A camping trip turns deadly in Mount Hood | Forensic Files

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[Music] oregon city attorney james o'leary was in his office on tuesday july 27 1976 when a man and woman entered
wishing to speak to him disheveled and exhausted they had just emerged from the mount hood national
forest after a weekend spent camping and fishing in the wilderness they planned to speak to the police
regarding a tragedy that had happened there but were apprehensive about doing so without seeking legal advice first
after hearing their incredible story james o'leary escorted the distraught pair to the county sheriff's office
when detectives asked why they hadn't come forward sooner the men remarked i have a criminal record and i didn't
want to face authorities i was afraid they wouldn't believe me [Music] [Music] it was getting late on friday july 23
1976 29 year old tom brown was driving his old red gmc pickup truck deep into the
mount hood national forest by the time he reached the north fork dam on the clackamas river daylight was
fading and there were very few people around tom brought his car to a stop near a
boat launch area and left his engine running as he hurried over to a nearby fish ladder
the long and narrow canal-like structure ran parallel to the river and was built
to help fish migrate easily upstream [Music] tom was standing alone observing the
water when a young man approached and started talking to him his name was giulio torres and he was
camping in the forest with his wife for their one-year wedding anniversary an avid fisherman giulio had been
struggling to catch anything in the area and was seeking any possible advice from
tom tom was less than enthused by the interruption and made this clear by averting his gaze and giving kurt
responses julio persisted all we found were a couple of suckers he told the disinterested tom
[Music] minutes later giulio's teenaged wife kendra appeared and joined in the conversation
her presence loosened up the standoffish tom who managed to crack a smile turning back to julio he finally offered
some insider information to help the struggling couple earlier that day he'd been doing some
logging work in the forest when he saw a truckload of fish being offloaded into the river nearby
other fishermen giulio had spoken to throughout the day had also mentioned a fish dump and giulio was intrigued
that's where i'm headed tom told him giulio was keen to go there as well but had driven his sedan down to just half a
tank of gas traveling further into the forest who didn't seem wise tom reassured him
the fishing spot wasn't too far away and half a tank should get them there if giulio and kandra wound up stranded
tom was willing to drop off some gas in the morning to get them moving again the trio headed back to their respective
cars tom drove off in the direction of the fishing spot and giulio having weighed
up the risks followed behind when tom pulled over for a brief stop so too did giulio
the sedan's emptying fuel tank remained a concern so tom offered to drive julio and kandra in his truck the remainder of
the way to preserve what little gas they had [Music] the couple declined the offer as they
had been using their car to sleep in where is this spot julio asked just beyond bagby hot springs road tom
explained before returning to his truck and continuing onwards the sedan tailed him once more
by now the road was curving deeper into more isolated areas of the forest once on bagby hot springs road the
two-car convoy passed another vehicle travelling in the opposite direction with a father and daughter inside
they encountered no one else tom turned down an unpaved bumpy logging road that snaked through the looming
pine and fur trees the sedan followed suit by now the sun had almost sat and tom
pulled over to set up camp for the night julio and kandra joined him the couple were also traveling with
their pet dog a collie named rusty and as the sky darkened the group settled around a fire to eat their
dinner tom drank some liquor which he offered giulio and kandra who each took a sip
after eating tom collected a rifle from his truck and set out to take a night walk in the surrounding woodland
giulio and kandra accompanied him on the short hike tom was familiar with the area and
headed to a nearby meadow explaining that he hunted deer there as they approached the clearing tom
offered the couple his binoculars so they could observe several deer foraging up ahead
a little further away from them several bear cubs were playing tom julio and kendra eventually returned
to their camp where they slept in their vehicles tom worked first the following morning
at roughly 5 am he wandered over to the sedan and banged on its hood to wake giulio and kandra
then the trio decided to try catching a fish for breakfast tom drove the others to
another area of the forest before leading them on foot along an overgrown trail that led to the riverbank
once there julio and kandra perched themselves on a rock tom fished by himself a little further
away time slipped by and nothing seemed to be biting eventually the group gave up and
returned to their campsite empty-handed there tom and julio came up with a new plan
they'd head back into the woods and try their luck at hunting some deer instead hunting was illegal in oregon during the
summer months but that didn't dissuade them tom had two rifles on him a winchester
lever action and a 22 caliber savage he handed one to giulio and kept the other for himself
three days later tom brown arrived at the office of oregon city attorney james o'leary where he announced that giulio
torres was dead tom explained that he and julio had been hunting in the mount hood national
forest when a terrible accident took place giulio was scoping out the area with a
pair of binoculars when he spotted a deer tom handed giulio his rifle to free up
his hands so he too could have a look through the binoculars after observing the deer for himself tom
