The Taunt / Death in Deadwood

Summary

Cold Case Files – "The Taunt / Death in Deadwood"

Release Date: March 3, 2026
Podcast Network: A&E / PodcastOne
Narrated by: Marisa Pinson

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Overview

This double-episode of Cold Case Files explores two haunting cases once thought unsolvable. The first segment, “The Taunt,” revisits a terrifying series of linked rapes in mid-90s Louisville, Kentucky, and the dogged detective work—even in the face of taunting from the perpetrator—that finally brought justice years later. The second story, “Death in Deadwood,” transports listeners to the Black Hills of South Dakota, where advancements in forensic technology and perseverance lead to the unraveling of a decades-old, brutal campground killing.

Both cases reveal the emotional aftermath for survivors and families, the slow but relentless grind of investigation, and the way advances in science and old-fashioned persistence can unlock the truth—sometimes when least expected.

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Episode Structure

1. The Taunt (Louisville, KY rape cases – 1995–2004)

   • 00:00–20:30

2. Death in Deadwood (David Rose murder – 1982–2003)

   • 22:54–46:04

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1. The Taunt

Main Theme

A series of rapes in Louisville remain unsolved for years—until a suspect’s arrogance and forensic persistence, particularly in the realm of DNA evidence, leads police to justice.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Attacks and Their Aftermath

• Kira Ash and Lisa Meredith, attacked separately in 1995 but in strikingly similar ways: night-time break-ins, blindfolds or pillowcases, chilling instructions, and sexual assault ([00:40–05:39]).
• Both women survive but are left with significant trauma and skepticism from investigators, especially in Lisa's case—due to lack of physical evidence and consideration of a “lover’s quarrel” theory ([04:20–05:21]).
• The effect on victims' lives is profound. Lisa's upcoming wedding to Michael Burns becomes shadowed by suspicion, and their lives are forever changed ([05:21]).

Investigation Goes Cold

• With no semen recovered and no suspect description, cases join Louisville’s cold files ([05:39–06:06]).
• Years later, Michael Burns’s determination prompts a review, demonstrating the impact of victim advocacy ([05:53–06:40]).

Breakthrough from Overlooked Evidence

• Lt. Joe Richardson finds old interview notes (three sheets of paper) from burglar John Boston in the cold case file ([06:49–07:31]).
• Boston implicated a “partner” in the rape—later proven to have an alibi—shifting focus onto Boston himself ([08:23–08:52]).

Pattern Recognition & DNA Evidence

• Investigators link three cases by modus operandi and discover that one, from 1994, includes preserved semen ([09:36–09:49]).

The Suspect Taunts Police

• John Boston, aware police are closing in, sends a letter to taunt Lt. Richardson—unknowingly providing his DNA via a licked envelope ([10:00–11:17]).
  • Quote (Richardson): "It's unusual for somebody to try to taunt the police...he just made one mistake and that was the fatal mistake." ([10:11])

Case Cracked by Forensics and Ego

• DNA from the envelope confirms the connection ([13:14–13:29]).
• Boston’s own ego becomes his undoing—he makes further contact, even sending photos next to a police car ([10:57–11:17]).
  • "He was throwing it in our face. We couldn't catch him, so he had to pose beside a police car...It backfired." ([19:14])

Arrest, Trial, and Conviction

• Boston is tracked across state lines and arrested ([14:37–14:52]).
• Investigators use psychological strategies—letting his ego do the talking in interviews ([15:22–16:47]).
• At trial, survivor testimony is crucial ([17:33–18:41]).
• Boston is convicted on all counts and sentenced to 420 years ([18:47]).

Complications and Aftermath

• One verdict for Kira Ash is overturned, but she seeks peace rather than retrial ([19:27]).
• Lisa and Michael Burns reflect on perseverance and healing:
  • "We have our faith in each other and trust and our faith in God and that's what's gotten us through." ([20:08])
  • "I love you more today than I did 11 years ago." ([20:26])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Kira Ash (victim):
  "God had helped me erase that almost from my memory. Not erase it from my memory, but erase it from my heart." ([01:44])
• Police skepticism:
  "At the time, working these types of cases, we were a little skeptical of whether this actually occurred." – Lieutenant ([04:20])
• Lisa on trauma:
  "Once I did, it just started coming out. For eight years, my most vivid memories has been of that night, not my wedding. And I feel like I've cheated my husband from that." ([18:17])
• Detective Richardson on persistence:
  "He just made one mistake and that was the fatal mistake." ([10:11])
• On Boston’s arrogance:
  "He was throwing it in our face. We couldn't catch him, so he had to pose beside a police car like he can get away and we can't catch him. So that was putting salt in the wound, but it didn't stop us. It made us more determined. It backfired." ([19:14])
• Lisa and Michael's resilience:
  "We laugh about, you know, we've been through way too much and you know, we have our faith in each other and trust and our faith in God and that's what's gotten us through." ([20:08])

