agreement, it was an agreement for $30 for a car date.

[21:05:00] And then it went really wrong. There was another individual. They would take me around to the back of the truck. The bed of the truck was ready. WALSH: Prostitutes are an easy target for predators. Usually lots of

them are runaways, nobody's going to look for them. Predators know that.

DIERICH: The other one was younger and more full bodied. When the car stopped, I'm thinking, I'm going to die. I'm chained to the bed. I was repeatedly raped.

WALSH: So many people can't wrap their heads around the fact that sex, even if you're a prostitute, is voluntary. It's consenting adults having sex for money. Someone kidnapping a prostitute and raping them repeatedly is rape.

DIERICH: I was so physically ravage. There's no words to describe the terror. I thought it was a sick head game. Why would they spare my life?

[21:10:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DIERICH: That morning, the taller, older individual that I originally made the car date would locked me in the closet.

WALSH: Can you imagine being locked in the closet after dark after being tortured, brutalized, raped, sodomized, this is a drug addicted prostitute but she's still a daughter, she's still a sister.

PETER DIERICH, MICHAELLE 'S BROTHER, OREGON: Michaelle always talked to mom everyday, and I believe it had been more than a day, pushing 48 hours or so when my mother called me and say, hey, I think something's wrong. We knew that she was working herself on the streets. No one wants to see their sister doing that. We went out to some of the known areas where prostitutes might be. We just couldn't find my little sister.

DIERICH: It was just a cycle. It just go by daylight and then no daylight to kind of gate my day. It was just torture, more terror.

WALSH: Consummate predators, they were so evil and so skilled in their attempt to break this person down. These guys were pros.

DIERICH: They took polaroid pictures of me. If I didn't do what I was instructed to do, I was sexually tortured later. I was punished by penetration with foreign objects. And there was a homemade electrocution device that used on me. At this point my soul was broke, they broke my soul.

And then I don't know how many days later, the younger individual told me that I would be let loose, that he would not kill me. I thought it was a sick head game. Why would they spare my life? I was put in front of the vehicle.

[21:15:00] We drove for approximately half an hour and then the door was opened up, the hood pulled off and I was pushed out of the vehicle. I arrived at my mom's home. She locks the door behind me. We call the police and we proceed on to Emanuel Hospital in Portland, Oregon. The detectives at the hospital wrote on everything that I said. I was a known prostitute, feeding my drug addiction. So I really couldn't expect them to believe me. But I did move forward with filing the report and the rape kit.

JEFF LESOWSKI, SENIOR DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY WASHINGTON COUNTY, OR: She certainly didn't know where she had been brutalized. She didn't know what city. She didn't know the identity of the assailants. The police didn't have enough to even launch a detailed investigation and the report was filed away, nothing else happened.

JACKSON: I was working in my patrol and Michaelle came up to me and she proceeded to tell me about all the things that she had experienced in the last week. I had to think about that one awful lot because the story was something that is hard to believe.

Two years later in 1990, I was contacted by a Washington County detective and he told me about a lady, she had been kidnapped, tied up, raped, put in chains, who escaped. So it's happened again.

ANDREA HOOD, OREGON: Before I knew what was happening, I was in the back of the truck. With a pillow case on my head and duct tape on my mouth.

[21:20:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERT ERICKSON, SERGEANT HILSBORO, OR: 11:30 at night, I was working as a patrol officer on the night shift and I received the call of a kidnapping assault that occurred the area of 37th and Olympic here in Hillsboro. When I arrived on the scene, I saw a young lady who was covered with cuts and bleeding. She told me that she had been kidnapped from Portland. She wasn't even sure what city she was in. She asked me several times where we were, and I had to tell her we were in the City of Hillsboro outside of Portland.

HOOD: In 1990, I had just turned 17. I typically would wake up and go out to work the streets to get enough money to buy drugs to last me, I would try to get enough money that it would last all day. It was pretty early in the morning, like 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning. A little pickup truck pulled over. Before I knew what was even happening, I was in the back of the truck chained to the bed of the truck and with a pillow case on my head and duct tape on my mouth.