decided he'd take a shot at it he returned to the binoculars to giulio who in turn handed tom back his rifle
as the winchester was being passed between them tom grabbed the firearms balance point with one finger on the
trigger although he didn't pull it the rifle fired mid exchange [Music] the single bullet penetrated giulio's
head killing him instantly tom's shocking story was supported by the only other person with him that
weekend kendra torres she had escorted tom to james o'leary's office to ensure he wouldn't be charged
for a crime he didn't commit between sobs kandra revealed that she had witnessed the shooting with her own
eyes as she was standing a couple of feet behind the two men when it happened her panicked screams had startled her
pet dog rusty who turned aggressive as tom brown rushed back to the campsite rusty ran at him growling
certain the dog was about to attack tom scrambled his rifle into position and fired killing the animal in self-defense
later that day kendra cried and nodded along as tom repeated their story to detectives at the county sheriff's
office when asked why they hadn't come forward sooner thomad admitted that he was
initially reluctant to go to the police due to the previous run-ins he'd had with the law
tom had a string of offences listed against his name most of which were petty and related to robbery
after accidentally killing giulio torres tom sat in shock at the group's campsite
mulling over what to do next he was convinced that with his criminal record officers would try to charge him
with murder i finally knew i had to split that no one would believe me tom told detectives
i told kendra she could do what she wanted but that i was going to head to the mountains
she said i couldn't leave her there that i had to take her back to civilization but i said no way i'm going
i told her she could go with me if she wanted but she'd better hurry and get her stuff together
unable to navigate out of the sprawling unfamiliar and dangerous forest alone kendra opted to stay with tom hoping he
would come to his senses tom covered julio and rusty's bodies with shrubbery to deter animals from
scavenging their remains then over the next three days he trudged deeper and deeper into the forest with
candra in tow they dressed under the stars in a sleeping bag and at a certain point tom
tossed the rifle that had killed giulio into the surrounding brush along with a bag of ammunition
sensing tom had since calmed down kendra worked to convince him to return to town
and tell police what had happened her persistence paid off and tom finally agreed
by then the pair were well and truly lost it took a while for tom to find his way
back to a familiar trail but once he did he managed to get them both back to the
campsite he then drove candra straight to oregon city to see james o'leary an attorney
who had represented tom in his previous criminal matters this was a precautionary measure to
ensure tom wouldn't be tricked into facing any murder charges by the time they met with police tom and
kandra were distraught but cooperative they agreed to provide formal statements separately
this gave detectives the opportunity to check for inconsistencies in their story and determine if anything was
afoot but nothing raised their suspicions the pair's account even when told individually was consistent and matching
while obviously upset kendra was lucid and rational she was adamant that the shooting was
not tom's fault she was also appreciative of tom had he not helped her she would still be lost
in the immense forest all alone later that night tom brown escorted investigators into the mount hood
national forest it was almost 8 30 when the group arrived at the location where tom julio
and kendra had set up camp sweeping the area with high-powered torches investigators spotted the trio's
burnt out cooking fire and the torrez's sedan 200 yards away beneath the fronds of
some ferns was the body of giulio torres he lay face down about 30 feet off the road and down an embankment
there was blood on the ground higher up by the edge of the road pinpointing the location where the shooting had taken
place due to the hot summer weather giulio's body was already in an advanced state of
decomposition but a gunshot wound was clearly visible in his head rusty had sustained a similar wound
his body was found further along the trail also haphazardly covered with leaves tom had since willingly surrendered the
22-caliber savage rifle he had used to shoot rusty the following morning he led investigators through a heavily wooded
area to where he had discarded the winchester rifle that killed giulio they had to go on foot trekking through
thick vegetation as they followed the colorwash river upstream they walked for hours through the forest
across the river and then along another stream the forest had become a dense disorientating maze but there was one
clue that indicated they were heading in the right direction investigators noticed a set of tom's
footprints that had been previously crushed into the earth a smaller pair believed to be candras
tailed them as detailed in the book empty promises by true crime author ian rule after 10
hours of hiking tom eventually stopped pointed and remarked there it is there's my rifle
they had arrived at the site where he and kendra camped on their second night together in the wilderness
although tom said he'd thrown a plastic bag that contained about 11 bullets into
the underbrush nearby they were unable to find it detectives did recover a sleeping bag
that almost looked like it had been shredded due to being dragged through the rough terrain
tom said he and kendra had thrown it away once they found the trail home again over the coming days tom remained
obliging and eager to assist with the investigation he willingly provided a second statement
and underwent a polygraph test which he passed with everything aligning with tom and
