Here's another in NBC's great parade of new shows.
["Dragnet"]
Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to hear is true.
Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent.
NBC brings you Dragnet.
["Dragnet"]
You're a detective sergeant.
You're assigned a homicide detail.
A 22-year-old girl has disappeared.
A letter has been received.
It demands $30,000 for the girl's return.
The letter is signed, the wolf.
Your job, get him.
Dragnet, the documented drama of an actual crime,
investigated and solved by the men who unrelentingly stand watch
on the security of your home, your family, and your life.
For the next 30 minutes, in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department,
you will travel step by step on the side of the law through an actual case
transcribed from official police files.
From beginning to end, from crime to punishment,
Dragnet is the story of your police force in action.
It was Tuesday, October 18th. It was cloudy in Los Angeles.
We were working the night watch out of homicide.
My partner is Ben Romero. The boss is Ed Backstram, chief of detectives.
My name is Fryden.
I was on the way back from the staff's office,
and it was 3.26 a.m. when I got to room 42, homicide.
Got those mugs, you asked for them. Here they are.
Thanks, Harris. Backstrand leave yet?
In a minute, I'm going out with him.
What's the address out there to Sullivan Floyd?
814 Castro Boulevard. You go straight out Santa Monica, take a left at Castro.
All right, ma'am.
You ready, chief?
Yeah, ma'am.
Fryden, you call Romero yet?
Right now.
Get on it. This one we don't fool with.
Yeah.
Hello.
Sorry to wake you, Ben. This is Joe. How you feeling?
Oh, hi, Joe. What time is it?
3.30 a.m. How do you feel?
Oh, a lot better. Be back to work tomorrow.
You'll be ready in 20 minutes. I'll pick you up.
20 minutes? Okay, what's up?
You remember Martin Sullivan, vice president of the Third National Bank?
Sullivan? Yeah, yeah, what about him?
He's got a 22-year-old daughter.
Or he had one. She's gone.
Look, you made good time, Joe.
Where are we headed?
Sullivan Home, out on Castro Boulevard. It's out there now with Harris.
Any leads to work on?
No, nothing so far.
The girl disappeared a little before 1 o'clock yesterday afternoon.
At 11 last night, he got a letter.
They want $30,000.
Sullivan hasn't got that kind of money.
Yeah, I know it. Poor guy's almost out of his mind.
Fill me in. How did it happen?
Well, the guy took the girl out of a business school.
He had her called out of class.
Told her her father was sick. Said he was a friend of the family.
Well, how about the teachers? What was their story?
Said the girl didn't want to go with the man at first,
but he finally talked her into it.
Kept telling her her father was dying.
That's about as low as it comes?
Yeah.
Did he use a car?
Witnesses said it was a blue sedan.
They didn't get the license number or the make.
Did they remember what the guy looked like?
About 5'9", 160, brown suit, dark hair.
Hmm. Nothing else?
No. Here's a copy of the letter.
The usual. Read it.
Yeah. Yeah.
I have your daughter Judy.
Get, uh, what's that?
$30,000.
$30,000 quick if you want her back alive.
Don't call police or I'll kill her.
Contact you later.
Signed, uh, what was it?
The wolf.
Oh, wolf.
I can think of a better name.
Come on. Here we are.
Got the original note, Joe.
Lee Jones down at the crime ivy
checking it for prints and handwriting.
Well, if he was... Oh, hi, David.
Right on the house, boys. Just waiting for you.
Thanks, Dave.
Hi, Joe. Ben.
In the living room.
Thank you.
That's the way I see it, Mr. Sullivan.
Now, you understand exactly what you have to do?
Yes, sir. I'll do as you say.
All right. Here are the two men who will help you.
Sergeant Friday and Sergeant Romero, homicide.
Yes, sir. How do you do?
Mr. Backstrand, I... Are you sure about all this?
He might get frightened.
He might do something to Judy.
Believe me, Mr. Sullivan. It's the only way.
I know how you must feel, but we can't do anything else.
All right. I want to see Mr. Sullivan first.
I'll be ready in a moment.
Any developments?
Yeah. Come on back in the dining room.