I was so terrified. I just remember the guy that was in the back with me telling the other guy that if he wanted to turn to let him know, and they could pull over, they could switch. They left the pillow case on all night. It was just one rape after another. It was constant. And he said, don't bother screaming because nobody's going to hear you. My mind was just done. Like, this is it.

When they took the pillow case off, I was terrified all over again. There's bars on the windows. What is this place? There were weapons laying around. Guns.

WALSH: They had all the tools. All the things they needed to do that kidnapping. They were so well rehearsed, they are remorseless, violent, dangerous sociopaths. [21:25:00] HOOD: They tried to make me read literature about

subservient women. I couldn't do it. I was just too hysterical for a while. At one point, when he was leading me back from the bathroom, I saw a window that had no bars on it. That was my first bit of hope. Like, oh, I can maybe get out.

And then at one point, I saw them going in and out of the closet with big foam squares. I could hear them in there, hanging up the soundproofing. At that point, I just knew that if I ever got in that closet, I might not ever be seen from or heard from again. I told them, you won. I'll read your book and I'll learn to be a good girl. I'll learn to be how you want me to be. They let one of my hands out of the chains so that I could turn the pages. I was able to unbuckle my legs but my other hand was still chained. I picked up a gun and ran right across the hall, but they heard me. They were right behind me. One of the guys was yelling, get her. Get her. She can't get away.

BRUCE PARKS, SERGEANT HILSBORO, OR: Most of the people that have viewed the videotape of the inside of the house report that it makes the hair on the back of their neck stand up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[21:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDREA HOOD, OREGON: They were right behind me. One of the guys was yelling, get her, get her. She can't get away. I walked down the street hysterically crying and bleeding all over. I was scared that they were literally right behind me.

WALSH: Here's a vulnerable 17-year-old girl that was smart enough, tough enough and had the presence of mind to say, I'm going to stay alive, I'm going to look for the chance. That's what saved her life. That's a pretty courageous and brave 17-year-old girl.

ROBERT ERICKSON, SERGEANT HILSBORO, OR: Because of the nature of her injury she needed to get to a hospital for medical treatments. While she was being treated and stitched up, my sergeant and I started taking photographs of her wounds. And getting a brief statement to what had occurred.

At about 5:00 in the morning when we were all finished with the interviews and the medical treatment, we drove her to the location to point out the house where she believes she had been held at.

HOOD: We drove around and drove around for a while. It was very difficult for me because when I ran out of the house, I never looked back. And finally, I saw the curtains coming out of the window.

ERICKSON: We haven't located the suspects and there have still been no movement at this house, but the rifle that she used to break out the window was still laying outside on the ground. For us, this was fantastic evidence to corroborate this crazy story she's telling us. Detectives have now been pursuing a search warrant so that we can go into that house and locate specific items that she's told us about to help document and verify her side of the story.

JEFF LESOWSKI, SENIOR DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY WASHINGTON COUNTY, OR: While they were conducting surveillance, awaiting the arrival of the search warrant, police officers observed the white dodge pickup truck come around the corner and pull into the driveway.

ERICKSON: The first subject we interviewed was Vance Roberts.

BRUCE PARKS, SERGEANT HILSBORO, OR: Vance Roberts was the registered owner of the truck and owner of the house. They were asking where have you been for the past few hours. Apparently, he had cut his arm and had a very funny story to tell in my mind that this girl was trying to steal. That's why she jumped out the window and that's why he received his cut. He went to a local hospital to receive medical treatment for his arm.

ERICKSON: After we spoke to him, we decided to interview his brother. Paul Jackson. Jackson states, you know, I was basically along for the ride. I don't know what happened. I thought he picked up a prostitute, they had a lot of sex and I was watching TV in the living room. Completely unbelievable to me.

PARKS: It was very tough to not just want and throw them in jail right off the bat. But we wanted to make sure we did everything exactly per the letter of the law. They were told that they could not enter the house before we could get back with a signed warrant. The truck they were driving also was going to remain on the property.

