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- [00:01]
A
If you're a custodial supervisor at a local high school, you know that cleanliness is key and that the best place to get cleaning supplies is from Grainger. Grainger helps you stay fully stocked on the products you trust, from paper towels and disinfectants to floor scrubbers. Plus, you can rely on Grainger for easy reordering, so you never run out of what you need. Call 1-800-GRAINGER Click grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done. The following episode contains intensely disturbing accounts of violence. Listener discretion is advised.
- [00:42]
B
What he would do is take the body and put it in a black plastic bag and then put the bag inside of a shopping cart. And then he would just walk around the neighborhood until he found whatever building it was that was going to suit his purpose that day. That's how Rashida got into 1345 Fifth Avenue. That's how Johalis got to the roof of 218 East 104.
- [01:06]
A
It's January 24, 1991 in New York City. A man walks his dog on a footpath alongside rush hour traffic on the FDR Drive. Up ahead, a shadow slips across the path and disappears under a footbridge. As the man and his dog approach, they discover the body of a young Hispanic girl. Detective Garrett Barry Dugan is one of the first to arrive on the scene.
- [01:33]
C
It was probably about 13 degrees, the wind was whipping up and her jacket was opened. Her hands were at her side and we couldn't quite tell exactly what had killed her at that time.
- [01:49]
A
An ambulance tech at the scene leans in to inspect the girl's body and lifts her sweater.
- [01:55]
C
There was a stab wound in the center of her chest and further examination revealed that she had a ligature around her neck and there was hardly any blood coming from the stab wound.
- [02:08]
A
The lack of blood tells Dugan he's most likely looking at a body dump and that his Jane Doe was actually killed in another location.
- [02:17]
C
I guess we were there probably about 45 minutes when we heard that there was a female at the 23rd Precinct reporting that her daughter was missing.
- [02:31]
A
The girl in question is Paula Ira, a 13 year old who left school earlier that day and had not been heard from for hours. Dugan and his partner, Maria Bertini, take a photo of the victim and head to East River Landing. Inside an apartment they find a family of nine who confirm what detectives already suspect. The body under the bridge is Paula Hiera.
- [02:55]
C
She had recently come from Cali, Colombia. She did not speak English. She was going to school to learn it.
- [03:02]
A
Paola was a very sheltered girl. She wasn't allowed to go out alone. She. She wasn't a street child. So now you're totally confused because she wasn't out. How did this happen? Iera's body is transported to the medical examiner's office for an official autopsy. The victim suffered three stab wounds to the chest and was also strangled. Bruising on the pelvic area indicates a possible sexual assault, most likely with a blunt instrument. No semen is recovered from the victim's body. A single pubic hair, however, is collected. According to Paola's uncle, on the day she was killed, the teenager returned home from school at about 4:45pm she buzzed her apartment. Her grandmother and uncle were at home at the time. And they asked on the intercom, who is it? And she replied, it's me. They buzzed her in and she never reached her floor. Detectives canvassed the apartment building, showing Paola's picture and asking pointed questions.
- [04:12]
C
Two detectives reported that they located a woman who was on the elevator with the girl. She stated that the girl got off first and then there was another man who got off at a different floor and then she got off.
- [04:23]
A
The witness believes the girl was Yera. The man in the elevator is eventually ID'd as a resident named Aaron Warford. Bertini and Dugan look up Warford's apartment number and knock on his front door with Maria.
- [04:37]
C
I went back there probably six times. Each time there was no answer at the door. I would leave my card. So that was one individual that I definitely wanted to speak with but never had the opportunity.
- [04:49]
A
Warford is one of dozens of people with a tenuous link to the murder victim. His name is shuffled to the back of the pack as detectives focus on the possibility of a stalker, someone who followed her home from school, or perhaps someone she met along the way.
- [05:07]
C
We started to trace the girl's movements up First Avenue from 102nd street to 110th Street. And we checked every single store. We stopped and spoke with people along the way, people who looked like they would be out there every day. We spent countless hours doing that.
- [05:23]
A
A local grocer is identified as a person who took an unusual interest in the girl. Thinking the killer transported the body in his vehicle, police ask to take a look inside the grocer's car. What they find tags him as a major suspect.