kendra's version of advance giulio torres's death was ruled accidental lola bates was deeply worried about her
daughter kandra at just 16 years old kendra was too young to suddenly find herself a widow
the weekend camping trip into the mount hood national forest was supposed to be a celebration of kandra and julio's
first wedding anniversary kendra had been a young bride having married giulio who was five years older
than her when she was just 15. kendra's family was religious and her father had encouraged kendra and julio
to marry before their relationship became too physical wedding photos showed kendra in a
long-sleeved lace dress her long dark red hair parted down the middle and hanging over her shoulders
in one picture she fed a cake to a beaming julio who was tall and broad-shouldered with thick dark hair
matching sideburns and a mustache the oregon-based couple lived in a small apartment in the small city of camby
with rusty their rough collie dog who had been candra's pet since childhood following julio and rusty's sudden and
violent deaths kendra stayed with her parents so they could look after her lola watched her daughter closely in
those first few days she couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right
kendra's voice when describing the shootings didn't sound like her usual self as lola told the television program
forensic files it was as though kendra's words were coming out of a stereo being
replayed or something perhaps this was simply the way she was processing her grief but it still gave
lola pause it wasn't until kendra returned to the apartment she'd shared with the giulio
that her demeanor changed her parents went with her and as soon as kendra stepped through the door she
broke down in sobs kendra suddenly began begging her parents mama and daddy don't hate me
don't hate me case file will be back shortly thank you for supporting us by listening to this
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that's b e t t e r h e l p dot com slash case file ever since she'd returned home kendra
torres had struggled to comprehend her thoughts and feelings it was as though her mind was a blur
with many details missing she remembered the lead up to that fateful weekend she and julio didn't have much money but
they still wanted to celebrate their first anniversary with a trip away somewhere
the obvious answer was to go camping kendra suggested that they travel to the coast where they had their honeymoon but
julio loved fishing and wanted to share the hobby with his wife so he asked if they could instead head into the
mountains kandra agreed telling herself they could always visit the beach another time
[Music] the night before they left for the mount hood national forest kendra's sleep was
disrupted by a nightmare she woke terrified but was unable to remember the exact details of her dream
all she knew was that it had something to do with their impending trip kendra told a friend about her bad dream
the next morning of thursday july 22 they advised her to take a bible with her for spiritual protection and kandra
tucked one away in amongst her clothes and other belongings she also brought up her nightmare to
julio thinking he would settle her nerves to kandra's surprise julio admitted that he too felt
inexplicably anxious about the trip for peace of mind they decided to invite one of giulio's friends to camp with
them but he wasn't at home when they arrived to extend their invitation they left a hastily scribbled note for
him to read upon his return we were by to ask you to go to the mountains with us
sorry you missed the fun by the time julio and kandra arrived in the mountains the weather was warm and
the sky was blue amidst the bright light and picturesque setting the couple's fears melted away
a wrong turn led them deeper into the forest on a road they'd never been down before
there was something about the road that gave julio the creeps eventually they realised their mistake
and turned around that night the pair slept in their car giulio spent the next day fishing but he
failed to catch anything the couple moved on to a different location to see if julio would have
better luck there they followed the clackamas river downstream stopping periodically to cast
the line during one stop they spoke to another fisherman who'd also been struggling
he'd heard that a truck full of fish had recently been moved to the colorwash river a 12-mile tributary of the
clackamas river and suggested that the couple check in with the park rangers to see if that was true
giulio and kendra weren't sure what to do they'd filled up their car with gas when
they left but now its tank was getting very low they only had 20 dollars left and needed
to hang on to it in case of an emergency after talking their predicament over the
couple decided to try one last location before giving up and returning home the sun was setting when they reached
the north fork dam there giulio spotted a lone man observing the nearby fish ladder
meeting tom brown was crystal clear in kendra's memory she remembered how he lit up and flashed
her a wide smile when she approached it was sleazy as if he were undressing her with his eyes
she never shook the uneasy feeling he gave her that night around the campfire tom
retrieved a milk carton from his truck and showed it to julio and kendra it contained a dead bird
i picked it off on the way here tom bragged kendra was unimpressed she didn't believe in shooting animals
for sport not unless you have to for food she told tom he told her not to worry and said he
planned to eat the bird on the walk the trio took later that night tom unsettled kandra further when
he raised his rifle at several bear cubs playing in the distance she turned away in disapproval fearful
his actions would attract the bear's mother and put them in danger tom flashed kendra yet another unnerving
smile and lowered his weapon kendra struggled to sleep that night she didn't like tom and the way he
