Trail of Carnage

Zahn: A YOUNG WOMAN KIDNAPPED OUT OF HER OWN HOME. Reed: I HEARD HIM SAY, "OH, MY GOD, SOMEBODY'S GOT MY LITTLE GIRL." MY HEART DROPPED. SHE IS BEING HELD HOSTAGE. Zahn: THE SHOCKING CRIME TURNED A CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION INTO A FAMILY VIGIL. NONE OF US HAVE EATEN IN THREE DAYS. NONE OF US HAVE SLEPT IN THREE DAYS. IT WAS JUST DEVASTATING. Zahn: LACI HILL'S ABDUCTION WAS A MYSTERY UNTIL A SURVEILLANCE VIDEO BROKE THE CASE WIDE OPEN. THE MALE SUBJECT HAD ON A VERY DISTINCTIVE JACKET. THAT MIGHT BE THE CLUE THAT WE NEEDED. DID YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHERE HE COULD HAVE TAKEN LACI? Zahn: THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION WOULD REVEAL A DEADLY CRIME WAVE NO ONE COULD HAVE IMAGINED. -- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS HI. I'M PAULA ZAHN. AND TONIGHT, WE'RE ON THE CASE IN BIXBY, OKLAHOMA, ABOUT 20 MILES OUTSIDE OF TULSA. THE UPSCALE COMMUNITY BECAME THE UNLIKELY SETTING FOR A TERRIFYING MYSTERY WHEN A YOUNG WOMAN DISAPPEARED WITHOUT A TRACE. THE SEARCH FOR LACI HILL BEGAN JUST STEPS FROM HER FRONT DOOR AND WOULD LEAD INVESTIGATORS DOWN A TRAIL OF BLOOD, DESTRUCTION, AND PAIN. IT WAS A CHILLY WINTER DAY. DECEMBER 23, 1999. CHRISTMAS WAS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER, AND MARNIE REED WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO SPENDING A QUIET EVENING WITH HER BEST FRIEND, LACI HILL. BUT ALL OF HER HOLIDAY PLANS CHANGED WHEN SHE GOT A CALL FROM LACI'S HUSBAND, RONNIE. HE SAID, "HAVE YOU SPOKE WITH LACI?" I SAID, "NO. I LEFT HER A MESSAGE. SHE HASN'T CALLED ME BACK." Zahn: RONNIE SAID HE HAD TRIED LACI'S CELLPHONE NUMBER OVER AND OVER AGAIN, BUT SHE NEVER ANSWERED. HOW MANY TIMES DID LACI'S HUSBAND TRY TO CALL HER? OH, NUMEROUS. IT WAS JUST REALLY STRANGE FOR HER NOT TO ANSWER HER PHONE. Zahn: MARNIE WAS A FORMER POLICE OFFICER AND OFFERED TO DRIVE TO THE COUPLE'S HOME TO SEE IF ANYTHING WAS WRONG. DID IT APPEAR AS THOUGH THERE HAD BEEN A BREAK-IN? NO. EVERYTHING LOOKED NORMAL. Zahn: MARNIE HAD A KEY AND LET HERSELF IN. THE LIGHTS WERE ON, BUT THE HOUSE WAS EERILY QUIET. SHE CALLED OUT TO LACI, BUT THERE WAS NO ANSWER. AS SHE SLOWLY SEARCHED THE HOME, SHE FOUND EVIDENCE THAT LACI LEFT IN A HURRY. THE FIRST CLUE WAS A HALF-EATEN SANDWICH. Reed: SHE WOULD HAVE NEVER LEFT FOOD OUT. SHE WAS VERY METICULOUS. HER HOUSE WAS VERY CLEAN. SO AS SOON AS I SAW THE FOOD, I KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG. Zahn: MARNIE'S FEAR ONLY GREW WHEN SHE NOTICED THINGS LACI WOULD NEVER HAVE LEFT HOME WITHOUT. Reed: SHE LEFT HER CELLPHONE THERE. HER KEYS WERE THERE. HER CAR WAS IN THE GARAGE. Zahn: BUT IT WAS CLEAR LACI WAS GONE. HER PURSE WAS MISSING. JUST THEN, LACI'S HUSBAND ARRIVED HOME. Reed: YOU COULD SEE THE LOOK OF WORRY ON HIS FACE, 'CAUSE SOMETHING WAS WRONG. Zahn: RONNIE HAD CALLED ALL OF THEIR FRIENDS AND FAMILY. NO ONE HAD HEARD FROM LACI. [ SIRENS WAILING ] MARNIE REED CALLED THE BIXBY POLICE TO FILE A MISSING-PERSONS REPORT, AND THEN SHE PUT HER LAW-ENFORCEMENT TRAINING TO WORK, ANALYZING THE SCENE. Reed: WE KNEW THAT SHE HAD TO HAVE LEFT WITH SOMEONE, BECAUSE HER CAR WAS THERE. WE KNEW THAT THE PURSE WAS GONE, SO I RECOMMENDED HE CALL THE CREDIT CARD COMPANY TO SEE IF THE CREDIT CARD HAD BEEN USED. Zahn: RONNIE IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE BANK. YOU WERE IN THE ROOM WHEN HE MADE THAT CALL. WHAT DID YOU HEAR? Reed: I HEARD HIM SAY, "OH, MY GOD, SOMEBODY'S GOT MY LITTLE GIRL," WHICH -- RONNIE REFERRED TO HER IN THOSE TERMS BECAUSE SHE WAS TEENY, SO WHEN HE SAID, "SOMEONE'S GOT MY LITTLE GIRL," MY HEART DROPPED. Zahn: BANK RECORDS INDICATED THAT LACI'S CREDIT CARD HAD BEEN USED NUMEROUS TIMES THAT AFTERNOON. HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS' WORTH OF PURCHASES AND CASH WITHDRAWALS HAD BEEN MADE IN PRYOR, OKLAHOMA, A CITY THAT WAS ALMOST AN HOUR AWAY FROM LACI'S HOME. COULD YOU THINK OF ANY REASON WHY LACI WOULD HAVE USED HER CREDIT CARD THAT FAR AWAY FROM HOME? NO. THERE WAS NONE. SHE WOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN THAT FAR AWAY FROM HOME WITHOUT SOMEBODY KNOWING. THERE WAS JUST NO REASON SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN THERE WITHOUT HER CAR OR WITHOUT HER CELLPHONE. Zahn: THE EVIDENCE CONVINCED MARNIE THAT SOMEONE HAD TAKEN HER BEST FRIEND, LACI, AGAINST HER WILL. Reed: I KNEW AT THAT POINT IT WAS BAD. WE WERE IN PANIC MODE. Zahn: MARNIE CALLED POLICE FOR A SECOND TIME. WHEN YOU CALLED 911, WHAT DID YOU CONVEY TO THE OPERATOR? I TOLD HER THAT I HAD ALREADY CALLED IN A MISSING-PERSONS REPORT, AND I SAID, "I NEED TO CHANGE THAT. "IT'S AN ABDUCTION. SOMEONE HAS TAKEN HER." Zahn: BUT WHEN POLICE ARRIVED, THEY DIDN'T AGREE WITH MARNIE'S CONCLUSIONS. THEY SAW NO EVIDENCE THAT LACI HAD BEEN TAKEN BY FORCE. THERE WAS SOME THINGS THAT DIDN'T ADD UP. THERE WAS NOTHING -- NO BREAK-IN, NO BUSTED WINDOWS, NO KICKED-IN DOORS. THERE WAS NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY -- NOTHING THAT WOULD GIVE INDICATION THAT THERE WAS A BREAK-IN OR SOMEONE FORCED THEIR WAY IN. WHAT WERE SOME OF THE THEORIES YOU WERE CONSIDERING ABOUT WHAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED TO LACI? I THOUGHT THERE WAS A POSSIBILITY THAT SHE HAD RUN AWAY. WITH THE CREDIT CARD BEING USED, IT COULD HAVE BEEN HER USING THE CREDIT CARD. SHE MIGHT HAVE LEFT TO START A NEW LIFE. Zahn: DETECTIVES WANTED TO TALK WITH LACI'S HUSBAND TO SEE IF HIS 25-YEAR-OLD WIFE MIGHT HAVE HAD A REASON TO RUN AWAY. WHAT KINDS OF QUESTIONS DID YOU ASK RON HILL? WE ASKED, "WERE THERE PROBLEMS IN THE MARRIAGE? COULD THERE HAVE BEEN AN AFFAIR?" WHERE WAS HE AT DURING THIS TIME? Zahn: AS THEY LISTENED TO RONNIE HILL'S ANSWERS, INVESTIGATORS BEGAN TO WONDER IF THE MAN WHO HAD FIRST NOTICED THAT LACI WAS MISSING COULD ALSO HAVE BEEN THE ONE RESPONSIBLE FOR HER DISAPPEARANCE. LACI HILL HAD SIMPLY VANISHED FROM HER OWN HOME. HER FRIENDS AND FAMILY WERE CONVINCED THAT SHE HAD BEEN KIDNAPPED, BUT POLICE HAD OTHER IDEAS. THEY BELIEVED THAT THE 25-YEAR-OLD HAD RUN AWAY AND THAT HER HUSBAND KNEW MORE THAN HE WAS SAYING ABOUT HER DISAPPEARANCE. POLICE SEARCHED THE RESIDENCE BUT DIDN'T FIND ANY EVIDENCE THAT INDICATED THAT LACI HAD BEEN TAKEN OUT OF HER HOME BY FORCE. Tryon: THERE WASN'T ANY OVERTURNED FURNITURE, NOTHING DISTURBED. THERE WAS NOTHING THAT SEEMED LIKE THERE WAS A FIGHT OR A STRUGGLE IN THE HOUSE. Zahn: THEY THOUGHT IT WAS MUCH MORE LIKELY THAT THE YOUNG WOMAN HAD GONE ON THE RUN. LIKE LACI HAD GOT UP AND LEFT THE HOUSE. IT WAS JUST LIKE SHE DISAPPEARED. Zahn: DETECTIVES TOOK A HARD LOOK AT LACI'S HUSBAND. Tryon: "WERE THERE PROBLEMS IN THE MARRIAGE? COULD THERE HAVE BEEN AN AFFAIR?" WE HAD TO LOOK AT EVERYTHING. Zahn: BUT POLICE COULDN'T FIND ANY PROBLEM THAT WOULD HAVE CAUSED LACI TO LEAVE ON HER OWN. Legleiter: WE INTERVIEWED FRIENDS. WE INTERVIEWED LACI'S PARENTS, LACI'S BROTHER, AND THEY ALL INDICATED IT WAS A VERY STRONG, SOLID MARITAL RELATIONSHIP. WE WAS READY TO GO TO BE WITH THEM FOR THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS. MY MIND WAS WANDERING EVERYWHERE. "WHERE'S SHE AT?" Tryon: THERE WAS JUST -- THERE'S NO REASON FOR HER TO LEAVE. Zahn: DETECTIVES SLOWLY BECAME CONVINCED THAT RONNIE HILL WAS NOT INVOLVED IN HIS WIFE'S DISAPPEARANCE. DID HE HAVE AN IRONCLAD ALIBI? Tryon: HE HAD BEEN AT WORK THE ENTIRE TIME. THERE WAS NO DOUBT THAT HE WAS AT WORK WHEN SHE DISAPPEARED. Zahn: JUST HOURS AFTER RONNIE HILL WAS OFFICIALLY RULED OUT AS A SUSPECT, THE INVESTIGATORS GOT A CRITICAL NEW PIECE OF INFORMATION. THEY LEARNED THAT SOMEONE HAD SPOKEN WITH LACI ON THE MORNING SHE WENT MISSING. A FRIEND OF HERS SAID THAT LACI HAD CALLED HER AROUND NOON TO CANCEL THEIR PLANS AT THE LAST MINUTE. THE REASON -- THE COUPLE'S POOL TABLE, WHICH THEY WERE TRYING TO SELL. SHE TOLD HER THAT SHE COULD NOT WORK OUT WITH HER AT LUNCHTIME BECAUSE SHE WAS GOING TO SHOW THE POOL TABLE. Zahn: RONNIE HILL CONFIRMED THAT THE COUPLE HAD PLACED AN AD IN THE PAPER TO SELL THEIR POOL TABLE, BUT NO ONE KNEW THAT LACI HAD MADE AN APPOINTMENT TO SHOW IT. WE DID NOT KNOW TO WHOM OR THAT IT WAS A MALE, A FEMALE. WE DIDN'T KNOW ANY DETAILS ABOUT IT. Zahn: THE INFORMATION THAT A STRANGER HAD