Links to serial killer deaths investigated
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online
edition of The Spokane Spokesman-Review newspaper:
November 20, 1999
Links to serial killer deaths investigated
Spokane's Serial Killer Task Force plans to investigate Brad Jackson to
determine if he has any connection to a string of prostitute killings.
Sheriff's Capt. John Simmons said it is unlikely the 33-year-old Spokane
truck
driver is the killer.
"The homicide task force will inquire into Brad and see if they can
confirm or
eliminate him as person of interest," he said.
Jackson is accused of first-degree murder in the death of his daughter,
Valiree. He also was the last known person to see Valiree's mother,
Roseann
Pleasant, alive before she vanished in 1992.
The task force is interested in Pleasant's disappearance because she
worked as
a prostitute and abused drugs, both characteristics of the serial killer
victims.
There's another commonality: Detectives believe Valiree's head was
wrapped in a
plastic bag, as was the head of one serial killer victim.
Simmons said the link is very weak. He notes that recent serial killer
victims
were shot in the head. And he believes the victims are not related to
the
killer, as deputies believe is the case in Valiree's murder.
"At this point, I don't believe Brad is a viable suspect," Simmons said.
But he
added, "It would be remiss of us not to look at him."
The task force is hunting for a suspect in the killings of eight women
in
Spokane and two in Tacoma since November 1997.
----- Jonathan Martin
---------------------------------------------------------------
November 20, 1999
Hunter saw Jackson near gravesite
Father tried covering up murder, failed lie detector, documents say
Jonathan Martin - Staff writer
With murder investigators closing in, Brad Jackson last Saturday tossed
his
shovel in the back of a borrowed pickup, filled up the gas tank and
drove to
his daughter's Stevens County gravesite, authorities say.
He told the truck's owner, "I've got a project to finish."
Jackson had already dug up and reburied 9-year-old Valiree once to avoid
detection, detectives say. But as he neared the second gravesite, off a
remote
logging road, detectives were already there.
A hunter, James Erickson, noticed Jackson as he parked and got out of
the truck
1 miles from the area detectives had sealed off.
"I'd think at that point he'd know the gig is up," said Jack Driscoll,
the
Spokane County deputy prosecutor charging Jackson with first-degree
murder.
Jackson returned the '79 Ford owned by friends Sean and Kelly Bash a few
hours
later, leaving the shovel in the truck bed. "He was really anxious to
get out
of here," said Kelly Bash, 21.
Within hours, Jackson had been apprehended and was on suicide watch at
Sacred
Heart Medical Center. Now he's the prime suspect in his daughter's
killing.
In newly released affidavits and search warrants, detectives suggest
that
Jackson made several attempts to cover up his alleged murder of his
daughter.
The documents also say that Jackson failed a lie detector test
administered by
a sheriff's detective Oct. 27, nine days after Valiree was reported
missing.
Jackson denied any involvement with his daughter's disappearance in an
interview with detectives on the same day.
Prosecutors believe Jackson smothered Valiree with her pillow Oct. 18
sometime
between when her grandparents left about 4:40 a.m. to go to work and
when
Jackson reported her missing at 8:45 a.m.
To cover up blood from the smothering, Jackson likely covered Valiree's
head in
two plastic grocery bags and wrapped them in duct tape, prosecutors say.
The grocery bags were found by detectives at what they say was Valiree's
first
grave, off Vicari Road, about five miles from the Spokane Valley home of
Jackson's parents, where he and Valiree lived.
Red hairs -- matching Valiree's hair color -- were found stuck to the
duct
tape.
The newly released documents also suggest that Jackson drove his 1985
gold
Honda Accord the morning of Valiree's disappearance. The car was moved
from the
driveway to the curb between the time Jackson's parents left and the
time of
his 911 call.
Detectives found a blood spot on the Honda's front bumper. DNA tests are
pending, Driscoll said.
Prosecutors are formulating what they believe is the motive in the
killing, but
declined to share their theory of the case. Driscoll, when asked about a
motive, points to evidence that Jackson sexually abused Valiree.
The murder probe has been emotionally taxing on all involved, Driscoll
said.
"It gets to all the investigators," he said. "I have a child the same
age as
Valiree. It's sad to see these things happen in our community."
