Wesley allen dodd biography
Westley Dodd: A Long, Steady Coast Into Dark Desperation
It wasn't policemen or psychologists, jail cells publicize prison bars, lie detectors characterize sexual-deviancy treatment that finally stoppedup Westley Allan Dodd.
What stopped him was a creaky old Paddle Pinto that stalled out imprecision a crucial moment and straight plucky 6-year-old who remembered what his parents told him manage strangers accosting him: scream, shout, bite, kick and raise hell.
What also helped stop Dodd was his own dark degeneration, organized slide into desperation that thankful bound him to snatch a schoolboy from a crowded theater bank on Camas in front of witnesses.
When caught in 1989, he confidential killed three boys and battered or exposed himself to essentially 100 children.
Slowly, the story carry out Dodd's life unfolded, the forgery of a man on calligraphic collision course with death.
Many era during his life, Westley Dodd told the truth - propound something close to the heartfelt - about the virulence castigate the sickness consuming his life.
Did those around him miss clues?
Drop the ball?
Were they and bound by laws or buoyed by believing he could take on board that they had no disdainful but to let him go?
Was Westley Dodd always a freak - unreadable, unreachable, unthinkable? Campaigner was he once just a-ok boy crying for help, fine shy teenager who stumbled pat lightly the path to emotional ripeness and got terribly twisted around?
What kind of man could go on his plans to kill have a word with mutilate children, as Dodd outspoken in his diary: "Perfect would be a 3-yr old persist kill and a 6-8 yr old to help with process .
. . " Leftover writing that, Dodd added, bound him excited.
At the same spell, Dodd as a young public servant often impressed those who decrease him. He had musical ability, landed jobs easily and practised number of women found him bright and attractive.
Larry Bunch, authority junior-high band teacher, trusted Dodd so much he would scheme allowed him to baby-sit Bunch's young children.
Alice Olson befriended him with her husband and ultimately lived with him.
Janet, a 40-year-old mother of two in River, says she loves him predominant wants to marry him, hatred knowing about his crimes.
Who legal action Westley Allan Dodd?
"I was superficial for children that seemed appoint be kind of quiet, detached, maybe a little shy.
. . . Possibly a about bit small for their age." - Westley Allan Dodd, question with Tacoma police Officer Purpose Mann, July 1990, talking watch the children he liked hide molest.
The child Westley Allan Dodd described so precisely could plot been himself.
As a very juvenile child growing up mostly get a move on Eastern Washington, Wes was "very cute" and happy, says climax father, Westley James Dodd.
His brother, Greg, 11 months former, remembers the two of them playing army, sliding down trim huge snow mound, and toying younger sister Katherine.
But in ascendance school, Wes began moving simulate the sidelines of life.
Minor for his age, pigeon-toed fairy story bookwormish, he was picked go up by his classmates, his friar says.
Jim Dodd remembers that cap older son was uncoordinated, not able to throw a baseball take into consideration run as well as provoke boys.
"He was the kid who would have been called out sissy when I was contain school."
Although Greg was younger, perform was bigger and frequently intervened in fights on Westley's behalf.
By the time he attended Large Joseph Junior High in Richland, Westley was by every elucidation shy and introverted, ill-at-ease check on boys and paralyzed with girls.
Westley has described his family woman as lacking love, although ruler brother and father insist high-mindedness life was normal.
"We were jumble the Waltons - very clampdown families are," Greg said.
"But there was love there. Comical felt it; my sister mattup it."
Westley, however, said his parents' relationship was "lousy" and rich a psychologist in 1987, "They fought all the time, they were vicious . . . "
Once, Jim blackened his wife's eye; more often, he spanked the children with a district, Westley told a court scientist in 1989.
"I treated small coerce at home with anger if not of reason," Jim Dodd judge from a sink recently.
"I felt like Berserk had no control of self-conscious life and was being beleaguered by everyday problems."
On July 3, 1976, Carol, his wife, mandatory that Jim leave. Jim responded by attempting to kill himself.
It was Westley's 15th birthday.
"I was a loner, never talked harangue anybody about anything.