[21:35:00] But at the same time, we weren't in the position yet to make that arrest. So they were free to go about their way. They went next door and borrowed one of the neighbor's cars. The surveillance officers followed them down to a local restaurant where they were having dinner.

About 5:00 or so, I got the warrant signed off by the judge and we immediately did a search of the house. Most of the people that have viewed the videotape of the inside of the house report that it makes the hair on the back of their neck stand up.

They found windows with bars on the inside. They found a small room with blue soundproofing tiles on the walls. They found a photograph of Andrea sitting in a chair with a very defeated look on her face. They found her personal possessions in a Tupperware container exactly like Andrea had described.

Once all that evidence was there, it was very easy for us to say, let's go get them and put them in jail. And that's when the surveillance said, they're at this restaurant having dinner. The officers immediately ran in there and put them under arrest.

JERRY MULHOLLAND, OREGON: I was surprised. I just couldn't believe it. It doesn't seem like either one of them would be involved in.

WALSH: Vance Roberts convinced his family, you know, it was just sex for money. It's OK, we would never hurt anybody. I'd never hurt a girl. They're street trash. They're bottom feeder girls. So what?

PARKS: I didn't find any family member that believed Vance were guilty. They still don't believe he's guilty.

We found a bunch of other photographers with other women who were probably not at that house on their own free will.

[21:40:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PARKS: Vance Roberts and his half-brother called Jackson. When they took him to the office for formal interviews, the stories they were telling the officers were just so totally bogus.

DETECTIVE: Picking up a prostitute? Giving them a ride is not a crime unless they're detained or against your will. You admit someone else was with you?

ROBERTS: My brother.

DETECTIVE: Who's that.

ROBERTS: Paul. He's here tonight.

JERRY MULHOLLAND, OREGON: Vance and Paul were half-brothers but they are quite close. Paul Jackson, he was living with his parents in Arizona and came out there to visit. Vance in his Hillsboro home.

WALSH: We have two half-brothers that have the same disrespect and anger and hate for women except their mother, really are mama's boys. And they like to degrade women and they like to do it in a very sadistic way.

DETECTIVE: Tell me about your window that got broken.

ROBERTS: The girl jumped out the window.

DETECTIVE: Why did she jump out the window?

ROBERTS: I don't know. Anytime she wanted to leave, she could have left. But I caught her stealing the money. She could have easily walked out the front door.

DETECTIVE: The search warrant, we find a lot of items in your house.

ROBERTS: Yes.

PARKS: We then found other photographs of other women who are probably not in that house on their own free will.

DETECTIVE: We found some photographs in the house from people being tied up and bondage.

[21:45:00] ROBERTS: Old girlfriends.

DETECTIVE: Old girlfriends?

ROBERTS: Yes.

WALSH: Vance Roberts is really classic. Played the system. Arrogant asshole. Who are you going to believe? Me the homeowner, Vance Roberts, or that street hooker that's twisting our story because she don't want to be arrested for prostitution? They knew the game. They were extremely dangerous.

PARKS: The defendants were charged with multiple counts of kidnapping, rape, and sodomy.

MULHOLLAND: I don't know anything about the girls. I didn't see Paul with a girlfriend but Vance had quite a few girlfriends. He had a way with women. He could pick them up real easy. He was quite a lady's man.

LESOWSKI: Bail was set at $80,000. Which allowed a person to be released after posting just 10 percent or $8,000.

PARKS: They were bailed out within several days by their mom. She had flew out from Arizona. So we knew where they were. And then working looking for other unsolved abductions and then reached out to Harry Jackson.

JACKSON: Trying to locate a prostitute. A photograph said, I know this person. That's Michaelle. Michaelle Dierech. Two guys, two years apart, did the same thing.

When she initially told me the story two years ago, I said it's kind of a strange story. Now to find out that it was real, I felt bad.

DIERICH: When Bruce Sparks told me another victim had survived, I felt stronger. I felt sane. I felt that maybe I could bring some resolve to this in my life.

PARKS: We then showed her a series of six photographs. She immediately identified Vance Roberts and Paul Jackson. She started actually crying. She says, no one believed me. That this had actually happened to me. She was so relieved somebody finally believed her and the two guys, we caught him.

