Murder In America - EP. 45 NEVADA - Abducted Off A Couch: The Tragic Murder of Brianna Denison

Episode Date: December 1, 2021

In 2008, a serial rapist was stalking the streets of Reno, Nevada, preying on vulnerable college-aged women. But for the rapists final crime, he would take it up a notch, and escalate from sexual assault to full on murder. Brianna Denison's abduction and the vigilant search to locate her would captivate the nation, and would even find itself broadcast on "America's Most Wanted". This is one captivating story, that you HAVE to hear, and YOU'RE LISTENING, TO MURDER IN AMERICA. - Get discreet, at-home mental health treatment with a licensed professional therapist with BETTERHELP! Use our special link for 10% off your first month! betterhelp.com/MIA - Get $10 off your purchase of a SKYLIGHT FRAME (a surefire holiday gift HIT) by using our special code, "MURDER", when you check out! skylightframe.com - Upgrade YOUR shaving game with ATHENA CLUB!! Just go to athenaclub.com and use our special code MIA for 20% off! - Additional audio editing by Joe Pietz. https://instagram.com/joepietz?utm_medium=copy_link Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Warning, the following podcast is not suitable for all audiences. We go into great detail with every case that we cover and do our best to bring viewers even deeper into the stories by utilizing disturbing audio and sound effects. Trigger warnings from the stories we cover may include violence, rape, murder, and offenses against children. This podcast is not for everyone.

You have been warned. It's 2007 in the city of Reno, Nevada. Reno's often referred to as the biggest little city in the world. It's known for its flashy casinos, waterways, and its beautiful tourist attractions. But like every city, it has its fair share of violent crime. And in 2007, the citizens of Reno would learn this the hard way, because over a three-month period, a serial rapist haunted the minds of young women all throughout the city. And he specifically targeted his victims near the University of Reno. The rapist had an affinity for smaller women.

with long dark hair. At night he would lurk in the shadows, hunting for his perfect victim. When he would spot her, he would sneak up behind, cover her mouth to drown out her screams, and then he would brutally rape her. When January of 2008 came around, the rapist spotted 19-year-old Brianna Denison, and to him, she was the perfect victim. So he waited carefully outside while Brianna drifted off to sleep on the couch. And once the coast was clear, he carefully opened the unlocked front door, put a pillow over Brianna's face, and abducted her from the home. Brianna's loved ones would never see her again after this fateful night. Join us as we take you through the story of how a serial rapist advanced

to murder and how this case would go on to change the world of true crime as we know it. This is the murder of Brianna Denison. I'm Courtney Shannon. And I'm Colin Brown. In your listening to Murder in America. The University of Reno in October of 2007, many college students were staying on campus into the late hours of the night studying for the upcoming midterms, and as they walked their car from the libraries or their various study groups, none of them had any idea that a monster named James Bila was watching them, sizing up each and every woman that walked by. Many women walked by James on the night of October 22nd, but one in particular was of special

interest to him. Her name was Amanda Collins, a university of Reno student in her 20s, and on this night at around 10 p.m., she was walking through the UNR parking garage on campus. Amanda had no reason to be fearful of her surroundings because campus security often parked in this garage. In addition, the campus police station was just 100 yards from where she was parked. No one with bad intentions would be that risky, would they? But that's where we're wrong, because James Bilo was there in that parking garage, and his drive to harm others outweighed his fear of getting caught. And when he saw Amanda enter the first floor of the garage, he quickly hid behind some cars, preparing himself for the attack. Once she was close enough, he emerged from the darkness

holding a black and silver handgun, and he pushed her on the ground in between two parked cars. He was completely unfazed that they were in a public place, where anyone could walk by at any time. And there, in between the cars on the cold cement floor of the garage, James violently raped her. Amanda would go on to report the rape, but she didn't know her attacker and he didn't leave any DNA. Amanda was severely traumatized after this experience, and she wouldn't be the only one. Because less than a month later, James Bela would strike again. It was around 5 p.m. on November 13, 2007. It was getting dark outside, but the sun was still put.

poking through the horizon when James Bila pulled into an apartment's parking lot in the 400 block of College Drive. Many college students lived in this complex, which is exactly why James picked it for his hunting grounds. He sat in his car for a few minutes, watching as different young women exited their vehicles and walked into their homes, but none of them were his type. Then suddenly he sees her. It's a 21-year-old UNR student. She's petite, with long dark hair, and she had just pulled into the parking lot, so he needed to act fast. James quickly exited his vehicle, snuck up behind the young woman, and before she even knew what was happening, he placed her in a chokehold. He then dragged her in between two cars and began groping her. James told her to stay quiet and that

if she screamed, he would hurt her. But luckily, she didn't listen. Not only did she put up a fight, but she screamed loudly, so loud that James decided to leave the scene, only after giving her a few good kicks to the head. Luckily, her reaction to this attack saved her from a brutal rape. And we know this because after he ran off, the woman noticed a few unopened Trojan condoms on the ground next to her. When investigators came to the scene, they retrieved the condoms and were able to get some DNA off of the wrapper. They also determined that the condoms expired in May of 2012, and they had a lot number of TT7135 WZ908. But other than this, they had nothing. The attacker's DNA was not in their database, so they had no way of knowing who this man was, and he wasn't

finished. His next attack would come one month later, on December. 16th, 2007. Her name was Virgie Chen, a 22-year-old exchange student from Taiwan. And on this occasion, Vergi was coming home to her apartment complex after a long Saturday night out. It was far past midnight into the early hours of Sunday morning when she pulled her car into the parking lot in the 14th 100 block of North Virginia Street. It was late. The streets were quiet, and Vergey was ready to get home and get into bed. But as she exited her vehicle, she felt someone push her from behind. And before she knew it, she was on the ground with a random man on top of her.

He tried to choke her by pressing his arm onto her neck, but then he changed his method by putting his hands over her mouth and nose. There was nothing that Verge could do at this point. And the last thing she remembered before passing out from lack of oxygen was that the man forced her inside of a vehicle that was parked nearby. Once inside the car, James put a sweatshirt over her face so she couldn't see where he was taking her. But she was able to recall that they drove for about three to four minutes. Once he parked, he got into the backseat and removed the sweatshirt from Verge's face.

She couldn't tell where they were, but it was clear that it was a very secluded location and that no one would be able to help her. James then told her, if you see my face, if you tell the police, I will kill you. He then forces Virgie to perform oral sex on him, and he removes her clothes and rapes her. When the assault was over, James put her underwear into his pocket to keep, almost like a trophy from his attack.

