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Subscribe to RSSNewly released video including a jailhouse interview reveal more insight into the mind of the late self-confessed serial killer Israel Keyes. KING's Chris Daniels reports.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A security video showing the abduction of an Alaska barista is unnerving on its own, but it only hints at the horror ahead for the 18-year-old woman.
Samantha Koenig would soon be sexually assaulted and strangled after she was kidnapped from an Anchorage coffee stand, her body left in a shed for two weeks while her killer went on a cruise. After he returned, Israel Keyes photographed Koenig for a ransom note and then dismembered her body.
Those details were released by the FBI on Tuesday, two days after Keyes was found dead in his Anchorage jail cell in an apparent suicide. It's the most comprehensive account yet of a crime at the hands of a man who confessed to the slaying and told authorities he killed at least seven other people across the country over the past decade.
Serial killer found dead in Alaska jail cell, officials say
"These details are being provided both to fully explain the courage and resolve Samantha displayed in the final hours of her life, as well as in the hopes that the release of additional details will help investigations of other murders committed by Israel Keyes," the FBI said in a statement.
Once home from his trip, Keyes posed Koenig's body to make it appear she was still alive and took a Polaroid photo of her tied up, along with a newspaper dated Feb. 13 — 12 days after the abduction from a coffee stand, according to the FBI. Keyes later typed a ransom note demanding $30,000 from Koenig's family on the back of a photocopy of the photo and sent a text message to the woman's boyfriend on her cellphone with directions where he'd left the note at a local dog park.
Keyes dismembered Koenig's body and disposed of the remains in a frozen lake north of Anchorage after he cut a hole in the ice with a chain saw, authorities said.
Mark Thiessen / AP
During a news conference, police show surveillance video of Samantha Koenig, 18, making a cup of Americano coffee for a customer who shortly after abducted her Feb. 1, 2012, in Anchorage, Alaska. Police on Tuesday released the surveillance camera footage from the February abduction at the Common Grounds espresso stand in Anchorage.
Keyes, 34, was arrested in March in Texas, after using Koenig's stolen debit card at ATMs there and in Alaska, Arizona and New Mexico. He was facing a March trial in Koenig's death.
After his arrest, Keyes confessed to killing Koenig and at least seven other people. His other known victims were Bill and Lorraine Currier of Essex, Vt., who disappeared in June 2011. Keyes told authorities he also sexually assaulted and strangled Lorraine Currier.
Father of abducted barista, 18, pleads for her return
The couple's bodies have not been found.
Keyes did not identify the other victims or say where their remains were, other than that four were killed in Washington state and one was killed on the East Coast with the body disposed of in New York. Keyes had lived in Washington state and had property in upstate New York.
He told one of the lead FBI investigators in the case that his first victim was a teenage girl in Oregon that he sexually assaulted but did not kill, the Anchorage Daily News reported. FBI special agent Jolene Goeden told the newspaper that Keyes admitted that he was a teen at the time and that "he had the intention, he said, of killing her but but did not. And he did let her go."
Surveillance video
Also Tuesday, authorities released video footage of Keyes abducting Koenig, caught by a surveillance camera. Another video sequence shows him returning for Koenig's cellphone late that night, leaving Koenig bound in his truck, followed four minutes later by a man identified by the FBI as Koenig's boyfriend, who was looking for her. Keyes would use the cellphone to send text messages to the boyfriend and coffee stand owner that purported to be from Koenig saying she had a bad day and was leaving town for the weekend.
In the first video sequence, Keyes walks up to the small coffee stand and orders an Americano coffee, which Koenig makes. He then pulls out a gun and Koenig is then seen putting her hands up several times. At some point, Keyes makes her turn off the light. The light switch was close to a panic button, but Koenig never pushed it, probably because she was too afraid, police said.
Keyes then climbs into the kiosk and, police said, used zip ties to bind Koenig's hands behind her back before leading her out. He told Koenig he would let her go if her family paid a ransom, but that was never his intention, police said.
Body in icy lake is missing Alaska barista, police say
"He knew all along he was going to kill her," Anchorage homicide Detective Monique Doll said.
Police said Keyes removed the battery from Koenig's cellphone to avoid being tracked.
Koenig's body was recovered from the lake in April after Keyes told authorities of its location.
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A word of advice to all women: Never ever under any circumstances go with the 'bad guy'. Best to get shot or killed on the spot than endure what these sickos have in store for you. And have some pepper spray or a knife in your pocket at all times. It's a sick world.