There it is on the table. Second note from the guy.
Tell it, man. When did this come?
About half an hour ago. Guy phoned it into Western Union from a public booth.
Couldn't trace it.
I see, Joe.
Yeah.
Be at a lesion park, five o'clock this morning, near Balkan Drive.
Come alone. Bring 30,000. We'll return, girl.
Don't tell cops. Kill her if you do. You will.
4 AM now, skipper. Not much time.
I know it. We'll have to do as he says. No other way.
Then Sullivan's going out there alone?
You're going with him. You and Romero.
You'll be hidden out in the trunk of the car.
Any plan?
Get in. That's all.
Ben and I went out the back door and into the Sullivan garage.
We jammed ourselves into the trunk compartment and Harris closed the door on us.
The latch was fixed so that the door could be pushed open from the inside.
A few minutes later, Mr. Sullivan came out, got in the car and we drove off.
At three minutes to five, we pulled up at the meeting place in the lesion park.
We waited. Nothing happened.
At five minutes past five, it started to thunder.
That's all we need now. Thunderstorm.
Stuff in here. There's trunk in it.
Oh, yeah.
Ben, listen.
Someone in there?
Must be.
I wonder if he's seen anything.
Sounds like he's pacing up and down alongside the car, doesn't it?
Yeah, listen.
Can't hear anything else.
Can you?
No. We better stay undercover.
Yeah.
It rains dark, man.
I wonder what happened to the wool.
Cold feet, maybe.
Let's wait it out.
Joe. Yeah.
What time you got now?
Move over.
Let me get my watch up.
Yeah.
A little past five-thirty.
Sergeant. Sergeant.
Mr. Sullivan?
Yes.
Do you think he's coming? Please.
He's coming.
Do you think he's coming? Please.
It's getting daylight.
We better wait it out, Mr. Sullivan.
Now, look, don't come back here again.
If he's watching, you might tip him off.
Oh, all right.
All right.
Poor guy.
I hear him.
Coming up the road toward us.
He's stopping.
Yeah.
He's coming over to our car. You ready?
Right.
Talk to him.
They're coming back here. Now watch it.
Brandy. Romero.
That's you, Ed?
Yeah. The meeting's off.
Come on out.
All right.
Got a cramp in my leg.
I'm cramped all over.
Mr. Sullivan, drive back home.
We'll contact you there.
All right. All right, Chief.
Ben, Joe, come on over to the car.
What's the story, Ed?
Guy had no intention of following through with this meeting tonight.
Well, how come?
He told us.
Phoned at 5 o'clock.
Tried to trace the call.
He wouldn't stay on the line long enough.
What did he have to say?
He wanted more money.
Bragged about how smart he was.
How we'd never get him.
Well, he knows Sullivan's called in the police.
Sure. Said he didn't care.
We'd never get him anyway.
Yeah, pretty cocky.
Pretty smart.
Take my word for it. He's no dummy.
Control 1 to 80K.
I'll get it.
80K to Control 1.
8-OK to Control 1.
Go ahead.
80K, go to your office.
Code 3.
Go to your office.
Code 3.
GM, Adrian, signal.
All right, Romero.
Let's roll.
More than 12 hours had passed
since the word of Judy Sullivan's disappearance
had been phoned in a homicide.
During that time, an all-points bulletin
containing the descriptions of the suspect, his car, and the girl
had been sent out on the teletype to law enforcement agencies
throughout the area.
The same descriptions were broadcast over the police radio every hour.
The Sullivan home had been placed under strict surveillance,
and Mr. Sullivan instructed not to contact the suspect
without knowledge of the police.
He'd raised almost $10,000 in cash to buy him off.
The serial number on each one of the bills
had been copied by a police stenographer
and then rechecked by a homicide officer.
So far, the wolf, as he called himself,
had made three separate contacts,
and he'd covered his tracks well.
We knew that he was somewhere in the city,
500 square miles of it,
and we knew we had to find him fast.
It was 18 minutes past 6 when we got back to homicide.
Hi, Chief.
Fellas.
You got something for us, Mike?
Here, there's a letter, special delivery.
Came in about 25 minutes ago.
Can I see that, Mike?
