When a Killer Calls /// Part 1 /// 553 | Forensic Files

thank you [Music] [Music] thank you foreign garage and this is part one of When a
Killer calls [Music] foreign [Music] June 1st 1985. 3 10 am I love you all last will and testament
I love you mommy daddy Robert Dawn and Richard and everyone else and all the other friends and relatives
I'll be with my father now so please please don't worry just remember my witty personality and
great special times we all shared together please don't ever let this ruin your lives just keep living one day at a
time for Jesus some good will come out of this my thoughts will always be with and in
you casket closed I love you all so damn much sorry Dad I had to cuss for once Jesus forgive me
Richard sweetie I really did and always will love you and treasure our special moments
I ask one thing though except Jesus as your personal savior my family has been the greatest
influence on my life sorry about the cruise money someday please go in my place I am sorry if I ever disappointed you in
any way I only wanted to make you proud of me because I have always been proud of my
family Mom Dad Robert and Don there's so much I want to say that I should have said before now
I love you I know you all love me and will miss me very much but if you all stick together like we
always did you all can do it please do not become hard or upset everything works out for the good for
those that love the Lord all of my love always I love you all with all my heart Sharon Sherry Smith
P.S Nana I love you so much I kind of always felt like your favorite you were mine
I love you a lot [Music] Friday May 31st 1985. at 3 38 PM Bob Smith discovered his daughter Sherry's
car unattended with the driver's door open and the motor running at the end of the long driveway leading to the
family's home he called out her name several times and got no response he checked the vehicle
and found Sherry's purse on the seat but where was his daughter Sherry's father started searching for
her when his efforts failed Mr Smith contacted the police this is just two days before 17 year old
Sherry Faye Smith was scheduled to sing the national anthem at her High School graduation
so while most of her friends and classmates were packing for their High School graduation trip Sherry was
abducted from the driveway of her Lexington County South Carolina home What followed was the largest search in
South Carolina history the investigation was Bleak they had no Witnesses and no leads Sherry is what
law enforcement would consider to be an extremely low risk victim therefore it was important to clear the family as
fast as possible and move on to other possibilities police very quickly ruled out any
involvement by the immediate family or any of the members of the immediate family
they're hoping for a ransom demand so police put a trace on the Smith's home phone
the next day the Smiths received a phone call on the line a strangely distorted voice of a man who claims he has Sherry
captive he tells Sherry's mother Hilda who answered the phone so you'll know this
is not a hoax Sherry had on a black and yellow bathing suit beneath her shirt and shorts then the caller says you'll
get a letter from Sherry later State officials intercepted her letter this was entitled last will and
testament from the mail the letter we read during the trailer was that exact letter
apparently her abductor had Sherry drafted shortly before her death this was a two-page handwritten letter
and while it clearly displayed an amazing amount of strength and courage on Sherry's behalf after reading the
letter no one was optimistic the papers were sent for fingerprint analysis local law enforcement was all over this
one the FBI was very quickly sent in and the FBI feared the worst their Theory is
that the abductor most likely killed Sherry by the time that they arrived to assist in the case and the killer would
now be ready to search for another victim they believe the kidnapper saw Sherry and her boyfriend Richard kissing at the
local shopping mall and from there he followed her home she stopped at the mailbox and that's where
he snatched her seems like a lot of creeps are hanging out at the local malls so that was their working Theory
and after this first call was received they decided to set up recording equipment at the Smith home because now
they're anticipating another phone call on June 3rd they received a call asking if they had received the letter and the
caller asked do you believe me now to which Hilda this is Sherry's mother replied no I have not heard from Sherry
and I need to know if she is alive and well so basically if I'm following you correctly this dirt pack calls the
family and he says I have her and then he says you're going to receive a letter right but the letter is the last will
and testament so it's almost implying that she's dead and then he calls him back and says do
you believe me now right right he wants to know if they've received the letter they as said it was
intercepted by law enforcement and this is actually a really good move by Sherry's mother Hilda to not kind of
cower to this distorted voice on the other end of the phone yeah she's saying look I've not heard from my daughter I
need to know if she's alive and well I don't believe anything you're saying you say you have her captive well let me
talk to my daughter right and so in a sense she's kind of calling his bluff right or hoping so yeah he
says that when she asked him I need to know if Sherry's alive and well he then responds that you will know in two or
three days and he hangs up the phone well hold on to your horses because we have exclusive audio that we receive to
play these phone calls on the show and what you are about to hear is the first recorded phone calls from
the killer to the family [Applause] I need to speak to your mother you could ask his calling no okay okay hold on
just a second please [Applause] [Applause] hello have you received the mail today
uh yes I have do you believe me now well I'm not really sure I believe you because I