BEEN IN THE HOUSE HAD INVESTIGATORS VIEWING THE SCENE WITH FRESH EYES. AS THEY STUDIED THE ROOM WHERE THE POOL TABLE WAS LOCATED, THEY SAW EVIDENCE OF A STRUGGLE THEY HADN'T SEEN BEFORE. THERE WERE TWO PICTURES THAT WERE CROOKED IN THE POOL-TABLE ROOM. IT WAS BELIEVED THAT THERE WAS SOME TYPE OF POSSIBLE SCUFFLE. Zahn: IT CONVINCED POLICE THAT LACI'S FAMILY AND FRIENDS HAD BEEN RIGHT ALL ALONG. WE FEARED THAT SHE HAD BEEN ABDUCTED AND WAS BEING HELD HOSTAGE. Zahn: AS DETECTIVES RAMPED UP THE INVESTIGATION, LACI'S LOVED ONES TURNED TO THE MEDIA TO PLEAD FOR HER LIFE. SHE'S OUT THERE, AND SHE'S GONNA COME HOME, AND AS MANY PEOPLE THAT CAN BE OUT THERE HELPING US, THE BETTER. Larry Jr.: JUST LET MY SISTER GO. I MEAN, SHE'S NOT DONE ANYTHING TO YOU. SHE'S NEVER DONE ANYTHING TO ANYBODY. THERE'S NO REASON FOR YOU TO HAVE HER. THERE'S NO REASON FOR YOU TO KEEP HER. JUST LET HER GO. JUST GIVE HER BACK TO US, PLEASE. PLEASE. Zahn: INVESTIGATORS CONTINUED TO TRACK THE ACTIVITY ON LACI'S CREDIT CARDS, HOPING THAT HER KIDNAPPER WOULD LEAVE A PAPER TRAIL FOR THEM TO FOLLOW. WE KNEW THAT WE HAD TO DO IT AS FAST AS WE COULD BECAUSE EVERY MINUTE COUNTED. THE LONGER SHE WAS GONE, THE GREATER THE CHANCE THAT SHE WOULD BE HARMED. Zahn: INVESTIGATORS DISCOVERED THAT LACI'S CREDIT CARD HAD BEEN DECLINED AT A WALMART IN PRYOR, OKLAHOMA. THE STORE'S SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS HAD RECORDED THE FAILED TRANSACTION. FBI SPECIALISTS WERE SENT TO ANALYZE THE VIDEO. WE SAW A WHITE, MALE INDIVIDUAL WHO WAS WEARING A DARK-AND-WHITE-COLORED JACKET CONDUCTING THE PURCHASE. THERE WAS ALSO A FEMALE WITH THAT MALE. Zahn: COULD THE WOMAN BE LACI? INVESTIGATORS WERE FRUSTRATED BY THE BLURRY IMAGES ON THE VIDEO. COULD YOU MAKE OUT ANY FACES? YOU COULD BARELY MAKE OUT ANY FACES. YOU COULD SEE IT WAS A MALE AND A FEMALE IN THERE. THEY WAS GOING THROUGH A CHECK-OUT LINE. Zahn: AS INVESTIGATORS EXAMINED THE VIDEO FRAME BY FRAME, MORE DETAILS BEGAN TO EMERGE. COULD YOU ESTABLISH WHAT EITHER ONE OF THEM WAS WEARING? THE MALE SUBJECT HAD ON A VERY DISTINCTIVE JACKET. WHAT DID THE JACKET LOOK LIKE? IT WAS LIKE A FOOTBALL-TYPE JACKET, HAD "U.S.A." IN BIG LETTERS DOWN THE SLEEVE. IT HAD A BIG EMBLEM ON THE BACK. Zahn: THEN, DETECTIVES TURNED THEIR ATTENTION TO THE WOMAN IN THE VIDEO. HER BODY LANGUAGE WAS PUZZLING. IT DIDN'T APPEAR AS THOUGH SHE WAS BEING HELD HOSTAGE. IT APPEARED THAT THE FEMALE WAS ACTING UNDER HER OWN FREE WILL AND DID NOT APPEAR TO BE UNDER DURESS. Zahn: INVESTIGATORS DECIDED TO SHOW THE SURVEILLANCE VIDEO TO LACI'S FAMILY IN THE HOPES THAT THEY COULD IDENTIFY EITHER PERSON CAPTURED ON TAPE. IT WAS HARD TO SEE ON THE TAPE. I WANTED THE FAMILY TO SEE IT. [ SIREN WAILS ] Zahn: POLICE RACED TO LACI'S HOME. THEY HAD TO GET ANSWERS FAST IF THEY HAD ANY CHANCE OF SAVING HER LIFE. COMING UP... A TIP POINTS POLICE TO LACI'S KIDNAPPER. I KEPT LOOKING REALLY CLOSE, AND I COULD SEE THE JACKET. I WAS LIKE, "OH, MY GOSH. THAT'S HIM." POLICE INVESTIGATING THE DISAPPEARANCE OF LACI HILL HAD A HOT NEW LEAD -- A SURVEILLANCE CAMERA HAD CAPTURED A MAN AND WOMAN ATTEMPTING TO USE HER CREDIT CARD AT A DEPARTMENT STORE. THE DISCOVERY RAISED TWO IMPORTANT QUESTIONS. WHO WAS THE MAN IN THE VIDEO? AND WAS HE HOLDING LACI CAPTIVE? DETECTIVES HADN'T BEEN ABLE TO IDENTIFY EITHER THE MAN OR THE WOMAN SEEN IN THE STORE VIDEO. THEY HOPED THAT THOSE CLOSEST TO LACI MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP. Zahn: WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION WHEN YOU SAW THE WALMART SURVEILLANCE VIDEO? WHAT DID YOU SEE? I KNEW IMMEDIATELY THAT I DIDN'T RECOGNIZE THE MAN IN THE VIDEO AND THAT THE FEMALE THAT WAS WITH HIM IN THE VIDEO WAS NOT LACI. THERE WAS NO DOUBT IN YOUR MIND? IT WAS OBVIOUS IT WASN'T HER. Zahn: POLICE THOUGHT THAT SOMEONE MIGHT RECOGNIZE THE MAN AT THE REGISTER BECAUSE OF WHAT HE HAD BEEN WEARING. THE MALE SUBJECT HAD ON A VERY DISTINCTIVE JACKET. I WAS HOPING THAT MIGHT BE THE CLUE THAT WE NEEDED. Zahn: INVESTIGATORS RELEASED THE SURVEILLANCE VIDEO TO THE MEDIA... Man: FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF THE HILL FAMILY