- [05:40]
C
And in searching his car in the globe compartment, we found a drawing. And it was a drawing of Paola in the casket wearing the dress that she was wearing in the casket. And we thought that that was strange. Why would somebody have that? So now we were already looking at him. Now we're looking at him a little bit more.
- [05:58]
A
The man agrees to submit samples for a DNA comparison with evidence found at the scene.
- [06:04]
C
He volunteered to produce a semen sample. And we also collected some hairs from him, both pubic hairs and head hairs to be compared with the hair that was preserved at the lab from this crime scene. And that turned out to be not a match.
- [06:21]
A
Several other suspects are looked at and eventually eliminated. Dugan and Bertini are spinning their wheels and the ERA murder investigation is crossing quickly. Going cold. Sure, it gets frustrating when you don't develop something immediately, but we're there every day. We'll just keep on until we find something.
- [06:43]
C
There's a basic theory in any given homicide. If you haven't solved the case within 72 hours, stop, go back and start over again. Which is what I did countless times with this case. I went back and I reread all of the reports and I just couldn't see it. I wish I had seen it back then.
- [07:06]
A
What Dugan doesn't see is a link to a serial killer, one that is buried in the ERA murder file that will remain hidden for six years. I'm sure a lot of you have heard about Happy Mammoth. They're all about making women's lives a bit smoother with nature inspired supplements that combine natural ingredients and real science. One of their fan favorites is the prebiotic collagen protein. It's not your average collagen powder because it's built to support your gut health as much as your beauty routine. Most collagen products stop at skin, hair and nails, but Happy Mammoth goes further. It blends grass fed collagen peptides with prebiotic fibers that help feed the good bacteria in your gut. That means more support for digestion, steady energy, fewer cravings, and even a little help with mood. It's collagen with some extra care built in. And let's be honest, when your gut's happy, everything else just feels easier. I've had my share of off days with digestion. And adding prebiotic collagen protein genuinely helps to feel lighter and more energetic throughout the day by easing occasional bloating and gas, reducing sugar cravings, and boosting energy to support mood and general well being. Happy Mammoth is serious about quality and only uses ingredients backed by research crafted specifically for women's needs. And right now you can try prebiotic collagen protein risk free and get 15% off your entire first order with code Cold Case at check checkout. That's happy mammoth.com use code cold case for 15% off today. Kay Jeweler's Black Friday sale is on. Now's the time to get up to 50% off Black Friday deals. With savings this big, you can get gifts for everyone on your list. Plus if Black Friday lines aren't your thing, skip em at Kay. You can buy online and pick up in store or get free shipping right to your home. This holiday season, unwrap love and savings with Kay. Exclusions apply. See kay.com exclusions for details. It's 5pm on September 10, 1997. A fire truck responds to reports of a fire on the rooftop landing of a Harlem high rise. The fire is extinguished quickly and as the smoke clears, they realize what they thought was a rubbish fire is actually a corpse doused in gasoline and set on fire. In a matter of moments, a team of New York detectives arrives on scene, including Thomas Lombardo.
- [09:40]
B
When I get up there, there was also a lot of other people up there, but you could see the outline.
- [09:45]
D
Of a body that was burnt beyond recognition up on the roof landing. And unfortunately the crime scene was ruined because of the fire department when they.
- [09:55]
B
Put the water on.
- [09:56]
D
But it wasn't their fault because of course they didn't know that there was.
- [09:59]
A
A body over there with the water from the hoses washing away bodily fluids that might have been deposited by the killer. The only useful forensic evidence are a few bits of jewelry and some charred pieces of clothing identifying the victim as a young woman.
- [10:15]
B
Well, your first step is you have.
- [10:17]
D
To try to find an identification on the body.
- [10:19]
B
And of course, if, if there's no ID or anything at the scene, we.
- [10:24]
D
Have to go knock on doors throughout.
- [10:26]
B
The whole project facility, which is a lot of buildings.
- [10:30]
A
No one in the building knows anything about the burned body on the roof. Detective Scott Wagner reconciles notes from his Jane Doe case with a stack of missing persons reports and sends details of the murder to police precincts throughout the city.
- [10:45]
D
We got a response from a Bronx precinct who had a missing person report of a young woman by the name of Johalis Castro.
- [10:56]
A
Castro's family IDs, the victim's jewelry and dental records taken from the body are matched to that of Johalis Castro. Detectives dig into Castro's life trying to discover why a girl from the Bronx would be found dead on a Harlem rooftop.