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Key Timestamps

• [02:00] – Kira recounts her attack
• [03:46] – Lisa and Michael's perspective post-assault
• [06:49] – Discovery of critical old interview notes
• [10:00] – Boston's taunting letter/DNA collection
• [14:37] – Boston's arrest
• [17:33] – Victim testimony at trial
• [18:47] – Conviction and sentencing
• [19:27] – Aftermath for victims

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2. Death in Deadwood

Main Theme

A brutal 1982 campground murder near Deadwood, SD, goes cold for two decades. Rediscovered evidence and digital fingerprint technology finally unmask a drifter known only as “Outlaw”—whose true story is as winding as the case itself.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Gruesome Crime Scene

• Detective Dwayne Russell describes a viciously beaten male body and chaotic campsite in 1982 Deadwood ([22:54–24:18]).
• Victim identified: David Crockett Rose, local man, bludgeoned with a 25-pound rock ([24:18–24:57]).

Investigative Obstacles

• Names and artifacts found onsite point to a drifter, “Vernon Chaney,” but soon focus shifts to a pair known as “Outlaw” and “In Law” ([25:22–26:58]).
• Outlaw and In Law, recently ejected from the Rainbow Family gathering, are rumored to have stolen items—including those at the scene.

The "Rainbow Family" Subculture

• Interviews with group members paint a vivid countercultural backdrop.
  • "Not a bunch of hippies get together. We kind of hooked up back in the late 60s, early 70s and made a coalition to be free peace people." – Vernon Chaney ([25:49])

Insurmountable Forensic Limits—Then a Break

• A fingerprint is lifted from a beer can at the scene, but in 1982, no effective way exists to match it ([27:21–28:02]).
• As years pass, evidence is preserved, and investigators remain hopeful.

The Technology Leap

• In 2002, Detective Randall Rosenau runs the old beer can print through a digital database.
  • They get a "cold hit"—the suspect is Thomas Dalton, a.k.a. Fred Allen Bates ([30:50–31:38]).
  • Tattoos reading “Outlaw” and “Drifter” cement the ID.

Tracking "Outlaw"

• Bates is traced to Quincy, Illinois, through welfare records. He’s arrested by U.S. Marshals without resistance ([33:14–34:38]).
• Bates, a lifelong drifter with multiple aliases, is elusive and noncommittal during police interviews ([35:05–35:39]).

The Jailhouse Confession

• Bates’ cellmate, Serge Derosier, provides a jailhouse confession—further incriminating Bates in Rose’s murder ([38:44–40:02]).
  • "When people commit crimes, particularly heinous crimes, they seem to always tell somebody." – Captain Brian Dean ([39:06])
• Derosier's detailed knowledge is deemed credible by detectives.

The Case Against Bates and In Law

• Police identify "In Law," now a California college student, who describes the fatal confrontation:
  • Rose made a pass at her, which precipitated Bates’s attack with a boulder ([43:13–43:29]).
  • "Tom just grabbed a... boulder and for what would be self defense or whatever and hit him with it." ([43:29])

Closure

• Bates pleads guilty to first-degree manslaughter and is sentenced to 35 years ([45:02–45:16]).
  • "I think he'll be eligible for parole when he's about 70 if he lives that long." ([45:16])
• The victim’s family expresses relief to have answers after so long ([45:36]).

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Outlaw's identity:
  "Our fingerprint itself did come back with a hit and identified our individual as Thomas Dalton. So now we had a potential name and date of birth to give to Outlaw." ([30:50])
• About the crime scene:
  "Stuff was just strewn about. Looked like a Salvation Army box had been a drop off point...Looks like somebody was kind of in a panic situation, lightening their load and getting rid of as much as they could." ([25:05])
• On solving the case:
  "So I know that they [Rose's children] were happy to see that...20 years later, they pulled out the file and dusted it off and they solved it. And I’m just really proud to have been a part of that." ([45:36])

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Key Timestamps

• [22:54] – Deputies discover the bloody crime scene
• [24:18] – Identification of victim as David Rose
• [27:21] – Forensic challenge: print on beer can
• [30:50] – Fingerprint hit identifies Thomas Dalton/Fred Allen Bates
• [34:38] – Arrest in Illinois
• [38:44] – Jailhouse confession
• [43:13] – In Law recounts the incident
• [45:02] – Bates pleads guilty and sentencing
• [45:36] – Rose family reflects on justice

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Conclusion

In both cases, Cold Case Files illustrates the relentless pursuit of justice: how evidence, both biological and testimonial, can outlast even decades of silence; how perpetrators’ arrogance or simple human error can unravel years of elusiveness; and how, for victims and families, closure may finally come. The stories remind us: time can be on the side of truth.

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Episode narrated with empathy and a quiet determination, staying close to the real voices of survivors, law enforcement, and those still seeking peace after tragedy. Skip to the indicated timestamps for the start of each case.