RUSHED TO THEIR HOME LAST THURSDAY, WHEN 25-YEAR-OLD LACI... Zahn: ...AND LACI'S FAMILY ADDED THEIR OWN PUBLIC APPEAL FOR ANY INFORMATION THAT MIGHT HELP POLICE FIND LACI. I PERSONALLY WATCHED THE TAPES. IT'S NOT MY WIFE. AND WE'RE JUST TRYING TO GET THE COMMUNICATION OUT. ANYTHING YOU KNOW -- IF YOU SAW SOMETHING STRANGE -- JUST CALL. Zahn: AS THE HOURS WENT BY, ALL LACI'S FAMILY COULD DO WAS PRAY. Larry Jr.: NONE OF US HAVE EATEN IN THREE DAYS. NONE OF US HAVE SLEPT IN THREE DAYS. IT'S BEEN REAL HARD TO SIT AROUND AND WAIT, 'CAUSE THERE'S NOTHING WE KNOW THAT WE CAN DO. Zahn: BUT ALL OF THAT WAS ABOUT TO CHANGE. WITHIN HOURS OF THE VIDEOTAPE BEING BROADCAST, POLICE GOT A STUNNING CALL. THE TIP CAME FROM THE LAST PERSON THEY EVER WOULD HAVE EXPECTED. Tryon: SHE EXPLAINED THAT SHE WAS ONE OF THE PEOPLE IN THE VIDEO AND THE MALE PERSON IN THE VIDEO WAS HER HUSBAND, STEVEN RAY THACKER. Zahn: TRENA THACKER HAD BEEN WATCHING THE NEWS ABOUT LACI HILL'S DISAPPEARANCE WHEN SHE RECOGNIZED HER HUSBAND IN THE CLIP FROM THE WALMART SURVEILLANCE VIDEO. TELL ME EXACTLY WHAT YOU SAW WHEN YOU WERE WATCHING TELEVISION WITH YOUR MOTHER. I KEPT LOOKING REALLY CLOSE, AND I COULD SEE THE JACKET, AND I KNEW HIS BODY MOVEMENTS. I WAS LIKE, "THAT'S STEVE." I WAS LIKE, "OH, MY GOSH. THAT'S HIM." THERE WAS NO DOUBT IN YOUR MIND THAT, AS YOU WERE WATCHING THIS SURVEILLANCE VIDEO, THAT WAS HIM. ...WHOSE IMAGE WAS CAPTURED ON VIDEOTAPE. YES. I COULD FEEL MY HEART, LIKE, IN MY THROAT AND THOUGHT I WAS GONNA PASS OUT. IN MY WILDEST DREAMS I WOULD NEVER HAVE THOUGHT THAT WAS ME AND MY HUSBAND AT WALMART. I WAS A COMPLETE WRECK. Zahn: POLICE WANTED TO KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT THE COUPLE'S TRIP TO WALMART. TRENA SAID THAT SHE WAS SURPRISED WHEN HER HUSBAND ASKED HER TO GO CHRISTMAS SHOPPING BECAUSE THEY HAD BEEN STRUGGLING FINANCIALLY. DID YOU WONDER WHERE HE SUDDENLY WAS GETTING THIS MONEY TO BUY CHRISTMAS GIFTS? OH, YEAH. HE CAME IN SO EXCITED. HE WAS LIKE, "I TALKED TO MY MOM." HE SAID, "THEY WIRED US MONEY," AND I BELIEVED IT. I THOUGHT IT WAS TRUE. Zahn: TRENA INSISTED THAT SHE HAD NO IDEA THAT HER HUSBAND WAS ACTUALLY PLANNING TO USE LACI'S STOLEN CREDIT CARD. HOW IS IT THAT YOU DIDN'T SEE THE TRANSACTION PROCESSED? HE GAVE ME THE KEYS AND TOLD ME TO GO GET THE CAR AND BRING IT UP FRONT FOR THE GIFTS. NOT REALLY. I NEVER IN MY WILDEST DREAMS WOULD HAVE THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, THAT HE STOLE SOMEONE'S CREDIT CARD. Zahn: EVEN THOUGH TRENA HAD CONTACTED POLICE, DETECTIVES WERE SUSPICIOUS ABOUT HER POSSIBLE INVOLVEMENT IN THE CRIME. HOW WERE YOU ABLE TO DETERMINE IF TRENA REALLY WAS TELLING YOU THE TRUTH? Tryon: WE LOOKED AT THE TAPE AND, OF COURSE, ANALYZED THE ACTIONS ON THE TAPE, AND THEN WE ALSO ASKED HER TO DO A POLYGRAPH, AND SHE AGREED. Zahn: TRENA THACKER PASSED THE POLYGRAPH. TRENA TOLD POLICE THAT SHE NOW HAD AS MANY QUESTIONS ABOUT HER HUSBAND AS THEY DID. WHAT DID YOU THINK THE CONSEQUENCES WOULD BE OF TURNING YOUR HUSBAND IN? MY WHOLE LIFE WAS GONNA CHANGE. WHAT WAS IT THAT YOU FEARED THE MOST? OH, HE'S GONNA KILL ME AND MY FAMILY. Zahn: TRENA HAD JUST MARRIED STEVEN THACKER AFTER A WHIRLWIND ROMANCE. HOW LONG HAD YOU KNOWN STEVEN? Vazquez: WE WERE ONLY MARRIED THREE MONTHS. I ONLY KNEW HIM PROBABLY A TOTAL OF SIX. WHAT DID YOU KNOW ABOUT HIS BACKGROUND? NOTHING. AND THERE WERE SO MANY THINGS THAT HE WAS HIDING. Zahn: DETECTIVES LEARNED THAT ONE OF THE THINGS THACKER HAD BEEN HIDING FROM TRENA WAS HIS CRIMINAL HISTORY. THOSE CRIMES INCLUDED LARCENY, BURGLARY, AUTO-THEFT, AND CHECK-FORGERY CHARGES. Zahn: BUT NONE OF THACKER'S MANY RUN-INS WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT HAD EVER BEEN THIS SERIOUS. DID HE HAVE ANY HISTORY OF VIOLENCE? NO. NO. Zahn: POLICE WANTED TO TALK WITH STEVEN THACKER, BUT TRENA SAID HE HAD DISAPPEARED THE NIGHT BEFORE. HE HAD TAKEN HER CAR TO RUN AN ERRAND AND NEVER CAME HOME. HE SAYS THAT HE LEFT HIS WALLET AT WALMART. A LITTLE. HE'S LIKE, "I WILL BE BACK LATER." THAT WAS THE LAST TIME I SAW HIM. Zahn: DETECTIVES NOW BELIEVE THAT THACKER WAS HOLDING LACI HILL