 Here's another in NBC's great parade of new shows The story you are about to hear is true Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent NBC brings you drag net You're a detective sergeant You're assigned a homicide a Mad killer is loose in the city In every instance he leaves the murder weapon behind There are no fingerprints No clues to the killer's identity your job Get him drag net the documented drama of an actual crime Investigated and solved by the men who unrelentingly stand watch on the security of your home your family and your life For the next 30 minutes into operation with the Los Angeles police department You will travel step-by-step on the side of the law through an actual case from official police files From beginning to end from crime to punishment drag net is the story of your police force in action It was Tuesday, June 3rd was warm in Los Angeles. We were working the day watch out of homicide My partner's Ben Romero the boss is Ed Backstrand chief of detectives. My name's Friday I was off-duty reporting back in on an emergency call. It was 3 57 a.m When I got to the basement of the city hall the carpool Let's go Friday Sorry to call you back in couldn't be helped. All right, Ben. Okay skipper What's up, Ben double murder when I don't know I'm not about it. Oh 40 minutes ago Got any ideas roughly same MO was that 64 13 Norwich give her no 64 30 What do you mean the same MO the same guy brick that killer? How many does this make counting tonight for? We got anything at all smudged fingerprint. We can't even classify Sounds like a smart operator. We got to get him. We have to shake down the city from one end to the other big jobs. Give her big killer 426 a.m. We put up in front of 64 30 Norwich Drive a small group of bungalow apartments facing on an oval-shaped garden court Two uniformed officers were stationed at the door to the apartment. Hi, chief. Hi, fellas We went inside Welbert from Thomas side was waiting for us this way In here there they are. Yeah mother daughter Joe on the floor beside the bed. Yeah a red brick Miss Hafters, we know how you must feel about all this, but would you please try to answer a few more questions for Miss Hafters, how long did you know mrs. Diaz and her daughter? Nine years this November they moved next door and remember it so well We got along right from the start and as far as you know the only close friends the mother and daughter had live right here in the apartment Court yes Margaret was a pretty girl, but she was no chaser no boyfriends very close to a mother The two of them very close did they keep any amount of valuables in the apartment money jewelry things like that Mrs. Diaz and Margaret didn't have much, you know very modest income. They both worked and you can think of no good a reason Well Berg yes, I would you show Ms. Hafters back to her apartment. Sure, sir. Thank you, Ms. Hafters. We appreciate it. Thank you Oh Well, Joe let's check with that he's back in the bedroom You get anything from the neighbors the usual Ed no jealous boyfriends ex-husbands nothing like that boys find any evidence yet skiver I'm still working on it You got any theories and we know the killings were all done by the same guy Cuts the same pattern out of the window screen cuts the same pattern with a glass cutter out of the window Reaches in and flips the locks. All right. Where's that leaving and before he gets inside He makes sure there are only women in the house. That means he probably watches the house for a few days Once he gets inside he wants only one thing to kill He's never taken any valuables as far as we can tell he's never searched for any What kind of a man works like that? I think the guys kill crazy. Hey fellas. Yes, darling Here's a break to fair prints one thumb one forefinger What'd you get Pete only got nine points not enough to go into court but enough to make him we'll know him when we get him Yeah, I found the prints on the lens of the old ladies eyeglasses Probably knocked him off the night table when he went after a when he is done and put him back on the table Yeah, had blood on his hands. Yeah, that's funny, isn't it? Why would he go to the trouble of picking up the woman's glasses after he killed her? We'll ask him when we find him Joe might have something for you we can use it link. Hold it just a minute. Yeah crime lamp, Joan Yeah Yeah, all right, I'll tell him right at Backstrand if you're through checking the victims closed by eight o'clock you can knock off for sleep until noon What if we're not through take it up with the chaplain? Here's what I wanted to show you over here a couple of cast Bear footprint, that's right those from the deers place found them outside the dining room window in the flowerbed take a look Good cast size nine ten Missing toe there left foot first toe that's lucky when the guy took his shoes off before he went in that house That's the way it looks you leave any other princely three with his shoes on here. They are here How'd you say the guy is built Lee? Oh from the impression pretty heavy man There's no full length of stride or I might give you an idea of his height. How about them bricks Lee? Here they are all clear Use this one in the first murder this one in the second This one last night leaves them around like calling the cards and there's no way to check them You'll never get a fingerprint off a common red brick like this pen surface is too rough Well, I got an idea of his weight You know that the first toes missing from his left foot That's something when we had yesterday. We can check that mission towing the amputation file Joe. Yeah, well, we better get back Pete ought to have those prints ready to thanks a lot late. Okay fellas say They post the bodies