Transcript

[Narrator]

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[Interviewee]

The night it happened, we had had an argument, and I left the apartment. So, you know, it was my fault because I wasn't there. I wouldn't have gone out. The door might not have been unlocked, you know, so I felt guilty.

[Narrator]

I would try and tell him, you know, if he was there, it could have gotten a lot worse, you know. You know, he could have even killed him. Or they got in a scuffle. Louisville police began investigating Lisa's rape, but find more questions than answers.

[Interviewee]

At the time, working these types of cases, we were a little skeptical of whether this actually occurred.

[Narrator]

Lisa cannot provide a description of her attacker, and there is no sign of forced entry or semen from Lisa's rape kit. Mike vito is a lieutenant with the louisville metro police department.

[Interviewee]

We really didn't have a whole lot to go on. Looking back on the domestic dispute and the things that occurred prior to, we kind of had a little question. They more or less thought it was just a lover's quarrel and she was trying to get back at me.

[Narrator]

They asked me to take a lie detector test, and I said, yes, I'll do whatever, you know, just please somebody believe me. Lisa passes the polygraph, but the investigation takes its toll on the young couple and casts a shadow over what should have been the happiest day of their lives. Up to one point, we had decided to postpone the wedding, and we decided, you know what? We're not gonna let him take this away from us.

[Interviewee]

With love, I, Lisa. With love, I, Lisa. Give you, Michael, this ring. Give you my voice on this ring. It was hard trying to keep a smile on, you know, for a couple hours during the wedding and so on. But it turned out to be the best day of our last.

[Narrator]

Michael and Lisa Burns go on with their lives. And Lisa's case joins Kyra Ashe in the cold files, where both will sit for six more years.

[Interviewee]

It was the summer of 2001.

[Narrator]

I received a call in the summer of 2001. Lt. Joe Richardson is head of sex crimes at the Louisville metro police department. When he receives a phone call from Michael Burns.

[Interviewee]

I explained my situation, asked him, you know, I told my wife, told him that my wife was raped six years ago, seven years ago, and nothing's ever happened. And I want to know what's going on. I put myself in Mr. Burns shoes. If I had had an argument with my wife or my fiance and I had left the apartment and then this happened to my wife or my fiance at the time, I would have felt guilty. So that. That gave me a little bit more of a motivation to help Mr. Burns out.

[Narrator]

Richardson pulls the file. Initially, it doesn't look too promising until he happens upon a few. Few sheets of paper.

[Interviewee]

These three sheets were in the back of that case file, and that's what got the ball rolling in this particular investigation.

[Narrator]

The paperwork is part of a 1996 interview between a career burglar named John Boston and Louisville detective Mike Loran.

[Interviewee]

And he took it to locations throughout the Louisville area where he and others had committed different type crimes, burglaries, and I think it was some robberies involved.

[Narrator]

One location in particular interests Loran. It is the former residence of rape victim Lisa Burns. In 1996, Loran and Boston visited 331 East Market Street.

[Interviewee]

We are at 331 East Market Street. What's the significance of this location, John? Mr. Boston had claimed that another individual had gone into an apartment. There was. And when he came back out, Mr. Boston asked him, his accomplice, what had happened. He was talking about a sexual assault that had or a possible sexual assault that had happened. He said, you tied the woman up and left her upstairs. And then the next day, when I was reading the newspaper, it said the woman had been sexually assaulted. Something about this one, I just had the feeling that it wasn't the person that he was trying to claim did it. I thought that he might have been involved in it.

[Narrator]

Loran had passed on the lead in 1996. But it was never followed up. Lt. Richardson intends to correct that oversight.

[Interviewee]

The first thing I did was to check the arrest records over at Corrections to see if this accomplice, the person at Boston said performed the burglary, was in custody. And sure enough, he was in custody on the state. So that tells me he didn't do the offense.

[Narrator]

The man John Boston claims admitted raping Lisa Burns, was in jail at the time the rape was committed. John Boston himself, however, was not.

[Interviewee]

Possibly. How long ago was this? It was about probably since the day

[Narrator]

Richardson digs deeper into the old interviews with John Boston and finds Boston led police to a second house where a

[Interviewee]

rape had occurred 1250 hours in front of 426 West Hill Street. Correction, 424 West Hill Street. I recognize that that address is where we'd had a sexual assault back in 95.

[Narrator]

One that bears some striking similarities to Lisa Byrne's assault.

[Interviewee]

And the MO Was the same. Middle of the night, broke in, covered her head up, raped her, threatened her, and then looked for something, some articles to steal.

[Narrator]

Richardson eventually locates another assault, a rape from 1994 that carries an identical MO.

[Interviewee]

I said, bingo, this is a third case.

[Narrator]

Unlike the first two, this last attack has semen evidence. Now the hunt is on to find John Boston and get his DNA.