seemed to enjoy killing for its own sake she expressed her concerns to giulio who
regarded tom as eccentric but harmless although he did tell kendra to button up her blouse to hide her bikini top
kendra's anxieties only increased the following day she noticed how tom loosely carried his
rifle while keeping its barrel pointed at julio then he made a disturbing joke about her
beloved dog there are only two things wrong with rusty tom said as he padded the collie
he's alive and walking despite remembering all of this lead up to julio's death kendra realized that
she couldn't actually recall the exact moment he was killed she genuinely believed she had witnessed
the shooting as she told detectives but she couldn't picture it in her mind all that kendra could remember was the
sound of a loud rifle blast then the side of julio's body covered in blood she tried to record more but her mind
was blank over the course of a few days another picture arose from kendra's subconscious
she could clearly see tom brown's face plastered with a wide smile it wasn't until kendra returned to the
apartment she and julio shared that something was unlocked within her after begging her parents not to hate
her and being reassured that they never could kendra made a confession she didn't know if julio's death was an
accident or not because she hadn't actually seen it for herself in shock her mother lola replied
my god kendra don't you realize that man murdered your husband six days after kendra torres and tom
brown had emerged from the wilderness kendra paid another visit to the county sheriff's office
this time she was accompanied by her parents i want to tell you what really happened
kendra said it wasn't an accident on the morning of saturday july 24 kendra gave giulio a quick kiss before
he left the campsite to go hunting with tom brown kendra stayed put with rusty who was
resting in the sun a sense of foreboding washed over her the air was extremely still and quiet
suddenly kendra was startled by the unmistakable sound of a gunshot ringing through the forest
for a split second kendra was overcome with the impulse to run into the woods with rusty
but then she told herself to stop being silly she had no way to navigate the forest
and would only end up getting lost which would worry julio there was no need to run
julio and tom must have found a deer kendra remained where she was and waited for their return
a little while later she saw tom walking towards the campsite there was no sign of julio
as reported in the book empty promises tom called out to candra we got us a deer
he added that giulio was still in the clearing cleaning the carcass candra was immediately suspicious
it made no sense to her that giulio would remain behind with the deer as he wasn't a hunter and wouldn't know how to
gut an animal gripped with a fear that had been bubbling since she first met tom brown
candra got up and ran towards the clearing another gunshot rang out kendra stopped and turned around
[Music] rusty who had been beside her a moment ago had fallen on the ground his legs jerked and his head was stained
with blood tom stood a little distance behind holding a smouldering rifle he then pointed it at candra
you shot my dog she cried a broad grin appeared on tom's face as he replied yeah i know
i shot your husband too at that moment kendra torres was certain she was going to die
barely able to comprehend the enormity of the situation she was in kendra begged tom not to hurt her
although he had been aiming his rifle at her tom didn't fire it instead he forced kandra to drag rusty's
corpse off the trail and cover it with foliage as she moved rusty's body kendra noticed
that his paws were still twitching thinking he might be merely injured and able to be saved kendra asked tom to let
her look after him tom refused those are his reflexes he told kendra i never have to shoot anything more than
once i don't like to see anything suffer [Music] once kendra covered rusty's body tom
bound her wrists and took her to the clearing where he had shot julio he warned her not to look at julio's
body as it would distress her and left her standing nearby while he retrieved a watch that giulio had been wearing
when tom returned he said to kendra you're not allowed to cry i'm going to tell you a story
his name wasn't really tom he told her it was kent and he wasn't a logger he was a hitman
for an organised crime group he'd murdered five or six people and was wanted across several different states
but now tom was on the run from the mobsters he'd worked for because he had killed quote one man too many
the reason he shot giulio was because he wanted a female companion and kendra looked strong enough to live off the
land with him after he finished explaining all of this he said now you can cry kendra wept uncontrollably before
telling tom that she had no idea how to live off the land tom just smiled and tried to hug her
instead after a little while tom made kendra pack up some belongings so they could
begin hiking through the forest claiming that the criminals he'd worked for were after them he ordered her to
change into a pair of army pants as camouflage toms said that if the mobsters managed
to find them kendra should run in the opposite direction as him for survival the people pursuing him wouldn't harm
her if they separated they hiked for four hours tommy insisted that kendra only step on
rocks and stones to avoid leading footprints if an aircraft flew overhead she had to
dark as they walked tom occasionally discarded items by tossing them into the brush
kandra suspected he was trying to throw people off their path they eventually stopped by the river
while kendra went into the water to wash up tom lay on a sleeping bag then he demanded she'd join him and
threatened her with a knife before raping her as she cried after hiking throughout the rest of the
day they set up camp tom constantly told kandra disturbing things he said he could have killed giulio with
