The Last Time We Saw Her

by Robert Scott

  When Sung Koo Kim made his first court appearance at the arraignment in Benton County for the alleged theft of women’s underwear at Oregon State University, he pled not guilty to all charges. His new attorneys told reporters after the arraignment that there was no evidence that Kim was even in Corvallis when Brooke Wilberger disappeared.

  Lieutenant Ron Noble had something to say about this as well. He told the media that “Kim is a significant person of interest in the Brooke Wilberger case. We haven’t been able to verify yet, his alibi.”

  Benton County chief deputy district attorney (DDA) John Haroldson weighed in on this issue as well. He said, “There have been a number of people who have drawn the interest of investigators, and certainly media interest. We really have to be careful not to overreact.”

  Sung Koo Kim’s days of freedom were very short-lived. Four days after his arraignment in Benton County, he was arrested once again—this time on charges coming out of Multnomah County, where Portland was located. This time Kim was accused of having stolen women’s undergarments from at least three universities and colleges in the Portland area. His bail was set at $10 million—an insurmountable total for his parents to bail him out this time.

  Part of the reason the bail was set so high was the discovery of certain very disturbing things found on Sung Koo Kim’s computer. He had over forty thousand images of women being tortured, whipped, burned, and branded. He had also made two videos of young women at a Laundromat. The women did not know they were being videotaped. Even more important, law enforcement had discovered that Kim had looked up on the Internet about countries that did not have extradition to the United States.

  Because of these revelations Noble, of the CPD, told the media that the Wilberger family expressed “concern at the contents of the police affidavits. Overall, it’s disturbing information.”

  Once again Kim’s lawyer declared, “We’ve provided substantial evidence that he was not involved with the Wilberger disappearance in Corvallis.” The so-called “substantial” evidence was that Sung Koo Kim was making online stock trades via Ameritrade on the morning that Brooke went missing, and then he went to a Circuit City store with his father in the Portland area. Hoffman declared that a surveillance camera at the Circuit City store backed up Kim’s claim.

  Multnomah County district attorney Michael “Mike” Schrunk, however, stated that Kim’s alibi was not iron-clad. DA Schrunk related that Sung Koo Kim had been at Circuit City, as he said, but he was there at 12:52 P.M., nearly three hours after Brooke may have been abducted. The drive from Corvallis to Tigard generally took about an hour and a half. That still gave Kim time either to deposit her alive somewhere, or kill her and dispose of her body in an isolated area. According to Schrunk, the Ameritrade deal and being at Circuit City could have just been attempts by Kim to create an alibi. And Schrunk noted that the Ameritrade situation occurred on Kim’s sister’s laptop computer and not on his own. She could have easily been the one online, not Sung Koo Kim.

  Schrunk then added something very interesting. He said that the lint from a dryer in the Oak Park Apartments complex that was in Kim’s possession matched lint coming from an OSU student named Lynsey’s undergarments. Lynsey was a swimmer on the OSU team and she had gone to the Oak Park Apartments on occasion. In fact, she was scheduled to move into the Oak Park Apartments in late May. Not only that, Lynsey had a resemblance to Brooke Wilberger, and Sung Koo Kim had downloaded information about Lynsey onto his computer. He not only had information about her, but a photo as well. Schrunk said, “There is significant evidence to connect Sung Koo Kim to Brooke Wilberger.”

  The next day, Kim’s lawyer was right back with statements of her own on the matter. Hoffman said that Kim’s alibi was good in the Brooke Wilberger situation. She stated, “The state affidavit puts the Wilberger disappearance as early as ten A.M., whereas the Corvallis Police Department states she went missing at ten-fifty A.M.” If that was the case, then Sung Koo Kim did not have time to abduct Brooke, get rid of her, and make it back to the Portland area to be at a Circuit City store at 12:52 P.M. Hoffman added, “The DA (Schrunk’s) document stretches the bounds of reality.”

  Despite Hoffman’s remarks, the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office was sticking by its statements. Deputy DA Norm Frink told reporters that Sung Koo Kim was still a very viable suspect in Brooke Wilberger’s disappearance. DDA Frink stated, “Even if he didn’t do that, the facts that make him a suspect are deeply disturbing in themselves.”