And afterwards, James drives her back to her apartment complex and drops her off. But the traumatized Vergey said that before she got out of the car, James told her, I might be back. Vergi was terrified at these words because her attacker knew where she lived, and there was a possibility that he could indeed come back for her, and she knew that she needed to call the police. When the officers arrived to her apartment to take her statement, she told them everything, despite her attacker's threats. She told them that he was a white male somewhere between the ages of 20 and 30. He had brown hair, a long face, and a square chin. He had a heavy build and was no shorter than 5'9 and no taller than 6'3.

He spoke English and did not have any sort of accent. He had very pale skin on his torso, legs, and groin, compared to his arms. And she said that his fingers were very thick and meaty. He had a mustache and a goatee, but the facial hair wasn't connected, meaning that there was a gap in between the two. And unlike normal beard hair, she said his was softer and about a quarter inch in length. She also said that her attacker was completely shaved of all pubic hair, almost like he used a hair removal cream.

His stomach wasn't toned, but he also wasn't overweight. and he hadn't any belly button. Fergie also remembered that he was wearing a short-sleeved red shirt with a blue neckline and that it was possibly made of polyester or silk. There also could have been a word on a shirt over the left part of his chest. His pants were dark and sport-like, and the waistband was elastic with no zipper. She described his vehicle as an automatic pickup truck with an extended cab and reclining seats. The interior was either gray or black, and the radio of the car had red and blue lights.

And lastly, during her attack, Fergie remembered seeing a white baby's shoe on the floor of the truck. Investigators were blown away at the amount of information that she remembered, and on the evening after, she would go in for a rape kit. Her attacker's DNA would be put into a database, but it came up with no matches to previous offenders. Authorities also took her clothes from the night of the attack, and they were able to retrieve gray carpet fibers that were most likely from the attacker's vehicle. But other than that, there wasn't any progress in the case. Since his DNA wasn't in the system, they had no idea who he was. And the unknown assailant would walk free after three separate attacks on innocent

women. But his next attack would be far different than any other, because next time, He wouldn't just rape his victim. James Bela would advance to murder. This podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. So a question, guys, are you dealing with something that you don't really know how to deal with on your own? Is there something holding you back from achieving your goals or living a happy, fulfilling life? Well, that's where BetterHelp comes in. And we've promoted them and worked with them many times now.

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today. Visit betterhelp.com slash mIA. That's betterhelp.com slash mIA and join the over 2 million people who have taken charge of their mental health with the help of an experienced professional. In fact, so many people have been using BetterHelp in the last year that they are recruiting additional therapists in all 50 states. This is a special offer for all of you guys, Murder in America listeners online. You can get 10% off your first month at BetterHelp.com slash MIA. And remember, guys, by signing up for these.

companies and these programs you're helping our show out, so go sign up betterhelp.com slash mIA. Now, let's get back to today's story. Brianna Dennison had no idea when she drove into Reno that weekend that she would soon face her death. Reno was in fact the city where she was born and raised, the place where she spent most of her life. When she was born on March 29, 1988, 1988, her mother, Bridget was so excited to welcome

her daughter into the world. Brianna was her first child and the two would go on to have a very close relationship. Bridget would even refer to Brianna as breezy because she was like a breath of fresh air. Four years after Brianna was born, the Denison family welcomed another member to their family, Brighton Denison, Brianna's baby brother. And for a few years, it seemed like all was right in the world. But the Denison family wouldn't have the easiest life. You see, when Brianna was just six years old, her father, Jeff, committed suicide.

And their family had a hard time adjusting to his death. So they decided to move to Mendocino, California for a few years to be closer as a family. something about Reno Nevada had the Denison's heart, and they ended up moving back in 2002. It was their home, the place where they raised their family and created their lives. Brianna was in middle school when she came back to her hometown, but she didn't have any trouble adjusting to her new life. Brianna was a strong-willed child that made friends very easily, and one overwhelming quality that stuck with her throughout the years was her outgoing personality.

And even before people got to know Brianna, she immediately stood out because she was beautiful. She had these bright blue eyes, long dark hair, and just a warm and kind smile. Brianna was also adventurous. When she was in high school, she studied abroad in Rome, Italy, and she also traveled to places like Mexico, Japan, Egypt, Jamaica, Austria, Hungary, France. She loved to see the world. And after graduating from Reno High School in 2006, Brianna decided to go off to college. But she didn't want to go to Reno University like a lot of her friends were doing.

She had grown up in that city and she wanted to venture out and move away from the snow. So she ended up moving to sunny Santa Barbara and enrolled in school at Santa Barbara City College. Brianna did really well here. She made a lot of friends, she loved her classes, and she even found a boyfriend named Cameron Dunn. At the time of our story, Brianna was already a sophomore. studying child psychology. After her father's suicide, she herself went to therapy and found that it really helped her through the hardest years of her life. And she wanted to be able to help other kids that were going through similar situations. Brianna worked really hard in college,

and her family said that she always stayed in touch no matter what. They could always expect to call from her on anyone's birthday or anniversary. She loved to her. her friends and family. And that's why in the winter of 2007, she was so excited to return home to Reno and spend the holidays with her loved ones. After her finals in December of 2007, Brianna returned to her home in Southwest Reno to spend the holidays with her family. She spent the next month with her mom and brother and many other family members that were so excited to have her back home. Towards the end of January, Brianna started making plans to head back to Santa Barbara. Her spring semester was to start on Monday, January 21st.

So Brianna decided to spend her last weekend in Reno with a few of her high school friends. They were all invited to a college snowboarding event at a ski resort outside of Reno called SWAT 72. Brianna had actually attended this event for the past three years, and she loved it. And they were all really excited for this year because the rapper too short was going to perform at the event on Saturday. On the morning of the concert, January 19th, Brianna would spend her very last day, with her mother, a day that Bridget Denison would never forget. It was an average day. The two spent the morning hanging out in their sweatpants, doing some laundry, and getting

things together before Brianna's trip back to California. A few hours later, the two would go to the movies and see 27 dresses, but as the day went on, Brianna was kind of questioning whether or not she should even go to the concert that night, because, one, she still had a lot to do before going back to school, and two, she had a really bad cold that day. But her mom encouraged her to go anyways, telling her you've been so excited about this concert, and it's your last weekend in Reno. It's the last chance you have to hang out with your high school friends before you all have to go off to your different colleges. And Brianna decided that her mom was right. She had already committed to going, and she knew she would

have a really good time once she was there. And her mom, Bridget, wasn't too worried about Brianna because she had always been very responsible. Brianna had even given her a list of all of the places she would be that night just in case of an emergency. And Bridget knew that after the concert, she was going to spend the night with her friend KT. Hunter. This put Bridget's mind at ease because she had known KT for years. Her and Brianna had actually been friends since high school,

and KT along with three other girls, lived in a home in a very safe area near the university. of Reno. So Bridget had no reason to worry about her daughter. And later that night, at around 8.45 p.m., when Brianna grabbed her things and hugged her goodbye, Bridget was confident that she would be seeing her daughter again soon. But one thing both Bridget and Brianna didn't know was that James Bila had been lurking around Reno, Nevada, in search of his next victim. And because of his actions that night, Brianna would walk out of her family home that evening for the very last time. Brianna then met up with KT, and they started getting ready for the fun night ahead.

