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Murder at the Motel - Season 2 Episode 8 -
Davis Motel
Davis Motel
Category
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FunTranscript
00:00an unresponsive female you find a deceased female naked on a bed under a
00:04pile of clothes with a belt wrapped around her throat it's a very harrowing situation
00:11does she come into the bedroom yeah and that's when she sees you she didn't even see me when
00:15she came through that's when i grabbed her to know like your mother and your grandmother
00:21was murdered by their own belt it's heartbreaking absolutely heartbreaking
00:26is it weathered a little older like well what time i got done with it yeah
00:35the murder was such a shock to that community that i know of at least one family that that actually
00:41moved as a result of the incident it really weighs on you to make sure that you try to locate that
00:46suspect as soon as possible the possession of children's underwear in the vehicle is really
00:52really concerning he knows he's a monster he was just a scary looking individual who just had no
01:03emotion and really could cared less of the heinous crimes that he just committed she's gone and gone
01:09violently and brutally and painfully the place i hold ill will is for those responsible for not
01:14heeding his warning
01:28him
01:43on november 3rd 2011 police respond to a motel in utica new york after receiving reports of a deceased female
01:51discovered in a room on the premises.
01:58We learned that from one of the caretakers,
02:00she noticed some real aberrations.
02:02You know, lights were on that typically weren't on.
02:04There were candles burning.
02:05There were doors open, things like that.
02:06And as she's bending down, she puts her hand on the bed
02:08and unfortunately at that point feels a cold leg.
02:13We're arriving on scene.
02:15It was somewhat eerie because you're pulling into a property
02:18that's a little bit out of the way as far as the city goes.
02:22A hotel sits back on some land,
02:24so it could be a little bit eerie when you pull up.
02:29This is potentially somebody's mother,
02:32somebody's daughter, somebody's aunt,
02:34somebody's relative, friend.
02:37You know that you're walking into that
02:39and then you know the recourse that that has
02:42on all those people.
02:45Police enter the crime scene,
02:47located in the main office of the motel.
02:51The room was in disarray.
02:54There were lights on.
02:55There were candles still burning.
02:56There were doors open.
02:57There were things thrown everywhere.
02:58Obviously, we didn't know, you know,
02:59the circumstances of it.
03:01It would appear that a struggle had ensued.
03:05Unfortunately, the victim was naked,
03:07on a bed, under a pile of clothes.
03:09She had a belt wrapped around her neck a couple of times
03:11and her hands appeared to be tied behind her back.
03:13So certainly there appeared to be some sort of robbery
03:16and likely sexual motivation to be involved in this crime.
03:20The scene itself definitely showed that there was evidence
03:24that the victim had fought for her life.
03:28We were able to identify the victim in this case relatively quickly.
03:32She was confirmed as Linda Turner.
03:34Linda Turner was 68 years old
03:41and she owned Davis Motel,
03:44but she also lived there.
03:46That was her residence as well.
03:49Linda Turner was a staple in the Utica community.
03:51She ran the Davis Motel flawlessly.
03:53She really had the desire to keep it as a family-run place,
03:56somewhere that people felt safe to come,
03:58somewhere people felt longing to come to Utica
04:00and really enjoy their stay,
04:01and we really appreciated her for that.
04:03The individuals that she had renting those rooms
04:06were very peaceful, very respectful.
04:08Everybody we ever spoke to
04:09had nothing but the most glowing things to say about her.
04:14This was very big news,
04:16especially because she was well-known.
04:18So the community was shocked,
04:19and they were even more shocked in the manner of death,
04:23how she died.
04:24It was very tragic.
04:26It could be your mother.
04:26It could be your loved one.
04:28They're in the safety of their home
04:29and a stranger comes in and commits such a horrendous crime.
04:31It really strikes the court, and everyone feels it.
04:34The murder was such a shock to that community in North Utica
04:37that I know of at least one family
04:40that actually moved as a result of the incident.
04:44Nobody ever wants to think of anyone dying that way.
04:49It was just brutal.
04:51The hardest day was going to the crime scene.
04:59To this day, I mean, I feel like I've really tried to grieve
05:02and process it well,
05:03but seeing her fingernails on the floor from fighting,
05:08seeing the dinner that she was trying to enjoy
05:10still sitting on the tray or knocked onto the floor.
05:13It's one thing to grieve the loss of a loved one,
05:20and it's never easy, even when unexpected.
05:24But when it is something so violent and so brutal
05:30and out of nowhere,
05:32it is a different level of processing grief.
05:39Sensing the terror that she went through,
05:42the last few minutes of her life was sheer terror,
05:45you know, and fighting for her life
05:46and the struggle and, you know,
05:49there's no goodbyes.
05:52There's no, you know, prayers.
05:55There's no blessings.
05:56There's no priests.
05:56There's no, you know, last hug, last kiss.
05:59It's just, she's gone and gone violently
06:02and brutally and painfully.
06:14Utica Police launch a full-scale murder investigation
06:17into the death of Linda Turner.
06:21For us, it's important that our crime scene unit,
06:23outside of the responding officers,
06:25are the first people to kind of enter the crime scene,
06:28secure the crime scene,
06:30kind of observe the crime scene,
06:32and then be able to escort the investigators
06:35into the crime scene
06:36so that we don't disturb any type of evidence
06:39for our evidence technicians
06:41to be able to collect the evidence needed,
06:44especially when you're talking about DNA
06:46and physical evidence of that nature.
06:51We don't know what happened.
06:53You find an unfortunately deceased Linda Turner
06:55naked on a bed under a pile of clothes
06:57with a belt wrapped around her throat.
