The Roofman, Part 2

Summary

Criminal – Episode: "The Roofman, Part 2"

Introduction

In the gripping second part of "The Roofman" episode, hosted by Phoebe Judge, Criminal delves deeper into the audacious escape and subsequent criminal activities of Jeffrey Manchester. Released on April 18, 2025, this episode unpacks Manchester's meticulously planned breakout from Brown Creek Correctional in North Carolina and his elaborate life on the run. Through insightful interviews and a detailed narrative, the episode sheds light on the interplay between a seasoned criminal and the relentless law enforcement officers determined to recapture him.

Jeffrey Manchester’s Escape

The episode picks up with Sky Poley, a special agent for the California Department of Justice, recounting the shocking news of Jeffrey Manchester's escape:

Sky Poley [01:16]: "I said, you have got to be kidding me. He said, no. Nope. He busted out. He got out somehow."

Manchester, serving a 45-year sentence for multiple armed robberies at McDonald's locations, managed to escape on June 15, 2004. Described as a model prisoner, Manchester utilized his position in the prison's metal shop to orchestrate his breakout. Katharine Scheinreif, a former sergeant for the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department, praises Manchester's ingenuity:

Katharine Scheinreif [02:45]: "You have to realize it's usually human error. And we're humans, we make mistakes."

On the day of his escape, Manchester reportedly climbed beneath a supply truck in a "spider-like style," fastening a board to support himself, allowing him to ride out unnoticed as the truck exited the prison grounds.

Life on the Run: Toys R Us and Circuit City

Manchester's first hideout was a local Toys R Us in Charlotte, strategically located just 40 miles from Brown Creek Correctional. Scheinreif explains how Manchester seamlessly blended into the store environment:

Katharine Scheinreif [09:24]: "It's perfect as well. It had power, it had air, you know, had everything that you need for comfort."

Inside, he set up a makeshift home behind a bike display, complete with a mattress, blankets, and food sourced from the store's supplies. Manchester maintained his cover by manipulating the store’s security systems, turning cameras on and off, and altering employee schedules to avoid detection. His ability to adapt to his confined environment was both resourceful and unsettling.

As the holiday season approached, Manchester moved to a neighboring vacant Circuit City store, building a concealed living space beneath the stairwell. Here, he further entrenched himself by creating a hidden passageway between the two stores, allowing him seamless movement without raising suspicion.

Criminal Activities and Personal Relationships

To sustain his lifestyle, Manchester engaged in petty thefts, stealing items from Toys R Us and pawning them for cash. His escapades weren't just limited to theft; he sought companionship and trust by integrating himself into the local community. Manchester began attending Crossroads Presbyterian Church, where he cultivated a relationship with a woman amidst her personal turmoil:

Katharine Scheinreif [15:24]: "She's a mom, kind hearted, giving, and just like him, was probably in need of companionship."

Under the guise of "John," Manchester deceived his girlfriend by masquerading as a government agent, further embedding himself into her life. This relationship provided him both emotional support and a strategic advantage, allowing him to operate with a façade of normalcy.

The Downfall: Final Robbery and Capture

Manchester's overconfidence led to his eventual downfall. In November 2004, during a second robbery at Toys R Us, he attempted to steal money from the store's registers while brandishing a firearm. However, this time, the presence of an off-duty sheriff's deputy working as a security guard disrupted his plans:

Katharine Scheinreif [18:36]: "He realized, oh, I am so screwed right now because they're going to call the police."

As panic ensued, Manchester fled back to his hidden lair in Circuit City, inadvertently triggering alarms that alerted law enforcement. Detective Scheinreif recounts the intense manhunt that followed:

Katharine Scheinreif [20:38]: "Taking a gun from a law enforcement officer and holding her hostage, yeah, that's something that definitely sets off a bell in my head."

A breakthrough came when Officer Fred Allen discovered Manchester's concealed living space in Circuit City, equipped with personal items and a fingerprint that matched the escapee. Despite this discovery, Manchester eluded immediate capture by setting fire to a dentist's office, likely in a desperate attempt to cover his tracks.

Final Arrest and Reflections

The turning point came when Manchester's girlfriend, realizing the truth after seeing his wanted poster, cooperated with the police. On her 40th birthday, Manchester was invited to her apartment under the pretense of celebrating, only to be ambushed and apprehended:

Katharine Scheinreif [29:42]: "He wouldn't make eye contact with me, and he just looked away, like maybe disappointment. He just realized it's over."