[Interviewee]

This evidence contains the letter that John Boston sent the police department.

[Narrator]

That is until the suspect licks an envelope and unwittingly gives Richardson exactly what he needs.

[Interviewee]

It's unusual for somebody to try to taunt the police and show that they're leaving the country to quit looking for me. You know, he just made one mistake and that was the fatal mistake. Sent me his DNA letter, said, dear Officer, this is John T. Boston. I have not be in Louisville, Kentucky for the last week and a half. By the time you receive this letter and pictures, I will be out of the US I am and will not be coming back to Louisville, Kentucky for anything whatsoever. And then he puts a thumbprint at the bottom of his name. Very, very arrogant person.

[Narrator]

John Boston has gotten wind that he is a wanted man and can't resist playing a game of catch me if you can with Lieutenant Richardson.

[Interviewee]

Also inside were photos. These photos showed John Boston and his girlfriend at the time bridge to Canada, U.S. customs inside a store, apparently trying on a winter coat and standing next to a police car, which put the icing on the cake.

[Narrator]

Little does John Boston know his postcard to Richardson might very well be his undoing.

[Interviewee]

One of the three rapes we had DNA in. So I Needed to locate him and obtain a sample of his DNA to Compare it to the 984 case. Of course, Boston made my job easier.

[Narrator]

The envelope John Boston presumably licked is sent to the Kentucky State Crime Lab in the hope that a DNA profile might be developed. Meanwhile, the suspect can't help himself and contacts Richardson again.

[Interviewee]

I'm thinking that one of the reasons he's calling me is to pick my brain so I could share information on what I have on him, which I didn't do at the time. I just tried to play it cool, calm and asked him when he was going to turn himself in or if he was. When you gonna turn yourself in? I ain't even thinkin about turning myself in. I'm nowhere near Kentucky. I just let him kind of ramble on. Did compliment him. I told him that the photos he sent to the department, I kinda liked them. They were kind of neat. Hey, I kinda like those photos you sent us. That's pretty good. It was just a huge ego on his part to call me up knowing that I'm looking for him and that I couldn't get him at that time. But I was confident he was the suspect. He was responsible for those three crimes and I would eventually get the DNA. This actually is an item of evidence that was received in the John Boston case.

[Narrator]

On April 8, 2002, DNA analyst Sandra Hill pulls out the envelope mailed by John Boston and gets to work.

[Interviewee]

I made a cutting, three actual cuttings from the seal of this envelope looking for the presence of saliva and the DNA that's in that saliva to develop a profile.

[Narrator]

A male DNA profile is developed off the envelope.

[Interviewee]

At that point the DNA profile was compared to the combined DNA indexing system database and was found to match one unsolved rape case.

[Narrator]

It is one of the three rapes Richardson suspects John Boston of committing and the only one with DNA evidence. Richardson calls in the FBI and begins tracking his suspect.

[Interviewee]

Through investigations and several court orders I found the phone number of a cell phone that was used by his girlfriend. The FBI's cooperation, they could use the cell phone tracking technology.

[Narrator]

John Boston's cell phone was last used in Texas. Somewhere in Dallas, FBI agent Walter Huey gets the call and tracks the phone hit to a local motel.

[Interviewee]

We're at the Lamplighter Hotel Motel. It's the edge of Dallas and the ski. I came to this motel and drove through at the time and saw a van that sort of stood out to me. The van had Texas license plates that was wired on. It wasn't screwed on but There was emblems or decals on the van that made it indicate that it was possibly from Kentucky.

[Narrator]

Huey walks into the motel and inquires about the van's owner.

[Interviewee]

As I look to my left, John Boston, who I believe to be John Boston, walks up to the counter standing next to me.

[Narrator]

John Boston is arrested and extradited back to Kentucky for a sit down with Louisville's cold case detectives.

[Interviewee]

John Thomas Boston, which I've known since he's 13 years old or 14. He's got a huge ego, and that ego is his vulnerability.

[Narrator]

On May 10, 2002, Captain Steve Thompson and Lieutenant Joe Richardson sit down with Boston and let their suspect do what he does best, talk.

[Interviewee]

If we started out and he clammed up, we might not get anything out of him. So we had to. The strategy was to let him feel comfortable, start letting the ego get the better of him, to start opening up and talking. I gotta go back and face what I gotta say, and I know what I gotta say. As long as he thinks he's in control, his ego, that he's smarter than we are, he'll keep talking.

[Narrator]

John Boston quickly lets investigators know he knows what they really want to talk about.

[Interviewee]

They talked about three rapes. They said something about one on Morty street, one on Hill street, and he said something about one on Cherokee Street. He obviously interrogated some previous law enforcement officer in Texas to find out, you know, what the game plan was with us on what he was really facing. They got my DNA from the envelopes that I sent them, and it connected me to three radio envelopes. I can tell you from knowing John Thomas Boston that he probably was trying to educate himself as rapidly as possible about everything DNA's about. All right, let me ask you to explain. If the proof is there. If the proof is there, you go pay the license. I'm a deal with that in the car. I need to see the proof of evidence.