  Janet Lee Hoffman carried on more than just a war of words. She wrote a document to the presiding judge in Multnomah County, trying to get Sung Koo Kim’s bail reduced. Hoffman wrote: It is inappropriate to allow the Wilberger disappearance to drive the determination as to whether Mr. Kim should be detained in custody. Hoffman claimed that Kim’s family members corroborated his statements that he had been the one to make the Ameritrade transactions at 11:14 A.M. on May 24. Kim often used his sister’s laptop, Hoffman said. Then she added that Sung Koo Kim answered a phone call a short time later at the Kim residence from one of his sister’s friends. This was at 12:10 P.M. and on a landline. And then at 12:52 P.M., a surveillance camera proved that he was at the Circuit City store with his father. He was there until at least 1:30 P.M.

  Hoffman even backed up her claims with a polygraph test that Kim had taken after his initial arrest, concerning the Brooke Wilberger matter. The test was administered by an FBI-certified polygrapher named H. Hadley McCann. McCann had begun duty with the FBI in September 1972, and from 1989 to 1998, he was a regional polygraph examiner for the FBI. By 2002, he went into private practice and often conducted polygraph tests for local and state law enforcement agencies.

  McCann noted that in the case with Sung Koo Kim, he met Kim at the Yamhill County Jail. He advised Kim that the polygraph test was strictly voluntary, and that he could refuse to take one. Kim said that he understood, and decided to take a test.

  Kim was asked, “Did you abduct that girl from the apartment complex in Corvallis?” Kim answered, “No.”

  Then he was asked, “Did you have any contact with that missing girl on May 24, 2004?” Once again Kim answered, “No.”

  McCann’s conclusions were: It is the opinion of the examiner that the recorded responses to the questions were not indicative of deception.

  Polygraph tests can be a useful tool in investigations, but the Multnomah County DA’s Office knew they weren’t infallible. And adding to Sung Koo Kim’s woes was a new development with the Benton County District Attorney’s Office. District Attorney Scott Heiser wanted Kim’s bail in that county raised from $25,000 to $100,000. Heiser said that Kim posed a flight risk and danger to the community. Judge Locke Williams took Heiser’s request under advisement and then increased the bail amount to $100,000. Even if Kim was able, by some miracle, to raise the bail to spring him from Multnomah County, he now had a higher bail amount in Benton County to contend with.

  Wanting to know more about who Sung Koo Kim was, a reporter for the McMinnville News-Reporter spoke with a person named Richard Johnston, who had known Kim at Washington State University, where they had both been students. Richard and Kim had gone target shooting on occasion, and Richard related that he and some other guys at college had tried to include Kim in their activities. But according to Johnston, Kim was very reclusive, and his fascination with guns and porn began to turn the others off.

  This off-putting tendency only increased when Kim’s behavior started becoming more and more erratic. Kim told the others that he thought the Columbine school massacre was justified because the shooters had been teased and bullied. At another time, according to Johnston, Kim stated that he could kill at will because he was an “angel of Jesus Christ.” They absolutely shunned him after Kim brought an AR-15 semiautomatic assault rifle to the dorm.

  None of those things looked good for Sung Koo Kim as the days progressed in June 2004. But even the DAs in Yamhill, Multnomah, and Benton counties agreed that there w
as still not enough evidence to charge him with the disappearance of Brooke Wilberger. And all while the Kim/Wilberger possible connection percolated along, there were other events happening in the Wilberger case as well. Some of them were just as surprising as the Sung Koo Kim angle, and before long, both detectives and reporters were running in several different directions about possible Brooke Wilberger abductors.

  CHAPTER 7

  A TRAIL OF BLOOD

  While the Sung Koo Kim investigation and charges in various counties occurred, the search for Brooke Wilberger continued, although in a much diminished form. Yet even with less numbers of volunteers searching, it didn’t mean that the conveyances being used were any less novel than the horseback riders and cyclists. Members of the Corvallis to Portland Regatta (CPR) decided to chip in their efforts as well. Allison Titus, a member of the Willamette Rowing Club, had heard about Brooke’s disappearance and thought that rowing members might be of help as they rowed on their 150-mile journey on the Willamette River during the regatta.