Following his arrest, Manchester expressed regret to his mother and girlfriend. Katharine Scheinreif speculates that Manchester's motivations extended beyond mere financial gain:

Katharine Scheinreif [30:18]: "I think it was for the chase. I think it was for the game. I think it was for the rush."

Currently incarcerated at Central Prison in Raleigh with a projected release date in 2036, Manchester has made multiple escape attempts since, including in 2009 and 2017, underscoring his persistent drive for freedom.

Insights from Law Enforcement

Throughout the episode, insights from Katharine Scheinreif offer a window into the challenges faced by law enforcement when dealing with evasive and intelligent criminals like Manchester. Her reflections highlight the importance of adaptability, keen observation, and the necessity of leveraging community relationships in apprehending fugitives.

Conclusion

"The Roofman, Part 2" masterfully chronicles the intricate cat-and-mouse game between Jeffrey Manchester and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department. Through detailed storytelling and expert interviews, Criminal paints a vivid portrait of a man's descent into calculated criminality and the relentless pursuit by those sworn to uphold the law. This episode not only captivates with its narrative depth but also offers profound insights into the human elements that drive both crime and justice.

Notable Quotes

• Sky Poley [02:17]: "Was I surprised that he escaped? Uh, not really. I was not surprised because of the way he was able to get away with so many armed robberies."
• Katharine Scheinreif [10:02]: "He just acted like a regular guy, which is what you really should do."
• Katharine Scheinreif [17:40]: "At that time? No, no. No clue whatsoever."
• Katharine Scheinreif [30:18]: "I think it was for the chase. I think it was for the game. I think it was for the rush."

Additional Resources

For more information and updates on Criminal, visit thisiscriminal.com and follow their social media channels on Facebook, Twitter (@criminalshow), Instagram (@criminalpodcast), and YouTube (YouTube.com/criminalpodcast). Support the show by joining their membership program for exclusive content and bonus episodes.

Transcript

[Phoebe Judge]

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[Phoebe Judge]

This episode picks up where our last episode left off. If you haven't heard the first part yet, we recommend going back and listening to that first.

[Sky Poley]

I actually happened to be on vacation in Florida when the detective from Sacramento Police Department called me and he said, hey Sky. He escaped. I said, ha ha, right? Uh huh. What's going on? How you doing? He goes, no. Manchester escaped prison on June 15, 2004.

[Phoebe Judge]

Jeffrey Manchester, who had been serving a 45 year sentence for armed robberies at two McDonald's restaurants, escaped from a North Carolina prison.

[Sky Poley]

I said, you have got to be kidding me. He said, no. Nope. He busted out. He got out somehow.

[Phoebe Judge]

Sky Poley was a special agent for the California Department of Justice. He'd been assigned to investigate a series of robberies that had taken place across California and later eight other states. They were known as the Rooftop Robberies, and he believed Jeffrey Manchester was behind all of them.

[Sky Poley]

Was I surprised that he escaped? Uh, not really. I was not surprised because of the way he was able to get away with so many armed robberies. He had virtually nothing to lose and he had the skills and abilities.

[Katharine Scheinreif]

It was pretty interesting and I gotta give him kudos for that.

[Phoebe Judge]

Katharine Scheinreif is a former sergeant for the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department.

[Katharine Scheinreif]

You know, when things like this happen, you have to realize it's usually human error. And we're humans, we make mistakes.

[Phoebe Judge]

Jeffrey Manchester was described as a model prisoner during the four years he was in prison, he started working in the prison's metal shop where he and more than 50 other inmates worked on building things like prison beds, lockers and jungle gyms. Trucks would occasionally bring supplies into the metal shop. On the day of his escape, prison officials believed that Jeffrey Manchester climbed up underneath a truck and clung to the undercarriage in what one reporter described as a spider like style.

[Katharine Scheinreif]

He was able to fasten a board underneath the truck that supported him enough so that he could ride out of the prison you know, undetected. Now you have, you know, different things in place. You take a mirror and you look underneath the truck and you have people watching and people counting and supposed to be paying attention. But he was able to observe the prison officials behaviors and when and at what point they let their guard down and that error, that human error came forward and so he was able to just ride out the truck.