Stay away from Sullivan.
If the kid's found dead, it's your fault.
Stay away, the wolf.
All right, Mike.
Get it over to the crime lab
and have Lee check it for prints.
Right, Chief.
Will he find any prints on the second note, Mike?
Two.
Run them through R&I now.
Franny, Romero, get down there and see if they got a make.
Right, Ed. Let's go, Ben.
Who's watching the Sullivan house beside Harry?
Carpenter and Davis.
Max Benz afraid the girl's father
will try to make a deal with the guy.
Has he tried it yet?
No, he hasn't yet.
He couldn't blame him if he did.
I'm worried sick.
Oh, yeah.
Here we are.
Hi, fellas.
Just coming down to see you.
Got something there?
Those two prints Lee Jones lifted off that letter
got a make on them from the single print file.
Good, Larry. Let's see, huh?
There it is.
Pulled the whole package on them.
Donald Alfred Kiefer.
Looks like a real bad one, doesn't he?
Donald Alfred Kiefer, male, Caucasian, age 29,
5 feet 8 inches, 170 pounds, brown eyes, dark brown hair.
He had one previous arrest for forgery in Los Angeles
10 months before.
Kiefer's occupation at the time of his arrest
was listed as bank clerk at the Third National Bank.
Ben went back into the files and pulled the crime report.
Then we called Ed Backstram.
There's the answer, Skipper.
At the time Kiefer pulled that forgery job at the bank,
Mr. Sullivan was one of the vice presidents.
Go on.
Sullivan was the one who preferred charges against Kiefer
and saw that he was prosecuted.
Where's this Kiefer now?
Let me see.
His place on probation and on May 16th this year
he returned to his home in Omaha, Nebraska.
That's 1380 Mackinac Avenue.
All right, Romero.
Get Omaha on the phone and have them check out Kiefer.
Right, Skipper.
Friday, take Kiefer's package
and this note down to Don Myers.
Have him check the handwriting.
And get over to the crime lab and see what Jones lifted off that last letter we got.
All right, Ed.
The faster we work, the faster we'll put this guy behind bars.
Now move.
How's the writing compared, Don?
What'd you find?
It looks good.
See here?
Slants as crosses, double loops as Ls, open A's,
pressure on the downstroke.
Donald Kiefer, a wolf, same handwriting.
Lifted three prints off this last note, Joe.
Brought them out with the iodine fume gun.
They match with the first.
Thanks, Lee.
Did you find anything else?
I don't know if it'll help you much.
We examined the paper for watermarks and texture.
Both notes are written on the same kind of paper.
Impressions show both pieces of paper from the same tablet.
Check the density of the carbon and the pencil you use.
Both specimens match.
Same pencil.
By mid-afternoon, Donald Kiefer's description had been broadcast throughout the area.
Bulletons were dispatched to all departments, and an APB was teletyped for the entire state.
Men were stationed at every post office in the city to watch for notes that might come through the mail.
The bus depots, railroad terminals, the airports, and all the main roads leading out of the city were under strict surveillance.
The entire Los Angeles area was broken down into single square mile districts, and a house-to-house canvas was started.
A squad of men were assigned to cover each square mile.
Outlying towns and cities were requested to do the same.
By five o'clock that afternoon, the greatest dragnet operation in the history of the city was underway.
We were sure Donald Kiefer was somewhere inside.
At 12 minutes past five, Ben got the call back from the Omaha police.
Yeah, yeah, I got it.
6X-Ray 419.
Nebraska place, right.
Well, thank you a lot. Here, bye.
They had a make on the car.
Lots more. The Omaha cops are looking for Kiefer, too.
Wanted him for a robbery there two months ago.
Yeah.
That robbery used a stolen 1939 blue sedan.
Nebraska license plate. 6X-Ray 419.
How about his family and his friends back there? They all been checked?
Yeah.
Well, get that car description and communications, huh?
APB, teletype and broadcast. I'll tell him.
Yeah, right, Joe.
Right in, Romero.
Yeah.
What are you tied up with?
Well, just got a call from Omaha. Make on Kiefer in the car.
Give it to me. You two get out to the Sullivan house as fast as you can.
