Page 59 of Everything She Feared

“Amazing,” Shane says.

“Police showed the Canadian woman photos of Magda. She said it resembled the woman she tried to help that night. It was enough for police to get a search warrant.”

“So things got moving,” Sonya says.

“Police also had other pieces of evidence tied to the case, including items belonging to the missing victims.”

“This is frightening,” Sonya says.

“Among the items found were rings belonging to Sharon Lance and Jeremy Dunster—British tourists reported missing in ’94 after they disappeared in their rented car north of Spokane. And they found a ring belonging to Brent Porter, a long-distance cyclist from Denver, Colorado, last located in Butte, Montana, before he was reported missing.

“But the Vrykers only faced charges in the attack on the Canadian woman,” Beatrice says. “Police believed they were involved in crimes against the missing people, but they had no crime scenes, no witnesses and no bodies. They knew Herman was a long-range trucker and an ex–doomsday cult member. Magda worked at a slaughterhouse near Billings.”

“That alone presents some chilling scenarios,” Shane says.

“They used cadaver dogs, searched and dug up their property in vain. Everything was circumstantial,” Beatrice says. “Then while they had them in custody, a couple of sharp investigators questioning Herman and Magda separately, employed a strategy whereby they strongly suggested one was poised to betray the other and both would be executed for their crimes.”

“Clever,” Sonya says.

“That’s when Magda made a shocking move,” Beatrice says. “Through her lawyer she said she was a victim of Herman’s abuse, stemming from his twisted cult beliefs. Magda said she was forced to participate in Herman’s crimes as a matter of self-preservation and to protect their daughter. Then Magda and her lawyer offered a deal—a full confession to seven murders in which she would give up her husband. In exchange she would avoid the death penalty. She’d serve a maximum of twenty years at a minimum-security prison, would have absolutely no restrictions or conditions upon her release, and she would be given a new identity that wouldn’t be made public. And, she’d sign a confession and help locate the bodies.”

“Wow,” Shane says.

“The prosecution saw it as the only way to put the Vrykers behind bars and accepted the deal.

“Herman attempted to portray Magda as the driving force behind the crimes. It failed. He was convicted of seven first-degree murders and sentenced to death. But, unable to accept Magda’s betrayal, he took his own life in his cell. Some called him Magda’s last victim.”

“That’s wild,” Shane says.

“Wait,” Sonya says. “From our reading Magda used her child to lure victims. It’s so cold and calculating. Who’s not going to help a mother and her toddler when their van breaks down?”

“That’s right,” Beatrice says.

“So what happened to the daughter, Hayley?” Sonya asks.

“Social services took custody, she was adopted and nothing more is known about her, although some speculate about where and who she is.”

“Imagine being the kid of a serial killer?” Shane says.

“That’s a subject for another show,” Sonya says.

“And what about the deal Magda made to locate the bodies?”

“She was escorted out of prison several times to sites that she claimed were the graves of their victims. But each expedition yielded nothing. It became obvious to investigators that she would never lead them to the actual graves, which enraged and deepened the pain of the families of their victims.”

“Oh, my God,” Sonya says.

“Magda was sentenced to twenty years in ’96 when she was twenty-four. During her prison time she also earned a couple of university degrees and became extremely well-read and learned to speak Spanish and French. After twenty years of soft time, she was released at age forty-four, started a new life under a new identity and vanished. She’s been invisible for about seven years now.”

“This brings us to your group, Beatrice,” Sonya says. “You believe that even though Magda served twenty years, she cheated the system.”

“We know there are many arguments—that the prosecution accepted the deal, she did her time and we have to give offenders a chance at rehabilitation.”

“But?” Shane says.

“Well, let’s start with her sentence. She negotiated the terms and served less than three years for each life she and her husband took. So many people do harder time for less. Then let’s look at her deal. She failed to hold up her end. When officials took her to sites, she claimed she couldn’t remember, got confused, disoriented, never revealed a shred of evidence. Yet her lawyer convinced the court she was keeping up her end of the deal. Privately, investigators believed Magda knew exactly where they were. So yes, some see her as a monster who cunningly gamed the system, absolutely. This is a person who faced the death penalty, or at least should’ve been locked away for life, and has been living a new and free life.”

“So the goal of your group is...?” Shane asks.

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