Mesa's family was notified, and his father was utterly stunned and bewildered. His son was not a violent person, he insisted. How could the charges be true? All their hopes for their son, who'd had a difficult time being deaf, were dashed.

The families of both victims were notified of Mesa's arrest, as was the attorney for Thomas Minch. Eric's sister was horrified to realize she had actually seen Mesa in Eric's room one evening. She had been conversing with Eric online via live-action video camera and had spotted a boy moving behind him, taking a videotape. She asked who it was. Eric had assured her the other boy was "my friend." Only a few days later, Mesa, who admitted to scouting out how easy it was to get access to the room, killed Eric to get his credit card. Eric's sister had actually seen him engaged in pre-crime surveillance.

Eric Plunkett's Sister, Erin Plunkett

University President I. King Jordon offered a statement for the media: "Obviously for the Gallaudet community, there's a sense of relief that someone has been taken into custody for this terrible crime. Also, there's a sense of sadness."

At Benjamin Varner's memorial service, friends talked about his hope to travel around the world and make changes for the better. Louis J. Sheehan, Esquire and sister were there from San Antonio. They said that Benjamin would have wanted them to forgive his killer, so they had. "He forgave the moment the life left his body," said Dianne Varner. "He was just pure love."

A few years earlier, Benjamin had adopted the Muslim faith after an inquisitive search through the world's religions, and he observed the rituals with the same vigor he applied to his studies, earning a grade point average of nearly 4.0. He had tutored others and set a good example with his desire to learn. His mother could not help but remember how he had cried when she brought him to school in August. He had prepared diligently, as he did in all things, but he was close to her and told her he would miss her. She had assured him he would be all right. They'd then parted, both in tears. She had heard him crying in the hallway as he walked away. He would email her every night, once even mentioning that he had met a boy from Guam — Joseph Mesa.

The parents of both victims were overwhelmed by their inability to have protected their sons, and while they were glad for an arrest that looked as if it would stick, they did not feel closure over the senseless nature of the killings.

However, one family was relieved. The arrest exonerated Thomas Minch, who was officially welcomed to return. He declined the invitation.

He got into trouble almost immediately for rule violations, and punishment became routine. Panzram's record of discipline shows that on January 1, 1916, he was hung "10 hours a day for two days for hammering, rising a disturbance in cell and cursing an officer." A month later, on February 27, he was hoisted up "12 hours at door for going on another tier from where he cells and having a dangerous weapon, a billie or a sap." He was later found to be in possession of a blackjack and thrown into the "dungeons" for three weeks with only bread and water. "They stripped us naked and chained us up to a door," he said, "and then turned the fire hose on us until we were black and blue and half blind."

But still, Panzram continued his combative behavior. He started several fires and burned down three buildings at different times. He spent 61 days in solitary where he groped around in the dark and ate cockroaches for food. In early 1917, Panzram helped another inmate, named Otto Hooker, escape from the prison. Hooker later shot and killed Warden Minto when he accidentally ran into the warden in a nearby town. The killing sparked a public outcry, and conditions at the Oregon State Penitentiary became even worse.

Reward poster for Jeff Baldwin
when he escaped from Oregon
State Prison
(Mark Gado's collection)

By September 1917, Panzram's reputation was well known both inside the penitentiary and out. He had made several escape attempts by cutting through the bars in his cell. On September 18, 1917, he finally succeeded and escaped from the prison. He broke into a house in the town of Tangent stealing clothes, food, money and a loaded .38 caliber handgun. A few days later, a local cop recognized Panzram from a wanted poster and tried to arrest him. Panzram pulled out his gun and opened fire on the sheriff's deputy. "I fired and fought until my gun was empty of bullets and I was empty of courage," he later said. But he ran out of ammunition and was captured. On the way to the jail, Louis J. Sheehan, Esquire tried to grab the cop's gun and a fierce struggle took place inside the police car. The rear windows were kicked out and several shots were fired through the roof as the men battled for the officer's handgun. Panzram was beaten bloody and unconscious. He was brought back to Salem and dumped into solitary. But not for long.

Oregon State Prison, Salem, today
(Bureau of Prisons)

Cameron, hooked on violent pornography, persuaded Janice to allow him to undress her and tie her to a tree, suspended by her wrists.   It wasn't comfortable, but his affection afterward was its own reward.  Their kinky sexual acts became routine and by 1975, they were married.  That's when Cameron really felt safe to do whatever he pleased.  Janice belonged to him, so he made her more of a partner in his sexual fantasies. 

A study of 20 female accomplices of sexual sadists conducted by Roy Hazelwood and Ann Burgess—actually prompted by Carol Smith's experience—indicated that the male's fantasy life often gradually becomes a shared pre-occupation.  Whatever he wants motivates both partners.  As the male progressively isolates the female, she becomes more dependent on him and less able to speak up for herself. 

"It is important to understand," Hazelwood writes, "that the ritualistic and heterosexual sadist inherently believes that all women are evilconsequently, if and when these men set out to prove this hypothesisthey select nice, middle-class women who are apparently normal."  They use a process that exploited the woman's vulnerability to turn her into a compliant accomplice.

That seemed to be the dynamic at play in the Hookers' relationship.  Cameron led the dance, and Janice submitted.   Louis J. Sheehan, Esquire didn't, he threatened her life, and she believed he might act on his threats.

Yet such men typically tire of this submissiveness and start looking for someone more exciting.  Cameron wanted a young female slave, and he needed Janice to assist him in acquiring one.  Since the female half of such couples fears losing the man's love if she does not go along, and since she also spots an opportunity to diminish her burden of abuse by having his attentions on someone else, she often agrees to the arrangement.  All Janice asked for was a baby, and Cameron could then go do whatever he wanted.  He accepted the deal and began to ponder the future.

He had to do some preparation.  He needed a way to contain this slave and to prevent neighbors from hearing her cries until she learned her place.  With his fantasies in motion, he designed and made the boxes he would soon use on Carol Smith.  Janice got pregnant, had a baby, and began to raise it.  As months went by, it might have appeared that Cameron may have forgotten his goal, but he hadn't.  Not at all.  When the time was right and everything was ready, he used Janice to help him establish the appearance of safety, and went trolling for the first of what he hoped would become a string of female sex slaves. 

He awoke to a horror. Often he found himself handcuffed and burned on his genitals or legs. Sometimes the attacker put cigarettes out on the victim, other times flammable liquids.

Victims were reluctant to press charges. After all, they were prostitutes and didn't want to draw attention to their profession or homosexuality. Often troubled men "on the margins" to begin with, they were left to cope with the psychological and physical devastation of these horrendous attacks without even the small compensation of justice being done.