[Phoebe Judge]

The truck left around 3pm Prison guards noticed that Jeffrey Manchester was missing during a routine check around 3:30. An official told reporters that once the truck was parked outside the gates, Jeffrey Manchester ran off on foot. It was the first time that anyone had managed to escape from Brown Creek Correctional. Do you remember hearing that he had escaped from prison?

[Murvat Fayed]

Oh, my Lord, yes.

[Phoebe Judge]

Murvat Fayed and her co workers had been held up by Jeffrey Manchester while He robbed a McDonald's in Belmont, North Carolina four years earlier. She'd identified him to police and testified about the robbery. She'd also described the robbery to a reporter, saying that Jeffrey Manchester was, quote, really polite. After his escape from prison, a police officer came by the McDonald's where she was working at the time.

[Murvat Fayed]

The sheriff officer came in and said, I would like to let you know something that he escaped from jail. But we will have officers for the next few days just keep an eye on you guys to make sure. But I just want you to know, just in case he's going to come back for retaliation or anything that, you know, he's there.

[Phoebe Judge]

Were you worried?

[Murvat Fayed]

I was worried. But at the same time I'm like, I didn't say anything bad about him. If there was anyone that said something good about him was me, that he was nice. But I just, it never crossed my mind that he would ever come back to do something because knowing that he's from California, I thought he would just go somewhere else.

[Sky Poley]

I kind of figured he'd be on the beach with a margarita. But nope.

[Phoebe Judge]

I'm Phoebe Judge. This is criminal. We'll be right back. Thanks to Squarespace for their support Squarespace is the all in one platform designed to help you make a great website. Whether you're just starting out or trying to grow your business, Squarespace gives you everything you need to choose a URL, show off what you're selling, reach more customers, get paid, and do it all while looking professional. Everything in one place, no matter what you're working on. Whether it's a podcast, a special event, photography services, or a consultation business, you can customize your website to reach the right people. If you're creating video content like online courses, tutorials, or workshops, Squarespace has built in ways to support that. With Squarespace, you can upload your videos into an organized, paywalled library, and they make it easy to collect payment with thoughtfully designed invoices and online payments. Plus, they have tools that make it convenient for people to keep in touch with you, tools that help you send emails to potential customers or that let your customers schedule their own appointments. Check out squarespace.com criminal for a free trial and when you're ready to launch, use the offer code criminal to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Support for Criminal comes from Ritual not everyone wants to take a multivitamin as soon as you wake up, but I've been taking Rituals Essential for Women every day for over a year. There's a little peppermint capsule in each bottle so the vitamins don't smell like vitamins, which makes it a lot easier to add them into your morning routine. And they're specifically designed to be gentle on your stomach whether or not you've had breakfast. Rituals Essential for women contains nine key nutrients, including iron, vitamin D and omega 3. You take two a day and Ritual wants you to know exactly what's inside them and where those ingredients come from. They're USB verified. That means that every ingredient listed on the bottle is exactly what's inside. To learn more about how Ritual sources and tests ingredients and how they package their products, you can just go to their website. Rituals Essential for Women 18 is a multivitamin you can actually trust. Get 25% off your first month for a limited time at ritual.com criminal start ritual or add Essential for Women 18 to your subscription. Today. That's ritual.com criminal for 25% off. In the days after Jeffrey Manchester escaped from prison in North Carolina, police in Sacramento, California warned that the so called Roofman might be headed back to the state. His ex wife and children still live there. But in reality, Jeffrey Manchester didn't go very far at all. In 2004, there was a Toys R Us located in Charlotte off of Route 74, a busy four lane highway 40 miles away. The same road runs right by Brown Creek Correctional.

[Katharine Scheinreif]

It's one of the first locations that you general area that you come to when you come to Charlotte, when coming from Brown Creek. And so he goes into the store like a patron and starts walking around like anybody would. And so nobody really paid him attention. It's not like, you know, you kind of think, well, he's going to be nervous or he's going to, you know, portray different body language that shows that he's doing something wrong. But now he just acted like a regular guy, which is what you really should do. And it's kind of like when you're. When you're undercover, you just kind of breathe normal, you walk normal, you act normal, or else people are going to sense that something's wrong at some point.

[Phoebe Judge]

Jeffrey Manchester decided that when the store closed for the day, he wasn't going to leave.