yet. Yeah, they're doing it now same as the first two the brain concussion hemorrhage They didn't have a chance all of them in it Trimelab Jones Sure, just a minute. You're the one of you fellas. I'll get it Joe. Okay Here a mail. Yeah, good. We'll be right over. I got a make on those two fingerprints Okay, Joe single print file made him on the index finger. Let me see Pete Take a look Ben Yeah Doesn't look like a killer does he Joe? Kind of nice looking. That's right Pete. They said the same thing about John Dillinger The name at the top of the makesheet read Carlos Richard Monterey male Caucasian age 19 height 5 feet 11 inches weight 165 pounds dark brown hair dark brown eyes last known address 1663 Naples Street, Los Angeles previous arrest 1 auto theft February 8th 1936 That was all Ben and I had been expecting more The information on the mama sheet for Monterey was 13 years old So was the picture. So was the description. So was the address In 13 years a man can change in a thousand ways So can his habits as appearances address In 13 years everything can change except two things a man's fingerprints and a physical deformity Missing toe on left foot Carlos Richard Monterey Here it is Joe 1663 Naples. Yeah, come on. Somebody's coming Yes, what is it her police officers. We'd like to ask you a few questions. Oh, yes Would you like to come in? Thank you, ma'am? Yes, would you mind telling us your name? Monterey Isabel Monterey What is it you want? You're married. Yes My husband is Francisco Monterey. Would you explain how you are here? We thought you might be able to help us We're looking for a man named Carlos Monterey Don't understand you. We're looking for a man. We'd like to talk to him. Do you know where he is? Yes Carlos is dead seven years ago He's dead my husband told me and does your husband know Carlos or did he know him? He was his brother What about your husband's parents miss Monterey? Where they they're both dead sometime now. Have you ever met Carlos? No, never. I've only heard of him. What have you heard of him miss Monterey? Do not ask me. This is important very important Francisco would not like it if I told you. It's important miss Monterey believe it Carlos He's sick his mind Well eight years Francisco has not seen him not heard from him Thinks he's dead, but he only thinks so miss Monterey. No one's told him his brother's dead. He just thinks so. What else is there to think? Where's your husband now? At his work the store and we're on street in a main grocery Monterey Cadreux grocery Here's your change. Thank you, Mrs. Myers Now look officers, you know how it is you don't like to let these things get out That's why I trust you you can trust us mr. Monterey. We just want to check on a few things. Oh fine Always glad to help out if I can well Can you tell us if your brother was ever in a mental institution in his life? Oh, I know there was nothing wrong 1923 Got a little bad some on dad had to put him away for a while just till he calmed down Remember the day Sometimes dumb stupid kid what do you know standing there by himself in the train crying the public nurse Stupid way he cried. What do you do? I? Cried too. I was only 10 sergeant. I saw him go. He was alone later on mr. Monterey Your brother was released from the state institution. Yeah, he was 16 and then he started running around playing tough Carried a gun live by himself He never came around he dropped from sight about 1938 you haven't heard from him since in nothing never seen him. You know of anybody who might have seen him There was a girl he had Anita something on Sotheo Street Anita Martin. Yeah, that's it Sotheo Street Maybe she's seen him ask her Maybe she's seen Carlos Carlos Monterey Not in a year Let's March he was in when I was working at the peacock done on South Maine He came in we talked for a while That was all and you haven't seen Carlos for the past two months or so. I tell you no has he written to you. He phoned you Once three weeks ago. He phoned here. He left a message with my girlfriend. He didn't call back again Now that's it. That's all I know Thank You miss Martin. Here's our car and if he does call one you'll let us know yeah, I'll let you know You like Carlos is that it Anita like? No, I didn't like him He was funny But he was nice You know, I pitted him. Why did you pity him miss Martin? Well, he was a good fellow who was strange He could smile. You know, he had a nice smile, but you could tell he was never laughing There was something in his mind something Oh, I don't know Least a year closer to two. I haven't seen Carlos no letters not a card nothing It was in the east the last time I heard when was that year ago January? I was in here Sent me a calendar sometimes he could get along fine very well other times terrible You couldn't keep him down how do you manage to stay out of jail at leave of sinney? I don't know sometimes it should have been in jail five times over you say you don't know of anybody You might have a recent picture of Carlos a snapshot. No No, no one I can think of okay, Vincent. Here's our card if you do think of somebody let us know when you'll help sure glad to fire if anybody What kind of a day is it outside? hot hot By five o'clock that afternoon Ben and I were certain of one thing Carlos Monterey was in the city of Los Angeles Somewhere we drove back to the office and told Ed Backstrand about our interviews with Monterey's relatives and his friends Inquiries and requests for further identification and information on him Were immediately relayed to the state mental institutions The 13-year-old picture of Monterey taken from the files was copied and distributed with a note of caution as to the aids of the photograph An APB was sent out Stakeouts were