Kelly Bash, who loaned Jackson her pickup, said the murder charges
against
Jackson have been stunning.
Her husband, Sean, has been been a friend of Jackson's since he lived
next door
in the early 1990s.
Jackson and Valiree visited them often, and they seemed to have a good
relationship, Kelly Bash said.
"I would never have suspected him in a million years," she said.
---------------------------------------------------------------
The following two news articles both appear courtesy of the 11/21/99
online
edition of The Spokane Spokesman-Review newspaper:
November 21, 1999
Dream became nightmare
Certain she is dead, family remembers Valiree's mother
Ken Olsen - Staff writer
Several months before Valiree Jackson's murder, her uncle and other
family
members started having nightmares.
They dreamed the girl's mother, Roseann Stone Pleasant, was telling them
"find
my baby." The Rev. John W. Stone awoke panicked, night after night. His
face
hurt to the point that he sought help from a doctor.
"This was before Valiree was taken," he said Saturday afternoon during a
memorial for both mother and daughter. "Then when we got the call that
Valiree
was gone, it broke me."
It broke him twice.
At first, Stone heard the rumors Pleasant had taken Valiree from her
father's
house. He had hope. After seven years, the family had evidence Pleasant
still
was alive.
She was last seen in October 1992 when Brad Jackson says he dropped her
off at
a convenience store. She was 35 at the time, and hasn't been heard from
since.
Her problems included drug use and prostitution. One of her friends had
been
murdered only months earlier.
Then came Monday's news. When Spokane County Sheriff Mark Sterk walked
down the
hill from the rural Stevens County grave, Stone knew Valiree's fate.
"I knew that if we found Valiree, Roseann was dead," Stone added. "It
was like
a dagger."
Two photos of Pleasant flanked Stone at the front of Redeemer Lutheran
Church
in the Spokane Valley, where a memorial service for Pleasant and Valiree
Jackson was held on Saturday. The service followed a much larger
gathering for
Valiree at Valley Fourth Memorial Church.
Pleasant was a great cook, with the occasional memorable flop -- blooper
pancakes and really bad oatmeal. She stood up for her brothers and
helped them
look sharp.
Stone talked of Helen Louise Stone, Pleasant's mom, who died not knowing
what
happened to her daughter. Helen Stone suspected Jackson in her
disappearance.
The entire family has lived with that thought for years, Stone said.
Now they take comfort in believing Pleasant and Valiree are together in
heaven.
As for Jackson, Stone said, he will face God. "But we have to keep the
heat on
... with the criminal justice system," Stone said.
Cynarra Pleasant, one of Pleasant's other daughters, read the 23rd
Psalm.
Cynarra's brother, Joktan Stone, sang "Tears in Heaven" a cappella.
A family friend said Pleasant and Valiree were quite alike.
"Roseann was one of the kindest, sweetest, most mothering people I
know," he
said, adding that the portrayal of her personal problems before her
disappearance is unfair. "Roseann was not that person described in that
dehumanizing manner."
---------------------------------------------------------------
11/21/99
Mourners say goodbye to Valiree
Family, friends remember the girl with the great smile
Ken Olsen - Staff writer
She and grandma loved to sing "You Are My Sunshine" and "Jesus Loves
Me."
She loved to dress up like a cowgirl: White frilly shirt. Red Jeans.
White
straw hat. And a broad smile.
Or serve high tea. Play with a puppy. Throw an arm around a pal.
Also with a broad smile.
Valiree Jackson's mother vanished about the time of the girl's second
birthday.
Valiree disappeared days after her ninth birthday.
Police believe her father suffocated her, buried her in a 2-foot by
5-foot
grave, then moved her to another grave.
Every memory that flashed on the screen at Valley Fourth Memorial Church
Saturday defied the horrible images conjured up in the week since her
body was
found. Valiree always smiled. Even in the photograph showing her with
that last
birthday cake.
Another picture of Valiree sat between two bouquets of flowers and a
teddy bear
on an altar etched with the words, "In Remembrance of Me." A drawing of
her and
her cousin, Brandon, playing ball was taped on the front. Children piled
stuffed animals -- rabbits and more bears -- below. And flowers. And
poems. And
eulogies.
Two bursts of pink and purple balloons hung nearby. Those were the
colors
Valiree was wearing Oct. 18, the day she went missing.