haven't had any word from Sherry and I need to know Sherry is well you'll know in two or three days why two
or three days search off tell me if she is well because of her disease are you taking care of her
foreign yes yes did you come down from Charlotte oh yes I did he's calling please
I need to speak to your mother okay get my mother um she's coming tell her to hurry she's
hurrying tell Sherry I love her did you all receive her letter today did you ever see her letter today uh
this is Hilda did you receive Sherry Ray's letter pardon I can't hear it it's not very clear speak louder did you
receive the letter today ah yes I did tell me one thing that said tell you one thing it said
you're fine [Applause] sure Richard let's do what that was a little heart on the side sure Richard written on the
side oh it says how many pages two pages okay it's yellow legal pad yeah and on one
side on the front page it said Jesus is Love no God is love well God is love right okay so you know now that this is
not a hoax call yes I know that okay well we missed Sheriff Smith this morning I don't know what happened to
that they couldn't get him on okay well I'm trying to do everything possible to answer some of your prayers so please in
the name of God work with us here and can you answer me one question please you are very kind and and you seem to be
a compassionate person and and I think you know how I feel being Sherry's mother and how much I love her can you
tell me is she all right physically without her medicine curious drinking a little over two
gallons of water per hour and using the bathroom right afterwards all right is she able to eat because she
doesn't usually eat that that's what concerns me uh listen I got to hurry now I know that
okay now what I'm gonna do is I'm having ambulance now this is very important however Bissell has gone too far
um please forgive me uh foreign [Applause] if anything happens to me she said her
one of her requests she did not put in there to put her hands on her stomach like she was praying in the casket
what now across her hands why would anything happen to you we don't want any harm to you I I
promise we just won't Sherry well and all right okay okay now you're sure we have to realize that this is not the
whole stall yes he knows this is not a hoax okay okay I'm good about all other sucks and
the only only I talk to the morning the first time yes I did not realize I thought you were a police
officer okay listen listen real carefully I got to hurry oh I know these calls are being traced
correct I do not know they are okay now listen oh [Applause] I'm listening yeah hold on a second
are you still there yeah okay hold on just something uh you're sharing with you or can you
tell me that or not so I I can tell you oh yes okay hold on before I forget it I told you that
morning you were looking at the wrong place right yes you did I wish you would have remembered that I don't know I did
remember that okay well listen to us please okay forget Lexington County look in Saluda County do you understand look
in Saluda County exactly uh the closest to Lexington County within a 15 mile radius right over the line is
that understood yeah and very very soon you get please my series request Jerry say a request
please uh no strangers hardly and when y'all when we give the location no strangers
absolutely did you understand about the folding of the hands like she was in prayer in case something happens to us
yes if something happens to y'all but nothing listen nobody is going to harm you I promise
that I don't know what the problem is I told you to forget about looking around your house
listen you believe me and I believe you there are so many people I know that love Sherry and they just won't give up
want to tell you one other thing Sherry is now part of me physically mentally emotionally spiritually our souls are
one now your souls are one now with Sherry yes and we're trying to work this out so please do what we are you haven't
been doing that I don't understand and she doesn't we sit here and watch TV and we see no Sheriff why doesn't Sherry
Sherry talk to me she she knows me so well that's why she asked me to communicate with you not your husband
aren't you aware of that yes I know that I know that she would ask you to talk with me she does love y'all and like she
said do not let this learn your life we're not going to let it ruin ourselves listen you tell Sherry one thing what is
wrong there's no way my life could ever have any happiness in it again if if Sherry left this world with me bearing a
guilt that I I had failed in such a bad way because I love her and I want to make her happy I'll do anything to work
it out she doesn't have to come home okay I'm here she does not have to come home
anything and I please now I'll have the ambulance ready at any time at any time not go any
further and uh it will be soon the ambulance you're not telling me that no something's gonna happen to her and I'm
gonna have to have an ambulance I'm telling you her condition is getting bad get all these damn men and salute
accounting okay well God bless you call me soon will you call me back tonight I just need reassurance to know that she's
still okay I got to go now and listen uh please please please forgive me for this
it just got out of hand I know listen do me one thing what is that hurry just tell Sherry
I know she knows how much I love her tell her her Daddy loves her and her daddy will work anything out with her
Under the Sun and and he admits we've got a lot of problems and we'll work him out and her brother and sister love her
and of course God bless you for taking care of my baby Gary is protected and like you said she is a part of me now
and God look after all of us yeah good night good luck to you too [Applause] first off we want to apologize for the
audio we know it's not of the highest quality but the content is incredibly intriguing and we wanted to make sure
that we included that on these episodes now what you're hearing here captain and