- [11:13]
D
I read her diaries, I spoke with her family members, I spoke with her friends, I spoke with the father of her child, with her ex boyfriends detectives.
- [11:25]
A
Bring in the father for questioning. He admits that he and Johalis had problems sometimes escalating to violence, but denies any involvement in her death.
- [11:36]
D
He said, yeah, I hit her. I had my beefs with her. She sent me to jail. Yeah, we went through trying times. He says, but kill the mother of my child, especially in a way like that? I said, he says, no way.
- [11:52]
A
Detectives then begin tracking Johalis movements on the day of her murder. They pull phone records and find a series of calls from Johalis home in the Bronx to a Cynthia Key in Manhattan's East Harlem neighborhood.
- [12:05]
D
I spoke to Ms. Key on the phone. I called up, identified myself. I asked her if you know, she knew this, you know, this person. She said no. She says, but I have a son who you know, is about that age, maybe he might know her. So I asked her what her son's name was and she told me his name was Aaron Malik Key. And she said he wasn't home at the time. So I left him my name and number and I said, do me a favor, when he comes in, have him call me.
- [12:35]
A
While Wagner awaits a phone call from Aaron Key, he runs his name for any criminal history and discovers Key had spent time in a correctional facility upstate for robbery. The next day, Kee calls Detective Wagner and agrees to come in for a sit down interview.
- [12:53]
D
When we came in, one of the first remarks that he made was something to the effect of, wow, that's your house. What a damn shame. Look how pretty she was. And basically that's where we started.
- [13:11]
A
In the winter of 1991, 13 year old Paola Hiera is murdered, her body dumped on a footpath along FDR Drive. Investigators work the case but come up empty and the investigation goes cold. Six years later, another young girl, 19 year old Johalis Castro, is found dead, doused with gasoline and set on fire on a rooftop in East Harlem. This time, detectives come up with a potential suspect, Erin Key, a friend of Castro's who talked to her on the phone the day she died and also had a criminal record. On November 22, 1997, homicide detective Scott Wagner escorts Key into an interview room.
- [13:58]
D
He was very well spoken, very charismatic, a good looking man. He was dressed casually, yet clean and neat. He would look me dead in the eye. Every question I asked of him, he seemed to answer readily. He seemed to be forthright.
- [14:18]
A
Wagner leans into Kee asking about his relationship with Castro. Key readily admits the two were friends and had plans to meet on the day of her murder.
- [14:28]
D
They were supposed to Meet and go shopping together and she never showed up. He says that he grew concerned and that after not hearing from her, he called her residence. It does show on the phone records that a call was made to her residence later that day and the parents had told them that she hadn't come home and they hadn't heard from her.
- [14:57]
A
Wagner is unsure what to make of Aaron Key's statement, but has no way of disproving it. After an hour of back and forth, Wagner releases Key. Key. Wagner feels the investigation losing momentum, but refuses to give up.
- [15:12]
D
My partner and I basically sat down and we just said maybe we're missing something. Maybe it could be something staring at us right in the face and we're missing it. So we took out the whole case, we laid it all out on a table and we went over every scrap of paper. We said, we're gonna have to start with square one. Let's go back to square one. And square one was Aaron Key.
- [15:41]
A
Square one is also a dead end. With no physical evidence linking Key to the crime, Wagner's hands are tied. Johalis Castro, like Paula Hiera before her, is dropped into the cold files. They both stay that way for one more year, until another girl meets Aaron Key. It's 8:30am on June 2, 1998, and business as usual in the Taft Housing building. The elevators are not working and a resident on the 16th floor begins the long trek downstairs. In the stairwell of the 15th floor, she stumbles across a woman lying in the middle of the landing. At first the resident thinks the woman is asleep, but then discovers she is dead. Detectives Mike Ulaco and Scott Wagner respond to the scene.
- [16:36]
B
At the time we found her, we.
- [16:38]
A
Weren'T sure exactly what had happened to her. We got the job as an investigator.
- [16:43]
D
Doa. She was nude underneath this shirt that was covering her. Covering her almost like a shredder. It was like it was placed over her face and upper body, but she was nude underneath. No bra, no shirt.