Once they arrived at the Livestock Event Center, Brianna told KT that she wanted to get as close to the stage as possible, so they pushed their way up to the very front. According to KT, the two of them had the time of their lives dancing and singing along at the front of the stage. Afterwards, at around 1 a.m., the girls met up with Brianna's friend Jessica Deal, who was also one of KT's roommates. The three girls took the shuttle bus from the event center to the Sandy's Regency Casino and Hotel near downtown Reno. The girls spent some time walking around the casino, talking about the night, and enjoying each other's company, before Jessica decided she was going to head back home. And she didn't have a ride, so she flagged down a random man in the parking lot

to take her home. But Brianna and KT were hungry, so they stayed back and ate at Mel's Diner, which was inside of the casino. Brianna's friends said that at this point in the night, Brianna had had a few drinks, but she was definitely not drunk. rarely ever got drunk and was always very responsible. After finishing their meal, their friend Ian offered to give them a ride back home, and it was nearing 4 a.m. when they finally got back to KT's house. The girls hopped out of the vehicle, thanked Ian for the ride, and walked inside after a fun night out. But the one thing they didn't know, something no one could have known, was that James Bela was watching the girls exit the vehicle. He had been in the area for hours

trying to break into different homes to rape his next victim. But he wasn't having any look getting inside, but when he saw Brianna Denison, he knew he had found her. She was exactly his type. Usually when Brianna spent the night at KT's house, she shared a bed with her, but tonight she decided against that. You see, Brianna's college boyfriend wasn't too happy that she had spent the night out having fun with her girlfriends. And Brianna knew that she would probably have to stay up all night texting him, and she didn't want to annoy her friends with the constant text messages that were bound to roll in. So she decided to sleep on the couch in KT's living room. KT. and Jessica gave her a pillow, a brown teddy bear to place under the pillow to kind of prop it up

and two blankets. And then they told her good night and that they would see her in the morning. But this would be the last time that anyone would see Brianna alive. Because outside, James Bela was hiding in the bushes. He watched as Brianna's friends went. to their separate rooms and he noted that no one had locked the front door. So he sat there and he watched Brianna as the light of her phone lit up her face. Brianna would text her boyfriend for the next 20 minutes or so before setting it down and peacefully falling asleep. Once James was sure she was sleeping, he crept up to the house and slowly turned the handle of the front door. The next thing he knew he was inside, and there Brianna was sleeping on the couch, completely unaware that he was about

to kidnap her. Brianna was awoken by a pillow being crushed onto her face. It was pushed so hard that she couldn't even scream or breathe. She tried to bite and move her head around, but the pressure only got stronger, and before she knew it, she was unconscious and being carried out of the house by a stranger, a stranger whose only intentions were to cause her harm. The next morning, at around 9.30 a.m., K.T. and Jessica woke up and made their way to the kitchen to make some breakfast. But when they looked over at their leather couch, where Brianna was supposed to be sleeping, she wasn't there. They didn't think anything of it at first, and they just assumed that Brianna got uncomfortable in the middle of the night and went upstairs

into one of the empty bedrooms. So KT walks up to the room that she assumes Brianna is in. Brianna, it's time to get up. She yells through the closed door, but she doesn't get a response. When she opens the door, she realizes that Brianna isn't in the bedroom. KT starts to frantically look through all the bedrooms of the house, only to find that Brianna isn't in their house at all. And this is when they start to get worried. And their worries intensify when they notice Brianna's stuff is still in the house.

There, by the couch, is her bag of clothes, her shoes, and her cell phone. And this was the point when they immediately knew something was terribly wrong, because for one, Brianna would have never left the house without her cell phone. And two, the thing that concerned them more than anything was that it was freezing in Reno that night. And there was absolutely no way Brianna would have left the house without her shoes on. So at around 10 a.m., KT. and Jessica decide to call Brianna's mom, Bridget. When they tell Bridget what was happening, she immediately knows something is wrong. So she gets in the car and she makes their way over to their house. But while KT. and Jessica are waiting for her arrival, they come across something else

that intensifies their fears even more. There, on the pillow that Brianna was using that night was a spot of blood, fresh blood. So they immediately call Brianna's mom again, who is already on the way over. When she answers the phone, KT is in hysterics. And through her tears, she tells Bridget about the blood on the pillow. And that's when they decide it's time to call the police. Hold up, hold up. Do not pause this.

This is not an ad, everybody. Please listen here. If you're a fan of murder in America, this is me calling to you. Courtney is out of the room. I want a very special Christmas present for Courtney this year. We've been working our asses off and we're about to hit 2 million plays on murder. in America. Thanks to all of you guys that are listening online. We are so thankful. Thanksgiving was just last week, and we were talking about how grateful both of us are for all of you guys online.

But as a Christmas gift, I would love to hit two million plays in our first year of doing the podcast. That's been Courtney's goal for the last six months. So if you guys know someone that would love our show, if you could just send our show to them, if you could listen to old episodes, I don't know what you can do, but we need to boost those numbers to hit two million. As always, guys, guys, post a screenshot of you listening to our episodes on your Instagram story, tweet it, put it on Facebook, it doesn't matter, and tag us so we can see that you guys are listening and you can show your friends and family the best true crime podcast out there. Yeah, I said it.

But also, guys, we're about to hit 10,000 Instagram followers. So if y'all could all rally with me, I know that 40,000 people listen to every episode at this point. So if that last 3,000 of you guys could go to Instagram right now at Murder in America and sign up or follow us. Don't sign up. Follow us on Instagram so we can hit 10,000 followers on Instagram

and 2 million plays by the end of the year. I would be eternally grateful. And yeah, Courtney doesn't know this is in the episode, so help me surprise everybody. And happy early holidays. Let's get back to the show. Thanks for listening to my little rant. The police at my house,

my friend spent the night last night on my couch. She's gone, and there's something that looks like blood on the pillow and all her steps still here. Police officers made their way over to the house on the 1,300th block of Mackay Court, and they immediately suspected something was wrong. And it wasn't just the fact that Brianna was missing

and left her stuff at the house? Law enforcement were especially concerned because the house where Brianna went missing from was eerily close to the locations of the previous sexual assaults, literally within the same neighborhood. And something about that didn't sit right with them. One of the first officers on the scene was Benjamin