[Katharine Scheinreif]

There was everything he needed there. There was a hiding spot, and he took advantage of it. Maybe he's just like, this is going to be so much better than sleeping on the street or on a bench, park bench, where somebody's going to detect you. This has actually got heat and water and electricity and, you know, everything you need.

[Phoebe Judge]

How was he able to hide out in the store? Where was he sleeping?

[Katharine Scheinreif]

Well, so there was a bike display in the back of the store. And so he hid behind the bike display and he set up a mattress and he got him a little blankie and he got him something to eat. And so he just stayed back there. He slept during the day and was out at night. There was stuff that he would steal from the store, and he would go out on the street to different places and pawn them to get money.

[Phoebe Judge]

And what was he eating? Things from this. Is there food in a Toys R Us?

[Katharine Scheinreif]

Oh, yeah, there's baby food. There's baby food and stuff like that. And candy. So, yeah, candy. Lots of candy.

[Phoebe Judge]

Jeffrey Manchester lived out of the Toys R Us for several months. At night, he would race remote control cars on the roof and ride bikes around the store. How did he escape? Security cameras?

[Katharine Scheinreif]

Because he was able to go into the office, he was able to sign on and manipulate that system. He literally read the handbook on it and started turning cameras on and off as he saw fit. And then, interestingly enough, he started getting into the employees, the scheduling. And so if he had employees that he didn't like, he jacked their schedule up when they worked and when they didn't work. And I'm kind of laughing about this because you. You gotta see humor in it. But he found different ways to occupy his mind.

[Phoebe Judge]

So the Toys R Us would close. Five o'clock, whatever time. Lights would go off, doors would be locked, and then this guy would have free rein candy and security cameras and riding bikes up and down the aisles.

[Katharine Scheinreif]

Yeah, exactly. Skateboards. Yeah. You gotta make the best of your time.

[Phoebe Judge]

As the holiday season got closer and more and more shoppers were in the store, Jeffrey Manchester decided to move. But he didn't go far. He went to the store next door, which used to be a Circuit City.

[Katharine Scheinreif]

So they actually shared a wall. So as you're facing the building, the Toys R Us was on the right and then on the left. It was the Circuit City. Now, the Circuit City was vacant and had been. They'd been trying to sell it for a while. So there's absolutely nothing in there. And again, it was perfect as well. It had power, it had air, you know, had everything that you need for comfort.

[Phoebe Judge]

Underneath the stairwell, he built a small room to live in. He painted the walls, put up posters and a toy basketball hoop and had a DVD player.

[Katharine Scheinreif]

His bed was made up with Spider man sheets. And, you know, he had toys and gadgets around, and he had his little camera system where he had taken baby monitors from the Toys R Us and had set up different lenses looking into the Toys R Us so he could see the comings and goings of everybody. So he. Again, if he had to go over there, he wouldn't alert anybody.

[Phoebe Judge]

Geoffrey Manchester built a passageway between the Circuit City and the Toys R Us. It was underneath some shelving in the Toys R Us back storage area. He would move some Sheetrock in and out of place in order to get through.

[Katharine Scheinreif]

And it was enough for him to get through. And I think he made it big enough so he could get a bicycle through. Pull a bicycle through there as well. He also fashioned himself a way to get in and out of the Circuit City as well, through the roof. So there was also a trapdoor, if you will, in the roof that he constructed so he'd get in and out that way, too. If he couldn't go through the Toys R Us.

[Phoebe Judge]

All during this time, were. Were the police on the lookout for him?

[Katharine Scheinreif]

Oh, yes, because the alarm in the Circuit City kept going off all the time. And police officers on the street, that's nothing that they enjoy more than going to the same alarm call over and over again. Obviously, there's something wrong, and it's not like you can't not go. And so they kept having to go over there and trying to figure out what the heck is going on without being able to go into the building. Because just because the alarm's going off doesn't mean you can go in, if that makes sense.

[Phoebe Judge]

Jeffrey Manchester started to venture out more and more. In October of 2004, he started attending Crossroads Presbyterian Church. It was a short walk from the Circuit City. He told the pastor there that his name was John.

[Katharine Scheinreif]

People in church are very unsuspecting. They're welcoming, they want new members, and so they're not going to be suspicious of him. It's perfect place.