everybody out there in listener land is part of the reason for the poor quality of the audio is it's almost 40 years old
by this point this case took place in 1985 and we have our perpetrator who is using a voice modulator at times and
then to add to the confusion this is actually several calls that you heard here where he's hanging up the call
because he is aware that they likely will be tracing this and if they can trace him well they're going to catch
him and that's not what he's looking to do but when we discuss signatures this is the definition of a signature of a
killer this is something these phone calls the communication with the victim's family are not necessary to the
crimes that he's committing these are only necessary to him for reasons that we probably will not be able to answer
we cannot comprehend why somebody would want to call the family and further torture them emotionally about their
missing daughter now what we can say here one thing that I believe he was doing is I think he got a little pissed
off and that is one of the reasons for the initial phone call to the family because he keeps saying now do you see
what I mean do you know that this is not a hoax he's not talking about it being a hoax that their daughter was
kidnapped right he's talking about his phone calls the legitimacy of him and his phone calls do you now know that
this is not a hoax because he's able to tell the family information that only they would know the reason for this I'm
guessing here Captain is he wanted the credit he wanted the notoriety he wanted credit for his crimes that he risked
himself put himself In Harm's Way to commit these crimes he now wants the credit
because I found that a James Edward Robertson called the family with a ransom demand
and this is what he I believe he is referring to as the hoax right because that was very quickly deemed to be a
hoax I believe he was asking the family for like forty thousand dollars and he would return their daughter but of
course the police very quickly figured out that that was just an extortion plan by this James Edward Robinson had
nothing to do with with the case itself he's not the perpetrator of the abduction was not holding their daughter
captive he had no ability to release her to them he was just simply saw an opportunity and tried to score big off
of it well guess what score one for the good guys because James Edward Robertson
ends up in prison makes you wonder too if he's talking to her mother because if he talks to her father there's more
likely a chance of Confrontation I don't know if I would be able to contain myself my daughter went missing
in some scumbag called me and and was trying to control the conversation a couple times they referenced something
sure Richard in their conversation and I want to bring up what that means so the letters
that the family received as you heard were two pages and on the first page there was a heart
drawing along with the word sure Richard well Sherry spelled her name s-h-a-r-i and her boyfriend's name was
Richard so they had this kind of cute way of making one name out of both of their names and that's what she Richard
means unfortunately page two of the letter that they're referencing is the last will and testament of Sherry Smith
foreign [Music] [Music] we're back to the windows to the walls cheers everybody cheers to you captain
now later that same day he did call again this time saying Sherry was alive and he would release her soon
and that he wanted to tell her one thing that Sherry is now a part of him physically mentally emotionally
and spiritually he says our souls are now one Hilda asked again if her daughter was
alive and well the man said Sherry is protected and she is a part of me now and God looks after all of us okay so
this guy's uh Wackadoo weirdo well these are not clear and simple answers to very clear and
simple questions from Hilda and the other thing too Captain using those words Sherry's now a part of me physically
mentally emotionally and spiritually our souls are now one I can't feel like anybody's got any good feelings in the
Smith home hearing that that sounds very Bleak sounds very bad I mean it just sounds bad well on top of that you have
you know her car is found on the fact that this individual was able to just pull up behind her grab her take her
captive and now this comeback is going to bring the Lord Jesus Christ and our savior into this so because of the first
call that was received they were anticipating these two phone calls and attempting to trace the location of
these two phone calls now they did they did have some luck with that they were able to determine that these two phone
calls did come from the general area you know they were they were local let's say
but there are some issues there were some issues with the phone trace right according to the FBI in 1985 it took
about 15 minutes to get a Pinpoint location of the exact phone from which the calls were placed even with the
strength and courage shown by Hilda Smith the caller never stayed on the phone for that length of time now the
man called again this time it was four days after the abduction and this time Sherry's 21 year old sister Dawn
answered the phone the man gave her details about the kidnapping saying he stopped his car when he saw her at the
mailbox he said he took a few photos of her then approached her acting friendly and when he got close enough he forced
her into his vehicle at gunpoint he told Don he was regretful that the whole thing got way out of hand he then went
on to tell her that at 3 10 a.m Saturday the 1st of June Sherry wrote the letter
you received and then at 4 5 58 Saturday the 1st of June we became one Soul he said don't there he goes with the weird
talk again right and he says don't ask me any questions he told Don Sherry would be returned the following evening
and that they should have an ambulance on standby adding you'll receive instructions on where to find us well
and this makes you wonder because you take somebody like Dahmer for example and he would talk about possessing his
