(suspenseful music)
- Deborah Sheppard was a senior at SIU.
She was a young African American woman
with a bright and exciting future ahead of her.
- She had so many goals and dreams
and to one day have a family of her own,
and have a successful career.
And all of that was taken away.
(keyboard clicking)
- I had prepared for about two weeks for that interview,
and knew I needed to get it right.
The thing that I remembered most was actually
shaking his hand and realizing that's the hand
that was around Deborah Sheppard's throat.
I knew he would be a tough interview.
I knew he was very intelligent.
One of the first things I wanted to do though
was to intrigue him
so that he wouldn't lawyer up
to where I couldn't ask him any questions.
I want him to confess.
That's the target.
I want him to confess to the murder.
- No.
- I knew that it would be essentially a mind game
between me and him,
but I felt I was ready for it.
- In his mind he wants to hear what we've got.
While I'm trying to be coy
and not let him know or see my hands.
He's gonna do everything he can
to deny and duck all of that
while still trying to stay in the interview
long enough to find out what I really have,
or am I bluffing.
- We got to a point where I did reveal
that I had a DNA match.
He didn't believe it.
So, finally had to show him a copy
of the crime lab report.
He still denied it.
- By the time we got to that level,
he asked for an attorney.
- Our questioning was over, and he did not confess.
When we left the prison I was frustrated.
I mean now the family has to go through the agony
of the trial.
(suspenseful music)
The next day I had a voicemail.
Tim wanted to confess.
That never happens.
So, my sergeant and I went back to the prison.
We sit down with Tim Krajcir.
In my mind, geez, all the hard work that everybody
had put into that,
we finally know who killed Deborah Sheppard.
(slow music)