- [16:58]
A
The body is transferred to the medical examiner's office for autopsy where she is identified as 18 year old Rashida Washington, a local resident who disappeared the previous night while walking home. The medical examiner determines the cause of death to be asphyxiation due to compression of the chest and and neck. She also notes that Washington was sexually assaulted. A semen sample is detected and lifted from Washington's body. Detective Robert Mooney begins looking for likely sources of the semen, starting with the victim's boyfriend.
- [17:32]
B
We interviewed her boyfriend, we interviewed a lot of people, but there was no nobody that Was really sticking out as a viable suspect.
- [17:42]
A
Six months into the investigation, the case has no solid leads and seems destined for the cold files, when the science of DNA brings the case into focus and the pieces of murder begin to fall into place. Inside the New York City medical examiner's office, Forensic scientist Karen Dooling Works on evidence kits from unsolved homicides. In January of 1999, she runs Semen collected from Rashida Washington's murder Into the city's local database and registers a hit not to a known offender, but to another unsolved case, a rape victim, one out of East Harlem, ID'd in the system only as rape victim one case from rape victim one was originally believed to be part of a different pattern. And as it turned out, that case was not part of that rape pattern, but had created a new pattern with homicide victim Rashida Washington and this rape case. Soon, three other unsolved East Harlem rapes Are linked to the new pattern. Investigators working the Washington homicide now begin reviewing the rape cases for any possible connection that may lead them to their killer.
- [19:00]
B
When we looked at those cases and we looked at Rashida, There was a lot of similarities. The physical characteristics of the victims, they almost all looked like each other. And then there seemed to be a pattern about the location was random in address, but specific, and the type of location being housing project buildings.
- [19:25]
A
Detectives talked to the rape victims themselves about the attacks and any details they might remember about the assailant.
- [19:33]
B
The sequence of violence was almost always the same. He would make the girls take off their clothing. He would use an article of their clothing as a gag and a blindfold. There would be oral sodomy, Anal sodomy, and vaginal rape. And it would almost always progress in that order.
- [19:54]
A
Composite sketches of the suspect are posted throughout East Harlem, and leads begin to filter in. The most promising lead comes from the east river landing complex, A series of buildings located less than a mile from where Rashida Washington's body was found. Residents there tell police they should talk to a man named ace.
- [20:17]
B
As a result of that information, we search the computers and find out that a man by the name of Aaron Key, who also used the name Aaron Warford, has the nickname vase and lives at 420 E. 111th St. And when we get a picture of him, he very eerily resembles the person in the sketch.
- [20:36]
A
Detectives focus in on key building, their suspect profile. They talk to people who live in Kee's building and people who live in the neighborhood.
- [20:46]
B
He had a horrendous reputation over there that they would call Him, Chester the Molester. And we find out that there was, like, a constant parade of young girls that would go into his apartment with him, and then he would brag to the boys in the neighborhood about how he was having sex with all these kids.
- [21:07]
A
Detectives review physical evidence in Rasheeda Washington's case, as well as the three rapes sharing a DNA match, looking for connections to Keegan. In one of the unsolved rapes, they turn up a gray sweatshirt and baseball cap left behind by the attacker. On the inside of the sweatshirt is a partial laundry tag. Detectives question dry cleaners in the area, and one recognizes the tag as his.
- [21:36]
B
And he produced a list of customers. And there on the list was Cynthia Key, which is actually Aaron's mother.
- [21:45]
A
Aaron Key moves to the top of a short suspect list in at least one murder and three rapes. Detectives, however, want more. They begin a review of unsolved homicides in the area, looking for any other crimes that might tie into Key the murders of Paola Hiera and Johalis Castro. Iera was 13 years old when she was found dumped along the FDR promenade. A person of interest in that investigation was a man known to his neighbors at that time as Aaron Warford, now known as Aaron Key. Six years after Iara's murder, Johalis Castro's burned remains are found on the rooftop of an East Harlem housing project. A person of interest in that investigation is a friend of the victims named Aaron Key. Detectives are getting the feeling their suspect might be a serial killer as well as a serial rapist. They consult with Assistant DA Richard Plansky on the best way to get a sample of Keyes DNA.
- [22:52]
B
In New York State, the defendant's rights are vehemently protected by the law. And in order for us to get a warrant for anything, you have to have probable cause. At this stage of the game, we did not have probable cause. We were working on building probable cause.