his bare hands if he wanted but he chose to shoot him instead because it was quick and painless
he also revealed that he'd initially planned to murder giulio the previous evening but decided to let the couple
have one final night together out of kindness kandra asked why he hadn't just left
giulio tied up somewhere before abducting her that would have been mean tom replied
likewise he said he had killed rusty as an act of mercy because the dog wouldn't
have been able to survive their journey tom told candra stories about his violent past and the many murders he had
committed he was a big fan of adolf hitler and said he hated his family when he wasn't ranting tom would rape
kandra she was struck by how nasty looking his eyes were [Music] kendra was led further into the woods
whenever tom paused to take a break kendra pulled out the bible her friend had encouraged her to pack and read
aloud from it taking note of her faith tom told candra that he too had been a christian once
but he knew that god had given up on him kendra replied that god didn't give up on anybody
as time went on the pair continued to talk they had long conversations about a wide
range of topics from films and books to deeper subjects such as the nature of humanity
at one point tom told kandra how the human mind held multiple doors that one could open and close at will
[Music] when he needed to kill a person he simply opened a door in his brain that
allowed that kendra found herself gradually forgetting about the terrible things tom
had done but his mood could change in an instant he would go from being caring and
considerate too angry without warning on monday july 26 two days after the murder of giulio tom woke up with a bad
cough and told kendra that he thought he had pneumonia he asked her for some paper so he could
write letters to friends explaining that he would probably be dead soon at the thought of being left lost in the
forest all alone kendra began to cry and for the first time so did tom then he told kendra something
he hadn't actually meant to kill giulio but he was worried no one would believe him
as described by kandra in the forensic files episode head games tom said i didn't kill your husband on purpose it
was an accident the reason that i brought you up here is because i'm afraid to go back to prison
kendra asked tom if he was sure it was an accident he told her over and over that he was
slowly candra began to believe him armed with this new information she made a promise
if you're sure i'll go to the police with you and tell them i saw it kendra said
her words made tom smile case file will be back shortly thank you for supporting us by listening to this
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you support case file to continue to deliver quality content tom brown agreed to take keandra torres
back to the campsite where giulio and rusty's bodies still lay then he would head back into the forest
while kendra could make her way back home through repeated conversations kendra managed to convince tom to join her in
reporting the accident to authorities the thought of leaving an ill man alone in the woods made her uneasy
when she promised to vouch for him with law enforcement he agreed to join her they made it back to the area where
they'd left their vehicles and got into tom's truck by the time they arrived at his lawyer's
office the following morning keandra had heard tom describe how the rifle had misfired so many times that she truly
believed she had seen it with her own eyes tom also insisted that he only shot rusty in self-defense after the dog
attacked him kendra was convinced of this too detectives were stunned as they listened
to kendra relate this entirely new version of events they had believed the story that she and
tom brown had originally told them and considered the case nothing more than an unfortunate accident
after hearing kendra's amended account they asked her to sit a polygraph test tom had already taken one after being
interviewed twice and he had passed with no problems at all kendra agreed to their request
but to her dismay she failed the exam despite this investigators were intrigued by kendra's new story
the truth was that tom whose full name was thomas leslie brown had an extensive criminal history that included a number
of violent crimes at the age of 16 he acquired a rifle and ammunition from a friend then went out
looking for people to rob he and another teenager drove towards the city of camby and spotted a woman
also driving on the same road they ran her off the bitumen then raced up to her car while wielding the gun and
demanding money the woman locked her vehicle's doors so brown fired the rifle twice
believing he'd hit the woman he and his friends ran into a nearby forest when they emerged a little while later
the woman's car was still parked by the side of the road but there was no sign of her
she had fled unscathed from the vehicle tom and his friend got back in their car
and sped away in the hopes of finding another victim suddenly a police car appeared in front
of them its lights flashing realising it was coming for them the two teenagers veered towards a turn off and
hit a truck their car flipped over tom fired out a window at the pursuing police officer but missed
he crawled from the car and fled on foot spotting a male passer-by he went up to
him and demanded his car keys the man said he had none so tom tried his luck at a house instead
a teenage girl answered the door and when tom threatened her she ran across the street to a neighbor's property
noticing the neighbor's pickup truck parked outside tom decided to steal it he aimed his rifle at a young man
standing in the window of the house and fired this time his shot hit its mark the young man was wounded in the stomach
tom got into the pickup truck but immediately discovered there wasn't enough room in its cab for him to aim