Rhodes, and he was the one who questioned Brianna's friend KT. And to understand this story, we're going to describe the layout of the house. First, it's a two-story burnt orange home, and the front door is actually a paneled glass door that looks right into the living room, where Brianna was sleeping that night. One thing that concerned the officers was that there were no blinds or curtains to conceal the living room. So anyone that walked by could have seen Brianna on the couch. There was no forced entry to the house, but KT told the officers that they never locked their front door. She described it almost like a hotel. They had several roommates that came in and out throughout the day, so they always left the front door

unlocked, but all of the roommates would lock their individual bedrooms at night. And the girls lived in a nice area, so they never thought to lock it. Now, KT's room was downstairs, right by the living room, and the other two roommates were upstairs. But despite KT's room being so close to where Brianna was sleeping, she never heard anything happen that night. And KT even had a Chihuahua that always barked when people would enter their home. It would even bark at her roommates. But her dog never barked that night, leading KT to believe that whoever was in their home, whoever abducted her friend, must have been very quiet in doing so. KT told the officers that Brianna went to bed in sweatpants and a white tank top with pink

angel wings. But while she was giving this description of Brianna, she notices something strange. Remember the teddy bear that she gave Brianna to prop her pillow up? Well, it, was missing. And another strange thing she and the officers noticed was that one of the blankets that Brianna was using that night was lying on the floor in the kitchen. And it was kind of pointing in the direction of the back door. This led investigators to believe that whoever took Brianna may have entered through the front door, taken her, and left with her out the back door. But they wanted to make sure they did everything correctly in this investigation. So they brought in search dogs hoping that they could lead them to where Brianna was.

But unfortunately, after hours of searching, the dogs were not able to trace the direction in which Brianna left the premises. And they had nearly every cop in town at this point, searching around the neighborhood, looking in trash cans, manholes, ditches, but they came up with nothing. Brianna was nowhere to be seen.

And with no sign of her, investigators knew that their only hope in finding her, her would be through the evidence at their crime scene. One of the first things investigators did was send the pillow off for testing. From what they could tell, the pillow did indeed have blood on it, and there also appeared to be mascara smears, bite marks, and traces of mucus, almost like someone had used it to press it against Brianna's face in the middle of the night. And when the lab reported back, it confirmed that the blood on the pillow was in fact, Brianas.

Investigators also talked to KT's next door neighbor, who said he was in his living room browsing on his computer at around 4.30 a.m. when he saw a dark figure passed by his window in the direction of KT's house. He said a few moments later, he heard the sounds of a door handle turning, but he never went to see exactly what it was. But even more important to their case, at the scene, investigators found skin cells on the back door handle of the home, skin cells that possibly belonged to their perpetrator. The lead detective in Brianna's case was Detective David Jenkins, who had been on the force for 32 years. When Jenkins heard of Brianna's case, he was very concerned considering the similarities in the recent sexual assaults. Those attacks had occurred

within the same neighborhood and happened in the early hours of the morning. And in one of the cases, the suspect had abducted his victim. But she was eventually brought home. And Detective Jenkins feared that this time, the suspect escalated his crime to murder. As Brianna's friends and family were waiting for the DNA results to come back, they wasted no time in doing everything they could to find her. They offered up a $100,000 reward, For information in the case, they set up search party headquarters in the nearby casinos, and hundreds of people from around town were going around and looking for Brianna. Brianna's favorite color was blue, and within days there were blue ribbons all around the city.

They were on the streets downtown, on people's cars, and even in local businesses. But regardless of the ribbons and the hundreds of people searching, they weren't having any luck. Investigators were also working hard interviewing hundreds of sex offenders in the area, but they weren't having any luck either. On Thursday, January 4th, 2008, Brianna's loved ones held a candlelit vigil at Reno High School, where Brianna graduated. Hundreds of her friends and family members, along with complete strangers in the community, came to show their support. Many people in the crowd were crying, holding signs that read,

Come home, Brianna, along with shirts that had her picture on the front. Brianna's aunt said at this vigil, quote, Now with these t-shirts we can really keep her image alive. Our rallying cry is, if the abductor sees this, open your heart and give her back to us. We want this god-awful person to be aware that he is not only putting a great deal of hurt on Brianna, her friends and family, but also the people who know him. Please just give her back and run off if you need to.

Bring Brianna back to us." End quote. And as the days passed with still no sign of Brianna, hope was quickly dwindling. And investigators were getting more worried because a huge snowstorm was about to roll in. And they knew that this would make it even more difficult to find her. One thing investigators were certain of was that Brianna had been abducted in the middle of the night. But they had no idea who took her. And at this point, many of Brianna's loved ones started suspecting Brianna's boyfriend had something to do with it.

Because of the fight they had gotten into that night, phone records showed that her last contact with anyone was text messages sent to her boyfriend at 4.23 a.m. But those phone records proved that he was in Oregon at the time, so it couldn't have been him. Investigators were also interested in finding the stranger who drove Brianna's friend Jessica Deal home that night. Jessica said the man didn't seem to be dangerous, but it's possible that when he dropped her off, he lingered around the area, to strike but until they found out his name or got the DNA result back all they could do was search around Reno for Brianna. Many of her friends and family took to the media to plead for her return back home. Here's a clip that the Associated Press did on the case. He is one of the nicest girls and if whoever did this is watching just she's so nice.

Brie is 19-year-old Brianna Dennison, a college student who went to a concert and a party in downtown Reno Saturday. She spent the night on a couch at her friend's house. But by early Sunday morning, she had vanished. She wasn't there, and I noticed blood on the pillow, so we called the cops. And from there, it's just been the nightmare. Denison goes to college in Santa Barbara, California, but she was in Reno visiting friends and family for the weekend. Brianna's friend says the front door was not locked that night. Nevada police say they would like to talk to a man who dropped off a friend of Denison's at the home. Surveillance footage shows the man's SUV leaving

the hotel parking lot. Her aunt says Brianna had also gotten a text message from her boyfriend that night. Just awful. They were breaking up kind of stuff, you know, and he just was saying awful things to her, you know, calling her old kinds of names and stuff like that. He was just jealous and young. Authorities say Brianna left behind her purse, cell phone, and some clothing. Denison's family is not giving up hope, but said they are confused by the events of the night. What scares me is like the dog not barking. Did he know that person that came in? Did they

sleep through a dog barking? Why did Brianna Nut scream? No suspects have been named in the case, but they are treating it as a kidnapping. Camille Bohan, the Associated Press. Soon after this, investigators would receive a call from the lab. The DNA results were in, and they confirmed everyone's greatest fears. The DNA that was found on the door handle at the crime scene was a perfect match to the man responsible for the sexual assaults around the city. And it became clear that whoever this was was extremely dangerous and his crimes were escalating. A few days later, investigators actually tracked down the man

who gave Jessica a ride home that night, and his DNA was not a match. But eliminating one person still didn't give them the answers they wanted. They still had no idea who their suspect was. and more importantly, Brianna was still nowhere to be found. When her family discovered that their daughter had been abducted by a serial rapist, they were devastated. But they were still holding out hope that whoever this was would release her, just like he released Virgie Chen. But detectives knew deep down that they were most likely not going to find Brianna alive.