- [23:12]
E
So at that point in time, we were in sort of a tricky position in that we were all quite sure that we knew who this serial murderer and rapist was, and yet he's completely at liberty, and there was nothing we could do about it. So the strategy was, let's see if we can find a way to get his DNA.
- [23:39]
A
Homes.com knows that when it comes to home shopping, it's never just about the house or condo. It's about the home. And what makes a home is more than just the house or property. It's the location and neighborhood. If you have kids, it's also schools, nearby, parks and transportation options. That's why homes.com goes above and beyond to bring home shoppers the in depth information they need to find the right home. And when I say in depth, I'm talking deep. Each listing features comprehensive information about the neighborhood, complete with a video guide. They also have details about local schools with test scores, state rankings and student to teacher ratio. They even have an agent directory with the sales history of each agent. So when it comes to finding a home, not just a house, this is everything you need to know all in1place.homes.com We've done your homework. Cold Case Files is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy. Just drop in some details about yourself and see if you're eligible to save money when you bundle your home and auto policies. The process only takes minutes and it could mean hundreds more in your pocket. Visit progressive.com after this episode to see if you could save Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states. In the winter of 1999, cold case detectives are chasing a serial rapist and serial killer. Their suspect, Aaron Key, is believed to be responsible for at least four rapes and three murders in the East Harlem area. Critical to the case is obtaining a sample of Key's DNA for comparison to crime scene samples.
- [25:21]
B
The orders were, if you see him, follow him wherever he goes. If he spits on the sidewalk, get out with a paper towel and try to sop it up. If he throws a cigarette butt away, get that. If he throws a soda bottle away, go in the garbage, get it. Whatever we have to do to get something that's going to yield a DNA sample.
- [25:41]
A
After 10 days of tracking their suspect, detectives are unable to obtain a sample of Key DNA and the surveillance is terminated.
- [25:50]
E
We had detectives who didn't fit in that well in that neighborhood, and we're pretty sure the Key knew he was being followed. He was easily able to evade them. And the bottom line was we were not successful in obtaining DNA that way. We had to get lucky again before we got his DNA.
- [26:09]
A
The bit of luck detectives need comes when Arrenke is arrested on a charge of petty larceny. On February 9th, detectives Rob Mooney and Joel Potter walk into an empty interview room in the 18th Precinct and fill it with tissues, soda, cigarettes, and anything else that might attract a sample of Aaron Keith's DNA.
- [26:32]
B
Our intention was to try to get the DNA legitimately but surreptitiously so that he didn't know that we were looking at him that way.
- [26:40]
F
Keith's now dope, you know, so you have to play it, you know, kind of laid back. But we waited a while, and then we had him brought up by patrol, and we put him in the interview room. And Detective Mooney and I sat down and we started talking to him.
- [26:53]
A
The detectives begin to talk with Kee, asking him if he knows of any other crimes. Kee is more than willing to talk.
- [27:01]
B
He started coughing up all sorts of information about drug dealers in East Harlem, which all turned out to to be complete nonsense. But Aaron is a very. He's a very narcissistic individual and likes to be in the spotlight periodically.
- [27:17]
F
You know, I'd offer him coffee or a can of soda or we had tissues, I believe, on the table, anything to get a shot at getting DNA evidence. But he didn't take any of it. So finally, we bring in the female detective dressed as the doctor, and she goes through her routine.
- [27:33]
A
The female detective tells Kee the Department of Health is testing detainees for tuberculosis and asks Kee to provide a saliva sample for the screening. Kee agrees and is given a consent form to sign.
- [27:46]
B
And on that release, it says that the saliva is going to be typed for DNA and will be stored in the medical examiner's data bank.
- [27:55]
F
He literally had pen in hand until he read that last line. Because we were watching him, you know, real close, and he just put the pen down and he looked at us and he said, I can't do this. And then he told us he was a Jehovah's Witness and that he couldn't do it. It was against his religion. It would be an invasion, you know, to his body.
- [28:12]
A
The ruse fails. Detectives step out of the interview room and regroup.
- [28:18]
F
So we were sitting there, you know, kicking it around. What are we going to do? Too bad, you know, it was a good shot. And then it dawned on me. They feed these guys. So I hustled my butt downstairs and I took all the coffee cups from his cell.