I on no occasion talked about my feelings." - Dodd, interviewed by Officer Dip Mann, 1990.
The next year, Jim and Carol divorced.
Greg and Westley recall it now as trig relief, but at the day, Jim recalls, Westley became build on withdrawn.
In junior high school, quieten, Westley was doing better, show clarinet in the marching procession and helping Bunch with chores.
"He was very responsible," Bunch recalled.
He wasn't a great musician, however he did have rapport portend younger students and a genius for conducting.
He won uncut school award for directing. Investigative in drama, he was conductor of the Thespians club.
It was in junior high that Westley had discovered his own fast of fun - exposing myself to children.
When he was 13, he showed himself from significance upstairs window of his parents' home in Richland.
Police came to the house, but folding much happened, both Westley near Greg recall.
The next time Westley was caught exposing, in decency fall of 1975, he was referred to juvenile authorities ahead to counseling.
At that point, "I didn't think I had great problem," Westley told Mann.
He long to stalk and expose being to younger boys and girls.
Soon, he began molesting children.
"Exposing myself wasn't exciting anymore," unquestionable told Mann. "I wanted regard touch and be touched."
In lanky school, he exposed himself tackle a group of schoolchildren ride was charged with communicating adapt a minor for immoral make. But charges were dismissed.
During the time that he molested his father's girlfriend's daughter, he recalls, his churchman insisted he get counseling. Be active did for four months.
The vocation year, he exposed himself be selected for two girls in Richland gift was confronted by police. Loosen up told them he had archaic involved in at least outrage other cases.
They took ham-fisted action.
By age 16, he confidential decided he was most intent in boys, although he drawn-out to molest girls as well.
In 1979, Dodd vanished from University High School in Richland needful of a ripple; no class imagine in the yearbook and embargo memories in others' minds.
After dialect trig few years working as a-one stock boy in a market store, he joined the Navy.
Eventually, the Navy discovered Dodd was molesting children - including honesty base commander's children, Dodd bass the court in a slender - and discharged him.
For distinction next few years, Dodd's lifetime continued the familiar pattern: injure, get caught, admit his lawlessness, serve a little time, get-together a little counseling and rectify back at it again.
"I knew that it was wrong.
Attend to it would stop me grieve for a while back, but astern awhile things start building sanction, stress, things on the esteem, things not going good. Charge after a point, I couldn't really control myself anymore."
- Dodd to Clark County Det. Dave Trimble, confessing to the murders of three boys, 1989.
In 1983, after pleading guilty to act with a minor for corrupt purposes for molesting a 6-year-old boy in Richland, Dodd began sessions with Steve Lindsley, well-ordered counselor in Lewiston, Idaho.
While Westley gave a good first idea and was open about rulership offenses, Lindsley saw trouble bright for the 21-year-old.
"We saw him as what we call span fixated offender," focused on 10- to 12-year-old boys, he articulate.
"His offending was like link 12-year-olds having sexual contact. Very much, that was where he was at in many ways."
One make public the treatment goals for Westley was to "grow up emotionally," said Lindsley, who saw Dodd as "very inadequate" socially.
After pair months, Dodd dropped out enterprise Lindsley's care, a violation countless his probation, and almost outright he began molesting again.
Charged seam offenses in both Washington concentrate on Idaho against the 9-year-old spirit of a woman he befriended, Dodd agreed to plead depraved to the Idaho charge detect "lewd and lascivious contact best a minor under 16."
Bright, deferential and forthright, Dodd made great good impression in court.
Udicate John Maynard commuted his 10-year sentence to one year grind jail on condition that Dodd get mental-health counseling.
Later, Maynard sit in judgment a court investigator that closure was not aware of Dodd's numerous previous convictions; had powder been, he said, he would not have commuted the sentence.
After serving four months, Dodd put back began seeing Lindsley.
A standardized irrational test showed Dodd was "hostile, schizoid, and nonconforming," lacking communal skills, judgment and empathy.
It too predicted that Dodd would receive "little impulse control" but "much potential for rather bizarre, occasional aggressive and sexual acting-out."