"I cannot do the two things you want me to," Keith Kirkingburg, Spokane
County
Sheriff's Department chaplain, told the 800 mourners. "I can't take away
your
pain. And I can't bring Valiree back."
His voice cracked often. He knew it would. He dug out a white
handkerchief and
laid it on the pulpit before he even attempted to begin.
"There is not one of us who wanted to be here this morning. We will
weep, but
beloved joy comes in the morning," he offered.
Kirkingburg acknowledged the anger over Valiree's death "sits like a
lead steel
ball in our gut."
No doubt as Valiree's father, Brad Jackson, 33, sits in jail, charged
with
first-degree murder.
Kirkingburg talked of God mourning with the hundreds of people who
gathered
Saturday -- people with stunned faces, saddened faces, pulling their
children
in tight. Most of them didn't know Valiree, but all were ripped by the
grief of
knowing that yet another Spokane-area parent is charged with killing a
child.
A table at the back displayed essays and poems from friends and
schoolmates.
One wrote: "Life is a gift. Celebrate life. Enjoy each day to the
fullest.
Before it's too late."
"Does Jesus Care?" Kirkingburg asked. That is a certainty, he answered.
As it
is certain Valiree is in better care, in the hands of her heavenly
father.
A quartet from The Spokane Area Children's Chorus sang "You Are My
Sunshine."
Later, the same chorus offered "Jesus Loves Me" in song.
"It's not the length of the life, but the depth," Kirkingburg said.
"Valiree
plowed deeply. In those nearly 4,000 days God graced us with Valiree,
she left
an indelible mark."
He read memories from the family. How she loved to make Jell-O, assumed
the
role of the older cousin -- "bossy, bossy, bossy" -- and sort of played
Frisbee.
"Now she's playing Frisbee in heaven. And God knows she needs the
practice,"
her great uncle asked the chaplain to say.
"She tried her hand at fishing, but hadn't quite mastered the worms,"
grandpa's
memory added.
To the others with memories, but who wouldn't have a chance to share at
the
funeral, "write them out, send them to the family. They would love to be
encouraged by your words," Kirkingburg said.
The altar became a place children and families came to stare, leave an
offering
and wonder as the church emptied. A young boy went arm and arm with an
elderly
woman. She pointed to each tribute, looked into his eyes and gently
explained.
The parts that can be explained.
--------------------------------------------------------
The following appears courtesy of the 11/19/99 online edition of The
spokane
Spokesman-Review newspaper:
November 19, 1999
Prosecutors stiffen charges against Jackson
Suspect charged with first-degree murder
Jonathan Martin - Staff writer
William "Brad" Jackson planned to kill his daughter, prosecutors decided
Thursday as they upgraded charges to first-degree murder.
Bail remains at $1 million. Jackson is being held in a cell in the
Spokane
County Jail on a suicide watch.
Sheriff's spokesman Dave Reagan said prosecutors upgraded charges from
second-degree to first-degree murder about 4 p.m. after reviewing
reports from
detectives.
Prosecutors felt they had met the requirements for establishing
premeditation,
Reagan said.
Valiree Jackson vanished the morning of Oct. 18 from her grandparents'
home at
13319 E. Blossey. Valiree's grandmother, Karen Jackson, had left the
home about
4:30 a.m. Brad Jackson reported Valiree missing at 8:45 a.m.
He was arrested Monday evening after having been held for two days of
psychiatric evaluation at Sacred Heart Medical Center.
Jackson's attorney, Dave Hearrean, said he was frustrated that
prosecutors
hadn't told him of the new charges.
"I have not seen a thing, and I'm upset," he said. "This thing should
not be
tried in the press."
He planned to file a legal motion today compelling prosecutors to turn
over
evidence.
Valiree Jackson's family applauded the decision on Thursday.
"He deserves to die," said John Stone, Valiree's uncle. "He deserves to
have
his life taken like he took lives."
Stone said he believes Jackson also killed Valiree's mother, Roseann
Pleasant,
who disappeared in 1992.
Detectives are sharing information with Spokane Police investigators
looking
into Pleasant's disappearance.
First-degree murder carries a prison sentence of between 23 and 30
years.
Jackson could face a death sentence if prosecutors allege aggravating
factors,
such as killing to cover up another crime.