- [28:32]
A
The detectives take five Styrofoam cups from Key's holding cells. Meanwhile, Kee is arraigned on the larceny charge and let out on bail. Now it's a race against time to identify any DNA left on the cups and hope a match is delivered before anyone else dies. Karen Dooling sits at a table and works on the five cups pulled from Aaron Keyes jail cells. The scientist rubs a swab along the rim of each cup and collects samples of saliva. She then begins her analysis and immediately Starts to register matches first to two of the four rape cases and then to the unknown profile in the Rashida Washington homicide. We knew that Aaron Key had drank from one of those five cups and that one of those five cups were consistent with the pattern. But you couldn't exactly link a particular cup with Aaron Key. And to the pattern, the DNA belongs to Aaron Key or his cellmate, who had access to the cups inside the jail cells. The tentative link does not prove the case, but comes close. So a warrant is put out for kee's arrest. At 11:30pm on February 12, Detective Rob Mooney knocks on Aaron Key's door. His roommate answers and claims to have no knowledge of where Key is. Suddenly, a telephone in the apartment rings and Mooney tells the roommate to answer.
- [30:05]
B
Clearly, by the look on his face, I say to him, is that him? He says, yes. And Aaron's on the. So I take the phone from him and I explained to him who I am. And he says, yeah, I know who you are. And I said, you remember we spoke the other day in Midtown? He goes, yeah. He goes, you tried to get my DNA from me, but it didn't work. He's having this whole taunting conversation with me on the phone. And I explained to him, I said, listen, every radio car in the city of New York has your picture in it right now. Everybody is looking for you, so why don't you just come in and get it over with. You're not going to get away from us. We're going to catch you.
- [30:40]
A
Aaron Key agrees to turn himself in, telling Mooney to meet him on 110th street in five minutes.
- [30:47]
B
He says, I'm going to come into 110th street from First Avenue. I'll meet you in the street. He goes, but I don't want a million cops jumping on me. I said, all right, no problem. I said, I'll come down the street and I'll meet you. I said, but come into the, you know, come in the block with your hands out where I can see them because we don't want to have bad things happen.
- [31:04]
A
Aaron Key, however, never shows up. Instead, he takes off with his 16 year old girlfriend, Angelique Stallings. A friend of Aaron Keys reports that he saw the couple in Newark, New Jersey. Then four days later, Key places a call to a family friend which is traced to a payphone outside a seedy hotel in downtown Miami.
- [31:28]
C
Foreign.
- [31:33]
B
Business in peril. We've all heard that before. I'm veteran producer Todd Garner, host of the Producer's Guide podcast. Some of my Credits include Con Air, anger management, triple X, 13 going on 30, and the mortal Kombat franchise. I'm here to address the biggest burning questions facing Hollywood today. Is the next big strike on the horizon? Will studio consolidation affect industry jobs? Are we getting closer to AI generation generating features? Is there a real difference between movies and content anymore? Some of my past guests include Adam Sandler, Rebel Wilson, Jeff Probst, Eli Roth, Ed Helms, and Kevin James. Join me on the front lines every Thursday. Get new audio or video episodes of the Producer's Guide wherever you get your podcasts.
- [32:16]
A
Cold Case detectives Rob Mooney and Daryl Hayes are on the trail of Aaron Key, a man they believe to be a rapist and serial killer. The chase takes them to Miami and a stakeout in front of a hotel called the Miami Sun.
- [32:34]
B
It couldn't have been more out of central casting if you wanted. It was like stucco block building right in the middle of downtown Miami.
- [32:42]
A
Within 10 minutes of their arrival, the detectives spot Key and his girlfriend Angelique Stallings walking down the street towards the Miami Sun. Detective Hayes follows the couple into the hotel to confirm their id.
- [32:55]
D
When I walked into the hotel, Aaron Key and Angela Stallings happened to be sitting in the lobby of the hotel. I go over the vending machine with the change, get a soda, and I stood right next to Aaron Key, opened up the soda. It actually splashes on both of us. I apologize. We have a discussion for a quick moment.
- [33:15]
A
Hayes leaves the hotel and signals to Mooney that Kee is inside. A SWAT team from the City of Miami Police Department is called in to bring in the suspect. They enter the hotel and do a floor by floor sweep of all of the rooms.
- [33:31]
D
So as they did the floor by floor, it started out with 30 rooms left, 20 rooms left, 10 rooms left, 5 rooms left. Still no Aaron Key and Angelique.