[Phoebe Judge]

He went to Bible study on Wednesday nights. He started volunteering in the church's outreach program for families in need, often bringing by toys. In November, he went to a singles lunch at the church where he met a woman in the middle of a divorce after a 20 year marriage.

[Katharine Scheinreif]

She's a mom, kind hearted, giving, and just like him, was probably in need of companionship. And so they struck up a relationship through the church. And again, wouldn't you just feel so protected, Hey, I met this guy at church. He's got to be a good guy. And then he convinces her that he's a government agent.

[Phoebe Judge]

Jeffrey Manchester told her that he couldn't say exactly what he did for the government, but that he lived in a government building. He described it as a, quote, sterile environment.

[Katharine Scheinreif]

And she has no reason to doubt him. And I don't blame her a bit. I really don't. I really don't. You know, she saw whatever goodness in him, he was good to her children. I assume he was showing up at church with toys for the kids, albeit they were stolen. And so, you know, she invited him into her home, into her life, into the kid's life.

[Phoebe Judge]

They'd go to movies and concerts. And Jeffrey Manchester needed more money. He'd been selling stolen items from the Toys R Us, but it wasn't enough.

[Katharine Scheinreif]

He had this image he had to upkeep, whether it's clothes or, you know, clean hair, clean shaven. So he needed money. So he goes to a pawn shop in Matthews, which is an adjoining town, and he goes through the roof of the pawn shop and he steals is either three or four guns.

[Phoebe Judge]

A few days after Thanksgiving, as employees came in to open the Toys R Us, Jeffrey Manchester surprised them. He took money from the registers in the safe. Police said. He was wearing a black Lion King hat. Workers told police he had exited the store through a back door.

[Katharine Scheinreif]

So he pushes the back door which sets off the alarm. So everybody's thinking, oh, he went out the back door, which in actuality, he just went over to the Circuit City and laid there for a while. Probably went down, took a nap or something along those lines while the police come in and try to figure out what happened.

[Phoebe Judge]

And did the police have any. Any idea about who might have robbed the store?

[Katharine Scheinreif]

Oh, at that time? No, no. No clue whatsoever. Didn't know. Just thought it was a regular robbery. In a city this size, you have a lot of violent crime, unfortunately, and that includes armed robberies.

[Phoebe Judge]

In the following weeks, Jeffrey Manchester went to his church's Christmas party dressed as the Easter Bunny. He reportedly gave the Pastor Seinfeld DVDs. And on Christmas Day, he gave his girlfriend a pair of diamond earrings. Early the next morning, he decided to rob the Toys R Us again. He came into the store wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and a bulletproof vest. This time, in addition to several employees who are opening the store, there is an off duty sheriff's deputy there who is working a second job as a security guard. Jeffrey Manchester ordered everyone to get onto the ground, including the sheriff's deputy, and.

[Katharine Scheinreif]

Said he was gonna kill her and got her down on the ground and struggled to get her weapon out of her holster. And we are trained. You do not give up your gun for anything. Do not give up your gun. Do not give up your gun. For whatever reason, and I do not blame her. She gave up her weapon, and as he took her gun from her, everything went sideways for him.

[Phoebe Judge]

The employees started to run.

[Katharine Scheinreif]

He realized, oh, I am so screwed right now because they're going to call the police. So he makes his way to the back, but he forgets to trip the door alarm at the back. And he just goes in his little hidey hole and goes over to the Circuit City. The police get there and they tell them right away, he's in the. He's gotta be in here. He ran towards the back, and we didn't hear the back door alarm go off. So he's in here.

[Phoebe Judge]

Police started searching the Toys R Us. They noticed a Sheetrock board against the wall under a shelf in the storage area, and a single screw that was holding it in place. When they undid the screw, the door fell, and they found the secret passageway leading to the Circuit City. Another door behind it was held shut with a bungee cord. Police also found about $7,000 worth of toys stuffed into the ceiling tiles. But they didn't find Jeffrey Manchester or his living space, which was well hidden.

[Katharine Scheinreif]

So a couple of my detectives came to me and said, hey, sarge, this guy is out and about in east Charlotte. And he held a sheriff's deputy at gunpoint and took her gun. We'd like to find him. And I said, absolutely, let's move on it. Taking a gun from a law enforcement officer and holding her hostage, yeah, that's something that definitely sets off a bell in my head. So things started rolling after that pretty quickly.