his weapon he hopped out again just as sheriff's deputies arrived on the scene when officers later interviewed tom and
asked if he was responsible for shooting the young man tom replied yeah i wanted his car and i was willing
to kill to get it luckily his victim survived tom brown was sent to a reform school
but picked up his criminal career again upon release for a while he mostly engaged in petty
crimes before developing an interest in a woman who had two young children after a short period she ended their
relationship furious at this tom abducted the woman and her children then took them up to
the mountains he held them hostage overnight before releasing them the woman declined to press charges he
had a fear that tom would come after her he openly spoke of the incident with police stating
i was going to have her one way or another i would have burned down her house used
a gun whatever it took so no one else would have her either after this tom relocated to the midwestern state of
nebraska and started working on a farm his employer lent tom his red gmc pickup truck
one day tom told his boss he planned to drive the truck into town he had two of his employers rifles with
him at the time an entire day went by with no sign of tom or the truck when tom's employer realised he'd been
robbed he filed a stolen vehicle report with the police there was a warrant out for tom's arrest
in nebraska but law enforcement there never caught sight of him again it turned out that he had driven the
stolen pickup all the way back to oregon tom's history of violence made investigators inclined to believe kendra
torrez's second account of advance despite her failing her polygraph test although polygraphs are used in some
jurisdictions as an interrogative tool and are sometimes referred to as lie detectors they cannot detect lies
they measure physiological responses to different questions and an individual's results will depend on many factors
countermeasures such as controlled breathing and thought exercises can help someone pass a polygraph
likewise a person who is nervous and emotional may provide responses that the examiner perceives as dishonest
as kendra torres's mother later told forensic files polygraphs do not measure truth or lie
what they measure is emotion and if you were a sixteen-year-old girl that had been raped marched up in the
mountain you're talking about your husband that you loved that was shot by this murderer
would you be emotional i think so however investigators knew that they needed more information if they were to
proceed with a murder charge they referred kandra to a forensic psychiatrist in the hopes he might be
able to shed further light on what had happened dr joseph trelevan worked at oregon
state hospital as head of the psychiatric security unit he spent several hours interviewing
kendra torres about her ordeal dr trelevan sought to determine why candra had vehemently defended and
supported her rapist than kidnapper who she knew deep down had gunned down her husband and dog
he noted that kendra's early defense of her captor reminded him of stories he had read about american pows during the
korean war in situations where these hostages were isolated tortured and lived in fear of
being killed they sometimes began to identify with their captors point of view occasionally they even went so far as to
testify against the united states those who studied this phenomenon dubbed it brainwashing
in 1973 three years before giulio and kendra torres encountered tom brown it became known as stockholm syndrome after
a bank robbery in sweden where hostages subsequently defended their captors the term made headlines in the u.s at
the start of 1976 when heiress paddy hurst was trialed for her role in a bank robbery
hearst had been abducted in 1974 by a left-wing organization and was held hostage by them for 19 months
while prosecutors claimed hurst had willingly aligned herself with her captors and agreed to participate in the
robbery her lawyer insisted she had been brainwashed some experts in psychology say stockholm
syndrome occurs when a victim suffers a traumatic shock at the hands of a captor
who then isolates them indoctrinates them and promises an eventual reward in kendra torrez's case the shooting of
giulio and rusty along with being repeatedly raped qualified as traumatic sharks
she was then isolated and indoctrinated by tom brown who repeatedly told her giulio's shooting was an accident
her reward was being released by tom if she went along with his story [Music] stockholm syndrome is not an official
psychiatric disorder and does not appear in the dsm-5 a diagnostic manual published by the american psychiatric
association some experts and commentators have criticised the theory of stockholm
syndrome pointing out that psychiatrists and psychologists have been unable to reach a consensus on it
the fbi has described the condition as extremely rare the very case that gave the phenomenon
its name is contentious as police actions in the stockholm bank robbery case arguably placed the hostages at
greater risk this provides another explanation for why those hostages may have refused to
testify against their captors regardless of debate about the condition dr trelevan and investigators came to
the conclusion that kendrick torres had allied herself with her abductor as a way to survive
the kendra the thought that her husband and dog had been killed just because a stranger wanted her to himself was
deeply distressing she wanted to believe it had all been a tragic accident because then she
wouldn't feel guilty about what happened talking to producers of forensic files kendra said
i had nobody with me but a murderer do i really want to believe he is a murderer because believing that is
terrifying do i really want to think that my husband died so that someone could rape
me and kidnap me for me denial was the best way to survive although detectives believed keandra's
accusations against tom brown they had no way of proving them kendra's conflicting statements and