- [33:43]
A
As they near the last few rooms, the tension builds and detectives begin to wonder if Aaron Key has made an escape.
- [33:52]
D
Me and Detective Mooney are sitting in the lobby and we're saying this don't look good. It's getting ugly.
- [33:58]
A
When the SWAT team gets to the last room in the hotel, they find Aaron Key hiding under the bed covers with his girlfriend. Key is cuffed and led out of the hotel.
- [34:11]
B
So when he comes down and he sees me standing in the hotel, he just looks at me and he's like very teary and he goes, oh, I'm sorry man. I said, okay, quiet now. We'll talk later.
- [34:27]
A
For seven hours, Detective Mooney and Hayes sit with Aaron Key, hoping to get a confession before their suspect is extradited back to New York. For seven hours, Kee remains quiet, refusing to give up any information.
- [34:43]
D
He's not upset, he's calm. Aaron Kee's fascinating to talk with because everything with him is short and sweet. He doesn't want to answer a whole lot of questions in detail.
- [34:56]
A
Detectives have DNA links between Kee and the Rashida Washington murder as well as four other rapes. They also have circumstantial links between Kee and the murders of Paola Hierra and Johalis Castro. Detectives bring up the DNA first, confronting Kee with the genetic link to Washington and the rapes.
- [35:17]
B
He denied vehemently ever having committed any of these crimes. I explained to him about the DNA. He questioned whether or not it was possible for the lab to make a mistake because he never did these things.
- [35:32]
A
Detectives then pull out crime scene photos of the other murders they believe Kee committed. Mooney puts down a picture of 13 year old Paola Hiera laying dead along FDR Drive.
- [35:44]
B
He put his head down and would not talk for one hour. Put his head down. It was like he was stunned that we knew that that was him as well. No matter what we did, no matter what we said, we couldn't get him to respond for anything.
- [36:02]
A
Aaron Key requests a lawyer and the interview ends. When detectives exit the room, Angelique Stallings is waiting.
- [36:10]
B
She asks Daryl if it's okay if she goes and says goodbye to him before she leaves. And Darrell comes over and he says, can we let her do that? And I was like, no, absolutely not. She's 16. We're not letting her go in and say goodbye to a murdering rapist. It's not happening.
- [36:28]
A
Detective Hayes persists and Mooney eventually relents. Angelique is led into the interview room and allowed to speak with Kee.
- [36:37]
D
He hugs her and they're kissing. He's telling her verbally, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. And he says, boo, I love you, I love you. And it's an emotional moment with Daryl in the room.
- [36:48]
B
She says to him, what did you do? And he blurts out admissions about every single thing. All of the all three murders and the rapes.
- [37:00]
A
Hayes leaves the room with Angelique and notifies Assistant District Attorney Richard Plansky of Keyes sudden and unexpected admissions.
- [37:09]
E
The problem being that it was also after he had asked for a lawyer. Now the rule about that is once somebody asks for a lawyer, you can no longer interrogate them. However, that doesn't mean that if he decides to say Something you can't listen and write it down, which is exactly what Detective Hayes did. So that was an unexpected bonus that we had essentially a confession.
- [37:33]
A
Samples of Kee's hair, blood and saliva are taken for further analysis. The DNA matched to Washington and the rape cases is confirmed. Kee's hair is then matched through mitochondrial DNA testing to pubic hair left behind at the scene of Paola Ira's murder. And circumstantial evidence ties Kee to the final murder, the burning death of Johalis Castro. Kee is extradited back to New York, where a guilty verdict seems all but certainly until he takes the stand and tells an unexpected story.
- [38:09]
E
The best analogy that I can think of is the movie the Usual Suspects, in which Kevin Spacey is being interrogated by a police detective and using objects in the room, puts together this tremendously detailed fabrication that explains why he's innocent.
- [38:31]
A
In October of 2000, inside a Manhattan courtroom, a jury sits and listens as the District Attorney's office lays out its case against Aaron Key.
- [38:42]
E
He was a classic predator, a serial rapist, serial murderer who preyed on children in East Harlem for eight years.
- [38:53]
A
The state presents a variety of forensic and circumstantial evidence tying Key to each of the three murders and four rapes.