[Phoebe Judge]

At the time, Catherine Scheinreif was leading a violent crimes task force for the Charlotte Mecklenburg police. Were you kind of working in a situation where in the movies you'd be the type of people who are not wearing uniforms and kind of driving unmarked cars? And this is kind of like the wild west people in my mind?

[Katharine Scheinreif]

Well, yeah, yeah, that's pretty good. That's a good analogy. Yes. We wore plain clothes, blue jeans, you know, cowboy boots, T shirts, whatever, long hair, and, you know, not entirely clean shaven. Not for me, of course, but my men. And then we would drive the undercover cars. I think I drove, you know, Dodge Durango or a, you know, Camaro or a, you know, a Mustang or something along those lines that would blend in for surveillance. And again, the covert operations. We were doing drug deals, we were doing gun deals. You know, taking down these high profile offenders. You really have to be on your game because it's incredibly dangerous. You have to have, you know, that advanced skill set. It was a constant thing. It was very, very intense.

[Phoebe Judge]

Katherine Scheinreith says she hadn't heard about Jeffrey Manchester's escape from prison.

[Katharine Scheinreif]

That's not really something that we would have been told about. I know that sounds strange, but Charlotte's an enormous city. There's a million plus people. There's a lot of crime, you know, violent crime. It's a busy place. That's not really something that would stick out. And at that point in time, I believe Department of corrections, who runs the prisons, and the state bureau of investigation, they're the ones that's more in their lane, if you will. But when he started committing robberies here and held the deputy at gunpoint, that's when it becomes my problem.

[Phoebe Judge]

A week later, a police officer named Fred Allen went into the vacant Circuit City again. He noticed that when he turned the lights on, one area of the building stayed dark. And then he noticed a board of sheetrock covering the wall like the one they had found in the Toys r Us, covering the secret passageway. When he pushed it, he found Jeffrey Manchester's living space, but no one was there.

[Katharine Scheinreif]

I actually went in there. And, you know, I was impressed basically, because he was very neat and methodical.

[Phoebe Judge]

Inside, police found baby food jars, posters of Superman and a Van Gogh print, and a map of local bus routes. They also found Star wars toys, the movies Spider Man 2 and Matchstick Men, and a fire extinguisher. Police also found a fingerprint inside the space and matched it to Jeffrey Manchester. They decided to put out a wanted poster and told the media that prison escapee Jeffrey Manchester had been seen in the area. The next day, Jeffrey Manchester lit a building on fire. We'll be right back. Fox Creative.

[Katharine Scheinreif]

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[Sky Poley]

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[Phoebe Judge]

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[Phoebe Judge]

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[Phoebe Judge]

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[Katharine Scheinreif]

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[Phoebe Judge]

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[Katharine Scheinreif]

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[Phoebe Judge]

What are you waiting for? The missing child is Lucia Blix, 9 years old.

[Katharine Scheinreif]

Please let her come back home safely.

[Phoebe Judge]

Thursday, the kidnappers plumbed it meticulously.

[Katharine Scheinreif]

If money is what it takes to get her back, we're gonna pay it.

[Phoebe Judge]

The secrets they hide. You can't talk about this. You can't write about it. Are the clues. The mother's hiding something. I know it. To find her, tell me where she is. The stolen girl. New episodes Thursdays stream on hulu. On Wednesday, January 5, 2005, around 4 in the morning, fire trucks were called to an office building off of Route 74, about a 10 minute drive from the Toys R Us. A dentist's office was on fire. And when firefighters put it out, they discovered the fire had been started on purpose. Jeffrey Manchester had been a patient there.

[Katharine Scheinreif]

The way I understand it, because all the candy he got some teeth issues, went to the dentist.

[Phoebe Judge]

He.

[Katharine Scheinreif]

He got treatment for his cavities. And then he also got some whitening trays and the whitening trays had the dentist office name on them. And that was left in the little room where he had been staying. And I can only suspect in his mind, he's thinking, oh, my gosh, they've got the name of the dentist, and they're going to go read my dental records and realize that it's me, that I'm here, so let me go burn it down. And so he proceeds to burn the dentist office down.

[Phoebe Judge]

In the meantime, two members of Jeffrey Manchester's church saw the wanted poster that police had released of him and contacted police.

[Katharine Scheinreif]

Some people showed up at the local police station and said, hey, we know this guy, and his name is not Jeffrey Manchester. It's John Zorin, because we know him from church and he's dating somebody.