CAPTIVE. THEY ASKED TRENA IF SHE KNEW WHERE HER HUSBAND MIGHT HAVE GONE. DID YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHERE HE COULD HAVE TAKEN LACI? YES, I DID. THERE WAS A CABIN THAT WE WERE GOING TO POSSIBLY BUY THAT HE WAS WORKING ON, AND I'D BEEN THERE A COUPLE OF TIMES, BUT HE WOULD GO UP THERE AND WORK ON THAT CABIN. THAT WAS THE FIRST THING THAT WENT INTO MY HEAD, THAT CABIN. WHY DID THAT SEEM LIKE SUCH AN OBVIOUS PLACE TO YOU, WHERE HE COULD HAVE TAKEN HER? IT'S ISOLATED. NO ONE'S THERE. Zahn: AS INVESTIGATORS RACED TO THE CABIN, THEY HOPED THEY COULD GET THERE BEFORE IT WAS TOO LATE. IT WAS OUR HOPE AND BELIEF THAT LACI HILL WAS STILL ALIVE. EVERY SECOND COUNTED. Zahn: COMING UP... POLICE UNCOVER A KIDNAPPER'S HIDEOUT. AS YOU BEGAN TO ANALYZE THE EVIDENCE THAT YOU SAW AT THE SCENE, WHAT DID YOU THINK HAD HAPPENED TO LACI? 29-YEAR-OLD STEVEN THACKER WAS NOW THE PRIME SUSPECT IN LACI HILL'S KIDNAPPING. AFTER HIS DISTRAUGHT WIFE HAD IDENTIFIED HIM AS THE MAN USING LACI'S STOLEN CREDIT CARD, SHE ALSO TOLD INVESTIGATORS WHERE HER HUSBAND MIGHT BE HIDING. TRENA THACKER DIRECTED POLICE TO A REMOTE CABIN IN THE WOODS. EVEN THOUGH LACI HILL HAD BEEN MISSING FOR SIX DAYS, THEY STILL CLUNG TO HOPE. I WAS HOPING THAT WE'D FIND THACKER THERE AND LACI WOULD STILL BE ALIVE. I WAS REALLY HOPING THAT SHE WAS GONNA BE FOUND THERE. Zahn: WHEN INVESTIGATORS ARRIVED AT THE ISOLATED CABIN, THERE WAS NO SIGN OF STEVEN THACKER, HIS CAR, NOR LACI HILL. WHEN POLICE ENTERED THE CABIN, WHAT DID THEY SEE? IT WAS COMPLETELY LITTERED WITH DEBRIS. THERE WERE OLD MATTRESSES, OLD BOX SPRINGS IN THERE. Zahn: BUT AMIDST THE CHAOS WERE IMPORTANT CLUES. Franchini: THERE WAS A FOLDING METAL CHAIR IN THERE. THEY OBSERVED ZIP TIES ALONG THE BOTTOM LEGS OF THE CHAIRS. WHEN DETECTIVES DISCOVERED THE ZIP TIES, IS THAT THE POINT WHERE THEY BECAME CONVINCED THEY COULD POTENTIALLY BE LOOKING AT A CRIME SCENE? YES. THEY WERE CONCERNED ABOUT THE ZIP TIES BECAUSE THE ZIP TIES LOOKED LIKE THEY HAD NOT BEEN THERE FAIRLY LONG. AS OPPOSED TO THE ALL THE OTHER DEBRIS, THEY WERE FAIRLY CLEAN. Zahn: INVESTIGATORS CONTINUED SEARCHING AND MADE ANTHER DISTURBING DISCOVERY. Franchini: THEY FOUND A PURSE IN THE CABINET, AND IT HAD LACI HILL'S IDENTIFICATION. Zahn: LACI'S PURSE LED POLICE TO A CHILLING CONCLUSION. AS YOU BEGAN TO ANALYZE THE EVIDENCE THAT YOU SAW AT THE SCENE, WHAT DID YOU THINK HAD HAPPENED TO LACI? THAT SHE'D BEEN ZIP-TIED TO THAT CHAIR AND HELD THERE FOR A WHILE. Zahn: AS DETECTIVES LOOKED AT THE EMPTY CHAIR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE COLD, FILTHY CABIN, THEY COULDN'T HELP BUT IMAGINE THE TORMENT LACI HILL HAD ENDURED AT THE HANDS OF HER KIDNAPPER. DID YOU HAVE ANY HOPE THAT YOU MIGHT FIND LACI ALIVE? EVERYBODY STILL HAD THAT HOPE THAT HE WAS ON THE RUN WITH HER. Zahn: BUT AS INVESTIGATORS SLOWLY AND METHODICALLY SIFTED THROUGH THE ENDLESS PILE OF DEBRIS FOUND IN THE CABIN, THEY MADE A GRISLY DISCOVERY. Franchini: AS THEY'RE PROCESSING THIS CRIME SCENE AND GOING INCH BY INCH, ONE OF THE LAW-ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS LIFT THE MATTRESS AND BOX SPRINGS. THERE'S LACI'S BODY THERE. CAN YOU DESCRIBE TO ME WHAT THE REACTION WAS COLLECTIVELY OF ALL OF YOU VETERAN POLICE OFFICERS? Tryon: IT HIT EVERYBODY HARD. IT WAS LIKE A KICK IN THE GUT. Zahn: IT WAS A SCENE OF UTTER DEPRAVITY, BUT DETECTIVES HAD TO GATHER THEIR EMOTIONS QUICKLY AND FOCUS ON THE EVIDENCE LACI'S KILLER HAD LEFT BEHIND. HER FACE WAS COVERED WITH A LOT OF BLOOD. HER SHIRT WAS KIND OF PUSHED UP, AND HER BRA WAS UNCLASPED FROM THE FRONT. SHE WAS NUDE FROM THE WAIST DOWN, AND THERE WERE OBVIOUS LIGATURE MARKS ON HER NECK, AND SHE HAD TWO PUNCTURE WOUNDS IN HER CHEST. Zahn: FORENSIC EXPERTS CONCLUDED THAT LACI HILL HAD BEEN DEAD SINCE THE DAY SHE WENT MISSING. HER HALF-EATEN LUNCH WAS STILL IN HER STOMACH. WHAT DID THE MEDICAL EXAMINER DETERMINE HAD HAPPENED TO LACI? Franchini: THAT SHE HAD BEEN STRANGLED, SHE HAD BEEN STABBED TWICE IN THE CHEST, AND SHE HAD BEEN SEXUALLY ASSAULTED. DID IT APPEAR AS THOUGH SHE WAS EVER ABLE TO PUT UP A FIGHT? SHE DID HAVE SOME DEFENSIVE