Lecture Notes: The Railroad Killer and Identity Theft Ring Investigation

Introduction

• Speaker: Jim Kallstrom, former head of the FBI’s New York office.
• Topic: Investigation into a serial killer known as the Railroad Killer and a criminal identity theft ring.
• Time Period: Late 1990s.

The Railroad Killer: Rafael Resendez

Background

• Mode of Operation: Resendez traveled using the U.S. railroads, selecting towns and victims at random.
• Criminal Profile: Described as a cunning and ritualistic serial killer who leaves recurring clues.
• Investigation Start: Began in the aftermath of the murder of a doctor in West University Place, Texas.

Key Events and Findings

• Initial Murder Scene: Doctor found murdered; house ransacked, suggesting possible robbery.
• Forensics: Key evidence recovered from a Jeep steering column, leading to the identification of Resendez.
• Suspect Background: Extensive criminal record, frequently traveled between the U.S. and Mexico illegally.

Subsequent Murders

• Crime Spree: Additional murders linked across Texas and Kentucky, including a pastor and his wife in Weimar, TX.
• Killer's Behavior: Displays ritualistic behavior such as lingering at crime scenes and looking at victim IDs.
• DNA Matches: DNA evidence links several crime scenes to Resendez.

Investigation Challenges

• Railroad System: Used by Resendez to evade capture, covering over 200,000 miles.
• Public and Law Enforcement Alert: FBI and local police distributed wanted posters and requested public assistance.
• Profiler Insights: Criminal profiler help was enlisted to understand Resendez's behavioral patterns.

Capture

• Breakthroughs: Contact with Resendez’s sister led to his eventual surrender and arrest at the U.S.-Mexico border.
• Outcome: Resendez confessed to 13 murders and was sentenced to death in May 2000.

The Identity Theft Ring: Charlie Stewart

Background

• Criminal Activity: Ring involved in identity thefts and murders to assume victims’ identities.
• Key Figure: Charlie Stewart, known for violent crimes and manipulation.

Investigation

• Initial Leads: Began with Richard Dorman being found and confessing to involvement with Stewart's gang.
• Murders Linked: Investigators connected murders in Kentucky and Alabama to the theft ring.

Key Events and Findings

• Modus Operandi: Gang targeted victims who resembled accomplice Richard Dorman.
• Investigative Process: Use of surveillance, informants, and criminal profiling to track Stewart and accomplices.

Capture and Trial

• Manhunt: Spanning multiple states, involved cooperation between FBI and local law enforcement.
• Final Capture: Stewart was tracked down hiding in the woods, found living in survivalist conditions.
• Legal Outcome: Stewart and associates received life sentences for murders and identity theft crimes.

Summary

• Investigative Techniques: Use of forensic evidence, criminal profiling, and inter-agency cooperation was crucial.
• Impact: Successful dismantling of the identity theft ring and capture of a notorious serial killer, ensuring public safety.

Conclusion

• Lessons Learned: Importance of national cooperation and public vigilance in tracking highly mobile and dangerous criminals.