[Phoebe Judge]

Police went to talk with Jeffrey Manchester's girlfriend. They found her at work, and when they showed her a photo of Jeffrey Manchester, she said, that's John.

[Katharine Scheinreif]

Well, she was in shock. And she was. You have to put yourself in her place, and you have to be very sensitive to that. And it's an emotional time. It's probably the most shocking news she'll receive in her entire lifetime. And you have to be sensitive to that and try to keep things calm.

[Phoebe Judge]

His girlfriend later told a reporter, I was numb. I was hysterical. They'd been dating for almost two months. Catherine says it wasn't until police showed her John's picture on the America's Most Wanted site that she believed them.

[Katharine Scheinreif]

And it was that moment where she's like, oh, okay, okay, yeah, I'll definitely help you.

[Phoebe Judge]

It happened to be her 40th birthday. The police asked her to call Jeffrey Manchester and invite him to come over that evening to celebrate.

[Katharine Scheinreif]

When you're undercover, you gotta act normal, gotta talk normal. It's gotta be like a regular conversation or else he's gonna know something's up. And she was able to play into that and keep her senses about her, which is not easy to do in that kind of an emotional time at all.

[Phoebe Judge]

That evening, police stationed themselves around her apartment.

[Katharine Scheinreif]

I'm in the parking lot, I'm in an undercover vehicle, and I'm listening on the radio as everything's going down, And I get a call from one of my detectives. And, hey, Sarge, we're following him. He just did a U turn on Independence. And so at that time, you're like, okay, well, first thing goes through your mind is, we've been made. And I said something to the effect of, I told you guys to keep a loose tail. What's going on?

[Phoebe Judge]

The officers kept following him and watched as he pulled into a grocery store parking lot. He walked into the store and walked out a few minutes later with a bouquet of flowers.

[Katharine Scheinreif]

So he gets his flowers. He gets back in the car. I breathe a huge sigh of relief. And then he starts heading back to the apartment. He parks his car. He gets out real quickly, looks around a little bit. Head's kind of on a swivel, which is normal. And then he hurdles over some shrubbery and he's at the front door. And at that time, the calls made for people to move in.

[Phoebe Judge]

The police surrounded him and put him in handcuffs.

[Katharine Scheinreif]

I remember he wouldn't make eye contact with me, and he just looked away, like maybe disappointment. He just realized it's over.

[Phoebe Judge]

After his arrest, Jeffrey Manchester reportedly called his mother. He told her, mom, I kind of lost focus. He also talked to his girlfriend. She said he apologized. She told the reporter, I can't say anything bad about him. Did he ever explain why he'd done what he did?

[Katharine Scheinreif]

So he said in certain ways that it was for the money. I don't believe that. I think it was for the chase. I think it was for the game. I think it was for the rush.

[Phoebe Judge]

Jeffrey Manchester is 53 now. He's currently in Central Prison in Raleigh. His projected Release date is 2036. He's tried to escape twice since. He was recaptured in 2009 and again in 2017.

[Katharine Scheinreif]

I mean, it worked for him in the past. Why not? He's just thinking, how do I get out of here? When do I get out of here? And let's get this show going again.

[Phoebe Judge]

Criminal is created by Lauren Spohr and me. Nadia Wilson is our senior producer. Katie Bishop is our supervising producer. Our producers are Susanna Roberson, Jackie Sagiko, Lily Clark, Lena Sillison and Megan Kinane. Our show is mixed and engineered by Veronica Simonetti. This episode was mixed by Michael Rayfield. Julian Alexander makes original illustrations for each episode of Criminal. You can see [e-mail] and you can sign up for our [e-mail] Newsletter we hope you'll consider supporting our work by joining our membership program Criminal. Plus, you can listen to Criminal, this is Love and Phoebe reads a mystery without any ads. Plus you'll get bonus episodes. These are special episodes with me and Criminal co creator Lauren Spohr talking about everything from how we make our episodes to the crime stories that caught our attention that week to things we've been enjoying lately. To learn more, go to thisiscriminal.com plus we're on Facebook and Twitter riminalshow and Instagram criminalpodcast. We're also on YouTube at YouTube.com criminalpodcast criminal is part of the Vox Media Podcast network. Discover more great [e-mail] I'm Phoebe Judge. This is Criminal.