WOUNDS, SO SHE, AT SOME POINT, STRUGGLED WITH HER ATTACKER. Zahn: DETECTIVES BELIEVE THAT THACKER HAD ENTERED LACI'S HOME UNDER THE PRETENSE THAT HE WAS INTERESTED IN BUYING THEIR POOL TABLE. THE THEN ABDUCTED HER AND BROUGHT HER TO THE CABIN, WHERE HE KILLED HER. DETECTIVES HAD TO BREAK THE TRAGIC NEWS TO LACI'S FAMILY. Larry: I WAS HOPING IT WAS GOOD INFORMATION. WELL, IT WAS NOT GOOD INFORMATION. THEY SAID THAT, "WE HAVE FOUND YOUR DAUGHTER." AND WE ALL LOOKED AT EACH OTHER. AND THEN THEY SAID THAT SHE'S DECEASED. IT WAS TERRIBLE. IT TOOK THE WIND OUT OF MY SAIL. WE WERE ALL DEVASTATED. [ INDISTINCT TALKING ] EVERYONE JUST BROKE DOWN, AND WE ALL JUST CRIED. WHAT KIND OF TOLL DID LACI'S DEATH TAKE ON HER FAMILY? I REALLY DIDN'T THINK THAT HER MOTHER WOULD BE ABLE TO SURVIVE IT. Zahn: AT LACI'S FUNERAL, HER FATHER TRIED TO REMAIN STRONG FOR THE FAMILY. Larry: THAT DAY WAS PROBABLY THE TOUGHEST DAY OF MY LIFE. WOULD'VE NEVER THOUGHT I'D BE BURYING MY YOUNGEST CHILD -- VERY, VERY HARD. SHE HAD SO MANY DREAMS, AND SHE WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING A FAMILY. SHE'D HAVE BEEN A PERFECT MOM. [ SIREN WAILS ] Zahn: INVESTIGATORS WERE DETERMINED TO BRING THE MAN RESPONSIBLE FOR CRUSHING THOSE DREAMS TO JUSTICE. THEY LAUNCHED A MASSIVE MANHUNT. WE NEEDED TO LOCATE STEVEN THACKER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. WE BEGAN A NATIONWIDE SEARCH. THE FBI DEPLOYED ITS ASSETS THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES. HOW DANGEROUS DID YOU BELIEVE STEVEN THACKER WAS? EXTREMELY DANGEROUS BECAUSE ONCE SOMEBODY HAS KILLED SOMEBODY AND THEY GO ON THE RUN, THEY HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE. DID YOU THINK IT WAS LIKELY HE WOULD KILL AGAIN? YES. HE HAD NO CONCERN FOR HUMAN LIFE. TO KEEP FROM GETTING CAUGHT, HE WOULD NOT HESITATE TO KILL AGAIN. Zahn: TRENA THACKER COULDN'T BELIEVE THAT THE MAN SHE HAD MARRIED WAS A STONE-COLD MONSTER. IT WAS HORRIBLE. HORRIBLE THAT HE ACTUALLY COULD KILL SOMEONE. I WAS TERRIFIED. I WANTED THEM TO FIND HIM. Zahn: POLICE KNEW THAT A VIOLENT PREDATOR WAS ON THE LOOSE, AND THEY WERE DESPERATE TO FIND THACKER BEFORE HE CLAIMED THE LIVES OF MORE INNOCENT VICTIMS. DID YOU HAVE ANY IDEA OF WHERE THACKER WOULD GO? WE HAD NO IDEA. HE COULD BE ANYWHERE. Zahn: NO ONE WANTED THACKER CAPTURED MORE THAN LACI HILL'S FAMILY AND FRIENDS. DESCRIBE TO ME WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO WATCH THE MANHUNT UNFOLD ON TELEVISION. YOU WERE WORRIED ABOUT HIM HURTING SOMEBODY ELSE. YOU WANTED HIM CAUGHT. Zahn: JUST HOURS AFTER DISCOVERING LACI HILL'S BODY, INVESTIGATORS GOT A CALL FROM POLICE IN SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI. IT CONFIRMED EVERYONE'S WORST FEARS. STEVEN THACKER HAD STRUCK AGAIN. WE RECEIVED INFORMATION THAT STEVE THACKER HAD BEEN INVOLVED IN A CARJACKING. Zahn: A TERRIFIED MOTHER HAD CALLED POLICE TO REPORT THAT HER CAR HAD BEEN STOLEN BY A VIOLENT LUNATIC. JUST AS HE HAD WITH LACI HILL, THACKER HAD USED THE CLASSIFIEDS SECTION OF A NEWSPAPER TO SELECT HIS VICTIM. Franchini: WE LEARNED THAT THACKER HAD CALLED THIS WOMAN WHO WAS SELLING A CAR AND THEY HAD AGREED TO MEET. HE WANTED TO LOOK AT THE CAR AT THE OSCO DRUG STORE. Zahn: THE WOMAN PULLED INTO THE PARKING LOT WITH HER 2-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER AND AN ELDERLY FRIEND IN THE BACK SEAT. SHE SAID THAT WHEN THE MAN ASKED TO TAKE THE CAR FOR A TEST DRIVE, SHE AGREED. BUT AS HE DROVE AROUND THE PARKING LOT, HE SUDDENLY GRABBED HER BY THE THROAT AND PUNCHED HER IN THE FACE. HE KNOCKS THE YOUNGER WOMAN OUT OF THE CAR, AND HE STILL HAS THE ELDERLY WOMAN AND THE 2-YEAR-OLD IN THE CAR, AND HE TAKES OFF. Zahn: WHILE MISSOURI POLICE SPRUNG INTO ACTION TRYING TO SAVE THE LIVES OF THACKER'S TWO HOSTAGES, OKLAHOMA INVESTIGATORS WERE NOTIFIED THAT THACKER'S CAR HAD BEEN SEIZED IN THE PARKING LOT WHERE THE CARJACKING HAD HAPPENED. THEY FIND THE WHITE GRAND AM, WHICH BELONGED TO TRENA, IS PARKED IN THE PARKING LOT. Zahn: INVESTIGATORS SEARCH THE CAR. THEY HOPE TO FIND EVIDENCE THAT CONNECTED THACKER TO LACI HILL'S KIDNAPPING AND ***. WHAT DID THAT PROCESS