T. Harris.
What's happened, Kevin?
Martin Sullivan's disappeared.
All right, Harris, how did it happen?
About three this afternoon, Mr. Sullivan got a phone call.
Said he had to go down to the bank and went with him.
He had me wait in the reception room and he went in his office.
After waiting ten minutes, I got suspicious and went in.
He was gone. That's it.
Did he get any more money?
This morning.
$5,000.
Did you get the serial numbers off the bills?
Yeah.
Shouldn't have let him get out of my sight.
Forget it. Right now we've got to find out where he's gone to meet Kiefer.
Did you talk to Mrs. Sullivan about it, Harris?
She says she doesn't know anything about it.
Let's try her again. Come on, let's go inside.
Hi, fellas.
Hi.
Where's Mrs. Sullivan, Dave?
Back in the city room, lying down.
Doctor's with her.
Come on.
What time you got, Ben?
6.35.
I'll get it.
Hello?
Where are you?
Where are you now?
We'll be right out.
That was Martin Sullivan.
He met with Kiefer.
Up in World Canyon.
Did he get his daughter back?
Yeah.
Wrapped in newspapers.
All cars in the area were notified that a contact had been made with Kiefer.
We got in the car and drove out to Laurel Canyon.
The entire area had been blocked off.
We found Martin Sullivan standing in the middle of the road at the end of East Winding Way.
500 feet down the hill was a private residence where Sullivan had telephoned us.
It was the only building in the immediate vicinity.
A few yards beyond the point where East Winding Way ended.
Back in a clump of tall grass we found the body of Martin Sullivan's daughter.
We notified the crime lab.
She was backstranded in the corner.
Despite a severe state of emotional shock, Martin Sullivan tried to tell us the story.
He said Judy was all right.
I believed him.
I wanted her back.
Judy.
I tricked the officer.
The one watching me said come along, no police.
Did you see his car, Mr. Sullivan?
I wanted her back.
I wanted Judy back.
I did as he said.
I drove here at six o'clock and I waited.
I put the money on the front seat, like he said.
Did he get the money, Mr. Sullivan?
And I...
I got out, left parking lights on.
I stood up there by the end of the road, waiting.
Mr. Sullivan.
And he drove up.
He took the money.
And then he came up to me.
He had a gun.
I wanted Judy back.
He had a gun.
Did you see his car?
He said she was up there, beyond the road.
Tied to a tree.
I brought her back.
Mr. Sullivan, did you see his car?
I went to look for Judy.
He drove away.
She wasn't there.
By the tree.
Couldn't find her.
On the way back.
I saw her bundle on the way back.
I saw her bundle.
Let me find her.
She killed her.
Let me find her.
Before he went into a state of complete collapse,
we showed Martin Sullivan a picture of Donald Alfred Keifert.
He definitely identified him.
The information was immediately relayed back to Central Division,
rebroadcast to the entire police radio system.
A teletype was dispatched to sheriff's offices,
and communications were sent to police stations throughout the country.
The house-to-house search throughout the entire city intensified.
The dragnet in which we hoped to trap Donald Keifert was drawing slowly inward.
It was 12 midnight.
Ex-tree, Sullivan-Garland murder, ex-tree, read all about it,
Finness and Jones, thanks for killing us.
Brian, did the papers get a list of the numbers on that ransom money?
Yeah, got them in the final night edition.
Two and a half pages of serial numbers gave it a big spread.
Look at these pictures of Keifert here, all over the front page.
The more the better, Romero.
I hope this town never forgets that face.
Good reminder.
We don't make deals with killers.
Hi, fellas.
Come on over.
Find anything here, Lee?
Just checking over these towels here.
Found them wrapped around the girl's body inside the papers.
Funny thing about those papers.
What's that, Lee?
They're all yesterdays.
Every story about the girl's disappearance has been clipped out.
Maybe the guy's making up a scrapbook.
How about the towels, Jones? Any laundry marks?
Not a one so far, Ed.
Every one of them was clipped off.
Pretty smart.
The morgue post the body in?
They're doing it now.
Nasty one.
Yeah.
