Steven looked at Jon bewildered for a moment and then stiffened his composure and said,
“Of course it is.”
He gently picked up the jar studying the remains. A sadistic grin crept over his face as he reminisced over the mandible. Jon then pointed down at the map and said,
“Do you remember where the rest of that person is?”
Steven looked back down at the map and then back at Jon and said,
“Where are the rest of them? I need to have….I mean see…I need to see the rest of them.”
Jon looked at Steven for a moment baffled. Steven looked at the victims remains as not just his trophies and mementos but as a part of his collection, all as a part of him and he wanted the rest of them, badly. Detective Cratick nodded his head and replied,
“We are bringing the rest of them to you. For now, can you tell me who that belonged to?”
Steven Willis stared longingly at the jar. Jon broke his trance and said,
“Do you remember?”
Steven shook his head no as he said,
“I don’t remember who they all were. There were too many of them.”
Jonathon nodded his head as he said,
“How many do you estimate there were?”
Steven looked up at Cody grinning as he said,
“Hundreds.”
Jon stuttered for a moment as he replied,
“Hun, hun, hundreds?”
Steven looked offended as he replied,
“Why yes? They were all filth. Just trash, pieces of human garbage. I gave them all what they properly deserve. You see that right?”
Jon shook his head and realized he almost broke their trust. He smiled waywardly and continued,
“Yeah I want to see that Steven. I want to see it myself. Do you think you can remember on the map where it is? Can you show me so I can see for myself where you got rid of the garbage?”
Steven looked at Jon and then the map. He studied Jon’s face as he reluctantly reached for the marker. He then pulled back his hand from the marker nervously. Jon reassured him by saying,
“I just need to see it for myself. Help me understand Steven.”
Steven nodded and grabbed the pen. He glanced at the map for a moment and quickly drew an X on the map. Jon looked down where he placed the mark, looking back up at Steven he said,
“Are you sure?”
Steven nodded and said,
“Yup for sure. That’s my first.”
Jon nodded his head as he watched Steven still admiring the jar. He said,
“How do you know that’s Emily Clarke?”
Steven grinned and said,
“I remember all of them. I remember every single one of them. I remember cutting out her jaw bone before I tossed her in the grave. I already told you.
Jon nodded and said,
“So you did bury her?”
Steven shrugged and said,
“Sort of. I covered her in leaves and dead wood with the others.”
Jon smiled and said,
“Others how many others?”
Steven looked up and Jon could see he was muttering numbers to himself. He then looked at Jon and said,
“Forty two was that year I am pretty sure. I think that’s the number I was up to at that point.”
Jon smiled and said,
“All of them buried in the same spot?”
Steven replied saying,
“Yeah all around the same area anyways. From twenty two to forty seven.”
He then picked up the marker again and marker another place near where he grew up. He said, “One to twenty one are here, scattered around that area.”
Jonathon replied,
“That’s good Steven, now can you tell me where all of these ones are?”
The door opened and gurney carts that were full of bottles with body parts came flooding into the room, one by one. Jonathon could see the look in Steven’s eyes as they lit up like a child on Christmas. Full of wonder and happiness. It shook Jonathon to the core knowing that was the only way he could relate in empathy to the sighting of those feelings Steven was having over pieces of corpses. Jon looked at Steven and said,
“Well let’s get started.”
Steven gave Jon that sadistic smile replying,
“I told you Jon. Tell me what happened that night with your brother Alex. You confess that particular night and I’ll confess to whatever you want on this map.”
Jon gritted his teeth looking back up at Steven. He leaned forward grabbing the bottle of the mandible out of Steven’s hand and slammed it on the table pointing at the map replying,
“You get to hold onto this a little bit longer. All you have to do is start talking. This has nothing to do with Alex.”
Steven leaned forward slowly tapping the side of the jar with his fingertip making a clinking noise that went, clank…clank…clank. Steven was still smiling as he said,
“Okay we can hold off on that…..for now. You’re going to have to talk to me sooner or later about it. Tell me, what do you want to know Jon?”