[Narrator]

Despite the DNA link, Boston refuses to fold. He's arraigned on three counts of forcible rape, and a trial date is set.

[Interviewee]

Commonwealth is confident that after you hear, you'll be convinced beyond a reasonable doubt the man who raped, robbed, burgled these three women. Sandman seated right there.

[Narrator]

On March 2, 2004, Assistant Commonwealth Attorney Tom Vandy Rothstein lays out his case against John Boston, starting with the 1994 rape, the only one with DNA evidence.

[Interviewee]

We thought if we could convince the jury beyond a reasonable doubt of that first case, the similarities of that case with the other two cases would lead them to convict him on those other two cases.

[Narrator]

Critical to the case is the testimony of the rape victims. Each takes the stand and relives the day they were blindfolded, then raped.

[Interviewee]

Today, the defendant is in the courtroom. Did that man who raped you that night in the court.

[Narrator]

Yes, it is.

[Interviewee]

Point at it.

[Narrator]

When I saw him, I felt pity for him. You know, I didn't feel scared of him. I looked at him dead in the eye and, you know, I just said, just look at him like, you did this. Why did you do this? What's wrong with you? You know, and I just felt pity on the man. I was not gonna let him intimidate me. I really had to dig up because, you know, I had put so much. I tried to put so much behind me. Once I did, it just started coming out. For eight years, my most vivid memories has been of that night, not my wedding. And I feel like I've cheated my husband from that. When it's time for John Boston to take the stand, he's no longer very talkative. Did you write?

[Interviewee]

No, I did.

[Narrator]

Did you write Kara Ash?

[Interviewee]

No, I did.

[Narrator]

Did you write Lisa Meredith?

[Interviewee]

No, I did.

[Narrator]

The jury doesn't believe him. They find John Boston guilty on all counts and sentence him to 420 years.

[Interviewee]

Stand beside a police car. It looks like a Detroit police car, but that really got my goat.

[Narrator]

According to the Kentucky officer who put John Boston behind bars, ego got the better of Boston and ultimately put him where he is today.

[Interviewee]

He was throwing it in our face. We couldn't catch him, so he had to pose beside a police car like he can get away and we can't catch him. So that was putting salt in the wound, but it didn't stop us. It made us more determined. It backfired.

[Narrator]

Kyra Asch's verdict has since been overturned. The Kentucky Supreme Court found statements made Boston made in 1996 inadmissible. In her case. Keira doesn't want John Boston retried. Instead, she does her best to move on. I hope that he finds the Lord and that he will ask for forgiveness and that he'll repent of everything he's done. Not just what happened to me or the other girls, but who knows how many other bad things he's done. For Lisa and Michael Burns, the conviction puts an end to their nightmare and helps to heal a marriage that has already survived so much.

[Interviewee]

I love this dress. You look beautiful in it.

[Narrator]

You know, when you've been through as much as we've been through, you know, to let you know, everyday things like most people get divorced is over. You know, is nothing to us. We laugh about, you know, we've been through way too much and you know, we have our faith in each other and trust and our faith in God and that's what's gotten us through.

[Interviewee]

I live in more today than I did 11 years ago.

[Narrator]

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[Interviewee]

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[Interviewee]

We are walking up the main road from off of Highway 85 to the park parking area, picnic area. We got called up here that there was a dead body up at the picnic area.

[Narrator]

In 1982, Dwayne Russell is a detective with the Lawrence County Sheriff's Office. He arrives on the scene of a murder with Deputy Nels Yuso, five miles outside of Deadwood, South Dakota.

[Interviewee]

Deputies at the scene, Nels Jusso arrived first. The vehicle is a Chevy, looks like a Mazda. I do remember the victim. He had defensive wounds on his left arm and his arm was up. There was a lot of blood. And it had been a pretty vicious murder. This area, one of two tables, miscellaneous clothing. To the right, a mattress, Budweiser can. The far side of zad is the remains of the unknown white male. Said his head is covered with blood. It was smashed in pretty good. Very bloody. You couldn't recognize him. And I knew that this person at the time, we didn't know who it was.

[Narrator]

The man is ID'd as David Crockett Rose, a local man who had been bludgeoned to death by a rock.

[Interviewee]

Well, from just by looking at it, you could maybe surmise that there was a struggle, there was a fight. The rock was a weapon of opportunity. There's hair right here on the rock. Blood on both sides of the rock, mostly on this point. Rock weighs approximately about 25 pounds. Blood on the bottom part of the rock. And there's also blood splatters on the top of the rock here.

[Narrator]

Around the campsite are several beer cans. Next to the body is a jumble of clothing and personal effects.