06:59It's a very harrowing situation,
07:01and at that time,
07:02we have no idea who the suspect is.
07:04So at the time, 2011,
07:06the Davis Mortel had no surveillance, unfortunately.
07:08It's a very small place.
07:10You kind of know everybody,
07:11or you have a really good familiarity
07:12of the people that stay there.
07:14A lot of the people are repeat tenants,
07:15so there really probably wasn't felt
07:17that surveillance video was needed at that location.
07:19There was some guests that were at the hotel.
07:23It's important,
07:24maybe not necessarily to call everybody a suspect,
07:26but everybody needs to be spoken with.
07:29Everyone needs to be vetted,
07:30and everyone needs to be cleared.
07:33There were three consecutive rooms
07:34that were being rented,
07:35number 10, number 11, and number 12.
07:37These individuals were from out of town.
07:38They were doing some work in the city,
07:39but they were not home
07:40at the time of the location of the body.
07:43The registered guests that we encountered
07:44were all spoken to,
07:46were all vetted,
07:47and were all ultimately cleared
07:49of any wrongdoing
07:51or being involved in this case by anything.
07:54There wasn't a whole lot of information
07:55to really kind of build upon at that time.
07:58There were no witnesses that ever came forward
07:59to say that they had heard any screaming,
08:01anything amiss.
08:02We really didn't know
08:03what had transpired up until that point.
08:06Ultimately, what really led to the break in this case
08:08was that her car was taken.
08:13Really early on in the investigation,
08:14we realized that the car was missing
08:16from the location,
08:18you know, and that's obviously
08:19from talking to people.
08:21It was obvious that the most probable reason
08:23was that the vehicle was stolen.
08:26With the motel not having surveillance
08:28on the property,
08:30kind of put us behind the eight ball a little bit,
08:31but we did have a witness
08:32saying that they saw the vehicle
08:34leaving the property.
08:36Individuals who often waved to Linda
08:38and beeped at her
08:39noticed the car pulling out
08:40in a very strange fashion.
08:41It was slow.
08:42It was meandering.
08:43The individual never acknowledged their presence.
08:45So that kind of felt an odd to them
08:46when we spoke to them later.
08:48So we put a file one
08:49in the New York State criminal justice system.
08:51File one is a stolen vehicle report.
08:53So we put as much information
08:54as possible about that vehicle into it.
08:57So anybody that flags that car,
08:58runs that plate,
09:00pulls it over,
09:01will automatically know
09:02that that car was stolen
09:04and it's wanted
09:05in reference to a homicide investigation.
09:11What we did also is do safety checks
09:13of all the rooms on the property
09:15to see if there was any evidence
09:17in any of those rooms.
09:19While doing those checks,
09:21we did come across a room
09:22that had a key broken off
09:23into the door lock.
09:24When we went into the location,
09:28we found that some strange things
09:29like the TV was on without volume.
09:33It appears that somebody's been living
09:35in one of these rooms
09:35and it doesn't appear that
09:37that person is a registered guest.
09:41We did locate a wallet,
09:43an ID in it underneath the bed.
09:48Once we looked at the ID,
09:49a lot of red flags started to show.
09:51We had a pretty good indication
09:55that he would be
09:56our primary suspect in this case.
10:12Utica's a town of about 70,000 people.
10:15It's very diverse.
10:15We average between six and ten homicides
10:18in a variety of capacity,
10:19usually kind of street-level
10:21shooting-related homicides,
10:22but some stabbings,
10:23things like that, some domestics.
10:24A homicide of this nature
10:25is certainly an aberration.
10:27We don't often get
10:28stranger-on-stranger homicides
10:30in a situation
10:31where we locate the body later
10:32and the suspect is not on scene.
10:36So kind of the difficult part
10:37of the Davis Motel
10:38is that it's on Herkimer Road.
10:40Herkimer Road is a two-lane thoroughfare
10:42that's primarily commercial traffic
10:44traversing from one side of the city
10:46to Herkimer County,
10:46and it's often very backed up with traffic.
10:49So in an emergency response,
10:51it takes quite a bit of time
10:52just due to the nature of the traffic
10:53and the fact that
10:54we can't really get around too easily.
10:57Every murder is horrendous
10:59in its own nature, right?
11:00But a lot of the murders we see
11:01are kind of street-level killings
11:03over various disputes
11:04and things of that nature.
11:05When you have a case such as this,
11:06it really resonates.
11:08It resonates with the investigators.
11:09It resonates with the forensic individuals
11:11who spend a lot of time
11:12at the crime scene.
11:13And most importantly,
11:14it certainly resonates with the family.
11:25We had a very close relationship.
11:27You know, she was always willing
11:29to have me with her
11:29no matter what we were doing.
11:31She was great about
11:32teaching me responsibility
11:33and, you know,
11:34letting me run her cash drawer
11:36and check people in at the motel.
11:38To this day,
11:39I can't make a bed
11:40without sharp corners
11:41and, you know,
11:42fold my laundry to a T.
11:44But she also was the first one
11:45to, you know,
11:46teach me how to hustle
11:47a game of pool
11:47and throw darts.
11:49So, yes,
11:49she was my grandmother,
11:50but she was my friend.
11:58Her nickname was Hats.
11:59She had a variety of hats
12:00and she wore them all the time.
12:01From what we understand,
12:02from ball caps to fedoras
12:03to cowboy hats,
12:04it was really kind of her thing
12:05to wear a hat
12:06wherever she went.
12:06She loved adventuring
12:09the outdoors.