Chapter 10
Steven’s eyes glazed over looking at the jars. Jonathon could see him reminiscing about each jar. It made his stomach turn as he watched Steven pick up each one, examining the contents with such romanticism. He knew he had to focus and let Steven Willis get lost in the human remains. It was the only way he could get him into the mind frame to talk about the murders. As much as it disgusted him, he had to keep making him think it is comfortable to talk to him about it. He couldn’t let Steven feel discriminated or shame for what he had done. As smart as Steven was, he knew he could manipulate him. He just needed to keep him talking, keep him engaged and judgement free.
Steven gazed at the jars as he picked one up. He started caressing the glass jar with his fingers, running his hands up and down the jar. Staring into the contents with child-like wonderment. To Jon it was like watching a child pick up a science experiment for the first time in biology class. Except they both knew the contents of the jar. The mere thought of the horror that Steven Willis engaged to make those body parts end up in those jars sent a shudder down Jon’s spine. He glanced up at Steven and studied his face. He could tell he had him where he wanted him. He finally spoke to Steven and asked,
“So what did you use to keep their parts fresh in the jars?”
Steven didn’t look up as he softly replied,
“Formaldehyde mostly. Sometimes I used ethanol among other preservatives. I can still smell it as though it was yesterday.”
Jon nodded his head. He moved in closer to Steven pointing to the jar and asked,
“Do you remember who that was you are holding Steven?”
Steven looked up at Jon for the first time since the jars had entered the room. He nodded his head replying,
“I remember all of them.”
Jon looked at the other jars and asked,
“Did you do this Steven? Or did Shawn do this?”
Steven laughed and said,
“Well both of us did it. I told you I am not crazy. Stop trying to do what Doctor Hansin tried to do. Stop trying to make us out as the same. We hate that.”
Jon nodded his head as he looked at Steven. Steven’s eyes looked into Jon’s as he showed no remorse or empathy. He had been doing this job for over fifteen years and usually can tell when a person is telling a lie or telling the truth. The thing that scared Jon the most is not the way Steven talked about killing, but how truthful his stare was. Steven Willis really didn’t think he was lying. In his fragile mind, Steven Willis and Shawn Campbell were two completely separate people to him. Jon then said,
“Okay Steven, I understand that. What I need from you is to confirm the identity of the person from that mandible you are holding in the jar.”
Steven looked at the jar and then back at Jon. He shook his head and said,
“Yeah I told you already, just like the others I killed her and Shawn removed her jaw.”
Jon sh
ook his head looking up at the camera and then back at Steven. He let out a sigh and said,
“So you are claiming that you killed her and this Shawn Campbell removed her jaw and put it in that jar.”
Steven gave Jon a peculiar look and said,
“That’s what I just said you dimwit?! How is this confusing to you?”
Jon gave a wayward smile glancing back at the camera and then back at Steven. He got up from the table tapping the map where Steven made his X and said,
“Okay Steven, I’m going to do some checks and then we are going to go to your first grave site okay?”
Steven nodded his head eagerly looking back at the jars filled with body parts. Without an upward glance in his euphoric trance like state he muttered,
“Yeah sure.”
Jon walked back into the dark room as Detective Parsons and Chief Ponce stood up. Parsons looked into the two way mirror and then back at Jon as she said,
“Well that is going to be a crazy confession. He hasn’t asked for a lawyer yet, thank god. Jon it’s going to be hard to get his confessions to stick without the bodies. Steven is going to have to confirm where he killed the victims, how he disposed the bodies and most importantly where.”
Jon let out a sigh nodding his head as he took a sip of his coffee. Chief Ponce looked back at Steven in the two way mirror. He sipped on his coffee while he stared at Steven Willis examining the jars. A shudder went up his spine as he turned to Detective Cratick and said,
“Honestly Jon I don’t understand it. This lunatic has been going back and forth about these murders. He won’t give a straight answer on who this Shawn Campbell is because he thinks he is a completely separate person. How can we trust he isn’t going to take us on a wild goose hunt looking for the victims?”