placed at the home of Monterey's brother at the brother's store at the apartment of Anita Martin a Special detail of 300 men was ordered to join the dragnet already in operation The details at the airport and the bus terminals were alerted as well as the details at the Union Depot and the main post office By six o'clock that night almost 1,000 men were actively working at the job of tracking down Carlos Monterey At 6 30 p.m. Ben and I drew a four-hour relief period. We drove out to Ben's place and his wife fixed us some dinner At 10 30 that night. We reported into the office picked up at Backstrand and we drove out to join the manhunt We cruised with the dragnet operation until five o'clock that morning Ben and I took turns driving Actually the tremendous job of scouring 500 square miles of city for one man was only beginning Unless there was an unexpected break the search for Carlos Monterey could wear on for weeks it did Night after night the manhunt went on him day after day. It was no break 16 days later on a Sunday night. I went to bed early. I read a while and then I turned off the lamp and went to sleep Hello, Friday talking. Sorry Joe get in here as fast as you can. Hmm. What's the matter that girl Monterey knew the one you talked to Yeah, she left her apartment went to her girlfriend. Yeah, she's dead There it is ordinary red brick Founded by the body. How long she been dead skimmer She was seen alive about an hour and a half ago got three bare footprints good length of stride Found them down in the lot beside the house. What do they look like same guy first toe missing from the left foot The same weight impression should be about five foot eleven that checks out without you God, doesn't it? All right, so it's the same guy. What about those shoes we finally. Yeah, they correspond They were impregnated with foreign matter. What'd you find? Particles of lettuce leaf dry onion skin traces of red cabbage. Maybe a vegetable counter. Maybe What about the city wholesale market down in Front Street? What about any market in Los Angeles? No Lee that wholesale market is big enough to hide anybody hundreds of tranchings work in there some of me sleep there For a guy like Monterey to be perfect. There's a fair guess check it when it opens I open at 2 a.m. 2 30 now all right get back to the office and pick up as many extra men as you need Get down there right away. Okay, Ed. Now, you know, he's a rough one so watch it On Monday June 23rd two minutes past 3 a.m. We pulled up at the city wholesale produce market With the exception of 54 police officers in plain clothes who mingled with the buyers and sellers business went along as usual The market itself covered almost three square blocks in the lower part of the downtown area It was divided off into hundreds of individual stalls by flimsy wooden partitions To make the search even tougher the place was crowded For the first 45 minutes We had the men circulated random through the crowd on the chance that one of them might spot Carlos Monterey from the 13-year-old picture It didn't happen After that we started the systematic canvas. We talked to the customers We talked to the managers of the different booths. We gave them Monterey's description. We show them his picture Nobody recognized them. We check the employment records one by one not a sign Sergeant like the hell I've never seen the guy. Okay, mr. Snyder. Thank you. We sure picked the sweet jobs, don't we? Oh, yeah, we could spend a year at this sergeant sergeant Friday. Yeah, come in ski to find something You had the booth over there against the far wall things. He might have hired Monterey a couple of days ago. Come on, Ben Where over there sergeant you sure Monterey's picture. Yeah, he thinks it might be him Mr. President this is sergeant Romero sergeant Friday. Yes, I told you boy sergeant this fellow Carlos I hire him to help last Thursday big rush for me now. So I had him you sure he's a man in the picture Things so little older. Maybe but I know faces. He's the man you look for him. You say you had this man last Thursday That's right. It's a big rush for me now in the morning. I hire him Thursday He worked a Thursday Friday Saturday, but he don't show up this morning So I got a no use too many men to pick up from you know show up. I let him go What kind of work did he do for you same as he did for a shiller done of their heavy work moving the stores They're cleaning up. What kind of produce the shiller handle, mr. President fancy very fancy vegetable is a choice a new potato is a expensive red onions Shiller sells to the bigger hotels the shiller handle brown onions, mr. Only the best big good dealer that the shiller sells it to the bigger hotels How long has this Carlos been working around the market? Oh, I don't know is it just like the race first. He worked for me then a lot more senior than a shiller Hey, why are you looking so hard to for him? He stole or something he murdered somebody My murder do you have any idea where Carlos live for me? No, no, and if he comes it back here Tell it to get out. I got nothing to do with this problem. You'll tell him nothing mr. President he here's our card if you see Monterey again call us say nothing to him Oh sure sure Henry him a job call the chief of the office William message just came in banks how come on Ben Yeah, there's a phone booth thing. No, I don't wear right ahead little there. Oh, yeah, you got a nickel I see. Oh, yeah. Yeah, there you are. Thanks. I'll see what Ed wants Hi Mike Ed there Take it on extension to will you Friday Ed move fast on this one Joe. What's up main post office? Carlos Monterey picked up a letter there less than five minutes ago. Come on, Ben There's that over there with Welberg. Yeah, traffic