My thoughts exactly. My dad always told me that....if a sicko wants to move you to another location, assume the worst. If you allow them to relocate you, the ability to fight and get away is usually gone. You are better being shot than tortured and later killed. Chances are, they will look for easier prey if you don't cooperate.
it's too bad this young lady wasn't packin' heat and trained to use it ,
He did the world and the judicial system a favor by doing himself in, but I feel sorry for the jail folks that "let" him do it. They are in serious trouble and may even lose their jobs over this.
They deserve a bonus for "letting him" kill himself.
No job is worth your life! Iscolated coffee stands should never be considered as employment due to their high volume of robbery, assault, and paying the ultimate - murder. The only thing left now is for the family to go on without their most precious daugher. I have gone to coffee shops at 5am in the morning and know what it is like to be the only person there. Security cameras DO NOT mean security only a watchful item. If the employers want these unsecured sites, then let them pay the costs. Put police on 24 hour alert and fight back, never let anyone take you from the premises!
Safer if the employee is allowed to carry a concealed handgun and is trained to use it. I have some friends from Alaska and am told they are supposed to carry guns based on the wildlife alone.
"am told they are supposed to carry guns based on wildlife alone."
Do you really think Anchorage, a city, is so overrun with wildlife that we all have to carry guns!?
Right...and we live in igloos also.
flowerkowski - LOL! My cousin came to Denver to visit from New York about 20 years ago. He was disappointed to find out that there weren't cowboys on horses in town! LOL!
Well, obviously the answer to this is to outlaw baristas and espresso coffee, just as we should outlaw guns because of the recent murder-suicide of the NFL player. Just think, Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman would be still alive if guns were outlawed. Oh, wait a minute, they were killed by a knife! I've got it! Let's outlaw knives. And while we're at it, let's outlaw forks, too. One can always stab someone with a fork. Spoons are probably okay, unless we consider that someone could be bopped on the head to death with one. And, of course, chopsticks must be outlawed. You can be stabbed to death with chopsticks. Let's just outlaw Chinese or all Asian food!
What a stupid country we're becoming!
Agreed. People are bashing coffee shops and convenient stores as if everyone working in one had a target on their back. There are a lot of higher paid professions that are secluded.
Come to think of it, women who live alone are sitting ducks. Why not ban women from living along....LOL. Its a typical liberal reaction to try and legislate safety from crazy....and at the same time hate the idea of innocent people having guns to protect themselves. I will never understand that.
Liberals should be armed not only against sociopaths as Israel Keyes, but against Right Wing fascists should they gain the corrupted power to arrest anyone who publicly disagrees with them and/ or fits some made-up profile.
I think the guard killed him, after he raped him.
We must be strong, we must be vigilant for evil is all around us.
It is really frightening to know what scum non-humans live among us all!
I question if he committed suicide or if someone else did him in -- guards or other inmates, whereby the guards turned their heads. I don't know the answers, but I'm glad he's one less prisoner we have to care. I don't think capital punishment should be used in most cases, but this one I wouldn't hesitate to use it on him. I hope Samantha's family doesn't read this blurb, as it will not do anything productive for them and only make the agony more disgusting.
My heart goes out to her family and friends, and I know God has her soul at His right side. It's never been clear to me why people do such horrific things to others. It's too easy to chalk this perp's action on mental health, but I don't think it applies in this case. He knew exactly what he did and the why doesn't matter. For anyone to cause such unbelievable happenings to another person is a matter in which he should have been killed on the spot. I'm getting too upset right now, so I'll let ya'll take back over the comments.
Samantha rest in peace -- and may God's love hold her family and friends together. Nothing she did or you did was reason for this disgusting terror. In time, for Sam's sake, you'll get on with your lives. Best to you her friends and family.
Kevin: This terrible situation has already occured many times in this country. I wish she would have hit the panick button. I think I would not allow my daughter to work by herself as a barista or clerk. Too many freaks out there! I would only hope capital punishment would gain momentum for this type of crime AND evidence.
This article seems insignificant to report on a killer's death. But let's take this as a reminder to do what we need to do to make people safer including increasing the punishment for murder. Rest in peace Samantha.
o.k.--- Firstly, there will be more investigative and court fees all types of resources for prospective victim searches etc., all from tax payer monies. He will of course have to have a decent Christian style burial-someone has to pay for that... In north Korea, say,- families starve and are beaten,tortured daily in gulags and homeless kids freeze emaciated in hunger in the streets. When they die they are tossed in the garbage pits that they once ate from. This is all orchestrated by a leader they deem their God-who tortures more people than this American scumbag could if he lived for 1000 years. What is fair about the judicial system in the U.S.? What is fair within politics around the globe for humans and animals?-The answer is nothing is... It is not fair or legal practice to put this guy's bloody head on a pike on youtube so everyone can see the rats and maggots eating from it--yes-even children-why?- There would simply be less pedophile murderers when these kids grow up-they may be traumatized as they are when they watch such things in films- but not as badly as the victims they'd accrue when allowed to grow up in a country where they don't have to pay for their mistakes-should those mistakes-God forbid, be sick in nature- and what is fair about this proposition?-nothing is...