12:11She loved gardening
12:12and planting her flowers.
12:13She loved her motel.
12:15I mean,
12:15it was a one-woman show.
12:18She cleaned the rooms
12:19by hand,
12:20made all the beds.
12:21She did all the laundry by hand.
12:22It was all wine dried.
12:23She took very great pride
12:25in how she ran the place,
12:27the cleanliness,
12:28the decorations,
12:29down to every lamp
12:31and painting in the place
12:32was her.
12:32She had the motel
12:37before I was born.
12:38It was part of the family
12:39and my dad
12:40had spent time down there.
12:41She had help
12:41from her sister Barbara
12:42and her mother
12:43would come down
12:44and she was there
12:45for about 30,
12:48almost 35 years.
12:50The whole property,
12:51it was a beautiful wooded,
12:53I mean,
12:53something you would imagine
12:55that in the 50s
12:56you'd see people out lounging
12:57and under the pine trees
12:58and there was,
12:59you know,
12:59swing sets for the kids
13:00and little barbecue areas.
13:03It was a place where,
13:04you know,
13:04it was our family's place.
13:06It wasn't just the motel,
13:07you know,
13:07the dogs,
13:08the family,
13:08we had the cemetery
13:09for the dogs in the back
13:11and it's a place
13:12that I loved enough.
13:13I mean,
13:13I have the motel sign
13:16tattooed on my arm
13:16because it's such a big part
13:18of my life.
13:26We spoke to numerous people
13:28that either stayed at the hotel
13:29or were currently staying at the time
13:30and at no point
13:31did Linda really ever
13:32have any concerns
13:34for her safety.
13:34She kind of just ran
13:35the place on her own,
13:36took care of everything
13:37on her own
13:37and really felt at home there.
13:38So it's really tragic
13:39that this happened to her
13:40in the place
13:41that she felt most safe.
13:45The name on the ID found
13:46in room 17
13:47at Linda's motel
13:49is Robert Blaney,
13:51a dangerous individual
13:52with a violent past.
13:53He was a registered
13:57sex offender.
13:58He was on New York
13:59state parole
14:00for crimes
14:01that he had previously committed
14:02and was also actively wanted
14:04with a parole warrant
14:06for violating the parole
14:08and his conditions
14:09that he was on release for.
14:12Robert Blaney
14:12had actually only been
14:14out of prison
14:15for two years
14:17after serving 20 years
14:19for two accounts of rape
14:21on some older women
14:22and also attempted rape
14:24on an eight-year-old girl.
14:27Certainly in a parole status,
14:28you have regular check-ins
14:29with your parole officer.
14:31However,
14:31when you are on
14:32a sex offender status,
14:33we also internally
14:34at the Utica Police Department
14:35have a sex offender unit,
14:36especially what level you are.
14:38You have to make
14:38regular check-ins
14:39with respect to your location,
14:41your new address,
14:42any updated photos,
14:43anything of that nature
14:43that really we do
14:45in an effort
14:45to keep the community safe.
14:47But Blaney was having difficulty
14:49reintegrating into society.
14:52So we know
14:53that he was a caretaker
14:54at a local cemetery
14:55called St. Joseph's Cemetery.
14:56He wasn't really
14:57doing a great job there.
14:58We know he had some problems
14:59with his bosses
15:00and certainly as a result
15:01was having some problems
15:02in the community
15:03and thus went on
15:04an absconding role on parole.
15:07With the locating
15:08of the ID
15:10of Mr. Blaney
15:11with his history,
15:13with his active warrant,
15:14gave us a solid
15:17prime suspect in this case.
15:18The victim's vehicle
15:22is gone and he's gone.
15:23So we had to rely
15:24on police officers
15:25and community members
15:26to help us locate
15:28the vehicle
15:28and hopefully locate
15:30the vehicle
15:30with the suspect with it.
15:33So we put up
15:34what's called a BOLO,
15:35a be on the lookout
15:35for Robert Blaney.
15:37So initially,
15:38a photograph was circulated
15:39with respect to
15:39his wanted status
15:40for being a parole scotter.
15:42This photograph showed him
15:43to be a relatively
15:44clean-cut individual.
15:45Obviously,
15:45that was put out nationwide
15:46as we did not know
15:47where he could be.
15:48He was in a vehicle
15:49that was not his.
15:50We knew he was trying to flee.
15:51So as far of a net
15:52as we could cast,
15:53we tried to locate him.
15:55It really weighs on you
15:56to make sure
15:57that you try to locate
15:58that suspect
15:58as soon as possible,
15:59particularly in this case
16:01where the horrific nature
16:02of the crimes
16:02that were committed
16:03was definitely somebody
16:04that could re-offend
16:05really quickly
16:07to satisfy an urge.
16:09He was a very dangerous
16:10individual,
16:11an individual that
16:12at no point
16:12do we want running
16:13the streets,
16:13especially on absconding
16:15on a parole status.
16:17As far as movements
16:18for Mr. Blaney,
16:19we really didn't have
16:20anything solid to go on.
16:21There was not an easy pass
16:22for the vehicle.
16:25We did not have
16:25any plate reader hits
16:26or anything
16:27to kind of help us
16:28kind of track
16:29where this vehicle
16:29may have gone,
16:30believing that Mr. Blaney
16:31was driving him.
16:33I think it's probably
16:34fair to say
16:34that you had a
16:35Nationwide manhunt
16:35happening because
16:36we didn't know
16:38where he was
16:38and ultimately
16:39was located
16:39outside the state.