victim by eating his victim and that they would become a part of him by doing so so that's where my head goes with
these comments my head actually goes in two directions one what you just said there Talent one right there is is is
the possessing um you know we even hear zodiac wrote in his letters that they will become slaves
my slaves in the afterlife yeah but the weird thing that I find here is a bit of the opposite that we've seen
with like when we talked about Kemper we talked about BTK where both of them said
you know after I killed somebody I just immediately went into pure paranoia where I felt the whole world
knew what I just did right and at any second they're going to come and get me you know they're going to come and
apprehend me and here you know we have the FBI who's stating well we believed by receiving this letter that she was
probably already dead before we arrived on the scene to help and this dude's probably out looking for another victim
he might be but he's also busy spending his time communicating with the family I
wonder what happened to give them that impression that he already killed her I think the letter you know the letter is
weird enough that it might steer you in that direction that's the same way that it steered us to The Possession
possessing the victim okay they have become one all of that kooky talk right what I could do but here's one thing I
do want to point out and I I read a lot of books by retired FBI agents humble brag what what kind of brag his hat that
that I can read I read a lot of books no that just means this is nothing else to do this is after
uh did you start reading a lot after you studied computer well the thing that I want to point out here that I see Time
and Time Again by these retired FBI agents and don't get me wrong I I enjoy them very much that's why I purchased
their books so I can read them however they're always kind of the smartest guy in the room and I wonder a lot of times
like after the fact they're telling these stories 20 30 years later and they're like ah we knew already that uh
this is what was going on and it's you kind of I question it sometimes you couldn't have been right every single
time you know what I mean it just doesn't work out that way maybe this is why you
identify with the books right remember he's now telling them that they will receive instructions on where to find us
more of the kooky talk right and letting them know that hey I'm going to let Sherry go she will be returned the
following evening make sure you have an ambulance on standby so to me I go in a different route thinking why so much
communication going on if you haven't kept her alive maybe because of the kooky talk but let's let the audience
think for themselves and here's the recording of that call ready [Applause] [Applause]
okay okay you're not on the phone yet well I'll tell you this okay uh you're aware of
that that was in Jerry's Old handwriting yes I am all right okay now this is Sherry's own words okay so listen
carefully there's nothing to lift your ass okay okay and it's not necessary I know these calls
are taped and traced but that's irrelevant now there's no money demanded so here's Sherry through his last
request on the fifth day to put the family at rest Fury saved being freed remember we are one Soul now when you
locate when located you locate both of us together we are one God has chosen us respect all past and present request
actual events and times jot this down hurry all right I'm doing it 328 afternoon Friday 31st of May
very was kidnapped from your mailbox with a gun she had to fear of God on her and she
was at the mailbox that's why she did not return back to her car she had to fear What Fear God dear God okay four 58
A.M no I'm sorry hold on three trillion uh you know on Saturday the first 15. he hand wrote what you received
58 a.m Saturday the first of June okay Saturday the 1st of June 4 58 a.m became one so it became one so what does that
mean no questions now all right last for 24 and 7 Wednesday tomorrow have ambulance ready remember no circus all
right wait four and seven a.m four and seven in the afternoon in the afternoon tomorrow okay okay health and how much
ready remember her request no circus okay prayers and relief coming soon please learn to enjoy life to give us
God protects the chosen Sherry's food's important requests rest to North and tomorrow
good shall come out of this and please to assurements search no more blessings are near remember tomorrow Wednesday
four to four in the afternoon to seven in the evening ambulance ready no Circle okay no circus
what does that mean you've received last instructions for to find us do not kill my daughter please
I mean please love and miss y'all get good friends tonight wait a minute he's gone mom
I think at that point I mean you can almost hear in her voice because he's not responding to her
that maybe she's starting to understand that her daughter might be gone I think that's always the fear I think where
their hope comes from is that maybe this guy's just completely right off of his rocker and
we can't take anything that he says as fact or as truth because we don't know what kind of maniac we're dealing with
here I mean he's claiming to have to abducted her and that they've become one again those words are scary to me as a
parent that's not what you want to hear because I I usually know with where that
ends up right and he's proven that he is the one that has abducted their daughter
I love the psychology of this though and I and I really wonder if there's a way to kind of
dissect this because we have some killers that communicate after their crimes and
we've seen some that communicate with law enforcement some choose to communicate with the media and here we
have somebody communicating with the victims with the families and I've always wondered what is the
psychology of why one killer will pick whomever they end up communicating with I would lean towards the idea of that
you're communicating with their family members that it's a in a way you're trying to get