In an affidavit released Wednesday, detectives found evidence in
Valiree's
bedroom that "she may have been the victim of sexual abuse at the
residence and
could have been transported from the residence."
In addition, sheriff's Detective Dave Madsen wrote that "circumstances
surrounding this child's disappearance suggest that she has been
incapacitated
to the degree that she cannot seek help."
While searching the house on Oct. 23, detectives took Valiree's
blood-stained
pillow case and sheets and Jackson's blood-spotted Nike tennis shoes as
evidence.
--------------------------------------------------------
The following appears courtesy of the 11/18/99 online edition of The
Spokane
Spokesman-Review newspaper:
November 18, 1999
Jackson probe now includes child, mother
Valiree's father was last to see either alive
By Jonathan Martin and Robin Rivers - Staff writers
The murder investigation of Valiree Jackson widened Wednesday to include
the
1992 disappearance of her mother.
William "Brad" Jackson, the 33-year-old truck driver charged with
Valiree's
killing, is believed to be the last person to see the 9-year-old and her
mother, Roseann Pleasant, alive, Sheriff's spokesman Dave Reagan said.
Sheriff's detectives leading the murder investigation will be pooling
information with Spokane police investigators looking into Pleasant's
missing
person case.
"Detectives feel that many of the witnesses in each case may very well
have
information regarding the other," said Reagan.
"I wouldn't call him a suspect yet" in Pleasant's disappearance, Reagan
said.
"But he is a common denominator."
Both police and sheriff's detectives asked the FBI's National Center for
Investigation of Violent Crimes for suggestions in handling the joint
cases,
Reagan said. The FBI thought the link was strong enough for the two
agencies to
share resources.
Pleasant, who would now be 42, was last seen at a convenience store at
the
corner of Ash and Nora on the afternoon of Sept. 26, 1992. Detectives
and
Pleasant's family said Jackson is the last person known to have seen her
alive.
As law enforcement officials investigate the cases, a picture emerged
Wednesday
of Jackson's behavior on Oct. 18, the day Valiree vanished.
Shelly Egeland, a playground supervisor and classroom assistant at
Valiree's
school, was invited into the Jackson home by Brad's mother, Karen, as
the
search for the girl began.
After spending six hours there, Egeland said she became suspicious of a
man she
had considered a loving and devoted father.
She said Jackson repeatedly refused the proddings from her and his
family to
release to the news media a picture of Valiree. It wasn't until Reagan
demanded
a photo that he gave in, Egeland said.
He also refused to answer the phone unless he recognized the phone
number on
the caller identification box.
"What if it's Valiree?" Egeland yelled. Jackson was silent, she said.
Egeland also watched as detectives tore through Valiree's room, finding
a
bloody pillow case. Egeland overheard Jackson tell detectives that
.8Valiree
had a bloody nose the night before she disappeared.
Detectives took the pillow case as evidence, according to court
documents.
Jackson admitted to detectives he beat Pleasant when they were together
and
that she had a drug problem, Egeland said Wednesday.
He also told detectives that Valiree was seeing a psychologist for
nightmares
and anger management, Egeland said. After overhearing the conversation,
she
said she found a prescription for the antidepressant Paxil in the
bathroom
bearing Valiree's name.
"That was when I knew something was really wrong," she said.
Members of Pleasant's family also said this week that Valiree was taking
antidepressant medication.
As Egeland's time at the house ended, she heard Jackson tell a family
member in
another room: "Well, it looks like my past has finally caught up with
me."
The evidence collected that day prompted detectives to return bearing
search
warrants for the house and two cars, according to court documents
released
Wednesday.
Among the items taken were a pair of Nike size 11 sneakers with a blood
spot on
the left toe; Valiree's blood-stained bed sheet; a pair of vibrators
from
Jackson's room; and his red sweat shirt, stained with an unknown
substance.
Detectives also swabbed stains from two walls in Valiree's bedroom, took
her
diary and carpet fibers from Jackson's pickup truck.
Although some information on the investigation was released Wednesday,
detectives continue to withhold the affidavit justifying installation of
the
Global Positioning System in Jackson's truck.
That monitoring device proved vital in charging Jackson with murder when
it
tracked his truck to Valiree's grave.
Reagan said he was unsure when that affidavit would be released.