You got any footprints or time marks out where they found the body?
Lots of them, all cast.
Bossy and Taylor are checking them.
One sink.
When is it, Jones?
I don't know.
On the scene here.
This towel.
Wait a minute, Joe.
That pair of snippers there.
Yeah, there you are.
Thanks.
Just back under the scene.
There.
That's one tag he missed.
Any markings, Lee?
Yeah.
Greenway Apartments, Los Angeles.
One look at the apartment was enough.
In an adjoining garage, we found the car which Kiefer had used.
A blue sedan.
Nebraska license plate, 6X-Ray, 419.
When we got back to the office, Chief Backstrand immediately issued the cancellation of the
ward order for the blue sedan.
Then he ordered a detail amend to stake out the car and the event keeper decided to come
back for it.
Here's the coroner's report, Joe.
Oh, let's see it.
Cause of death, strangulation.
Time of death, Monday, October 18th approximately.
2 p.m.
One hour after he grabbed her?
That can't be right.
Skip in his office?
No, he's out for a minute.
Hey, Joe, Ben, take the call of 2503, will you?
Thanks, Mike.
Would you give me the call on 2503, please?
Thanks.
Hello?
Yeah.
Yeah, when?
We'll be right over.
Some of the ransom money, Ben, just showed up.
Beverly and Highland.
The man's name was Ralph Donahue.
He operated a used car lot on the corner of Beverly and Highland.
He told us that early that morning he sold a dark blue late model coupe to a man who
gave his name as Fred Sims.
The man paid for the car in cash.
Donahue told us that he checked the serial numbers on the bills after the man had driven
away.
Serial numbers check out, Joe, every one of them.
If I only thought to look, Officer, and you know, I generally do, I'm the suspicious kind
anyway, but, oh, this morning I must have been asleep.
You got the full description on the car, Ben?
Yeah, Joe.
All right, let's get it on the air right away.
I saw his mug in the paper while I was waiting for you.
Too late.
Sorry.
Yeah, thanks.
At ten minutes past three that afternoon, another piece of the ransom money turned up
at a busy downtown department store.
The clerk was unable to remember who gave her the bill.
The detail throughout the general downtown area was strengthened.
The house-to-house search of the entire city for Judy Sullivan's murderer went on.
The afternoon dragged into the early evening.
At twenty minutes to seven, Ben and I had a hamburger and a cup of coffee in the drug
store at East Broadway and Third.
And then we got back in the car, checked with communications, and started cruising the neighborhood
again.
At nine minutes to eight, a man answering the description of Donald Keefer was seen crossing
Sunset Boulevard just below Highland.
Seven minutes later, the same man was reported near the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard
and Las Palmas.
Communications relayed the information.
At twenty-one minutes past eight, our car, 80K, along with a dozen others, were concentrated
in the Hollywood Boulevard area from Gower Street to La Brea, Franklin Avenue to Santa
Monica Boulevard.
At twenty-four minutes past eight, another piece of the ransom money was passed at a
cigar store on the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Hawthorne Street.
The number of men and radio cars in the area was redoubled.
Plane close officers were stationed at every intersection to keep an eye on pedestrian
traffic.
At eighteen minutes to nine, the dark blue coupe which Keefer had bought that morning
was spotted parked in an alley just below Hollywood Boulevard and Cohinga.
We called Ed Backstrand.
City Hall.
Two five oh three.
Chief of Detectives Office, Aaron.
This is Friday, Mike.
Chief there?
Yeah, wait a minute.
Just going out the door.
That is for you.
Backstrand.
Friday, Ed.
Just spotted Keefer's car, the one he bought this morning, parked in an alley off Cohinga.
Harris and I are on our way up there now.
We'll take care of the car.
You take care of this call.
Just came in.
What do you got?
The theater on the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Fairview.
The girl in the box office just took in a ten dollar ransom bill.
Yeah.
She got a good look at the man who passed the bill.
She says it's Keefer.
All right, Ben, come on.
Yeah.
You got the list of zero numbers?
Right here.
Let's check it out.
Yes, sir, how many, please?
Police officers, Sergeant Romero, Sergeant Friday.
Oh, yes, sir.