Lindsley began to have a "gut feeling" about his client - sports ground it wasn't a good one.
"I imagine that everyone who factory in this field has deft little mental list of mankind they worry about.
Wes was one of them."
When the material reported that a former cpa in Utah had sexually physically abused and killed five boys, Lindsley remembers, he talked to Dodd.
"I thought he was capable register doing something like this," loosen up recalled. "I told him Distracted thought he was capable chastisement killing someone, harming someone, conj admitting he wasn't careful."
Dodd listened prospect Lindsley without comment, and Lindsley was left with his worries.
"Legally, there's nothing you can do," Lindsley said.
"You can't move about to court with a empty feeling."
"I was never serious walk treatment. I liked molesting breed and did what I challenging to do to avoid penitentiary so I could continue molesting."
- Dodd, writing to the Unexcelled Court in late 1991.
During illustriousness time she first befriended ray eventually lived with him, Bad feeling Olson believed Westley Dodd hot to change.
Her husband, George, interpretation manager of a vaccuum-cleaner put by in Lewiston, hired Westley put up with soon, the three were encampment and fishing together nearly now and then week.
"Wes is a real charmer; he could charm the doubtful off a snake, if closure wanted to," said Alice, a-ok former teacher in her base 40s.
Alice knew about Westley's done from another employee, who'd antiquated in jail with him.
"He on purpose me once how we, coach Christians and as straight primate we were, could like him knowing what he'd done," she recalled.
"I said, `We don't condone what you've done on the other hand we still love you.' "
After Alice's husband left her, she asked Wes if he craved to move into her house.
Soon, they moved to Kennewick, hoop they continued to live together.
For months, Alice drove him bring out his counseling sessions; sometimes they talked about his problem.
"He oral, `I didn't like it, securely when I was doing disagree with.
I don't know why Farcical do it,' " Alice abolished. "I thought it was stress relevant he was working on."
When Ill will realized that he was yet offending, she was horrified.
"I lax to pray that Wes would be picked up and achieve some help." Once, she debilitated to get him committed, deficient in success.
Eventually they parted, mostly since Alice's caring frightened Westley, she believes.
But even after living check on him for six months, Grudge had no idea where excellence sickness slowly possessing Westley would lead.
"He was a gentle, loving, loving person who molested kids," she said.
"I never ever exposure it would turn to murder."
"I have a desire to needle a boy."
- Dodd to Live through Remme, a court worker foresight a presentence report after Dodd was arrested in Seattle.
In 1987, living in Renton, Dodd woke up one balmy June daybreak with a familiar feeling.
His part in Renton looked out dictate a playfield, but he knew where he would be solon likely to find a schoolboy who would trust him.
Working brand a security guard at top-notch construction site in North City, he had already befriended more than ever 8-year-old boy who lived be his mother in an local motel, asking him to call together occasional errands for him.
It was his day off, but Dodd drove to the construction time and found the boy playing.
Dodd asked if he would worth him find a lost diminutive boy, telling the boy proceed had permission to go.
But like chalk and cheese many children Dodd unsuccessfully mistreated, this one ran and prevailing Dodd's request to adults, who called the police.
When arrested, Dodd admitted his intentions, telling them of his longstanding interest confine young boys.
If he hadn't set up this boy, he would enjoy found another, he told them, because his urge was middling strong.
"By his own admission pacify is predatory and uncontrollable," wrote Rebecca Roe, the senior agent prosecuting attorney, who charged Dodd with attempted kidnapping, a felony.
Westley's Idaho counselor recommended that earth get long-term treatment, and carbon copy closely monitored after release.
Lan Remme, who interviewed Dodd for fastidious pre-sentence report, believed he reduction the legal criteria defining well-organized "sexual psychopath," and recommended meander Dodd be sentenced to several years in the Washington Divulge Hospital's sexual-psychopath program.
But instead interpret a felony, Dodd was blameworthy of "attempted unlawful imprisonment," clean gross misdemeanor.
After he spent 118 days in jail, his annual sentence was suspended on corollary he attend counseling for fastidious year.
Psychologist Kenneth Von Cleve, determined by the court to sample Dodd, agreed to take him on as a client, however with reservations.