Soon after this, Brianna's friend KT moved out of the house and end with her. her parents. She just couldn't shake the fact that that area wasn't as safe as she thought it was. And every time she looked at her couch, she was met with a terrible reminder that something horrible happened to her best friend right outside of her bedroom door. And although it seemed like investigators weren't making a lot of progress in the case, they did have their suspects' DNA and a very good description of him based on Vergey Chin's account, the previous sexual assault victim. And from what they gathered from descriptions, the man drove a Toyota Tacoma four-wheel drive that was made sometime between 2001 and 2006.

They knew that whoever their suspect was knew the area well because all of his attacks were in a four-block radius. They also believed that he was not new to stalking and assaulting women. Based on his attacks, he seemed to know what he was doing, how to stay in the shadows and not get caught. A sketch was compiled based on Vergey Chin and Amanda Collins' descriptions and the sketch was plastered all over the city. Along with his sketch were posted all of his physical descriptions, the truck he drove, and the gun that he used in his crimes. And before anyone knew it, Reno was facing the largest manhunt in the city's history. Lieutenant Robert McDonald would say, we have his DNA and we are going to find him. If not today, or next week, or next year, then 10 years from now, we will find him.

We won't ever give up. There was no statute of limitation on this. It was around this time when investigators discovered a very concerning event surrounding this case. Vergi Chen, the victim who was abducted and raped by the perpetrator, actually had someone try and break into her apartment just hours before Brianna went missing. And even more concerning, Vergi lived right down the road from where Brianna was abducted. If you remember, on the night of her attack, James Bila told her, I might come back. And this always scared Vergi because he knew where she lived. And in the back of her mind, she always wondered whether or not he actually would indeed come back.

And it was clear to investigators that their suspect tried to make good on his promise to Vergi that night. He had tried to enter her home but was unsuccessful. This information was even more frightening because this meant that the suspect had been wandering around that area for hours, trying to find any victim he could. Knowing the severity of his crimes, his DNA was tested against 3,000 samples in Reno, but there were no matches, and his DNA didn't match any sample anywhere in the entire United States. So this year has been difficult for all of us. I know that COVID for everyone is a little bit different, but being away from your loved ones and your friends for so long

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that attended the University of Reno. Everyone that lived near campus started walking with friends at night, carrying pepper spray and getting extra locks on their doors. Guns sales skyrocketed throughout the city, and some girls left the university entirely, saying that their safety was more important than their education at the time. They even held classes on campus that taught women how to defend themselves if they were ever attacked.

February of 2008 came around, and there was still no sign of Brianna. And sadly, her family was still holding out hope that she would be found alive. On Valentine's Day, her mother Bridget took to the media to speak to her daughter, and here is what she said. I just want to say to my daughter, Brianna, that I love you and I miss you, and nobody's ever giving up.

There are thousands of people looking for you. She ended the statement by saying, quote, I don't want you to give up. I know you're hurt, honey, but I really need you to hang in there, end quote. The very next day. On February 15th, Reno experienced a rise in temperature, and the snow started melting all around the city. A local man whose first name is Alberto, left his place of work that afternoon to walk to a nearby subway to grab some lunch. After he finished his sandwich, he walked through an open field that was basically a shortcut back to his work. But along this walk, he noticed a tree lying in the middle of the field and it seemed really out of place.

So he went to go check it out. Upon walking up, he sees two neon orange objects lying under the tree. And he stated that it almost looked like socks that were on a mannequin. But as he got closer, he realized that this wasn't a mannequin. They were socks on actual human feet of a deceiving. female. Alberto called the police and everyone quickly rushed to the scene. The victim was a white female found completely nude besides her orange socks. Her left arm was raised above her head and her right arm was down, kind of bent and there was a wound on it. The right side of her face

had no flesh at all and all that you could see were her teeth. It was clear that an animal had eaten parts of her face and arm. But based on what they could see, On the other side of her face, investigators were almost positive that it was, in fact, the body of Brianna Denison. A body found in Reno, Nevada Friday, is that of 19-year-old Brianna Denison. Police confirmed the identity Saturday. Denison was abducted from a friend's apartment nearly a month ago as she slept on a couch. Police say she was strangled by a serial rapist. Her body was found in a field about eight miles from where she was last seen.

Police say it had been there for more than a week. Heavy snowfall in recent weeks may have delayed the discovery. Police say they're looking for a serial rapist who has been tied by DNA evidence to at least two other crimes. In the days after Denison's disappearance, friends and volunteers repeatedly searched for her, hoping she would be found alive. Matt Friedman, the Associated Press. As investigators taped off the crime scene that was around eight miles from where Brianna was abducted, a crowd started to form.

Almost everyone knew that the body found had to be Brianna's, and detectives knew that they needed to quickly notify the family before they found out elsewhere. And that afternoon, Bridget got a knock on her door, a visit that she had been dreading all along. Detectives had to tell her about the body that was found and how they were pretty sure it was Brianna. Bridget was in denial at first, telling investigators to double check if the body had certain scars or piercings. But sadly, they had to inform her that the condition of the body made it to where they couldn't check for those identifiable characteristics. She had been dead for far too long, but something inside of Bridgett held on to help, and it wasn't until the next day when investigators positively identified the body as Brianna,

that Bridget finally came to terms that her daughter had been murdered. An autopsy today has determined that the remains of that female discovered in the field are those of 19-year-old Brianna Denison. The official cause and manner of death was strangulation. It is a sexually motivated crime. One thing that investigators did not reveal to the public right away was that at the scene, tucked under Brianna's right thigh, was two sets of thong underwear. One was black with the pink panther on the front, and the other was pink with hearts.