failed polygraph exam could be used by a defense to undermine her credibility and
label her an unreliable witness plus she hadn't seen tom shoot julio she had only heard it
they needed physical evidence to prove there had been a murder volcandra said tom shot rusty from
behind tom had claimed he shot the dog as the animal ran towards him if this was true the bullet would have
entered rusty's head from the front sheriff's deputies had taken photographs of rusty's body at the campsite but
didn't arrange an autopsy for the dog with the rusty long since buried in a mass grave they had no way of checking
which version was true however they did have some forensics to go on in giulio's case
experts had found no gunpowder residue on giulio's face where the bullet had entered which indicated that he hadn't
been shot at a very close range in order to find out the minimum distance he could have been shot from
ballistics experts did some tests with tom brown's rifle when fired six inches from its target
had left a visible gunpowder pattern the experts tried firing it at gradually increasing distances and discovered that
it wasn't until the rifle was fired at least 36 inches from its target that the target remained free from gunpowder
this meant tom brown had been a minimum of three feet away from giulio when the rifle went off
this distance combined with the almost horizontal entry and exit wound in julio's head and neck meant tom's story
of an accidental misfire while the gun was being passed between them didn't hold up
detectives couldn't arrest tom brown as he had gone off the grid after their last interview
prosecutors instead took the case to a grand jury to determine whether the death of giulio torres was a murder or
an accident in december 1976 almost five months after giulio was killed the grand jury
reached a decision giulio had been murdered an indictment was handed down charging
tom brown with murder as well as car theft and forgery months went by then one day sheriff's
deputies were stunned to see tom walk into their offices he looked cool calm and collected as he
approached the front desk and explained that he'd heard there was a warrant out for his arrest
tom said he was keen to get it all straightened out the sheriff's office wasted no time in
arresting tom brown and charging him with murder then he was transferred to county jail
to await trial investigators needed a definitive statement from kendra torres that they
could take to court after encouragement from a criminal investigator kendra began writing down
her memories of her ordeal as they came to mind when she was finally finished she had
written 18 pages detailing everything that had happened meanwhile tom brown was pleased to
discover that his county jail cellmate was a man who had previously known as an adolescent at reform school
this individual was given the pseudonym wendell stokeberry by true crime author ian rule in her book empty promises
[Music] like tom wendell had an extensive criminal background and tom felt comfortable confiding in him
he began discussing his upcoming trial assuring wendell quote i'm going to beat it
tom openly told wendell how he had deliberately shot giulio in the face claiming that he had been hired to
murder him then he bragged about how he had convinced kendra torres to go along with
his story about an accidental shooting and said she wasn't emotionally strong enough to go through with testifying
against him [Music] a jury wouldn't find her convincing either tom said because she looked older
than her actual age and had a seductive demeanor plus he had passed a polygraph test
he'd done that by simply choosing to believe in the lies he had invented tom said that when he was acquitted he'd
killed the case's prosecutors then go after kendra on the off chance that he was convicted
his sentence would probably only be around seven years and he could still get his revenge against candra upon
release wendell reported everything tom told him to prosecutors they believed wendell because there were
details in his story that no one knew except those with an intimate knowledge of the crimes
in exchange for an escape charge removed from his criminal record and a sentence
in an out-of-state prison wendell agreed to testify against his old friend two days before tom brown's trial was
set to begin he managed to source enough money for bail and was released kendra torres was moved to a motel for
her own protection and was kept under 24-hour police guard the defendant was given the choice of a
jury trial or trial by judge adopted for the ladder his former friend wendell appeared as a
witness as did dr joseph trellevin who spoke at length about the phenomenon of stockholm syndrome
despite her continuing fear of the man who'd abducted her kendra torres managed to testify at length over one and a half
days tom brown also took the stand in his own defense he tried to demonstrate how the alleged
accident took place showing how he'd handed over the rifle to giulio but his demonstration fell flat when it
became clear that this handoff was incompatible with the wound that giulio had received
it took the judge three days to reach a ruling he found tom brown guilty and sentenced
him to life in the oregon state penitentiary tom brown has applied for parole a number of times over the ensuing decades
without success as of early 2022 he remains incarcerated but he is scheduled to be released in
august 2023 he is currently 75 years [Music] old the case of giulio and kendra torres
was written about extensively by true crime author ian rule she detailed the events of their camping
trip and the investigation that followed in a chapter of her 2001 book empty promises
although kendra kept a low profile for many years after her ordeal in 2020 she shared her story with fellow kidnapping
survivor elizabeth smart who was abducted from her utah home in 2002 at the age of 14.