16:41In the neighboring
16:42state of Pennsylvania,
16:43a state trooper
16:44is preparing
16:45to conduct
16:46a traffic stop.
16:47I was a patrol trooper
16:50assigned in
16:51Lycoming County
16:52that night
16:53and I was just
16:53running routine patrol.
16:55Saw a vehicle
16:56in front of me
16:57and did not use
16:59his turn signal.
17:00So I started
17:00following him.
17:01The vehicle
17:02started crossing
17:03over the fog line,
17:04the center median line
17:06and I ran the tag,
17:09presumably thinking
17:10it potentially
17:10could have been
17:11a DUI
17:12driving under
17:12the influence arrest.
17:14So when the tag
17:15came back,
17:16it came back
17:17and it said
17:17that the vehicle
17:18had been stolen
17:19and in the notes
17:21of that hit
17:22that came back
17:23from New York State,
17:24it said that
17:24the vehicle
17:25was wanted
17:25in conjunction
17:26with a possible homicide.
17:28So at that point
17:30I got on the radio
17:31and ascertained
17:33where the next
17:34available or nearest
17:35unit to me
17:36would be
17:36so we could conduct
17:37a felony stop
17:37on the vehicle.
17:38The search
17:41wouldn't just
17:41reveal more
17:42incriminating evidence,
17:44it would expose
17:44a dangerous predator.
17:53The Pennsylvania
17:54State Police
17:54called and said,
17:55hey, we have
17:56this vehicle,
17:57we have eyes on it,
17:58there's an individual
17:58in it,
17:59would you like him?
18:00At that point,
18:01obviously we gave
18:02an affirmative
18:02that we would like
18:03to talk to him,
18:03they approached
18:04the vehicle
18:04and located Mr. Blaney
18:06occupying the vehicle
18:07of Linda Turner.
18:08Trooper Matt McDermott
18:11and myself
18:11went up to the
18:12driver's side
18:13of the vehicle
18:13and then Trooper
18:14Paul McGee
18:15went up to the
18:15passenger's side
18:16of the vehicle
18:17and ordered Mr. Blaney
18:18out of the vehicle
18:19making sure
18:20that we could see
18:21his hands
18:21the entire time
18:22we were doing
18:23the stop.
18:24We ended up
18:25taking him back
18:25to the back
18:26of the vehicle,
18:27we did a pat-down
18:28search on him.
18:30When doing a search
18:31he had women's underwear
18:32in his sweatpants
18:34pant leg.
18:35So we collected
18:37those and then
18:38ultimately put him
18:39into handcuffs.
18:40Then he was placed
18:41in the back
18:41of my car
18:42to be transported
18:43back to the
18:44PSP Montoursville
18:45barracks.
18:48From where the
18:49traffic stop
18:49occurred to the
18:50barracks was only
18:51a five minute
18:52drive.
18:53So we had a
18:54very short
18:54conversation in
18:56the back of
18:56my patrol car
18:57which at that
18:58point he said
18:59you know
18:59my time's up
19:00Utica's going
19:01to be looking
19:02for me.
19:03I committed
19:04a rape
19:05he said
19:05about a week
19:06ago up
19:06in New York
19:07State.
19:10That was his
19:11attitude from
19:12the get-go
19:12and I think
19:13he realized
19:14that he had
19:14reached the
19:15pinnacle of
19:16horrible behavior
19:17and knew
19:18that his
19:19life,
19:20his free
19:21life was no
19:22longer going
19:22to be his.
19:24I mean he
19:24wasn't hostile
19:25aggressive or
19:26anything like
19:26that.
19:27I'd say if
19:27anything he
19:28was just sort
19:29of emotionless
19:30I guess.
19:30He really
19:31didn't have
19:31any emotions
19:33he wasn't
19:33you know
19:34worked up
19:35that he was
19:35being arrested
19:36or angry
19:38he wasn't
19:38trying to
19:39fight or
19:39anything of
19:40that nature.
19:42Once the
19:43suspect was
19:43located and
19:44we were able
19:45to obtain
19:45a photograph
19:46of him
19:47it was obvious
19:48that his
19:49appearance had
19:50changed from
19:51what we
19:52were looking
19:53at as a
19:54parole photo
19:55to where
19:55his hair
19:56was grown
19:56out,
19:57he had
19:57facial hair
19:58a little bit
19:58more disheveled.
20:00The pictures
20:00were
20:00very off
20:02of his
20:03appearance
20:03and could
20:04be deceiving
20:04as far
20:05as an
20:06attempting
20:06to locate
20:07him.
20:08We had
20:09actually sent
20:09tattoo photos
20:10to his
20:11parole agent
20:11and they
20:12positively
20:12identified him
20:13through a
20:13tattoo as
20:14well.
20:15So it
20:15posed a
20:16little bit
20:16of a
20:16challenge
20:16but we
20:17were able
20:17to make
20:17a positive
20:18confirm that
20:19this was
20:19Robert Blaney.
20:22He was
20:22arrested here
20:23for arrest
20:24prior to
20:25requisition
20:25charge which
20:26is basically
20:26a fugitive
20:27from justice
20:27charge that
20:28we use.
20:28And it
20:29was on
20:29the parole
20:30the fact
20:30that he
20:30was wanted
20:31for parole.
20:31So he
20:32wasn't charged
20:32with any
20:33crime associated
20:34with the
20:34homicide or the
20:35sexual assault
20:36in Pennsylvania
20:36or in New York
20:37at that point.
20:39While Blaney
20:40is held at the
20:41Pennsylvania State
20:42Police Barracks,
20:43a more thorough
20:44search of Linda
20:45Turner's vehicle
20:46is conducted.