[Interviewee]

Stuff was just strewn about. Looked like a Salvation army box had been a drop off point. There was old clothing. Once you kind of put two and two together. Looks like somebody was kind of in of a piece panic situation. Lightening their load and getting rid of as much as they could.

[Narrator]

Some of the personal items have names attached. One of those names is a free spirit named Vernon Chaney.

[Interviewee]

It was excellent summer, excellent. Believe it or not, I had the best time in my life that year.

[Narrator]

Vernon Chaney is an old hippie.

[Interviewee]

I had long hair when I had

[Narrator]

long hair in the summer of 82. He channels the spirit of 69.

[Interviewee]

Not a bunch of hippies get together. We kind of hooked up back in the late 60s, early 70s and made a coalition to be free peace people.

[Narrator]

They call themselves the Rainbow Family and they draw attention wherever they go.

[Interviewee]

They come from all over the world, lured by the rainbow vision of sharing and caring. All are part of the loosely knit Rainbow Family of living light. They get Together every summer in a national forest for a giant old fashioned love inn. We're just on a road trip.

[Narrator]

The road trip however was not all peace, love and understanding.

[Interviewee]

This couple in law outlaw hooked up with us and they started pilfering and stealing stuff from people. So we kicked him off the march. You gotta go, you're not part of us. These are very tolerant people of each other. So he must have been a little worse than the others for them to kick him off.

[Narrator]

According to Cheney, items found at the crime scene were stolen off the peace bus by outlaw and in law.

[Interviewee]

All I ever got was outlaw and he's with an in law. He was called outlaw and he called this girl that is with him his in law. And that's all they knew. They gave me the description, they gave me some of the clothing he's wearing, as much as they could remember other than the aliases.

[Narrator]

The detectives have one solid lead. An unknown fingerprint lifted off a beer can.

[Interviewee]

There's an example here, this Budweiser beer can, it was found at the scene. We used a carbide lamp to bake the print on and then it would. It was actually a latent print and it developed it. So it was to a point where we could photograph it.

[Narrator]

The problem is in the early 80s there's no automated database of fingerprints.

[Interviewee]

It would literally have to be done by hand. This was pre computer days. Every police department, every sheriff's office would have to go through thousands, if not millions. It would be millions, millions and millions of files looking for an alias. And chances are you'd probably find a couple hundred thousand outlaws.

[Narrator]

Deputy Russell speculates that outlaw and in law were kicked out of the Rainbow family, hitched a ride with David Rose

[Interviewee]

and ended up killing him by circumstances like lightning hitting. Happened to be at the wrong place, wrong time stops, saw these people hitchhiking stops, gives them a ride, probably start visiting with them.

[Narrator]

Without a name or a fingerprint match, the case goes cold.

[Interviewee]

We're headed towards Mount Roosevelt, which is a monument that is just outside of Deadwood. This is where the actual crime itself occurred. And this was always kind of a little party spot for people. Basically the picnic area is the same as it was in 1982 when the murder occurred. And that's right over here. Here we get through some of the deeper snow.

[Narrator]

In 2002, Detective Randall Rosenow is walking a crime scene 20 years cold.

[Interviewee]

The victim himself was just on the far side of the picnic table and scattered on this area as we showed you in the crime scene photos, was Property that belonged to our suspect, identified as outlaw and in law.

[Narrator]

Outlaw and in law are a male and female. Beyond that, Rosenau knows nothing about them. He hopes a visit to the evidence room will change that.

[Interviewee]

What we did was we went back in and pulled everything out of evidence out of the vault and have since moved it over here. These are all either cold case. This is all cold case information. And right now, David Rose is still in here, too.

[Narrator]

This evidence hasn't been examined in more than 10 years. Years.

[Interviewee]

This one belong to it, too? Yeah. I think I need another cart. We'll go over that little ramp over there. Yep. This is some of the clothing items that were found. Kind of a Salvation army collection. These are swabs from the victim. No, there's four more rocks. This is probably the largest of the four down in a smaller size. But this one and in particular did contain some flesh matter in here, which would indicate it was used as the weapon coming down. It's a blunt object. It's hard. I mean, it does a lot of damage.

[Narrator]

Among the most promising items of evidence is a beer can.

[Interviewee]

Well, initially, through the investigation, the Investigators on scene in 82 did fingerprint and process the crime scene itself. They found a number of different beer cans that were related to both the seen in the vehicle. On one of those beer cans, they did make a lift of a viable print.

[Narrator]

Twenty years ago, print comparisons were made by hand. Now computers compare them against millions of prints in a matter of seconds. On May 29, 2002, the database yields a cold hit.

[Interviewee]

Our fingerprint itself did come back with a hit and identified our individual as Thomas Dalton. So now we had a potential name and date of birth to give to Outlaw.