Jon walked over to the two way mirror standing between Chief Ponce and Detective Parsons. He took a long sip of his coffee as he stared at Steven Willis. Letting out a sigh he exclaimed,
“We are gaining ground. He is willing to point out the bodies on the map. He is learning to trust me, as long as I placate to his needs. As long as I don’t put too much pressure and let him believe I am not judging him for the acts he has committed I truly believe he will play ball. He obviously can’t differentiate between himself as Steven Willis and this Shawn Campbell. I believe his Disassociate Identity Disorder is in a way protecting his fragile mind from the terrible acts he has committed.”
Cassandra looked up at Jon and asked,
“So where do you go from here in order to get him to talk freely about the dumping grounds and where he committed all of these murders he has claimed to have done?”
Jon glanced over his shoulder towards Detective Parsons and then turned his gaze back towards Steven and said,
“Steven Willis is a serial killer. Like all serial killers his M.O. (his motive) is still like any other killer despite his mental illness. We just need to break him down into steps to get into the mind of the psychopath. These steps are involved with every serial killer towards their M.O. which are the Antecedent, Method and Manner, Body Disposal and Post Offensive Behaviour.
The antecedent part of him is what drives him to kill. It’s his fantasy and planning of his murders. The UNSUB (Steven Willis) had these put in place in his mind before he acted on his sick impulses. He has triggers that set forth this fantasy in his mind to plan the murder.
An example of this is the way he talked about his first victim Emily Clarke. His inner rage from the physical abuse from his father set off when he killed those animals. That impulse of opening those animals up to see what they looked like inside sent a fantasy of killing a human being. It triggered him to want to murder and experience a new thrill.
He selected Emily Clarke the moment he saw her jogging. That would be his method and manner. The type of victim he wanted was a woman, small so he could dominate and control. He wanted to stab and strangulate, to become close to his victim. He wanted to see her eyes and feel god like. The way he killed that first victim wasn’t what he wanted in his fantasy. He wanted to slice her open like he did with the animals, but lost control when she tried to get away. So he had to end it abruptly with a strike to her skull with the hatchet.
The way he described her body disposal was unique. He respected her as his first victim. He scattered her bones along his property. He moved her which that particular part would’ve become habitual for him. To dispose of the body of his victims at another dump site.
His post offense behaviour evolved as well. He took trophies from the bodies as mementos to fulfill his fantasy. Looking at those body parts in the jars is like him reliving each murder, over and over again. He also kept himself involved in each of the investigations pertaining to his murders. Following us in excruciating detail as much as he could.
All of these behaviours evolved becoming more and more brutal after each murder. I suspect though because of the way he describes himself as Shawn Campbell to cope with this mental imagery of his evolution. He fulfilled his fantasy of being able to slice the body open. He did this when he describes killing Paul Selig the drunken asshole outside of the bar with his girlfriend Grace. The Antecedent trigger from being belittled just like his father did to him is what fueled the M.O. The Method and Manner to kill them became habitual. He knocked them out just like he did his first victim. However this time he was able fully demonstrate his inner twisted fantasy. The way he described stringing Grace up on the car hood and slicing her open. Taking full control over Paul gave him dominance. He was able to open him up like the way he wanted to, just like the animals in the shed.
So looking at his profile the body disposal would evolve as well. He talks about his victims much differently than his first. He looks at them as garbage, he would have discarded them like trash; because he would no longer have a need for them. However like I stated, the antecedent, method and manner, body disposal and post offense behaviour will always be there to support Steven Willis’s M.O. That is why I suspect he wanted to be caught. He wanted to be as close as he ever could in his own mind to post offense behaviour. To be as close as he possibly could to the investigators, the profilers. That’s why he wants to talk to me.”