forgiveness you're going to try to get them to understand and you're going to try to get them to you know pray for
you or forgive you well maybe that's the case here because we do hear him he's saying that he's passing along direct
request from Sherry Smith to the family this is how Sherry Smith wants you to handle this situation going forward
these are her requests so that seems important to him and maybe that's some weird form of remorse I don't know but
other times that we've had perpetrators communicate with the victims it's been more of a taunting nature where you know
we've seen BTK he communicated with the primarily the the media and somewhat law
enforcement here we have a direct connection direct communication via phone and letters
to the victims families from the Killer and this is similar to we've seen this in previous cases with
before we were calling him the Golden State killer back when he was ons or the original Night Stalker he would call and
taunt some of their victims you know the heavy breathing into the phone the the threat of of killing additional victims
and also with David Gale meyerhoffer was one that called the family of the mother
that he kidnapped he called her I believe it was for for weeks and she was convinced that the person
calling them was the actual killer the person responsible for whatever happened to their daughter it seems like when
these killers are contacting media it's it's leans more towards the idea that they're taunting uh Society they're
taunting the police they're taunting their next victims also what I find a little strange in this call and I don't
know if it's because of the tape or it's because of whatever voice manipulation he's trying to use but there's a couple
times where it like slows down and and sounds very demonic well and for the long time listeners out there some of
you are probably scratching your head a bit and going I feel like I've heard you
guys cover this case before and well you are right we always say that we have the
the best and brightest audience out there well you are right we did cover this case before entitled that show the
last will and testament the reason that we are going through this again and while you are hearing
old audio from yours truly in the captain is because we were asked by John Douglas he said I'd like to come on and
talk about this case that we worked and oh by the way here's some of the audio we have some of the phone calls that you
guys can use and present to your audience at noon the next day the man called again and said follow these
instructions listen carefully he said take Highway 378 West to Traffic Circle take Prosperity exit and go one and a
half miles turn right at the Moose Lodge sign go one quarter mile and then turn left at the white building
go to the backyard there we will be waiting God chose us and then he hung up the phone listen carefully
[Applause] Kyle will take Prosperity exit for one and a half miles turn right at sign blue
slots number 103. go one quarter mile turn left at right frame building go to Backyard six feet Beyond we're waiting
God chose us yeah this God speak is just creepy well it's South Carolina and it's I I
think you know it's part of that no I don't mind God talk I don't mind that at all you know I'm a spiritual person but
I do mind is when you kidnap a person possibly have already murdered or you made her write her last will and
testament and now you're saying that you have became one and then you keep bringing God into this so that's uh
don't like that much well in given all these instructions pretty detailed instructions it's good for law
enforcement that this call like the others was recorded So the sheriff's department followed the directions and
this led them to the body of Sherry Fay Smith the decomposition of the body suggested
that she had been dead for some time likely since 458 on June 1st like was noted in the letter right they were
pretty sure of this so she was clothed and they could tell she was once bound with duct tape but the the tape had been
removed so we have the residue left over from the duct tape and they believed that Sherry's body was likely in this
location since shortly after her death unfortunately by the time Sherry's body was located due to the advanced d-comp
the Pathologists could not ascertain either the cause of death or whether or not she had been sexually assaulted the
pathologist believed however that Sherry either suffocated or died from dehydration this resulting from a rare
form of diabetes from which Sherry suffered evidence suggested she was killed elsewhere investigators believed
her killer play placed her there and returned to visit with the corpse and it was only until the body was too far
decomposed for his liking or decomposed enough to hide slash destroy evidence that he told the family where to find
her and streams for me with the FBI involved you'd think that they would be able to determine the cause of death
well using the information that they had the FBI unit put together a profile of the offender they believed that the
offender was in his late 20s to early 30s probably divorced living alone or with his parents white he has uh yeah
they actually will update this profile later and they didn't include white as part of the first profile
but probably divorced living alone or with his parents he has some kind of criminal record this would include
assaults on women or at least obscene phone calls if he has previously murdered anyone the victims would be
children or young girls they believed when he was on the phone with Sherry's family he was reading from a script
they believed the killer was rigid orderly and obsessively neat he would take notes obsessively and keep many
lists did they say anything about possible military background uh they did not but usually they will include that
if they believe that he does have some type of military background and the reason why I bring that up is because
the neat and orderly possibly wants to create lists yeah good thing that would be somebody that you know had some