20:48While we were
20:49looking through
20:49the vehicle
20:50inside the
20:51driver's side
20:52door console,
20:53there was
20:53additional
20:54women's underwear
20:55located in that
20:56door.
20:56and then
20:57also in
20:58the glove
20:58box,
20:58there was
20:59also
20:59women's
20:59underwear
21:00in there.
21:04On top
21:05of the
21:05women's
21:05underwear,
21:06he had
21:06some
21:06children's
21:07underwear
21:07in the
21:07vehicle.
21:08We don't
21:08know where
21:08that came
21:09from,
21:09but to
21:09have the
21:10possession
21:10of children's
21:11underwear
21:12in the
21:12vehicle
21:12is really,
21:13really
21:14concerning.
21:14For someone
21:15who is
21:15willing to
21:16perpetrate
21:16the crime
21:16we're speaking
21:17about,
21:17as well as
21:18perpetrate
21:18the crimes
21:18that we
21:19know he
21:19had committed,
21:20which placed
21:20them on
21:20parole in the
21:21first place,
21:21you have to
21:22wonder whether
21:22there's other
21:22victims.
21:23We did
21:25what we
21:26could to
21:26put out
21:27information to
21:28the law
21:28enforcement
21:28communities,
21:29and we
21:30never got
21:30any returns
21:31or any
21:32information from
21:33any other
21:33departments that
21:35may have had
21:36a similar
21:36case.
21:37I think it's
21:38a great
21:38possibility that
21:39there are other
21:40victims out
21:40there that
21:41haven't been
21:41identified or
21:42are scared to
21:42come forward
21:43with information
21:45that are
21:46associated with
21:46crimes committed
21:47against them.
21:53We sent two
21:56investigators,
21:57at that time
21:58Investigator
21:58Edward Smith
21:59and Investigator
22:00Stanley Fernald
22:00to Pennsylvania
22:01to interview
22:02Mr. Blaney.
22:10Hi, Robert.
22:12Investigator
22:13Smith here.
22:14That's Investigator
22:15Fernald.
22:16I know, Rob.
22:17No.
22:18We're from
22:19the Utica
22:19police?
22:21Yeah.
22:21I guess you
22:22were expecting
22:22us at one
22:23point?
22:25Yeah.
22:27So we come
22:27down here
22:28to talk to
22:29you about
22:30the incident
22:31and take
22:32you from
22:33there.
22:34Yeah,
22:34whatever.
22:35I'll do
22:35whatever you
22:36gotta do.
22:37I don't care
22:38no more.
22:38Just do what
22:38you gotta do.
22:40Rob, what do
22:40you prefer to be
22:41called?
22:41Robert, Rob?
22:43It doesn't
22:44matter.
22:44Bob, Bob,
22:45just so you
22:45your head
22:46come back.
22:47I really
22:47don't care.
22:48Just so you
22:49where the
22:51conversation
22:51is recorded.
22:52Yeah.
22:53Body on video.
22:54You okay
22:54with that?
22:55Yeah.
22:55Okay.
22:57Can you
22:58give us a little
22:59information on
23:00what happened
23:00over at the
23:01Davis Motel?
23:03Yeah.
23:03Great
23:03woman.
23:05Just like
23:05that?
23:06Just like
23:07that.
23:11Yeah,
23:12that's all.
23:15First,
23:15I'm gonna be
23:15miserable.
23:19Somebody
23:19else is gonna be
23:20miserable with me.
23:20Is there any way
23:23you can back us up
23:40a little bit and tell
23:41us how you started
23:42this with her?
23:43It's a straight
23:53rape.
23:54That's it.
23:54Whatever else you want
23:55to put in there,
23:55go ahead.
23:56It's just,
23:57that's just the way it is.
23:58We're just hoping to get
23:58some details in love to it.
24:05Ultimately,
24:05what we see here
24:06in this person is
24:07the evil and the coldness
24:08in him
24:09basically doesn't care.
24:12That makes it even
24:12harder
24:13for a victim's
24:15family to deal
24:15with knowing that
24:16this type of person
24:17exists and that
24:19the last person
24:19their loved one
24:20was encountered
24:21with was this person.
24:23Robert was just
24:25very matter-of-fact.
24:27He seemed to have
24:28given up on himself.
24:30And I think this might
24:31stem from his childhood.
24:33Since he did have
24:34a hard childhood,
24:35he was the victim
24:36of physical
24:37and emotional abuse.
24:39He even said
24:40in his own words,
24:41he felt like a throwaway.
24:43He felt like his parents
24:44didn't want him.
24:45So he had a very rough
24:47start in his childhood.
24:49And it's not an excuse
24:51because a lot of people
24:52have a bad childhood.
24:53It doesn't mean
24:54you can go out
24:54and rape and,
24:56you know,
24:56do whatever it is
24:57that you want.
24:58That doesn't give you
24:58the right.
24:59But when people feel
25:01like they're throwaways,
25:02it's hard to make them
25:05want to be a better person.
25:07And I don't know
25:08if he ever wanted
25:10to be a better person.
25:11I think he knew
25:12who he was
25:13and he stuck with that.
25:17Let me ask you this.
25:19Why did you run
25:20for parole in the first place?
25:21What started all this?
25:25Well, my ex-friend Randy
25:26has got everything
25:27going on for himself
25:28right now.
25:32I'm thinking,
25:32oh, that's never
25:33going to happen for me.
25:34You know,
25:35he's got a nice apartment,
25:36nice vehicle,
25:36he's got a girlfriend now
25:37and he's got his odd jobs
25:38that he does.
