Posted on 08/05/2002 11:07:18 AM PDT by meandog
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The man who abducted two girls from a teen hangout told them he would kill them and started a countdown, the teens said in an interview broadcast Monday.
Days after they were freed from their attacker when police killed the man, 16-year-old Tamara Brooks and 17-year-old Jacqueline Marris recounted their ordeal while holding hands in the recorded interview shown on NBC's Today show.
In her first interview, Brooks said that when the ordeal began early Thursday, she felt that "It's all a bad dream ... I was terrified. I started praying."
The girls were abducted by Roy Dean Ratliff, 37, from a remote area where they were parked with their dates. Kern County Sheriff Carl Sparks said they were raped.
The girls said they supported each other during the ordeal.
"I was touching her, letting her know I was there," said Marris, who also gave a television interview on Friday.
"I wasn't going to leave her alone at all. ... I wouldn't want to live like that," Brooks said.
The pair said they communicated without words, writing in each other's hands.
At one point, Marris said, Ratliff told them: '"I'm going to kill the both of you.' We were hysterical."
She said Ratliff started to count down "one ... two ... then he collapsed."
She said he was bleeding and drinking a lot. Marris had said earlier that they tried to kill the man by stabbing him.
Twelve hours after they were kidnapped, sheriff's deputies closed in on Ratliff's stolen car in a remote location and shot him to death.
"When you see a life taken in front of your eyes ... it's the worst feeling in the world," Brooks said.
After it was over, the girls ran out of Ratliff's car and hugged.
"After all that, it's done," Brooks said. "Oh my God, we made it, we made it."
2002 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.
Because he is human and hindsight is 20/20. Do you never make mistakes?
Marris (the older girl) wasn't quite so upset about the kidnapper's life in one interview I saw. She was asked about the man and she gave a rather predatory smile. "He's dead" she said. She went on to say that she was sorry that he didn't suffer more.
First, a 7 yr old girl escapes. Now these two young women fight back and their pedator is dead. We are turning new corners that are quite refreshing. Let's roll.
All rape victims should be given a baseball bat and 10 minutes alone with their attacker while the latter is tied to a chair. The only limitation should be the victim has to stop hitting the rapist...when her arm gets tired.
I've said it before, and it bears repeating. The sheriff was not the first to reveal it on tv. It was the Cal. Atty Gen. who did so, on Larry King.
She'll do OK, I think.
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