Investigators sent these to the crime lab where they determined neither of the underwear were Breonna's. One of the pair had an unknown female DNA profile and the seaman of their perpetrator. The other set of underwear belonged to none other than KT. Hunter, Brianna's friend. No one really knows how the perpetrator got a hold of KT's underwear, but they were there at the scene. And after further investigation, detectives were able to determine, based on the ligature around Brianna's neck, that she had been strangled with this very underwear. And the fact that there was an unknown female's DNA on the unbearable. other pair of underwear really concerned investigators. Did this suspect have more victims, victims that don't even know they've been victimized? It's also possible that he could have been going

into random women's homes and going through their drawers, or even going by the local laundromat and grabbing people's underwear out of there. Investigators weren't sure what they had on their hands, but they did know that their perpetrator had an underwear fetish. And they hoped that this fact somehow could bring them closer to their killer. Deputy Chief Jim John released his statement saying, quote, Somewhere in our community, there is a wife, a mom, a girlfriend, a sister,

who recognizes our suspect. Likely he looks like someone you at least suspect. But that is the person who is responsible for this crime, end quote. And I'm going to assume that most people that are listening to this podcast remember the show America's Most Wanted. I know that it was a huge part of my childhood and probably a big reason why I love true crime so much. But this case got so much attention

that John Walsh actually covered Brianna's case in one of his episodes, saying, quote, it's a horrible fact that innocent women on the streets of this college town are vulnerable. Brianna was taken out of a living room. This could be your beautiful daughter in college. and you have hopes that some day she will contribute to society, and her life is ended by some sicko nightmare, end quote.

Here is a clip from this episode. We've got to take on some urgent business in Reno, Nevada. Cops need your help to hunt down the killer of 19-year-old Brianna Denison, a cold-hearted predator whose crimes have escalated from molestation to rape and finally to murder. It seems as if everyone in Reno, Nevada, is in a state of mourning. It's just been unbelievable as how Reno has come together to help one family. Thousands have turned out to pay tribute to this beautiful teenager whose life was taken too soon. She was always an angel on earth that protected us.

Now she's with her father watching over us. There have been a series of vigils and memorials as people can. continue to struggle with their grief. And there is also a strong undercurrent of fear. It's like electricity. You can't see it, but you can feel it. There is tension everywhere, especially on the campus of the University of Nevada in Reno.

My mom's petrofried. She's so scared. And she has good reason to be scared. The serial rapist on the loose in Reno has now escalated his violence to murder. I am not walking alone at night. I'm getting a ride with people. Now I'm more aware that, yeah, there is somebody out there.

There is somebody looking. And that somebody remains a dark mystery. We still don't know who abducted, sexually assaulted, and killed Reno teenager, Rihanna Denison. After nearly a month of searching, her body was found in this field on the south side of Reno on Friday, February 15. He strangled her and then threw her into a field like a piece of garbage.

That hurts. I was madder than hell, and I wanted to kick something and break something. Police believed Brianna was kidnapped in the middle of the night from this couch at a friend's house. The front door was left unlocked, so the predator had easy access to Brianna. The killer left behind enough of his skin cells that police were able to get his DNA. but we still don't know who he is. All cops know is that his DNA matches DNA recovered from two previous attacks in the same area. As to his method, the man grabs them from behind.

Using great strength, he holds them with one arm and covers their mouth and nose with the other. One victim was able to scream and scare him off. But the other victim found it impossible. to breathe and passed out. She woke up in his vehicle and was sexually assaulted. She saw only glimpses. She says the attacker shaves his groin area. And she remembers a radio with red and blue lights, a white baby shoe on the floorboard. And when she got out, she took a big step down, indicating she was in some sort of small pickup truck. As she got out of his truck here in this neighborhood, the attacker threatened to kill her if she told anyone. And sure enough, he tried to

make good on that threat. A few weeks later, he came back and tried to break into her home. Lucky for her, he never got inside. For just 24 hours later and only a couple blocks away from here, Brianna Denison would become his next victim. We have seen the suspect become more bold in the sense that now instead of attacking people outside of their residences, in the Brianna case actually went into a residence to abduct her and remove her from that residence. Police strongly believe the attacker either lives or works in Reno because he seems to know the lay of the land. He knew to dump Brianna's body in this remote industrial area, and it was here that he also left this thong underwear. It has his DNA on it as well as the DNA of an unknown woman, not Brianas.

And now America's Most Wanted has learned exclusively that one of the other Reno assault victims is missing her underwear. He took it from her during the assault. So with that, we're making a connection here that maybe this guy has some type of fetish for underwear. In your experience, what does it mean if he is collecting souvenirs from his crimes? That means he's very dangerous.

And cops say keeping the memory alive is why he collects the underwear. and they feel he won't stop until he's captured. With so little known about the killer, Brianna's family is left to wonder. However, there are some things that they are certain of. A type of person that would do this obviously has no morals is just a horrible monster.

Tonight, you can help catch that monster. None of the victims got a good-looking. at him, but a few cryptic details are known. He is believed to be white and in his early 30s with a square chin and short goatee or beard. He is also believed to be between 5'6 foot 6 and 6 feet tall. His groin area is shaved and his abdomen is pale, but he has very tanned forearms, which could indicate

that he works outside. He is physically fit, but not a bodybuilder. If you know anything about Brianna Denison's killer or the other sexual assaults in Reno. Call us right now at 1-800 Crime TV. The discovery of Brianna's body was now national news, and everyone was ready to find her killer. A psychotherapist named John Kelly also came up with a profile of the killer.

In the book, Dead of Night by Gary King, where we got a lot of the information for this case. He says, Kelly said Brianna's killer was likely a narcissistic egomaniac with a god complex, and that he was likely enjoying the attention he was getting on television and in newspapers, particularly since murdering Brianna.

He likely also enjoyed the fear he had created within the community. Kelly said that not only did the suspect have power sexually over someone, but now he had experienced power over life and death. Once he crossed that line, it was hard to go back. The suspect was definitely a budding serial killer. Kelly stated, and he said that he didn't think he was going to stop. Stressful situations such as divorce or the loss of employment often caused such individuals to cross the line.

The way they dealt with stress was to stay in the fantasy all the time, Kelly said. that killing and assaulting was very soothing for them and helped to take them out of the reality of what they were doing. On March 29th, 2008, Brianna was laid to rest next to her father on her 20th birthday. There was a day that no mother should ever have to experience, and she was more than determined to not only find who did this, but to make a change in our legal system so that this would never happen to anyone else's child. And detectives were still hard at work behind the scenes, working to find Brianna's killer, but to the public, it seemed like there was no progress in the case. Blue ribbons still covered the city of Reno, and it was a reminder to

everyone that this case was far from over. Around this time, investigators were desperate to solve the case, so they decided to release an image to the public. It was a picture of the underwear found under Brianna's body. They did this, hoping that someone out there would recognize them. Maybe it would be the owner of the underwear that would come forward, or maybe someone else that had seen these underwear in someone's possession. They weren't sure exactly how, but they knew that in releasing these images, that it would help their case in some way.