Let's just televise the execution of murderers. I think it will help increase the awareness that killing will not go unpunished.
I think thats a good idea. It makes it more real.
Public executions like they have in the US corporate oil lovefest of Saudi Arabia?
He attacked another girl when he was a teen. I wonder, did she report it? Did the cops just not find the guy? How sad to think he might have been caught and locked up before he went on a ten year plus killing spree.
Unfortunately, even if he had been caught then he would only have spent a little time in prison. We can only punish after a crime has been committed. So, if he's not caught after the first murder, he goes on to murder more people.
The only thing good I have to say about this disgusting animal is he saved us taxpayers money, and freed up a cell. Rot in hell a##hole.
I'm surprised MS/NBC wouldn't hide a strangulation murder seeing their recent Soapbox Bob Costas anti-gun fiasco.
Boycott MS/NBC and it's Sponsors.
No!
Tiredoflosers - Rage on, idiot! You have to hate Bob Costas because he has a different opinion for yours? Then you want to boycott a station because he works there? LOL. Who is the idiot here? DUH - It is you!
I hope that the Alaska police let Samantha's father into this creep's cell and let him dole out some kind of punishment....until the creep died.
Now if all serial killers would kill themselves. (sigh)
Marlene, I agree, but if they killed themself after the first murder they wouldn't be serial killers.
Headline: "Chilling details released in Alaska barista's killing"
That's really in bad taste to use a play on words in a story as horrible as this. But then, this is MSN.
I, also, am elated Keyes is now not among the living. I wish he had died at birth. What could possibly cause such a horrible human being to develop in this way? I believe our culture and society should invest a great amount of time into finding out what factors at an earlier point in their lives make up such a monster. If it's the parent(s) that causes it then we should also go after and punish them as well, as for example, an owner of a dog trains and raises the dog to be mean, vicious, a killer, we also punish the owner for breeding such a menace to society. But lets find out what causes envideous humans and go after them as well before they can breed another.
Jean, we are what we take in. If we have experienced a lifetime of abuse, it will be much harder to have a normal adulthood. We are influnced by what we read, what we watch, what we think about, and who we surround ourselves with.
In spite of that, we still have free will. Those factors will make it harder for us to make good decisions in life, but not impossible. The proof of this is there are thousands of people with terrible backgrounds, but have made the choice of doing things right, as hard as it is. Regardless of our background we must be held accountable for what we do.
We have seem these kind of abductions and murders for decades now,probably since the dawn of time !The gravity of the horror for any and all victims can not fully be comprehended for obvious reasons!He is in Hell and rightly so!If this video screams anything to the young women of America........don't go with them period!Fight them there and scream your asses off,they will be on video and 9.99 chances they will kill you!Nobody kidnaps anymore,and if it's a robbery you don't need to go with them........so fight the bastard there and prey God gives you some strength!To tragic and common in America to understand!
This is why women need to carry a firearm, everywhere they go, 24/7, 365 days a year. How many more lessons do you all need? Carry, even a little Smith and Wesson 642 revolver with .38 Special. One bullet would have stopped this devil cold. Practice situational awareness, get trained and prepare your family too. Don't fall for the anti-gun rhetoric: none of it stands up to detailed statistical analysis.
I am glad he killed him self that cowardly POS. If not, I would hope this sick demented sociopath would have gotten the electric chair.
She panicked.. all she had to do is to tell him to shut her if he wants.. She would have more chance to survive in the store then raped and killed in the bushes. Only when you dead, you have no choice, otherwise...don't pity yourself. Women should never go this way. Just sad.
I was attacked ones, I knew I had no chance in the car, I fought him and pulled myself out of the car (because I knew I had no chance, if I would stay there). Never be afraid, FIGHT.
I hope this is a case of the police carrying out street justice.Good job guys,you saved a lot of money and heartbreak!
No, then it's really the Third World.
I am so glad this waste of space will never have the chance to hurt anyone again. I am sick looking at his disgusting face and reading about his total disrespect for humanity.
R.I.P. Samantha.
I'm buying 9MM for my girls and teaching them how to shoot fast and straight! There are entirely too many sick fuks out there that have absolutely no respect for human life. I bet that bastard would have cared more for a dog or cat. I'll bet he never hurt an animal. Thats' what our society is all about. Save the animals but not the humans. Thats why Micheal Vick got two years in jail for killing a dog. Had he killed a human, he would have gotten a much shorter time in jail. It wasn't parenting that caused him to kill, it was societal priorities that have gone awry!