[Narrator]

Rosenau reads Dalton's rap sheet and notes. The suspect has spent time in prison in Texas for violent assault.

[Interviewee]

Within our data system, we can pull up our booking photos, and part of that process involves tattoos. I'll give you an example of the outlaw tattoo that we talked about on the shoulder. As I say, they got a little dagger above outlaw and a set of wings. Is what I assume that is supposed to be kind of an aha moment.

[Narrator]

Rosenau digs deeper and learns that Thomas Dalton is an alias as well.

[Interviewee]

At that point, obviously, we ran more computer inquiries into his criminal history, into his background, and eventually identified his name as Fred Alabama Bates, or his actual

[Narrator]

name, Fred Allen Bates. Lives off the grid, working as a day laborer and constantly on the move. A fact underscored by the discovery of yet another alias in the back.

[Interviewee]

He also had Another tattoo identify him as Drifter. How long? Drifter. Very appropriate for him. The drifter part, he did move around quite a bit. He had two different names, two different. Two different Social Security numbers, and two different dates of birth. So he was a little bit hard to track. We knew he was going to be kind of an elusive quarry.

[Narrator]

Bates has one outstanding arrest warrant from downstate Illinois for cold case detective John Fitzgerald. It's a start.

[Interviewee]

So what we did was we got ahold of the sheriff's office in one of those large counties who told us that they had a marshal service that basically did nothing but track down fugitives. And we gave the information that we had, and it was more or less overnight. Quincy, Illinois, is pretty, well, a river town, pretty low in the crime rate. We have our share of methamphetamine crimes, but we've got some real good agents that keep those numbers down.

[Narrator]

Fred Kinsley is a deputy with the U.S. marshals Fugitive Task Force.

[Interviewee]

When a violent fugitive is one in an area, we all combine manpower and go to that area to try to capture that fugitive. Hello? Yes, it is.

[Narrator]

On March 19, 2003, Kinsley gets a call from Deadwood about a man named Fred Bates.

[Interviewee]

What's in the file here is actually the booking record from the Adams County Sheriff's Office. This is the mug shot of Mr. Bates. We did not know him personally as a. One of the more known bad guys in town, I should say we run some backgrounds on him, run some police checks, come up with nothing recent, so he wasn't really known to us. He's pretty well, living a normal life.

[Narrator]

Bates has recently applied for welfare assistance and provided a current address in Quincy.

[Interviewee]

He gave us a start. You know, a lot of it's good old footwork, too, you know, talking to people, talking, talking to neighbors. Have they seen this person? You know, heard things like that?

[Narrator]

The Deadwood detectives travel to Quincy. Together with Kinsley, they survey Bates House on 6th Street.

[Interviewee]

6th street, this is 4, so about two blocks up and to your right here, we're going to be where he was living. As soon as he exited the house, we rolled up in the surveillance van and took him down right on the front porch. No struggle, very surprised. But that's the safest way, is the ultimates of surprise. So a subject cannot get to a weapon or anything like that. We felt we had the right person, didn't we? Right at that point, we decided that we had enough to issue that warrant.

[Narrator]

Fred Bates sits in an Illinois jail cell as cold case detectives map out a Strategy for securing a confession.

[Interviewee]

The game plan was always open because we never know whether for Fred was even going to talk to us or maybe even confess to us. So it was kind of an open book as far as that goes.

[Narrator]

Rosenau takes Bates back to the summer of 1982 and the rainbow Family gathering.

[Interviewee]

He did identify initially right away to us that yes, he was involved in the Rainbow Gathering in that year. Yes, he did leave. But wasn't a peace march left that Fred Allen Bates talking about an individual that probably spent most of his life living on the street. From conversations either later or investigations later. When you tie him back into homeless shelters, number of different cities, maybe living with friends, kind of spent most of his life drifting about.

[Narrator]

Detective Rosenau then asks Bates why his fingerprint was found at a murder scene.

[Interviewee]

And then at a latter point, we talked about specifically about fingerprints. At that point he decided that he was done talking to us. Basically the interview too was a fishing expedition on his part. You know, he was looking for information from us at the same time. So we got to the specifics and he felt a little cornered. Right. He then used his rights and asked for an attorney, so which was probably another indication that you were going the right direction because when you got to those areas of concern, he didn't want to answer any questions at all.

[Narrator]

Bates is transported back to Deadwood, booked into jail, and given a cellmate who provides detectives with the piece of information they need.

[Interviewee]

They had fingerprints on a beer can. And it was, it was okay. He was. Was that his term for it? That was.

[Narrator]

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[Interviewee]

Would you state your name? Serge Derozier. You were arrested and put in jail here in Deadwood, is that right? That's right.

[Narrator]

This is a videotaped deposition of Serge Derosier, a cellmate of Fred Allen Bates, who police believe killed David rose with a 50 pound rock. Captain Brian Dean is from the Lawrence County Sheriff's Office.