And they begged the community to come forward, saying, quote, it could be your father, your brother, or your boyfriend. There is something about this person that somebody knows and that it just isn't right, and we ask you to come forward, end quote. But of the 4,000 leads, every single one, led to a dead end, and the people in Reno began to lose hope that they would ever bring Brianna's killer to justice. Her family even started BBJF, which stood for Bring Bree Justice Foundation. And on its opening day, by pure fate, the police department received a tip that would blow the case

wide open. The caller said that she was friends with a lady who had found random women's underwear in her boyfriend's truck. This immediately stood out to detectives because their suspect had an underwear fetish, and he drove a truck. They asked the caller to reveal the name of the boyfriend, and she told them James Bela. It was the first time investigators had ever heard his name, and when they looked him up in the system, he looked almost identical to the composite sketch of their killer. Upon finding this information, Detective Adam Wignanski immediately drives over to James Bela's home, but he isn't there. So the detective slipped his business card in the door and wrote on the back for James to call him as soon as possible. It was only about 45 minutes later when

James decided to call him back. James's voice was shaky, and the detectives could tell he was a little nervous, and they told him that they needed him to come into the station so that they could ask him a few questions about an investigation they were conducting. James agreed to meet with a detective, but he asked if they can meet in the Wendy's parking lot after he got off work because he didn't want to meet at his house. Detective Wignanski said, I didn't tell him what it was about, and he hung up. I thought it was strange that he never asked me what the investigation was about. If the police come to your house and leave a car that says they're from the robbery homicide unit, wouldn't you want to know what it's about? When they met up the next day in the Wendy's parking lot, Detective Wignanski

shook his hand, and he noted that James had very meaty fingers, just like one of the victims described. The two shared a few minutes of small talk, and then Detective Wignanski dropped the bombshell, and he told James that his name came up in the murder case of Brianna Denison. Upon saying this, James began to profusely sweat, but he denied everything, telling the detective that he never came into contact with Brianna. So the detective says, okay, perfect. If that's the case, then you wouldn't mind if we take your DNA to clear you from our suspect list, but what do you know? James refused. Detective Wignanski also pointed out the fact that James used to drive a 2006 Toyota Tacoma with an extended cab and gray interior, just like their

perpetrator. But James again denied everything. I never knew Brianna and I didn't kill her. And before leaving the interview, he told the detective that his girlfriend, Carleen, could even give him an alibi on the night that Brie. Rihanna went missing. The detective was sure to check up on that alibi, but as for now, he had to let James go. But as he drove away from the Wendy's parking lot, he felt the undeniable feeling that he had just come into contact with Brianna's killer. They would go on to interview James' girlfriend, Carleen, just five days later, and they learned a lot from her. The two had been dating for the past six years, and they even had a four-year-old son together. When the detectives asked her what James was doing on the night of Brianna's disappearance,

she couldn't give him an alibi. Instead, she painted a picture of a very rough relationship. And she said that a lot of their problems started around October of 2007, right around the time when the first victim was raped. Carleen went on to say that after that, James would just randomly get up and leave, and sometimes he would be gone for days at a time, never telling her where he was. he went. She also said that James left town in March of 2008, shortly after Brianna's body was discovered, and he didn't return to Reno until September. And while he was gone on the long work

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your first order. Just go to Athena club.com and use you. Use our promo code M-I-A. That's A-T-H-E-N-A-C-L-U-B.com with promo code M-I-A for 20% off. Now, everybody, let's get back to today's episode. James moved to Washington during the months after Brianna's body was discovered, most likely to distance himself from the investigation. He ended up coming back to Reno in September, and that's when Carleen found the women's underwear in his truck.

She, knowing James for nearly a decade, never assumed that he, he was a predator and she just thought he was cheating on her. When detectives told her that they believed he was involved in Brianna's murder, Carleen was shocked. And she told the detectives that that can't be right. James would never hurt anyone. So investigators had to take a different route. They knew that James wasn't willing to give up his DNA, but he does have a child that shares his DNA. And if he was their guy, then his four-year-old son's DNA could prove that. So they asked Carleen, would you be willing to give us a sample of your son's DNA so we can clear him as a suspect? And Carleen was more than happy to. In her mind, the detectives had it all wrong, and she was confident that in doing so, James

would be cleared as a suspect. So that very day, James' son came into the police station and they took his DNA, but the results wouldn't come for weeks. In the meantime, detectives kept a close eye on James, making sure he didn't skip town. And they started digging into his past. They discovered that he was born on June 29, 1981, in Chicago, and moved to Reno when he was just nine years old. People that knew James on a surface level said he was a fun guy who always made people laugh,

But the people close to James told a whole different story. They said that he had quite the temper, and because of his insecurities, he was known to be a bully. After high school, he joined the Marine Corps and was eventually stationed in Fort Lejeune in North Carolina. But his military life didn't last long. Because of his excessive drug use, he would be discharged in 2001 and moved back to Reno shortly after. He had his first experience with the law when he was arrested for threatening a woman with a knife in 2002. But this incident only landed him with a misting meter. In another incident, he had broken into an ex-girlfriend's home.

When she confronted James, she noticed that he had a knife in his hands. She told him to leave, but instead he swung the knife at her and kicked her dogs. Luckily, she was able to call the police and escape without any injuries, but he continued to harass her for months, sometimes leaving 15-minute-long voicemails where he threatened to get her. Originally, these charges were felonies, but they were later reduced to misdemeanors. And it makes you wonder, with the violent past that James had, why wouldn't his DNA already be in the system?

Well, at the time, you didn't have to give up your DNA unless you were convicted of a felony. And James always scraped by with misdemeanors, so he never had to give up his DNA. Another interesting things detectives discovered was that Carleen, James' girlfriend, worked in the building right next to the field where Brianna's body was discovered. And this made sense because detectives figured that who, whoever dumped Brianna there had to have known that area. And Carleen would later come forward and say that she actually watched from her office window as the detectives came up upon her body.

She even called James right then and there to tell him, hey, I think they just found the body of that missing girl. I'm looking at it right now. Carleen said that when she told James this, he went silent. He didn't say a word. and then he quickly hung up. Just minutes later, according to James' coworkers, he quit his job at the construction company.

James knew he was in trouble, and it wouldn't be long until everyone knew exactly the kind of person he was. When detectives got word that the DNA results were in, everyone was on the edge of their seats. It was the moment that they had all been waiting for. James Bela's son was a 99% match to that of the DNA, DNA taken from all three of their crime scenes, meaning James Bila was in fact their killer. The next day when James drove to his son's daycare to pick up his son, detectives placed him

under arrest for the murder of Brianna Denison. Detective Wignanski said, he seemed surprised. We wanted to arrest him before he got to the daycare, but we arrested him when we did because we didn't want to take a chance on anything going wrong. Once they brought him back to the police station, Detective Jenkins read him his Miranda rights and told him that he was being charged with kidnapping, three counts of sexual assault and murder. But James Bila didn't want to talk to investigators about his crimes. So instead, they placed a call to Carleen to let her know that her boyfriend had been charged with murder. Carleen immediately made her way to the police station, and she wanted to talk to James. Here's a clip from the interrogation room.