regiment schedule at some point in their existence they believed that he owned a
vehicle likely three years old or newer and the vehicle is clean well maintained
and cared for outwardly he is arrogant and displays contempt for the world but on the inside he is insecure in Harbor
strong feelings of inadequacy it possibly goes around telling people he reads a lot of books yes and then and
then doesn't speak too highly of the author they said that the man is local having lived in the area for most of his
life he had access to a secluded area where he knew he would have time to spend with Sherry and her body they
figured that the reason that the caller's voice sounded distorted is because he was using some type of device
to achieve this they determined the caller was using something called a variable speed device
they were now in the process of tracking down manufacturers of these types of devices and retailers
this suggested that the suspect had a background in electronics so it's it's always interesting to me
Captain how they come up with this some of it more detailed than other profiles that we've reviewed in the past the
stuff about the books is fascinating right now what gets me is when they say we believe that he has a car that's
three years old or newer like that's so random man and it's like you don't know do they have any
eyewitnesses that would make them lean that way or or is this just kind of a random guess
according to the information I could find there was no eyewitnesses right that's that's why
it's so Random to me we believe that he has a newer uh three-year-old car newer that's
so pinpoint I think they come up with this for a couple of reasons one I think they're working off of the idea that
this guy is driving a lot that he's spending a lot of time driving and they may also believe him to be careful if
they believe him to be careful and driving all the time they're probably going off of the thought that he would
prefer to drive a newer vehicle something that's well maintained and well cared for because it would be too
risky to spend all that time driving and he wouldn't do that because he's careful or possibly the idea that this
guy was married divorced so he possibly has a career is living with somebody or living with his parents so therefore he
has the money where he would have a nicer vehicle because that would be his only opportunity to maybe impress a
female also that's interesting that you picked up on that because with having a background in electronics they're almost
suggesting that they believe this individual has a job and like you said if they believe he's living with his
parents he has more money than somebody not living with their parents but the obvious thing here is usually when they
base off of the situation is this individual local or not and that seems to be pretty quick to come to that
assumption and I think here really exemplifies that to Perfection you know we have a situation where he gives very
detailed directions to find her body and I have to believe that lawful enforcements working off of the thought
that that's not just a place that this guy stumbled upon that this is an area that he knew and knew well and therefore
he's a local guy he didn't just drive in and happen to see her at the mailbox and
take her away this next call is by far the most detailed call from the Killer because I have a name please
Don can't come to the phone right now this is um her Aunt Beverly this is emergency well I'm sorry she is
uh being sedated and cannot come to the phone she's asleep yes um Bob it has gone up to the funeral
home you realize the situation with their daughter like one moment you you asked to speak
to Mrs Smith uh well let me see if we can find her okay hurry up all right they're looking
right now okay thank you all for hours speaking about constant phone now this is her
aunt uh Beverly yes will accept the charge this is Sherry's Aunt Beverly I'll be
happy to speak to you who am I speaking to please we're trying to locate her in the
meantime I'll be happy to help you she's coming they're looking for her immediately
just one moment they're trying to find her okay she can't wait one moment please she had walked outside to walk
the dog they are looking for her operator there's operator on the line here is Don right now
hello yes I'm calling for sharing page turning myself in tomorrow morning uh no well talk to them and listen
carefully okay I have to tell you this sure you asked me to um turn myself in after the fifth day after they found her
well okay I'm trying to write this down don't write it down don't write it down okay and uh or get myself straight with
God and I'll turn myself completely over to him so I have to turn myself over to
him okay if you don't know what I'm talking about when you talk tonight he will not be
able to get a personal interview for me in the morning um there'll be a letter that's already been
mailed an exotic copy for you and to him and it's a with picture so happy to me yeah and him at this home of pictures of
Sherry played from the time even I made her stand at their car and took two pictures now all through the thing and
the letter was describe exactly what happened from the time I picked her up to the time I called and told you out
where to find her okay and I'll be doing the same in the morning at 6 a.m and tell the sheriff and Charlie Charlie I
used him as a medium today I'll talk to him okay at 6am what will you be doing in the morning well he'll know
he'll know okay and also off front but by the time they find the office do you understand that he will be
armed by the time they find me I won't be dangerous what does that mean s I've been or turn myself over to God so
I'm gonna have to I just got this thing got out of hand and all I wanted to do was make love just on I've been watching
her for a couple weeks because I'm sorry to share it and I watched a couple of weeks and uh I just got out of hand and
you know John I hope you and your family forgive me for this you're not going to