[Interviewee]

When people commit crimes, particularly heinous crimes, they seem to always tell somebody. What did he say about how the killing had occurred? Said that the guy David turned out to be that he was looking for trouble and that he left. David left with some of his personal stuff. Did he talk about his fingerprints? He did. He said that he told the cops he'd never been in South Dakota, but they had fingerprints on a beer can and it was okay. He was. Was that his term for it? That was his term. How many times did he say that? Many times.

[Narrator]

Serge Derosier is looking at a long sentence for an unrelated crime and is eager to cut himself a deal.

[Interviewee]

Our job was to try to verify, if we could independently whether he was just making this story up to get a plea bargain or there were things in the story that only the killer would have known and therefore Surge's story was accurate.

[Narrator]

Fitzgerald believes there are telling details in Derosier's statement, details only the killer would know or someone the killer had confessed to.

[Interviewee]

Was he concerned about any other physical evidence at the scene, the detail that comes to mind as the most significant was that Fred Allen Bates had told Serge that the police still had his hat. They had clothes of his, and they had hats of his. And you couldn't believe how after 20 years, they still had all those of his. Up to our right here, just about 10ft off the road, is a leather cap. And there was no way that Serge derozier could have known that information unless he had talked to the killer himself. Did he describe it as an accidental killing or an intentional killing? Accident, he said. Accident many times. What it did was for the first time, we could do more than just paint the picture of Fred Allen Bates being at the scene of the killing. We could now actually put the rock in his hand, and we had a confession that he was the one responsible for killing David Rose back in August of 1982. So it strengthened our hand tremendously.

[Narrator]

Before Bates goes to trial, there's one more loose end to tie up. Outlaw's suspected partner in crime, a woman named in law.

[Interviewee]

And there was always the in law element. Right. We certainly hope to find some kind of indication of who she was, but she was just another link, another piece of evidence that needed to be explored and gotten to and interviewed. Today's date is November 28, 2003. My name is Randall Rosenoff.

[Narrator]

Five months later, detectives find a clue on the woman they believe to be in law.

[Interviewee]

Ultimately, we developed a small light of hope that we might have located her.

[Narrator]

Pouring through old arrest records, Cold case detectives find a woman who used to run with Bates, whose name on the street was in law.

[Interviewee]

Seemed like it had been a long time ago. It seemed like it was something that she had spent the last 20 years trying to forget.

[Narrator]

The woman is now a college student living in California. Cold case detectives ask what she remembers about Bates.

[Interviewee]

One picture that I remember about him. Yeah, I don't know. I think we worked carnivals together for a while. Was he taller than you? Oh, everybody's taller than me. I'm only five foot. How long were you with him before trouble broke out? Who are you talking about? Well, a guy got killed, so that's the trouble I'm talking about.

[Narrator]

In law says she and Outlaw were hitchhiking through South Dakota and wound up at a campsite with David Rose. Then she says David Rose made a pass at her. Bates, whom she knew by another alias, Thomas Dalton, didn't like that.

[Interviewee]

Tom tried to tell him no, and he didn't want to go for no, so he hit him. Who hit who? Tom going at him, probably. Or is that what happened? Well, I'm sure that's what happened. I didn't. Tom just grabbed a. Grab a boulder and for what would be self defense or whatever and hit him with it. Where was David when Thomas was hitting him with boulders? I think he was on the ground. How many times did Thomas hit David with boulders? Three or four times. Then we knew we had what we needed. We needed another independent witness to place Mr. Bates at the homicide and put the rock in his hand or the murder weapon. Putting that rock in his hand was pivotal too. Right. And you've had an opportunity to view the rock. You can see that it's definitely not a defensive type weapon. So the mere fact that we can associate a rock and that particular rock to the victim himself will give you some indication of the condition of the victim at the time that was used. I mean, that's a heavy rock. It's not a defensive weapon.

[Narrator]

As for in law's culpability, Fitzgerald believes she might have been an accessory after the murder. But the statute of limitations on that crime has expired.

[Interviewee]

The only crime that she could have been prosecuted for would be the homicide itself. And there. There just was not enough evidence to prosecute her for homicide.

[Narrator]

Fitzgerald's case against Bates is made in December 2003. However, Bates decides to cut a deal and pleads guilty to first degree manslaughter. He is sentenced to 35 years in prison.

[Interviewee]

I consulted with the relatives and there was agreement that they were satisfied that justice would be served. If we let him plead guilty to manslaughter in the first degree, I think he'll be eligible for parole when he's about 70, if he lives that long.

[Narrator]

In the town of Deadwood, the family of David Rose finally has some answers.

[Interviewee]

David Rose had two children and they grew up, they were very small children when their dad was killed. And so I know that they were happy to see that this man, his life was so important that 20 years later, they pulled out the file and dusted it off and they solved it. And I'm just really proud to have been a part of that.

[Narrator]

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