Detective Parson’s looked at Jon and then back at Chief Ponce and said,
“Well now that we have his full profile from Jon maybe the way he was attempting to dispose of the victim’s body of Veronica Stanfield would give us some insight on how he got rid of his other victims?”
Chief Ponce raised his eyebrows as he relaxed his stare. Looking back at Cassandra and Jon he threw his hands in the air and said,
“Okay, okay you made your point. I don’t care how you do it, or if you have to drag that maniac all over the country to recover those bodies. All I need is Steven Willis to confess on the record that he murdered those missing people. Not this made up Shawn Campbell. Last thing we need is when all of this goes to trial is this psycho trying to get an insanity plea. Just get him to point out where the bodies are. Okay?”
Jon nodded looking back at Detective Parsons and said,
“Okay let’s take a look at the victim Veronica Stanfield first. We’ll let Steven ponder for a while at that map. Then come back at him some more.”
Detective Parsons nodded. Jon and Cassandra were about to leave the room when Chief Ponce lifted his finger and said,
“Oh and one more thing. We have to prepare for a press conference. News reporters have been calling the station all night and we need to control the media. Under no circumstances do you give any information on Steven Willis and what he has confessed to so far. We need to keep this under wraps until this all plays out. Understood?”
Jon and Cassandra looked at each other and then back at the chief exclaiming,
“Yes sir.”
Ponce nodded replying,
“Good, now go analyze the remains of the victim, come up with a detailed analysis for the body disposal to your profile and then report back here at 20:00 hours. We’ll give the press co
nference to the media at that time.”
Jon and Cassandra walked out of the room. Detective Parsons crossed her arms looking at Jon and said,
“We have to go to the morgue to speak to the county coroner before getting access to the remains of Veronica Stanfield.”
Jon nodded in acceptance as they started walking towards the exit of the precinct. He rubbed his weary eyes. He was tired and for the first time his body was starting to catch up from all of the adrenaline. It was a long night that had now turned into early morning. Glancing down at his watch he realized how many hours had passed. He was interrogating Steven Willis much longer than he had anticipated. At the start of the night when he was called in down to the station he had no idea that this Steven Willis was going to produce so much information, let alone be a serial killer.
Jon started thinking about his brother Alex. He went into a daze like trance and started reminiscing when they were kids playing in the back yard. Running up the driveway after school, excited to play without a care in the world. He had a flash back to a memory when they were only nine years old, his younger brother came running up to him and said,
“Are you sure we should be out here Jon? Mom and Dad said we can’t play this far back in the woods.”
Jon replied,
“Oh stop being such a wuss. Nothing is going to happen. Now I am the detective and you are the bad guy. Someday I’m going to be a great detective Alex. You wait and see. I’m going to catch all the bad guys. Now you go hide and I’ll come find you.”
Jon leaned up against the tree closing his eyes. He waited for Alex to run but heard no footsteps on the ground. He opened his eyes to his brother just standing there looking at him. Jon rolled his eyes as he adjusted his plastic holster holding his cap gun. He yelled at Alex,
“Dude, it’s okay. We’ll be fine playing in the woods. Mom and Dad don’t have to know. I’m going to close my eyes so you can go hide. Remember you are the bad guy.”
Alex nodded his head. Jon closed his eyes and heard Alex take off in the woods, his footsteps making crunching noises on the leaves. Jon started counting in his head until one hundred. He opened his eyes and took off after Alex. The sun was just starting to go down. The light was barely piercing through the leaves of the tall trees. Their overhanging shadows illuminating the forest floor. Jon stepped carefully trying to make as little noise as possible. He crept along the woods looking around each thick tree trunk looking for Alex. Then from the corner of his eye he saw Alex’s elongated shadow. The sun going down gave him away. Jon licked his lips nervously as he removed his plastic gun from his holster. He crept up to the tree and gently laid his back against it. He closed his eyes for a moment to try to shallow his breathing. He then cocked back the hammer to the cap gun and leaped out from the side of the tree yelling,
Profile of the Gemini Serial Killer Page 11