It does because I need to know. No, it does. I'm sorry. I just, I was a little being like my dad. It's... I'm gonna... I've said for a long time more than we needed to say and it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter to me. It matters to me.

And if I told you I did it, you'd still love me and be with me. How are you gonna be with me? I can't be with you. You can't. Beavings what the f***. Does it matter? Did you get an attorney?

Oh yeah. Yeah, that'll work. That's, yeah, that's gonna work. How I'm the... Because if you didn't do it, I'll fight to prove your innocence, good. But what? Do you know what you're doing?

Do you have any proof that you didn't do it? I don't need proof I can kill JFK. That was a little hard to hear, but Carleen tells him, Please tell me the truth. I can't right now. Because if you didn't, I will fight to prove your innocence. But if you did? With what? DNA?

They have DNA. So what the fuck doesn't matter? And then you get an attorney? Oh, yeah, yeah, that'll work. That's, yeah, that's gonna work. I'm fucked. I'm fucked. And yeah, he was fucked, because investigators would later come in and take his DNA sample, which proved what everyone already knew. James Bila was a rapist and killer, and he would soon face the death penalty for his crimes.

But as if James Bela couldn't be more of a vile human being, he, of course, pleaded not guilty. At his trial, they played the tapes of him and Carleen in the interrogation. room, and they told the jury that he couldn't even defend himself against his girlfriend, who was begging him to tell the truth. Don't you think if he was actually innocent, he would have told his girlfriend so right then and there? But he wasn't innocent, so he didn't. Prosecutors called Bela's former supervisor, John Latham.

Latham said on February 15, 2008, after Brianna Denison's body was found that same morning, Bela quit his job, took his last paycheck, and moved to Washington State. Also that same day, Latham talked with Bila about the discovery of the body. I asked him how he felt about her being found and his comment was that she... And I know there was some colorful language. Say exactly what he said. The bitch probably had it coming. Then he says Bila cracked a smile. Today we met the second woman in this case who says that James Bila sexually assaulted her.

but this time on campus in a parking garage. It happened back in October of 2007. She was studying education, and she had just wrapped up a midterm for one of her night classes, which generally run from 7 to 10 p.m. there on campus. And when prosecutors today asked her if she ever made it to her car that night, she simply shook her head and said no. We're calling Friday's witness victim number two, and we've concealed her identity out of respect.

She says her attacker, whom she later identified as James Bila, held a gun to her as he straddled her between cars in the Waylam parking garage. He said it only simple and told me not to say anything. With her voice cracking, she testified he lifted up her skirt and raped her for five to ten minutes. He told me that it was good. It felt good. With the gun still pointed at her, she says Bila stood up and in a bizarre move complimented her outfit. It's only that if you liked my skirt and then he'd be able to like it. But not before she says he took something of hers.

Do you recall if he took anything of yours before he left? Yes. What did he take? I don't know. Also testifying today, a lab technician who said Bila tested positive for herpes simplex one. Why is this relevant? Well, victim number two said on record that she contracted gentle to herpes prior to being attacked. And that young woman also testified that Bila ejaculated on her skirt that night.

So why is that relevant? Well, it's important because when asked where that skirt is, she said immediately after the rape happened, she went home, took a shower, and threw away all her clothes. She said she felt dirty. And she said she also did not tell the police either because, quoting here, I did not want my body to become a crime scene. And the prosecution didn't even have to work hard to persuade the jury. They had hard DNA evidence that placed James Bila at every single crime,

and that in and of itself was good enough for a conviction. Finally, two years after the murder of Brianna Denison, James Bela was found guilty on all counts. The jury would sentence James Bela to death. It seemed like everyone agreed that the world would be a better place without him in it. The guilty verdict was especially satisfying to Brianna's family, who have now dedicated their lives to the Bring Bree Justice Foundation, a foundation that advocates for DNA testing of anyone arrested for a felony.

James Bila never had to give his DNA for his felony back in 2002 because his sentence was reduced, so his DNA was never in the system. If they would have had James' DNA, they could have arrested him after the first sexual assault. The other girls would have never been raped and Brianna would still be here today. But instead, he got to walk free and terrorize the women of Reno for months, hurting not only the victims, but all the people who love them. Brianna's family saw the flaw in the system, and they did everything in their power to make a change. Brianna's death would go on to have a rippling effect not only within Reno, but in legislation everywhere.

In 2013, through the hard work of her family, a law was passed. It's called Brianna's Law, and it made it to where anyone arrested for a felony is required to give up their DNA, where it is then put in a database. And it ensures that anyone that is willing to commit a felony will be held responsible for all of, of their crimes, and it makes it much easier to catch repeat offenders if they ever reoffend. Since the law has passed, there have been over a thousand criminals who have had their DNA matched to different crimes, including many homicides. But this case, like so many others that we cover on the show, so many times time and time again,

this case goes to show that you can never be too careful. There are no places that are 100% safe. There are monsters everywhere. They're in college libraries. They're in your neighborhood. They're in parking garages. So be aware of your surroundings at all times. And make sure, above all, to lock your doors at night.

Because you just never know who's out there looking to make you their next victim. Hey, everybody, it's Colin here. Thank you for listening to another episode of Murder in America. It's December 2021. It's almost 2022. Remember, guys, you need to go stream the show. We're trying to hit the 2 million mark in one year. So if you haven't listened,

do an episode, go listen to that episode now. Courtney, what are your thoughts about this episode? I heard this story years ago. I knew I always wanted to cover it, and it was really interesting writing it. I learned a lot from the story. It's weird because I'm actually going to be in Reno this Saturday with my dad filming for my YouTube channel, The Paranormal Files. So I'm going to be visiting a few, a sum, some of the locations from this video. I want to shout out our new patrons, Jose Guerrero, Brittany Casper, Alicia V. Michael. Jennifer Hinson Brianna Leon

Chase Moore Sarah Wilkinson Alex Gustavo Gileos Shelley Ruppel Paul Phileon and Cadence We are going to be posting

our bonus episode within the week on the Patreon So if you guys want to hear bonus content For Murder in America Go sign up to be a patron Thank you all so much

for being patrons You're supporting the work that we're doing here on the show Just a reminder Go follow us on Instagram At Murder in America And yeah It's just

This was a brutal case. This is a one of those cases that, you know, is just tragic at the end of the day. Yeah, it's scary that you're not safe anywhere, not even on the couch of your friend's home. That's, yeah, hard to believe that that happened in the parking garage and all of that. Wow. But thank you all again so much. We have some amazing episodes lined up for the rest of this month. And as always, everybody, keep asking yourself that same old question. The Dead Don't Talk. or do they? Thanks for listening, everybody, and we'll see you next week.

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