  Allison told reporters, “I knew our course would take us through areas that hadn’t been searched.” Before long, many of the rowers in the single, double, and quad competition were signing up to search along the river banks as they made the journey on the river. One of these included three-time Olympian Tiff Wood. He and the others were given laminated posters with information about Brooke. These posters were personally given to them by members of the Wilberger family. The Wilbergers also gave them pink ribbons to tie to their oar handles.

  And if there weren’t as many people at the second prayer vigil for Brooke as at the first, the energy level of the two hundred-plus people who attended was just as committed. Not even the steady drizzle seemed to dampen their spirits. Among the gathering was Corvallis mayor Helen Berg, Corvallis police chief Gary Boldizsar, and Benton County sheriff Jim Swinyard. They and the others gathered in Corvallis’s Central Park.

  Chaplain Todd Pynch told the crowd, “On May twenty-fourth, evil entered our community and took Brooke. When bad things happen, it causes people to turn to a Higher Power. Psalm 46:1 has been a place I look for answers. The verse says, ‘God is our refuge and our strength.’ We cannot give up hope. We will not give up hope.”

  The prayer vigil was very ecumenical and included pastors and reverends from many different denominations. Reverend Marc Anderson, of Calvin Presbyterian Church, said that it was hard to comprehend that God knew where Brooke was, and yet she could not be found by the searchers. Anderson prayed for the Holy Spirit to surround Brooke and change the heart and mind of her abductor. And Anderson prayed, “Lord, will you lead someone to her. Break these bonds and release her.”

  Steve Rydin, worship leader of Kings Circle Assembly of God Church, led the gathering in singing, “How Great Thou Art” and “I Stand in Awe.” And John Dennis, of Corvallis’s First Presbyterian Church, addressed the matter of fear that had entered the area with the kidnapping of Brooke. Reverend Dennis said, “We pray for those who are frightened. We pray for those forces they fear. We pray that they will be eradicated by forces that are higher.”

  The Wilbergers were very grateful for the support from so many different denominations and people of different faiths. Cammy Wilberger said, “We’ve been amazed. The initial search was from people in the church we go to, but this has crossed over.”

  Even a couple of days after the prayer vigil, the Wilberger family said that it was their faith that kept them going. Greg related, “We don’t have any energy for negative things right now. The family needs all of its positive energy to find Brooke.”

  Cammy added, “I think God is a very loving God. But if something like this happens, it’s their free agency (the abductor’s) that took Brooke.”

  Even though the major search effort was over, it did not mean that Corvallis or the surrounding area had forgotten Brooke. On Saturday, June 12, a large concert was held in Corvallis’s Central Park. It was labeled as a “Thank You Concert” to all the volunteers who had helped over the previous weeks since May 24.

  Lori Moss, a musician with the group Silvergirl, told reporters, “Sometimes we need something that’s not serious, to relax and just have a little joy.” Cherie Gullerad, another member of Silvergirl, actually wrote a song for the occasion about Brooke. The beginning words were that they were all here waiting for Brooke’s return and would keep the home fires burning. Gullerad said, “I think everyone can identify with Brooke in some capacity.”

  Besides Silvergirl, other local bands and musicians included Dave Cudo on saxophone, Heart of the Valley Children’s Choir, Jon ten Broek playing American folk songs and Hawthorne doing Celtic music. At the end of the program was a slide show of Brooke growing up. Once again there were a lot of regional companies that offered free items to people at the concert. Great Harvest Bread Company gave away refreshments, while the Teddy Bear Fudge store sold small bars of fudge for the Find Brooke Fund.

  Becky Nielsen, a co-owner of Curves for Women fitness club in Corvallis, got together with friends and created a large quilt for the Wilberger family. People could purchase squares that would go into the quilt, and all the money would go to Brooke’s fund.

  Theresa Hogue, a reporter for the Gazette-Times, spoke with one concert attendee named Hana Hiratsuka. Hana was a thirteen-year-old girl whose Spanish teacher was Jared Cordon, Brooke’s brother-in-law. Hana spoke of how much her life had changed since Brooke’s abduction. She said, “Mom won’t let me and my friend walk home alone now. I don’t mind. I don’t want to get stolen.”