From that identification, we immediately drove back out to Hillsboro and put them under arrest again. And this time, we asked the judge to increase their bail because we know we found two. We had more pictures to identify. There's more out there and need to find them or at least find out what happened to them.

After hearing before one of our judges the bail was reduced the a point where the mother could afford to post 10 percent and the brothers were let out and remained free pending their trial which was set for early 1991.

When the trials were to start, Vance Roberts and Paul Jackson did not show up to court. The judge issued warrants for their arrest for failure to appear. They were on the run. I guarantee you right now, he is still out there victimizing other women.

HOOD: Just a monster. He needs to be caught.

[21:50:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PETER DIERICH, MICHAELLE'S BROTHER: My mother called me and let me know that these guys had escaped bail and I just couldn't believe the words I was hearing from my mother's mouth that these guys are out on the loose now. I was like, what is wrong with our justice system they can't hold somebody behind bars when they've done something so heinous like this? I just couldn't believe I was really hearing this.

WALSH: They kept the trophies. The polaroid's of the multiple, multiple girls. How many of those girls didn't make it back to the streets? These two guys may be serial killers and nobody knows it.

LESOWSKI: One of the brothers seen again for 16 years. In 2006, Vance Roberts walked into the Washington county jail. Said that he thought he had a warrant for his arrest and he wanted to turn himself in. I immediately went down there. I had to see this for myself.

[21:55:00] First thing I said, where you been the last 15 years? He said, oh, I was living under the bridges in Portland. But his hands, I looked at his fingers. There was no dirt. They weren't weathered. I don't believe you. He would not cooperate. Wouldn't tell us where his brother was. He says, I think I want my day in court.

LESOWSKI: Vance Roberts was counting on the fact that we wouldn't be able to put together a strong enough criminal case 16 years later.

PARKS: Defense tried to victimize the two women. They may have committed a small crime by working on the street as a prostitute but never agreed to be kidnapped. They're still human beings.

HOOD: I felt like I was on trial. The defense attorney basically was saying I'm not a credible witness because I was a prostitute and a drug addict.

PARKS: He was convicted. It was a quick verdict.

DIERICH: On the day of sentencing, I said what I needed to say. You brutalized me. You terrorized me. You left me mentally and emotionally crippled beyond words or expression. It wasn't just me though. Indeed, there were many other victims we may know about today.

Everybody knows about the victims, so I'd like to know where their body's at.

LESOWSKI: He's serving a sentence of I believe 108 years in the state penitentiary.

PARKS: He rolled the dice. He lost.

HOOD: After he was convicted, I felt vindicated he spends the rest of his life in a situation of subservience. Just like for me and I felt like that was just. DIERICH: I publicly forgave him because have to live with myself.

And my moral compass is huge. And for me to move forward, I have to forgive him.

WALSH: I'm saddened, angry that Paul Jackson is out. He's doing what he did. Leopards don't change their spots on these type of guys.

LESOWSKI: The other victims still haven't been identified. There are a number of people who believe that some of these other women met with a worse and different fate than Andrea and Michaelle and that's one of the things that investigators fear the most.

PARKS: Paul Jackson is still out there victimizing other women and I don't think he'll let anyone testify this time.

JOHN MOODY, DEPUTY US MARSHALL: The biggest thing, maybe they escaped from it. We'd like to hear from them. They may have a piece of the puzzle to get this creature off the streets.

HOOD: Paul Jackson is just a monster. He preys upon weak women and he takes what he wants when he wants it and he treats them like they're nothing and needs to be caught.

WALSH: Paul Jackson has a scar from having his appendix removed. He has a background in automotive work. If you see Paul Jackson or know his whereabouts, call 1-866-the-hunt or go to our web site at cnn.com/thehunt. You can remain anonymous. We'll pass your tip on to the proper authorities. If requested, we'll not reveal your name.

PARKS: Shortly after he got into prison, the letters were 14 pages automatically the time and never written a word about Paul. Never. Has not written anything. So I've asked him a couple of times he might be here in Oregon. Hide in plain sight they never find you.