YIELD? Franchini: THERE WERE GLOVES IN THE CAR, THERE WERE MAPS IN THE CAR, AND THEY FOUND A GREEN-HANDLED HUNTING KNIFE UNDERNEATH THE SEAT OF THE CAR. Zahn: POLICE BELIEVE THAT TESTING WOULD REVEAL THE KNIFE HAD BEEN THE WEAPON USED TO KILL LACI HILL. MEANWHILE, MISSOURI AUTHORITIES WERE IN HOT PURSUIT OF STEVEN THACKER. AN HOUR AFTER THE CARJACKING, POLICE GOT WORD THAT HE HAD RELEASED HIS HOSTAGES. THE YOUNG GIRL AND THE FRIEND WERE UNHARMED. BUT STEVEN THACKER HAD NOT GIVEN HIMSELF UP. MISSOURI TROOPERS HAD SEEN THE DANGEROUS FUGITIVE AS HE RACED DOWN THE HIGHWAY IN HIS STOLEN CAR. HE'S SPOTTED BY A PATROL CAR. [ SIREN WAILS ] A CHASE ENSUES. THACKER WRECKS THE VEHICLE AND RUNS OFF INTO A HEAVILY WOODED AREA. Zahn: DESPITE AN EXHAUSTIVE SEARCH, STEVEN THACKER WAS NOWHERE TO BE FOUND. Man: NO LOCATION, NO SPOTTING, NO SIGNS, NO PLACE WHERE HE MIGHT HAVE HOLED UP FOR THE NIGHT, NOTHING IN A BARN. NOTHING. Zahn: COMING UP... THE DESPERATE SEARCH FOR A DEADLY KILLER. GIVES YOU A SCARY FEELING TO KNOW THAT HE'S OUT HERE SOMEPLACE. HE IS A VERY, VERY DANGEROUS MAN. Zahn: WANT MORE ON THE CASE? GO TO... ...AND VIEW EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO. A NATIONWIDE MANHUNT WAS NOW UNDERWAY FOR STEVEN RAY THACKER. POLICE HAD UNCOVERED EVIDENCE THAT HE ABDUCTED, TORTURED, AND MURDERED 25-YEAR-OLD LACI HILL. THACKER HAD NEARLY BEEN CAPTURED AFTER A HIGH-SPEED CHASE IN MISSOURI, BUT SOMEHOW, HE HAD MANAGED TO ESCAPE INTO A DENSELY WOODED AREA. POLICE KNEW THEY HAD TO TRACK HIM DOWN BEFORE HE STRUCK AGAIN. DETECTIVES BELIEVED THAT THACKER WOULD KILL ANYONE WHO TRIED TO STOP HIM. WHAT WAS THE SENSE OF FEAR IN THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES? THEY WERE CONCERNED BECAUSE HE WAS ON THE LOOSE. AND WE HADN'T BEEN ABLE TO LOCATE HIM YET. Man: THOSE IN THE AREA NEED TO MAKE SURE THEIR HOUSES ARE SECURE, THEIR CARS ARE SECURE, AND REPORT ANY SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY AROUND THEIR PLACE. Zahn: BUT DESPITE ALL THE WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS, STEVEN THACKER'S DEADLY CRIME SPREE CONTINUED. POLICE FOUND HIS NEXT VICTIM, 24-YEAR-OLD FORREST BOYD, STABBED TO DEATH IN HIS HOME. IT APPEARED THAT STEVEN THACKER ENTERED HIS RESIDENCE TO ROB HIM, AND THE VICTIM APPEARED TO BE LAYING ON THE COUCH AT THE TIME HE WAS KILLED. Zahn: THACKER HAD STOLEN BOYD'S CREDIT CARDS AND FLED THE SCENE IN HIS CAR. POLICE SET UP ROADBLOCKS TO INSPECT EVERY VEHICLE LEAVING THE AREA. UH, YEAH, CAN YOU JUST POP THAT TRUNK FOR ME REAL QUICK? BUT ONCE AGAIN, STEVEN THACKER HAD MANAGED TO ELUDE AUTHORITIES. WE DID NOT HAVE ANY CLUE WHERE HE COULD HAVE GONE. HE IS A VERY, VERY DANGEROUS MAN THAT, AT THIS POINT, HAD KILLED TWO PEOPLE, AND IT DID NOT APPEAR THAT HE WAS GOING TO STOP KILLING. Zahn: THACKER'S TRAIL WAS NEXT PICKED UP AT A GAS STATION IN DYERSBURG, TENNESSEE, WHERE THE BODY OF 52-YEAR-OLD TOW-TRUCK DRIVER RAY PATTERSON WAS DISCOVERED. INVESTIGATORS KNEW THAT THACKER HAD BEEN THE KILLER WHEN THEY FOUND FORREST BOYD'S CREDIT CARD AND CAR AT THE SCENE. HE WAS ATTEMPTING TO USE THE CREDIT CARD OF THE VICTIM IN MISSOURI. Zahn: POLICE BELIEVE THAT THACKER HAD FLED FROM THE *** SCENE IN PATTERSON'S MISSING TOW TRUCK. A "BE ON THE LOOKOUT" WAS PUT OUT ACROSS THE STATE OF TENNESSEE. STEVEN THACKER WAS NOW CONSIDERED TO BE ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS MEN IN AMERICA. Man: MAN IS WANTED IN CONNECTION FOR INVESTIGATION OF THREE HOMICIDES IN THE LAST FEW DAYS. HE IS TO BE CONSIDERED ARMED AND VERY DANGEROUS. NOBODY NEEDS TO TAKE ANY CHANCES WITH THIS GUY. Zahn: BUT THEN, TENNESSEE POLICE CAUGHT A BREAK. A PATROL OFFICER SPOTTED THE TOW TRUCK THACKER HAD ESCAPED WITH NEAR A MOTEL IN UNION CITY, TENNESSEE. JUST AS OFFICERS ARRIVED AT THE MOTEL TO SET UP A PERIMETER, THEY SAW STEVEN THACKER LEAVE HIS ROOM TO TAKE OUT THE TRASH. THEY DECIDED TO MAKE THEIR MOVE AND END THACKER'S REIGN OF TERROR. 