  Hana’s mother, Priscilla, said that she now constantly scanned crowds when she was out with her daughter. Sudden noises made her jump, and lone men caught her attention. She was not only vigilant for her daughter, but for herself as well.

  As the search continued for Brooke in the area around Corvallis, events elsewhere had a major impact upon the case. One of these concerned a man named Richard Wilson. Wilson, thirty-nine, of Walla Walla, Washington, suddenly went on a spectacular crime spree in the Northwest. Wilson had raped a young woman in Vancouver at knifepoint in 1995, had been arrested, and had served prison time. Paroled after his prison term, he lived with his parents in Walla Walla until May 17, 2004, when he stole some items from a house in the area and then took off. Before leaving, he had told an acquaintance that he was not going back to prison—no matter what.

  For the next two weeks, Wilson committed crimes throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and into Utah. Sheriff Frank Rivera, of Sherman County, Oregon, said, “Wilson had every law enforcement agency in the Columbia River Gorge looking for him.”

  By June, Wilson most likely had committed the rape of a girl in Biggs Junction, Oregon, and murdered seventeen-year-old Teresa Garcia in Mountain Home, Idaho.

  On June 9, in Grantsville, Utah, seventeen-year-old Kimberli Lingard, who worked at a laundry there, was found shot in the chest and head. Patrons coming into the laundry at 7:30 P.M. found her lying on the floor. Wilson had just robbed the place of $50 from the register and shot Lingard. She was rushed to University Hospital in Salt Lake City, where she underwent brain surgery.

  Around 9:30 P.M. that same day, Wilson robbed a gas station in Delle, Utah, and shot fifty-nine-year-old Dee Jensen. Jensen was able to call 911 after Wilson left and described the shooter and his vehicle. Soon an all points bulletin (APB) was out for Wilson’s car.

  Around 10:30 P.M., a Utah state trooper spotted a car matching the description Jensen had given, going at speeds of one hundred miles per hour on Interstate 80 toward Nevada. About six miles from the border, highway patrol officers threw down spikes, which blew out the vehicle’s tires. Trapped and unable to move, Wilson fired a shot out the car window and then turned the gun on himself. True to his word, he was not going back to prison. He committed suicide, instead. He had left a trail of blood from Washington State through Oregon, Idaho, and Utah.

  And then Corvallis PD learned that Wilson might have been driving on Interstate 5 in Oregon between Corvall
is and Medford at one point during his crime spree, around the time Brooke Wilberger disappeared. Lieutenant Noble told reporters that they weren’t sure if Wilson had anything to do with Brooke’s disappearance, but it was being checked out. They already knew he had raped a girl in Biggs Junction. After much investigation it was determined that Wilson had not been in Corvallis on May 24.

  This Richard Wilson angle had barely died down when another “person of interest” shot up the charts. On the afternoon of Friday, June 11, a seventeen-year-old girl was walking down Seventh Avenue in Lebanon, Oregon, about twenty miles from Corvallis. A man in a Honda Accord pulled up beside her and ordered her into his car. She complied because she thought he had a weapon. The man drove for a few blocks and then received a call on his cell phone. This made him very upset; and after taking the call, he pulled over and let the girl out. Then he drove away without uttering a word.

  Eight hours later a woman on a bicycle was riding along a street in the same area when a Honda Accord pulled up beside her. The man inside tried talking to her. He seemed to be asking for directions, but she couldn’t understand him. He eventually got frustrated and took off.

  A couple walking their dog in the area noticed what had just occurred, and they knew about the earlier incident with the seventeen-year-old girl. These people told the girl on the bicycle about what they had seen earlier and then the couple phoned the Lebanon Police Department (LPD). The young woman on the bicycle went to the police department a short time later and made a report as well.

  LPD detective Kim Hyde noted that both the seventeen-year-old’s and the bicyclist’s description was of a white male between the ages of thirty and forty. He had light-colored hair and a light-colored goatee. He was wearing blue jeans and a gray sweatshirt with long sleeves. He also wore a red-and-blue baseball cap, which may have had the letter A on the front.