25:39He's got a good life.
25:42And you talk to him,
25:44he'll tell you,
25:44yeah, a couple months ago
25:45I told him my life sucks.
25:47Actually, two or three months
25:48ago I told him,
25:48I think.
25:50He said,
25:51what do you mean by that?
25:51I said, listen,
25:52you got a vehicle,
25:54you got a girlfriend,
25:56you got a nice apartment.
25:58What the hell more
25:59could you want?
26:00You know,
26:00and you got all these odd jobs
26:02lined up,
26:02I'll be doing good.
26:04He says,
26:05well,
26:05give a time it'll happen.
26:06A few of us said,
26:06Randy,
26:06it's not going to happen
26:07for me,
26:07trust me.
26:08He said,
26:09no,
26:09it'll happen.
26:09It's not going to happen
26:10for me.
26:12Oh, well.
26:14And it didn't,
26:15so.
26:15because he was so jealous
26:19of another parolee,
26:22he abandoned the life
26:23that he tried so hard
26:25to create,
26:26recreate for those two years
26:28and went on the run.
26:32He was actually living
26:33in an abandoned house
26:35in the basement,
26:35but in the community,
26:37the kids would hang out there
26:39and they kept daring each other
26:41to go downstairs.
26:42So he knew
26:43it was only a matter of time
26:45before somebody brought
26:46a flashlight
26:46and they found him.
26:48So everything
26:49that he had on him,
26:50his sweatpants,
26:52his boots,
26:53everything,
26:54and all the other clothes
26:55was all from
26:55that abandoned house.
26:57And that's what
26:57he had with him.
27:00He had heard
27:01police sirens,
27:02whether it was
27:03an emergency
27:03from an ambulance
27:04or maybe a police siren,
27:06but he actually
27:07tried to commit suicide.
27:08He wrapped the rope
27:09around his neck
27:10and the tree actually,
27:11the branch had broke.
27:13So he wasn't able
27:13to successfully commit suicide.
27:15But that kind of gives you
27:16a mindset of
27:17how he lived.
27:19I guess he was always
27:20looking over his shoulder,
27:21worried about
27:21what was coming up next
27:22as he was
27:24absconding from parole.
27:25He knew there was
27:25a good likelihood
27:26that he was going back
27:27to prison for a very long time
27:28if he was ever found.
27:30That was Halloween night,
27:31actually.
27:32And when that failed,
27:35that is when he went
27:36to the Davis Motel
27:38and started pulling on doors
27:40and found one
27:41that was open.
27:45He was trying
27:46to find a place to stay.
27:48He said, you know,
27:49during the day,
27:49he would allow himself
27:50to watch TV.
27:52At night,
27:53everything was off
27:54in the room.
27:54He kept all of his belongings
27:56under the bed
27:57in case anyone ever came in.
27:59He was always ready
27:59to dive under the bed
28:01because he would hear voices
28:03going up and down the hall.
28:08He just felt like his time
28:10was running out
28:11and he was looking for money.
28:13So he figured
28:14the office probably has money.
28:18Did you knock
28:19or was the door open?
28:22I think she thinks
28:22she locked it all the way.
28:25When she pulled it,
28:26it didn't latch.
28:30I just pushed on it.
28:31and it opened up.
28:34I was actually surprised
28:36that it opened up.
28:39So what happens
28:40at this point?
28:42Well, at this point,
28:43I'm making haste.
28:44I'm going in there.
28:46I said, I got to get money,
28:46got to get money,
28:47got to get money.
28:47I went in there
28:48looking for them little
28:49freaking green things
28:50with the zipper on them.
28:52Little money bags?
28:53Yeah.
28:53When you pushed the door open,
28:56where is she?
28:58She was out
28:59showing somebody a room.
29:01Oh, so she wasn't even in there?
29:03No, she wasn't in there.
29:04Oh, that's why
29:05the door was unlocked.
29:07Yeah, she came in the house
29:08and scared the shit out of me.
29:09So I had nowhere else to go.
29:12I couldn't go back
29:13towards the door
29:13because I said,
29:14she opens that door,
29:15she said,
29:15I'm going to be right there.
29:17So I went to the darkest
29:18place in the house.
29:19Okay, now where was I?
29:21Right around the corner
29:21and then I raped her
29:24in the bedroom
29:25or whatever I want to know.
29:28He had hidden behind
29:29what I would call
29:30like a room divider.
29:31It was like an accordion,
29:32plastic type door
29:33and Linda Turner
29:35actually had a phone call
29:36and that's when
29:37he took the opportunity
29:37to surprise her
29:39and come out
29:40from behind the partition
29:42that he was hiding behind.
29:44Does she come
29:44into the bedroom?
29:45Yeah, that's right.
29:46And that's when she sees you?
29:47She didn't even see me.
29:48When she came through,
29:49that's when I grabbed her.
29:51Now when you grabbed her,
30:01how did you grab her?
30:02Around the throat.
30:03Did you grab her with your hands?
30:05No, I had a piece of rope
30:06that was maybe
30:06what, two foot long,
30:10three foot long?
30:11Actually, it might have been
30:13a little longer than that.
30:14What color was it?
30:15White.
30:16Well, it was kind of dirty
30:17at the time.
30:18I was going to say,
30:19was it a little bit
30:20gray maybe?
30:21Yeah, that's more
30:22the color it was.
30:24You check, you check,
30:24you probably find
30:25something with my skin
30:25in there too.
30:26Was it weathered?
30:27A little older like?