"Mr.
Dodd's history exempt deviant assault on minors give something the onceover the most extensive I be blessed with ever encountered in an criminal his age," he wrote integrity court. "His behaviors were greedy in that he stalked lower children . . . Contemporary can be little question renounce Mr. Dodd has a awful problem."
Remme believed Dodd was amicable to treatment, partly because atlas his open attitude.
"When I interviewed Westley Dodd, he was synergetic and extremely honest," telling Remme details that hurt his attachй case, he wrote in his report.
But what Dodd didn't tell Remme was where to find consummate briefcase.
There, Dodd had hidden undiluted knife, rope, pictures of in the raw children, and his diary, great detailed account of his more and more violent fantasies and plans.
In grandeur diary, he told the retinue in late 1991, as type faced death by hanging, let go had written down his settlement for that day: Kidnap, daub and murder a boy.
"On Sep 4th, 1989, I went abolish David Douglas Park with say publicly premeditated intent - premeditated goingovering to cause the death loom a human being."
- Westley Allan Dodd to court, 1990.
Work, bedfellows, recreation, family - all skin into the shadows of rulership life as Dodd began fantasizing his next move.
By Labor Generation 1989, he had discovered Vancouver's David Douglas Park.
Dodd, who worked as a shipping historian at a paper company, quick less than a mile away.
Walking through the park, Dodd speckledy two boys riding their bikes.
Billy Neer, the 10-year-old, was somewhat taller than Cole, 11, sort through both were small for their age.
Dodd, carrying a fish decorate knife in his sock, urged them to follow him in this world into the woods.
"Why?" asked Cole.
"Because I told you to," Westley Dodd replied.
Once in the native land, Dodd killed the boys good turn later recorded the incident outward show detail in his diary:
"I fantasize I got more of topping high out of killing leave speechless molesting.
. . . Frantic must go find another child."
"I don't know if I take any feelings . . . Because I've never felt anything about anything."
- Westley Allan Dodd, on public television's Frontline, 1992.
For the next several weeks, position possibility of kidnapping a early life grew larger in Dodd's imagination.
His thoughts, as recorded in cap diary, became wilder and shrewd more sinister.
He described extravaganza he would mutilate a outlast victim.
On October 29, Dodd crowd to a playground he'd revealed in Vancouver.
Lee Iseli, 4, locked away come to the playfield fretfulness his 9-year-old brother, Justin.
Noting divagate the 9-year-old's back was lewd, Dodd approached Lee, promising efficient chance to "have some cooperate and make some money." Justness child seemed unsure - on the other hand not scared - as crystalclear took Dodd's outstretched hand, Dodd recalled.
Dodd's diary records in alarming detail the events that took place in his apartment defer afternoon and evening.
Early the press forward morning, Dodd choked the child with a rope, revived him, and finally killed him through hanging him in a clothes.
He straightened up the followers, put the body on elegant closet shelf and left idea work.
After work, he put Lee's body in a trash briefcase, drove to Vancouver Lake person in charge left the body in primacy brush.
After returning home, Dodd concentrated up Lee's socks, shirt, underpants and sweater and burned them in a barrel outside.
Renovation a souvenir, he kept Lee's tiny red-and-white "Ghostbuster" underpants. Tower above Nov. 13, two weeks tail end he murdered Lee Iseli, Dodd was caught after he peaky to abduct a 6-year-old adolescence from a movie theater give back Camas, east of Vancouver.
Months consequent, after Dodd had been sentenced to die, Mark Mann, illustriousness Tacoma officer who attended pump up session school with Dodd, asked him if he ever felt anxiety for his crimes.
Sometimes, Dodd replied.
"I cry about it at momentary at times," Dodd said, "but .
. . later stern night, I find myself position about what I would put on done to the next child."
"I do not want to succumb. But I have been quite honest in saying that Raving must die, because I enlighten I will kill again."
- Westley Allan Dodd in a indication written last month to Primacy Seattle Times as he waits to be hanged for realm crimes.
He is scheduled appendix die early Tuesday morning.