Mr. Rabin, the police are here.
Would you step around to the side door, Sergeant?
Yes, ma'am.
Margie, relieve Francis for a minute.
Francis, come in.
Bring that ten dollar bill with you.
Sharp girl, Officer, that Francis.
Sharp.
Here it is, Mr. Rabin.
All right, Sergeant, there you are.
Ten dollar bill and the list of serial numbers.
Check out all right, Ben.
That's it, Jill.
Good work, man.
The report of the man came in about a half hour ago.
You're sure it was Keefer?
Yes, sir.
I have his picture in the box office just behind the change machine.
I recognized him right away.
And as far as you know, he hasn't left the theater.
That's right, sir.
All right, Mr. Rabin, I'm sorry.
I'm afraid we'll have to interrupt the show.
Anything you say, Sergeant.
Anything.
Ben, you keep an eye on the front exit.
I'll call you back.
All right.
80K to Control 4, 8-OK to Control 4.
80K, go ahead.
Control 4, clear all frequencies.
The Sullivan murder suspect, Donald Keefer, has been located in the theater on the southeast
corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Fairview.
Have all units surround the area.
80K, Roger.
Attention all units.
Attention.
Assist 80K to theater on the southeast corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Fairview.
The Sullivan murder suspect has been located in the theater.
Go ahead, 80K.
Control 4, have all units converge in the general area, Hollywood Boulevard and Fairview.
Unit 62R to block off the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and North Cherokee.
Stop all pedestrian and vehicular traffic.
Unit 61A to block the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Hudson Street.
Stop all pedestrian and vehicular traffic.
Unit 71 and 72 are to block the alley behind the theater.
Unit 66 and 67 are to assist at main entrance to the theater.
Within a few minutes the one-half mile area around the theater was completely blockaded.
Every exit and entrance to the theater was covered. At 923 we met Harris and Ed
Backstrand in the theater manager's office. Backstrand outlined our plan of operation.
At 928 a detail of 14 men walked down the side aisles on the main floor of the theater and took
up their posts on either side of the orchestra pit. The picture was stopped and every light in
the theater was turned on. Ed Backstrand, Harris, Ben and I went down the aisle and up onto the stage.
Backstrand made the announcement.
Ladies and gentlemen, we're sorry to interrupt the picture but this is important.
We're police officers. We've traced the murderer of Judy Sullivan to this theater.
He is in this theater now. Now we're going to search the theater row by row and we'd like to
ask your cooperation. There's no need to be panicky or afraid. Those who wish to leave now may do so.
Lead by the main entrance. Each one of you will be checked as you go out the door.
And for the benefit of the man we're looking for, don't try to escape.
Every exit is covered and the entire area is blockaded. Don't place any more lives in jeopardy.
Come on, Ben.
Backstage Joe, we can make it from there. All right, let's go.
Come on, hustle it, Ben. Yeah, the next building. You'll probably try to jump for it.
All right, watch it. I think this door leads out to the rope.
There he goes. All right, keeper, hold it.
Don't shoot. Don't shoot. I give up.
Throw your gun down. Over here.
Don't shoot. Don't.
Let's get him. All right, coppers. I got it figured. They won't top me for this.
Didn't know what I was doing. Put the cuffs on him, Ben.
Get away from me, you crump.
You shouldn't have hit him, keeper. All right, Ben, try the cuffs now.
Yeah. Come on, let's get him in out of the rain.
What's the hurry? Why spoil a good rain?
The story you have just heard is cruel. Only the names were changed to protect the innocent.
Donald Alfred Keefer was tried and convicted of murder in the first degree.
He was executed in the lethal gas chamber at the state penitentiary.
You have just heard the 15th in a new series of authentic cases transcribed from official files.
Technical advice for Dragnet comes from the Office of Acting Chief of Police,
W.A. Wharton, Los Angeles Police Department.
Tonight's program is dedicated to Deputy United States Marshal John B. Glenn of Boise, Idaho,
who on the morning of July 31, 1940, gave his life so that yours might be more secure.
Dragnet came to you from Los Angeles. Theater Guild on the air returns tomorrow night on NBC.