kill yourself are you I don't I can't live in prison and go to the electric chair and I can't do that this is the
only way I can get myself straight I'm very sick and but I I can't go be we don't want you to die we want to help
you don't kill yourself no I just uh you can't take some one's last and this is the way it's gonna have to be sure let's
see listen to me okay no I gotta tell you something okay this is important well that's okay but God can forgive you
and erase all of that I'll say something to you that she told me okay they said that she did not cry the
entire time she was very strong-willed and she said that um she did not want y'all to run your life and go on with
your lines like the letter said and I've never lied to you before right everything I told you came true right
yes okay so this is gonna have to be a way it is and she said that um she wasn't scared that she knew that she was
going to be an angel and if I took the ladder choice that she suggested to me that she would forgive me but our God's
going to be the major judgment and she'll probably end up seeing me in heaven not in hell and that she request
now please remember that now she request that y'all be sure to take her hands and
fold them in her on her stomach like she's praying okay and that closed casket yeah they already made those
plans yes okay and please um have Charlie Kai's with curement and Charlie knows what to do in the morning
and have an ambulance and probably before they get there might as well have a hers also and I'll be at the traffic
circle and I'm not in I'll be I'm just going to allow myself enough time to get in the area and get set up I'm not in
the area now and uh it'll be six in the morning that I'll call his office and by
the time they reach me I'll be straight with God and uh Sherry said please take the gold necklace that she had on and
the she had one earring in her left ear and uh save those things and treasure them save them yes she doesn't want um
Richard to have that necklace uh she said something there was something special theory in her room that she said
I forgot where it might have been that necklace but uh yeah well go ahead but the rest of her stuff is is irrelevant
okay what about her High School ring Jerry was was not afraid she didn't cry or anything
can you handle it if I tell you how she died yes okay now be strong okay he said
you were she told me all about the family and everything we talked and oh God and I am a family friend that's a
sad part you are a family friend yeah and that's why I can't face y'all you'll find out in the morning or tomorrow but
um forgive me and uh dawn of Sherry I don't know whether you should tell your mother this or not but I'm sure he say
was not a virgin she started uh with a guy in January were you aware we know that now yes okay
be good [Applause] and we had oral sex for uh three different times and uh but she died can you help us now yes
okay I tied her up to the bedpost and uh with electric uh cohort and uh she didn't struggle trying or anything she
let me voluntarily from her chin to her head oh yeah and be sure to tell okay I'll go ahead too and I took duct tape
and wrapped it all the way around her head and suffocated her and tell the coroner or get the information that's
how she died and uh and I was unaware she had this disease I probably wouldn't ever taken her and uh I should took her
anyway it just got a hand yeah I'd ask her out before and she said she would if she wasn't going with anybody and uh she
said also and another ironic part I had to see what was going on at the house at your
house yeah I was there Saturday morning for the search you were at the search Saturday yes I was
and if oh God Don I wish not I wish y'all could help me but it's just too late let me
tell you something okay God can forgive you how do I know I know God we can forgive you also
[Applause] forgive me then yes family I just just Sherry face said to me I just keep
living myself like this I'm not I think you just need to just think about that a
little harder than you okay now is there any other questions short I got to go now
um when when you killed Cherry was she at peace she wasn't afraid or anything she knew that God was with her and she
was going to become an angel and she wrote that letter to us of our own free will and all that everything I told you
from the truth and everything came true yes it has okay you know I'll be in the area uh
just a long enough time to set this up for myself like I said are also Charlie and everything requested I mean I told
you that I requested Sherry I asked Sherry say if I could do this and she said it was fine with her to have to
minister the preacher from Lexington Family be in the ambulance me in the ambulance Lewis Abbott Lewis Abbott uh
yeah I forgot you heard she told me tonight I forgot who it was I wonder it's gonna y'all's regular minister
right with the tour okay he's gonna do the funeral Saturday yes okay can I ask you one more question when when um you
told us that you Sherry was kidnapped at gunpoint yeah but she knew you yes at first see I pulled up and uh I'm telling
you the truth I have no reason to lie to y'all okay I've always told you truth right right okay and uh I had to ask her
to stand there and I took two minutes to pictures you asked her to stand where that's his mailbox with her car in the
background ghost picture detailed pictures will be with the letters that you received probably since I'm out of
town probably not until Saturday Charlie Keizer get a coffee and your family would get a copying this address to you
unless the male hose it up so she didn't realize that you were fixing to kidnap her that's exactly right okay and uh
she's uh foreign [Music] [Applause] why are you talking to me instead of mom oh did you start talking to her
mother at first yeah that was your mother oh I was outside I didn't know she said it was your aunt
correct uh no that was my hand it is okay so her blessings of the body could be blessed right well in the fifth day
did she want us to find a why not don't know she just she just said yeah I don't