10 DAYS AFTER LACI HILL'S ABDUCTION, STEVEN RAY THACKER WAS ARRESTED. AMAZINGLY, HE MADE NO ATTEMPT TO RESIST. HOW DID YOU GET THE NEWS THACKER HAD BEEN CAPTURED? Reed: ON TV. WE WERE ALL SITTING AROUND, WATCHING THE TV, AND THEY SAID HE HAD BEEN CAPTURED, AND I REMEMBER THE ENTIRE ROOM CHEERED. Zahn: INVESTIGATORS KNEW THERE WAS STILL CRITICAL WORK THAT NEEDED TO BE DONE BEFORE THEY COULD OBTAIN JUSTICE FOR THACKER'S MANY VICTIMS. WHEN AGENT FRANCHINI AND SERGEANT TRYON CONFRONTED THACKER IN THE INTERROGATION ROOM, THEY WERE DETERMINED TO GET A CONFESSION. WITHOUT A TRACE OF EMOTION, STEVEN THACKER TOLD THEM WHAT HE DID ON THE DAY OF LACI HILL'S ***. WHAT DID HE TELL YOU? HE TOLD ME THAT HE HAD BEEN CALLING ADS IN THE TULSA WORLD NEWSPAPER OF PEOPLE THAT HAD THINGS FOR SALE, AND HE NOTICED AN AD FOR A POOL TABLE, AND HE CALLED IT, AND A FEMALE ANSWERED THE PHONE. Zahn: THACKER SAID THAT THE WOMAN ON THE OTHER END OF THE LINE HAD BEEN 25-YEAR-OLD LACI HILL. WHAT DID HE SAY HIS PLAN WAS? HIS PLAN WAS JUST TO GO THERE AND STEAL SOMETHING FROM THE HOUSE. Zahn: BUT ONCE HE ARRIVED AT LACI'S FRONT DOOR, IT BECAME CLEAR THAT HE HAD MORE THAN A SIMPLE ROBBERY ON HIS MIND. THACKER SAID HE MADE SURE SHE WAS ALONE BEFORE HE ATTACKED. HOW DID HE SAY HE GOT HER OUT OF THE HOUSE? HE FORCED HER OUT OF THE HOUSE AT KNIFEPOINT. Zahn: THE DESCRIPTION MATCHED THE KNIFE FOUND IN THACKER'S CAR. THACKER SAID HE THEN DROVE LACI TO THE REMOTE CABIN IN THE WOODS. HE TOOK OFF HER PANTS, HER SHOES AND SOCKS, AND HER UNDERWEAR. HE RAPES HER. THERE'S A METAL CHAIR IN THERE, AND HE SAID HE PUTS LACI IN THE CHAIR, RESTRAINS HER ARMS, AND THEN RESTRAINS HER LEGS WITH THESE ZIP TIES. Zahn: AGENT FRANCHINI WAS DISGUSTED BY THACKER'S ATTITUDE. WHAT WAS IT THAT YOU READ INTO HIS DEMEANOR? THAT HE DIDN'T CARE. AT ALL. IT STRUCK ME HOW EASY HE COULD SIT THERE AND TELL ME ABOUT KILLING LACI HILL AND SHOW ABSOLUTELY NO EMOTION. HE SHOWED NO SIGNS OF REMORSE? NO. NONE WHATSOEVER. Zahn: AFTER THACKER'S ARREST, AUTHORITIES ALLOWED TRENA TO SPEAK WITH HER HUSBAND. DID HE EVER GIVE YOU A REASON WHY HE WAS MOTIVATED TO KILL? HE JUST TOLD ME THAT HE WAS SCARED. HE DIDN'T WANT TO GET CAUGHT. THAT'S ALL HE COULD TELL ME. HOW DID YOU DEAL WITH THE FACT THAT YOUR HUSBAND WAS A COLD-BLOODED KILLER? I HAD A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN FROM IT. I WAS COMPLETELY DEVASTATED THAT HE COULD TAKE LIVES LIKE THAT, LIKE IT WAS NOTHING. ON DECEMBER 2, 2002, STEVEN THACKER PLED GUILTY TO LACI HILL'S ***. AT THE SENTENCING HEARING, MAYES COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY GENE HAYNES ASKED THE JUDGE FOR THE DEATH PENALTY. Haynes: THE WAY THE CRIME WAS COMMITTED, THE SUFFERING THAT THE VICTIM HAD TO GO THROUGH, I FELT THAT THIS WAS A CASE THAT DEFINITELY JUSTIFIED THE ULTIMATE PENALTY OF DEATH. Zahn: LACI HILL'S FATHER WAS FILLED WITH RAGE AS STEVEN THACKER WAS LED INTO THE COURTROOM. THEY HAD DEPUTIES SITTING ALL AROUND ME IN THE COURTROOM, AND I TOLD THEM, I SAID, "IF HE CRACKS A SMILE, I'M AFTER HIM. I WANT TO KILL HIM." Zahn: BUT ULTIMATELY, IT WAS THE JUDGE THAT SENTENCED STEVEN THACKER TO DEATH. ON MARCH 13, 2013, THE LOVED ONES OF ALL THREE OF THACKER'S VICTIMS GATHERED AT THE STATE PENITENTIARY IN OKLAHOMA TO ATTEND THACKER'S EXECUTION. WHY WAS IT IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO WITNESS THACKER'S EXECUTION? I DIDN'T WANT TO AT FIRST. I DIDN'T THINK I WOULD BE ABLE TO HANDLE SEEING THAT. BUT THEN I DECIDED THAT I WANTED THE CLOSURE. I HAD BEEN THROUGH THIS ENTIRE PROCESS WITH THE FAMILY FROM THE START, AND I WANTED TO FINISH IT WITH HER DAD. Larry: I DID WANT TO SEE HIM PUT TO DEATH FOR WHAT HE'D DONE TO MY DAUGHTER. IT WOULD HAVE NEVER BROUGHT MY DAUGHTER BACK, BUT AT LEAST HE PAID FOR WHAT HE'D DONE TO HER. Zahn: LACI'S FATHER STILL STRUGGLES TO COMPREHEND WHY STEVEN THACKER WAS DRIVEN TO KILL HIS DAUGHTER. WHY WOULD HE KILL SUCH A YOUNG, BEAUTIFUL WOMAN OVER A FEW DOLLARS FOR CHRISTMAS PRESENTS? HE TOOK SO MUCH FROM US -- SO, SO MUCH. IT'S UNBELIEVABLE WHAT ONE MAN CAN TAKE FROM YOU. BEFORE HE WAS EXECUTED FOR HIS CRIMES AGAINST LACI HILL, STEVEN RAY THACKER WAS TRIED AND CONVICTED OF THE *** OF RAY PATTERSON AND PLED GUILTY TO THE *** OF FORREST BOYD. I'M PAULA ZAHN. PLEASE JOIN US AGAIN NEXT TIME WHEN WE'RE BACK ON THE CASE.