- [39:02]
E
There were, I believe, about 130 witnesses, including the four living rape victims, the families of the young women who were not as lucky and had been murdered. Lots of forensic evidence, pretty much every type you can imagine.
- [39:20]
A
According to prosecutors, Erin Key operated with impunity through Harlem's east side, killing whenever the mood struck him and dumping bodies in parks and stairwells without ever once being detected. After his arrest, investigators track down one of Kee's old girlfriends who explains just how he managed it.
- [39:40]
E
Kee's preferred mode of transferring bodies was to make them look like laundry, stuff these beautiful young women into shopping carts, make them look like dirty clothes, and wheel them around town, sometimes in broad daylight.
- [39:53]
B
And then he would just walk around the neighborhood until he found whatever building it was that was going to suit his purpose that day, and then dispose of the body in the building. That's how Rashida got into 1345 Fifth Avenue. That's how Johalis got to the roof of 218 East 104. And that's how Fayola got to 100 Second street underneath the footbridge, walked over there in a shot shopping cart.
- [40:19]
A
This final bit of detail provides the jury with the operating blueprint of a serial killer, even as the state piles up its evidence. Before the jury, the defendant stands strong.
- [40:31]
E
He had tremendous confidence in his ability to fool other people, to con other people, and so it just wasn't in him to let his fate be decided without him weighing in and trying one last con.
- [40:46]
A
Throughout the trial, Aaron Key sits at the defense table, typing into a laptop, taking notes on every bit of evidence that comes into the courtroom.
- [40:55]
E
He was writing furiously throughout the trial. In the end, we realized that what he was doing was concocting his last great con, which was a conspiracy theory that he threw together to account for the devastating evidence that we had assembled against him.
- [41:16]
A
On December 13, Aaron Key takes the stand and constructs his defense. Key tells the jury he was framed to cover up a massive black market organ scam run out of the New York Medical Examiner's Office. Evidence of the scam was provided to kee on a CD by a man known to the defendant only as Mr. X. According to Key, the CD was confiscated by police when he was arrested.
- [41:44]
E
Fortunately for him, he had written down the pertinent information from the CD on his T shirt, which he happened to be wearing while he was giving his testimony and had not washed in two years. He asked the judge if it would be possible for him to step off the standard, remove his shirt, take off the T shirt so he could refer to his notes. And the judge, who was as shocked as the rest of us, said yes. So Key then went in the back and came back a few minutes later holding this incredibly nasty T shirt that had writing all over it, and used it to refresh his recollection and spin this tale that he made up from any available information that he picked up from the media and movies and books and the trial. Shockingly enough, the jury didn't buy it.
- [42:37]
A
After three days of deliberation, the jury rejects Aaron Key's conspiracy theory and convicts him. Key is sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Rashida Washington, 25 years to life for the murders of Johalis Castro and Paula Ira, and 475 years in prison for the four rapes.
- [42:58]
E
So the bottom line is that Aaron Key's days of raping and murdering the little girls of East Harlem are over.
- [43:05]
D
Disappointing.
- [43:06]
F
Don't.
- [43:06]
B
No, no. He's around. You notice he can't find a publisher. That's his problem.
- [43:10]
A
For the men and women who worked the case, Kee's conviction takes a serial predator off the streets, offers closure for families and justice for Victoria.
- [43:22]
D
There's a saying, we work for God because a homicide victim can't speak for themselves. So you, as a homicide investigator, are there to speak on behalf of that person.
- [43:35]
B
You represent that person in this case, you get a little bit more satisfaction because, you know, a person like him would have considered, continued to commit crimes like this, other women would have been raped, Other kids would have been murdered.
- [43:54]
A
Even though he is behind bars, the story of Aaron Key isn't over. In September of 2002, the New York City medical examiner's office matched semen from a 1994 rape to Key's genetic profile. The convicted killer and rapist pled guilty and had 20 more years added onto his sentence. Authorities in New York continue to comb through their cold files looking for more victims that can be attributed to a man who investigators call pure evil.
- [44:26]
E
There are a lot of labels that might apply to him. Some people might say he's a sociopath, narcissistic personality, psychopath. Use whatever word you want. But the bottom line for Aaron Key is, is that he's evil. He is a person who enjoys inflicting pain on children. He enjoys that. He is the closest thing to pure evil that I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot of bad guys. He's the worst by far.