know I don't know and she was into her third day on her period and uh I'm telling you exactly how she died so she
died supplication and so you know okay anything else why did you why did you do that
I gave her a choice not to shoot her or give her a drug overdose or suffocator why did you have to kill him
uh only God knows Dawn I don't know why God forgive me for this I hope and I got to
straighten it out or he'll send me to hell then I'll be there the rest of my life but I'm not going to be in prison
but I don't think taking your life is the answer to this well oh I want to forgiveness well Don I got to go now
it's been too long and I'll tell him to just forget about the church I'll be in the area long enough in the morning for
them to uh find me and by the time I call uh Charlie cos to know exactly the setup well they I hope now so I know why
I'm staying on the phone all right they are taping this I don't want anything messed up okay okay they are taping it
right okay good okay and anything else um um I just um oh yeah let me tell you the
other night they almost caught me caught an ignorant son of a guns I wanted them to catch me
when when was it oh when I called at 9 40. when you were over near Jake's Landing
yes I [Music] know how did you have so you get it dead on it for you and they didn't even dawn I can't get over
this an ignorant son of a so-and-so didn't even turn around and follow me and I cut right at that blinking light
down there to go to backway on Old Cherokee roads and there was a highway patrolman and for somebody in front of
me and pulled a car in front of me and he let me turn right on Old Cherokee Road can you bleed out so he really
wanted to be caught at that time but it's too late now what kind of car was it I can't give them much information
because I got to make it back in time and they'll stop me before I get back if I tell you but they they're right it was
a red one and I almost got caught three or four times that's super out of it now if I die now
or if I die at six in the morning it's irrelevant well listen uh John I really I wish everything else you would just
think about not killing yourself please go back to Carowinds I know you live in Charlotte you know I know a lot about
your family and uh go back and start singing and give it to Beth and she knows that she'll be singing like crazy
she was when she said that she was smiling she'd be singing like crazy and well so she wasn't afraid the whole
time it's gonna be with God [Music] but I just really I wish you would think about not killing yourself
you need to think about that a lot because okay we'll put it this way if I find aside for 29 I called Sheriff
appeal notes which only kind of six in the morning all while oh Lord listen our prayers will be for you okay
did you hear what I said tonight we are home tonight can I ask you listen our prayers will be with you okay
God can do anything and he could forgive you for this yeah but you know what's going on
I'm gonna be fried you don't know that God can work miracles you don't know that that'll
happen to you God is merciful no matter what we do right you answer the phone every time it rains
me answer the phone tonight every time it rings that's right first sleep you let it keep ringing okay
okay well God bless all of us God bless you too and a mother wants to say something to you
listen mom wants to say something to you all right just one thing okay Stars [Music]
join us back here in the garage for part two of When a Killer calls until then be
good be kind and don't let her foreign [Music]

When a Killer Calls /// Part 1 /// 553

Part 1 of 3 www.TrueCrimeGarage.com

This week we have a real treat for all of our Garage friends. A three part series featuring an in depth case review by the True Crime Garage guys that includes rare audio from the killer. Part 1 starts off with a review of our “Last Will and Testament” case. It’s a case that rocked and terrified the great state of South Carolina. It’s the rare occurrence when a community is aware that a serial killers is at work, right under their noses. Who is next and how many lives will he claim before they finally catch the killer. We have gone back and added the actual phone calls that the victims family received from the killer. Additional commentary has been added as well so the listeners can hear for the first time the calls from the killer and analysis of the calls. This is the case of Shari Faye Smith and Debra May Helmick. Gather 'round, grab a chair, grab a beer and join us for this special three part series.

Recommended Reading: When a Killer Calls; A Hunting Story of Murder, Criminal Profiling, and Justice in a Small Town

This is the latest book from Legendary F.B.I. Profiler John Douglas and Mark Olshaker, the best selling authors of Mindhunter.

Our show - True Crime Garage “Off the Record” is available only on Stitcher Premium. For a FREE month of listening go to http://stitcherpremium.com/truecrimegarage and use promo code GARAGE

Brief Summary

The episode details Sherry Faye Smith's abduction, the killer's phone calls, and the investigation leading to her tragic death.

Key points

The Last Will and Testament. A chilling letter from Sherry reveals her thoughts before her tragic fate.
The Search for Sherry. The largest search in South Carolina history begins after Sherry's abduction.
The Distorted Voice. A mysterious call from Sherry's abductor raises the stakes in her disappearance.
The Killer's Communication. The killer communicates directly with the victim's family, creating a chilling connection.
The Discovery of Sherry's Body. Law enforcement follows the killer's detailed instructions to locate the victim's body.
A Mother's Request. A mother requests to have her daughter's hands folded in prayer for her funeral.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I love you so much.

A heartfelt message to Nana

3:30WatchOct 29, 2022

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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