the two women revisited the location where kendra was abducted for an episode of the television series elizabeth smart
finding justice it was the first time kendra had been back to mount hood national forest since
giulio's murder she said the visit made her feel empowered kendra torres is grateful for the
physical evidence that helped put her attacker and her husband's killer behind bars
as she told the television program forensic files in 2004 i thank god for forensics
i think that they solve a lot of crimes the angle of the shot and the type of gun that was used and the powder burns
were all proof that this did not happen the way that he said it did so i was very thankful for that evidence
[Music] kandra eventually remarried moved far away and started a family she credits psychiatry with helping her
recover and understand how her memories were able to be distorted and manipulated by tom brown
kendra has found comfort in knowing there is a logical explanation for her reaction to trauma and in having her
name publicly cleared [Music] [Music] in 2016 case file covered the disappearance of 22 year old shano
callahan all you can see is headlights of a car flashing it's blatantly obvious that she got in that car whoever had
taken her had done it for criminal purposes now hear firsthand from loved ones and
lead investigator steve fulcher as we unravel how the case unfolded and the minefield of legal and ethical dilemmas
encountered along the way therefore there's only one way to do this it was at that point that steve
fortune decided to take an extraordinary gamble her life is my responsibility all
i could do was plead with him for her life when a killer confesses do you listen he said you and i should
have a chat the fact of his guilt was unequivocal but what if one interpretation of the law says you
shouldn't accept the confession when he got taken to swindon he got a lawyer all that conversation
those vital confessions disappeared of no value what they were doing what were they doing
what happens to the cop who believes he's making the right choice the whole reason we were there
was losing sight what was wrong in getting a confession from a murderer it obviously rehearsed
this line that you ended with which was it was a pleasure to ruin your career you corrupt bastard if it had been your
loved one steve fulcher was looking for what would you have wanted him to do to crucify somebody
for trying his best to get closure for two families it doesn't make a lot of sense
case file presents the detective's dilemma available for free on march 14 only on spotify
[Music]

Case 206: Julio & Candra Torres

On Tuesday, July 27 1976, 16-year-old Candra Torres and a man named Tom Brown showed up in an Oregon sheriff’s department to report a terrible incident. Candra’s husband, 21-year-old Julio Torres, had been accidentally shot and killed while the three were on a camping trip deep in Mount Hood National Forest...

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Erin Munro Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn

SOCIAL LINKS

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RESOURCES

For all credits and sources please visit https://casefilepodcast.com/case-206-julio-candra-torres

Brief Summary

A camping trip turns tragic when Tom Brown accidentally shoots Giulio Torres, leading to a complex legal battle and psychological turmoil for Kendra Torres.

Key points

Employee Experience Priority. 90% of employers prioritize enhancing employee experience in 2022. A happy workplace is key.
Tragic Camping Incident. Tom Brown accidentally kills Giulio Torres while hunting in the Mount Hood National Forest.
Kendra's Grief. Kendra Torres struggles with her emotions after the tragic deaths of her husband and dog.
Kendra's Nightmare. Kendra's bad dream foreshadows the impending danger during their trip.
A Chilling Encounter. Kendra meets Tom Brown, whose unsettling demeanor raises her suspicions.
The Shocking Confession. Kendra learns the horrifying truth about Tom's identity and intentions.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I was afraid they wouldn't believe me.

3:01WatchApr 9, 2022

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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