30:30More about the time
30:30I got done with it, yeah.
30:32All right.
30:33But the tree episode
30:34probably it, yeah.
30:37So getting back,
30:38when you grabbed her,
30:39did you put it around
30:39her chest?
30:40Did you get it right
30:40around the neck right away?
30:41No, it was kind of like
30:43more around,
30:44I was trying for the neck
30:45right away, yes.
30:47But I got like here.
30:49Scuffle probably lasted
30:50ten, five, ten minutes
30:52maybe.
30:54Five or ten minutes?
30:56Yeah.
30:56Really?
30:56That long?
30:57Yeah, it was a good look
30:59out, but I didn't have
31:00full force on the rope.
31:02It was just enough
31:03to take the fight
31:08out of her, so to speak.
31:10Is that all
31:10that was around her neck?
31:12No.
31:13Because you never
31:14mentioned anything else?
31:16Yeah, I was waiting
31:17for you to tell us.
31:19You think I'm an idiot?
31:20No, no, no.
31:20Well, I mean,
31:21it doesn't matter.
31:21I mean, I don't care
31:22what you think of me.
31:22I really don't.
31:24Yeah, I actually had
31:25to take the felt
31:27out of her,
31:28loose over her pants.
31:29Okay, that's where
31:29that came from.
31:30Yeah.
31:30All right.
31:31Yeah.
31:31So, when did you
31:35know that you
31:36were going to rape her?
31:40That was the
31:41split-second decision.
31:42That was nothing
31:42that was planned.
31:44I'm asking you.
31:45No, I know.
31:46I know.
31:47Like I said,
31:47when she was in there,
31:48I'm looking for an out.
31:50I can't get the money.
31:51I'm looking for an out.
31:53He was just asking.
31:54Yeah, I know.
31:54I did.
31:55I know.
31:55I had no intentions
31:56in doing that.
31:57Fighting with us.
31:58Come on.
31:59Let's just...
32:00I'm already going back
32:04anyway, so...
32:06I'm screwed.
32:07What the hell?
32:08Let's point-blank
32:10cut the driver.
32:11Mr. Blaney admitted
32:22with very flat effect,
32:24with no emotion,
32:25with not a care in the world,
32:26that he, in fact,
32:27had committed the crime.
32:28Didn't care that
32:29we had him in custody.
32:30Just a really, really
32:31bad and cold individual.
32:33It actually came out
32:38that after
32:39assaulting two women
32:41and trying to assault
32:43an eight-year-old girl,
32:44he didn't even serve
32:45his full sentence.
32:47They let him out early
32:48for good behavior.
32:50During his parole hearing,
32:51he told them
32:52that he
32:53was going to hurt somebody
32:55and that he should stay there
32:57because he's broken
32:59and he doesn't want
32:59to hurt anybody,
33:00but he's going to do it.
33:01He said himself,
33:02society is safer
33:03with me in prison.
33:05And if that isn't enough
33:06to keep him in there,
33:07I'm not sure
33:08what else could be done.
33:11I say,
33:11how can I put this?
33:16It's like reverse.
33:17It's like,
33:19in prison,
33:19I did 20 years,
33:21two misbehavior reports
33:22in 20 years.
33:24Okay?
33:24It's like,
33:25I can live in there
33:26a lot better
33:26than I can out here.
33:27Out here,
33:28I got
33:28two counseling sessions
33:31a week
33:32or a month
33:32that I have
33:33that I go to.
33:34I have reported
33:35to Detective
33:37Salerno once
33:38every three months
33:39or two months
33:40or whatever it is
33:40for the registry purposes.
33:42I had a bunch of
33:44like Monday
33:46through Friday.
33:47I was always busy.
33:47I was always going
33:48somewhere,
33:48always doing something.
33:50So now I get to go back
33:51and I got all the time
33:52in the world for myself.
33:53I ain't got to worry
33:53about nothing.
33:55I mean,
33:55I tried living.
33:56I can't live out here.
33:57This is living proof.
34:01There's no way
34:01I can make it on her.
34:02No way.
34:06Perpetrators like this,
34:07they don't change
34:09their patterns.
34:11And it happens
34:12time and time again.
34:13We've seen this
34:14in so many other cases.
34:16They get out,
34:17they re-offend.
34:19And even in this case
34:20and a lot of other ones,
34:22then they escalate.
34:23He had never murdered
34:24anyone before.
34:25Now it's escalated
34:27to murder.
34:30What'd you throw
34:31on the bullseye?
34:33Mostly to get him
34:33up off the floor
34:34so I wouldn't ship
34:35over him again,
34:35of course.
34:36And then,
34:37like I said,
34:37the only reason was
34:38in case she got cold.
34:40I'm not going to
34:41put her clothes back on.
34:42So,
34:42I'm trying to get
34:43the hell out of her.
34:43Listen,
34:44Rob,
34:45you make me understand
34:46this.
34:46You just
34:47broke into the girl's house.
34:50You robbed her.
34:51You raped her.
34:52You tell me
34:53you're worried
34:53if she's going
34:54to get cold in him.
34:57Yeah,
34:58pretty much.
35:04Rob,
35:04I think you know
35:05that she was lifeless
35:07when you left.
35:08And I think that's
35:09why you put
35:09the clothes on her.
35:12No.
35:16No.
35:18Stomach was going
35:19up and down
35:20and breathing.
35:22Could be your last
35:22grasp.
35:25There was enough room
35:26where you could
35:27put your pinky.
35:27I could put my pinky
35:28up in between there.
35:29So there was enough room.