short jammed up around here Hi Ed Friday around y'all said Wilberg all set chief Spring Street, San Pedro Sunset the first got a cover good What's the story post office detailed tip is off five minutes after eight a man answering Carlos Monterey's description picked up a letter at the General Delivery window that was 16 minutes ago who spotted him Sam Lane Got a look at him just as he was leaving the window called to him to stop at Monterey ran Lane called me and we threw a net over the area for six blocks around and Monterey still somewhere inside this area I don't know how I could have gotten out. What's next? I'll give him an hour to break for it after that We start a house-to-house search of the whole area stop all pedestrian and vehicular traffic for identification You're gonna jam up the depot traffic. That's cheaper than murder Romero get going The first hour we counted off in five minutes segments like back strand We felt close enough to moderate a touch him, but he still wasn't there The north and south ends of the blockade started to move in slowly Searching every store every house every conceivable place where a man might hide out In the meantime, Ben and I worked the Spring Street side of the blockade Watching the faces of the pedestrians as they came through one by one Examining all vehicles and their drivers The morning war on the Sun came out and it started to get warm By 11 o'clock that morning Monterey still had not been found the temperature was 93 in Los Angeles It was still climbing the search went on a 10 minutes past 2 p.m. Backstrand made the rounds How's it looks given not good going slow how much longer your figure? I don't know it'll go to after dark. That's sure District down here is like a rat's nest. Yeah Nothing nothing But he's someplace inside this blockade He's got to be any chance getting relief for the men in our squad some of them been working straight through since yesterday I'll see Check with me around five this afternoon. Thank you. Thank you. Keep a sharp look out one slip. That's all it takes The search went on at three o'clock that afternoon the temperature was 95 We sweltered and we waited At 345 back strand sent a squad of men into the Union Depot to search it from top to bottom There was one false alarm when one of the men thought he saw Monterey slipping out a side door into a taxi He turned out to be a train conductor At 25 minutes past four back strand passed along the order to our detail to start moving in house by house It was a tedious job and it went slow. The men were tired At 530 the relief squad showed up Ben and I stayed on After another two hours of house-to-house searching the trap was narrowed down to a three square block area a single block wide and three blocks long Started to get dark back strand ordered out batteries of floodlights by 8 p.m. The cordon closed in around the last two square blocks Line for all sets give her ready to move good. What do you think? I will know pretty soon one way or the other Frank keep that traffic moving All right you two get going see you later skipper No, let's take a look in here. Okay Sure as in the old building. Yeah What comansky go? No, I hear men to go away. There's his flashlight out the end of the corridor there. He's signal. Yeah, come on Comansky. Yeah, I'm below sergeant the basement. Come on Monterey. He's been there. I think here this way Where over here and what's the step the lights bad? Here he is says he's a janitor It's been slug all right come on hot it happened. Can you tell us? Yeah, man a big man hit me I came down to empty the baskets. He hit me and ran and over to the new building the new buildings at the one next door Yeah, just a few minutes ago. Nobody's come out of this building for the past half hour every door in the places garden Oh, no, I'm not the doors. He went through the tunnel. I saw him over. There's the tunnel. I'll take a look Joe yeah, the tunnel next the two basements same company whole building new building the tunnel connects the basement Joe Yeah, come in ski get out the back straight and tell them what's happened right sergeant and call an ambulance right All right, Ben through the tunnel. What's where you're going the lights back? It is At a door up ahead. Yeah, I think so. Yeah. Yeah, let's go Good. There's a stairway. Come on. What's the doors? Joe the elevator They're both on the third floor. Let's head for the stairs. Yeah, man. Come on Well, we'll never make it on the stairs. I kicked the control ever kick it down. All right, Ben not deliver back Come on quick. Yeah, what's matter? Can you reach the door control quite just now? Well, he's still in the building both elevators in here now. Yeah Down the hall then the office of the left. I think yeah, okay. Here we are. I keep the door Put on that gun and come on out nice looking guy clean cut Yeah Doesn't figure that What's that? My wife would say He doesn't look like a killer does he? What's a killer supposed to look like only the names were changed to protect the innocent Carlos Monterey was examined by five different psychiatrists appointed by the superior court and was found to be sane He was tried and convicted of murder in the first degree He was executed in the lethal gas chamber at the state penitentiary You have just heard the 17th in a new series of authentic cases from official files Technical advice for drag net comes from the office of WA Wharton acting chief of police Los Angeles police department Tonight's program is dedicated to motorcycle patrolman John Kramer of the El Paso, Texas Sheriff's Department Who on the afternoon of April 26th 1940 gave his life so that yours might be more secure? Drag net came to you from Los Angeles You're tuned for the stars on NBC