35:30But you're still
35:31being rough like that.
35:32Because it looked rough.
35:34I'm giving it to you
35:34straight.
35:35Well, yeah, I know.
35:35You want it straight?
35:36I'm giving it to you
35:37straight.
35:37And that belt
35:38was wrapped around
35:39her and it was
35:39wrapped around her
35:40tight.
35:41And it was
35:41wrapped around
35:42her hair.
35:44And that's...
35:44That's good enough
35:45for me.
35:47Okay.
35:47It's not one of those
35:59situations where
36:00somebody made
36:02a poor decision
36:02to drive drunk
36:03and killed somebody
36:04and they regret
36:04this decision
36:05for the rest of their
36:05life.
36:06This is somebody
36:06who knew what
36:08they were doing,
36:09were calculating
36:09what they were doing,
36:10did what they did,
36:12know they did it,
36:13and just don't care.
36:14Or if they do,
36:15they don't know
36:15how to offer any
36:16condolences or
36:18sympathies or
36:19remorse.
36:22I can't...
36:23I don't know...
36:24I don't know what
36:24else to say.
36:25All right,
36:26hang loose to these
36:26troopers that come in
36:28up in here and
36:28they're going to
36:29take you out.
36:30All right.
36:32It's hard for me
36:33to even say thank you.
36:34Believe me.
36:34Ha!
36:34Ha!
36:34I don't know...
36:36I don't know...
36:38I'm sorry...
36:39I don't know.
36:40I've lost my name.
36:41I'm sorry...
36:41Utica, New York, 2011.
37:03Police have secured Robert Blaney's confession to the murder of Linda Turner in the Davis Motel.
37:08Preparations are made for Robert Blaney to be extradited back to Oneida County to face the consequences for his heinous actions.
37:18In order for him to be charged in county court, it had to go by way of a grand jury indictment.
37:24So we had to bring forth evidence to the grand jury to prove the case.
37:29And so when you're getting a case prepared for grand jury, you're looking for what evidence do we have.
37:35Certainly, the confession helped, but we could go beyond that.
37:41So there are some really crucial pieces of evidence that we located within the crime scene.
37:45Certainly the belt that we tested for DNA, you know, the ropes, things of that nature, things he may have touched, fingerprints of that nature.
37:51However, one really crucial piece of evidence was the sex assault kit that was performed on the deceased individual that had the DNA of Mr. Blaney on it.
37:59We believed it was going to be a very strong case, regardless of the confession.
38:03So in this instance, if there's other charges that that follow the indictment, unless they plead to the entire indictment, we recommend what we feel the sentence should be and what would be appropriate.
38:15In this case, murder in the first degree carried with it a sentence of life without the possibility of parole.
38:22And so that was our position was, if he wants to admit to that, fine, we'll let him do that.
38:28But otherwise, we will prove the case because we believe the sentence should be life without parole.
38:33And the judge agreed with us.
38:35He knew he was such a danger that even facing life without parole, his response is bring it on.
38:57He knew he was more comfortable in the system and being incarcerated, where he was not only not a danger to others, but to himself.
39:14Mr. Blaney, when this happened, you were on a parole, correct?
39:17Yeah.
39:18That was for another rape, right?
39:19Yeah.
39:20You've had how many rapes in the past?
39:22Yeah.
39:23Too many.
39:24I'm sorry?
39:25Mm-hmm.
39:26Too many, sort of, sort of can't help yourself with that, right?
39:32Didn't, in fact, the last time you were released, did you tell parole or someone that you, they shouldn't let you out?
39:39Yeah.
39:41All right, you all, you're satisfied?
39:43Yeah.
39:44All right.
39:44How do you plead then, Mr. Blaney, to the first count of murder in the first degree guilty or not guilty?
39:49No, Mr. McIlroy, would that plea to satisfy all counts of the indictment would be satisfied with the people?
39:54With the understanding, he would be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole, I guess you might.
39:57A young kid, another woman, and now Linda Turner were brutally violated at the hands of Robert Blaney.
40:07No amount of time in prison is enough for him.
40:08There's a chill in the air here, Mr. Blaney, you're the coldest person I've ever seen in this courtroom.
40:14Thank you for a compliment.
40:15A compliment?
40:16Yeah.
40:17You think that's a compliment?
40:18No.
40:19That didn't mean it to be a compliment.
40:20Thanks, I agree.
40:21Okay, we'll see you on the 16th March.
40:23Robert Blaney was convicted of murder in the first degree for the murder of Linda Turner and was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
40:50This sentence was the max, the maximum sentence that's allowed in New York State, so we couldn't have gotten more time, even if we had a trial.
41:04I grew up in that area, and I know that area very well, and I do recall seeing a picture of Mr. Blaney as a parole absconder, and again, that the picture that they had was not up to date.
41:19And so, you know, that sticks with me, and I think that's something that I think this community and parole learned from this is to ensure that they are quick with alerting the community if they do lose sight or they do have an absconder on parole, and they get that out to the community, and that they have an updated picture so that we can try to bring that person to justice.
41:43It took me quite some time, and I've come to terms with pretty much everything to the point where I really don't hold any animosity or anger or hatred or ill will towards Blaney.
42:01Blaney. It's a name that is etched in my mind. I almost feel sympathy for him. Somebody who recognized their danger, who alerted the people that needed to be alerted that he was a danger, and was put in a position to take a life, and now has to live with that when he knew he didn't want to, when he knew it was a real threat.
42:25Blaney. And it's unfortunate. And the place I hold ill will is for those responsible for not heeding his warning.
42:32Blaney.
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