Dead And Buried (21 page)
Authors: Corey Mitchell
One thing Dan did not notice was the attention Krebs paid to Jamie. He spent a lot of time chatting with her while Dan worked. She found him quite charming. She always noticed that he treated his girlfriend, Roslynn, quite well. She also knew that he had attempted to defend both her and Melissa at Outlaws. She felt flattered by his concern. She decided to tell Dan about how she admired Krebs for what he had done that evening.
“You know, you should take a lesson from Rex,” she piped up when Thompson arrived at home from a difficult day’s work.
“Huh, what do you mean?” he replied.
“A lesson. You should take a lesson.”
“What kind of lesson?”
“On how to be a gentleman.”
Thompson’s ears perked up, his eyebrows arched, and he cautiously answered her with a question, “How to be a gentleman?”
“Yes, I notice the way Rex treats Roslynn. He is very fond of her and treats her like a lady.”
Thompson took a seat at the kitchen table and did not comment.
“You should treat me more like a lady,” Jamie continued, “just like Rex does.”
The next morning, Dan Thompson calmly asked Rex Krebs to vacate the premises. He did not care that his friend seemed a bit out of it, he wanted him out. There was no need for Krebs’s influence over Jamie Prisco. The best way to solve that problem was to send his friend on his way.
Rex Krebs decided to return to the barn apartment in Davis Canyon.
One of Rex’s friends from the bar, “J.R.,” contacted Roz after he found her phone number on Krebs’s pager. He told her about the fight and that Krebs was not in great shape. J.R. also told Roz that it looked like Krebs would need someone to watch over him while he recuperated. Roz did not hesitate and told J.R. that she would be by Krebs’s house the next day to take care of him.
When Roz arrived, Rex Krebs apologized for his caddish behavior. She accepted.
Once again the two were an item.
FORTY-TWO
After the brawl at Outlaws, things actually picked up for Rex Krebs. He and Roz got back together. He received a promotionat 84 Lumber to manager trainee. Parole Officer Debra Austin saw Krebs twice at the end of August 1998. Once in her office and the last time on August 25 at his residencein Davis Canyon. She wrote that “everything” is “going very well. No problems.” She noted his purchase of a mellow ninety-pound tan pit bull puppy named Buddy. She also jotteddown that his work at the lumberyard was fine, as was the work on the Wright property.
Her final words on Rex Krebs were “Subject seems to be doing okay—no problems at present time.”
However, something had changed within Rex Krebs. Something that Debra Austin would not see because she had to turn Krebs’s file over to his original parole officer, David Zaragoza.
Everything seemed normal to Zaragoza as well. He visited Krebs’s new residence for the first time on September 9, 1998. Everything appeared fine to him. He mentioned that Buddy was “very friendly” and that Krebs and Roz saw each other about two to three times a week.
As part of Krebs’s parole conditions, he was also required to visit a court-appointed psychiatrist as part of his rehabilitationfor sex offenses. Krebs had visited Dr. Randall True, a “three-quarter-time” psychiatrist for the parole division of the California Department of Corrections (CDC), upon his release in September 1997. Dr. True, a graduate of the University of Illinois medical school, entered private practice in 1974. He worked for the CDC in 1987 and moved into the parole divisionin 1990. At the time of Krebs’s release, he headed up the Parole Outpatient Clinic in the San Luis Obispo parole office. He also headed up similar offices for Oxnard, Ventura 1, Ventura2, and Santa Barbara. He only had one other person working with him and no clerical support staff whatsoever.
Dr. True described his responsibility toward his recent parolees or patients: “Do their intake evaluation and provide whatever kind of treatment from a psychiatric point of view we can do. That would include individual therapy, medications,and referral to other community resources that we might use.”
Dr. True’s caseload usually consisted of fifty to sixty parolees at one time. This did not afford him much time with each individual.
“I would see people anywhere from once—usually from once a month to once every three months.” These meetings were limited in time. “There might be times—and that would be for half-an-hour to an hour,” he noted. He did not spend much time with Rex Krebs.
The first time Dr. True met with Rex Krebs occurred on October 2, 1997, one month after Krebs’s release from prison. The doctor spoke with Krebs for forty-five minutes.It was the standard “get to know you” meeting with Krebs relating his various histories: criminal, family, drug, etc. Dr. True needed this information so he could place Krebs into the appropriate category for sex offenders. There are different levels of Sexually Violent Predators (SVPs) including high risk, moderate risk, and standard follow-up risk. Dr. True considered Krebs to be a high risk upon his release, but over time that level dropped in his estimation. Dr. True saw Krebs approximately ten times between October1997 and November 1998. He believed Krebs showed amazing progress and had assimilated into normal society with no difficulty. He noted that Krebs had a good job, a good girlfriend, and that he liked “soaking in the spa.” Life looked good for Rex Krebs, according to Dr. True.
Dr. True also headed a sex offender group therapy session for the CDC known as the “290 group.” The group gathered paroled sex offenders together and they talked about their crimes and their attempts to readjust outside of prison. Dr. True made recommendations for certain patients to attend the therapy sessions. He did not believe Rex Krebs needed to attend.The reason he later gave was because Krebs worked and the group met during working hours.
Krebs went in to see Dr. True on the morning of November 4, 1998. Dr. True described Krebs in his notes as his “usual talkative self.” They spoke about 84 Lumber and his promotion.Krebs mentioned that he and Roz were still together. He claimed he had not used drugs or alcohol. “I’m clean,” he told the doctor. He also stated that he was “getting along with peoplefine,” and that he had “no temptations in the sexual area” and that he was “fine with Roz.”
The only unusual entry made by Dr. True concerned Buddy, Rex’s dog. The doctor seemed slightly worried about the pit bull purchase.
Overall, Dr. True believed Rex was making a fine adjustmentback into society. The doctor did note, however, that his propensity to commit another sexual offense was “about average.” That is, as long as Rex Krebs stayed sober.
FORTY-THREE
November 12, 1998
Davis Canyon Road, Davis Canyon, California
8:30
P.M.
Davis Canyon Road, Davis Canyon, California
8:30
P.M.
Rex Krebs grabbed the fifth of Jack Daniel’s with his right hand and a shot glass with his left. He carefully poured the dark amber liquid into the glass—no ice—gently positioned the bottle on his kitchen counter, and took a deep breath. He then placed the glass to his lips, separated them slightly, and quickly consumed the alcohol. It was the first of several shots he would drink over the next three hours. After a few more rounds, he decided to drive into town and hit a bar.
Actually, he hit several bars.
Rex Krebs, on parole and forbidden to drink alcoholic beverages, first stepped into Mother’s Tavern on Higuera Street. He drank. He then ventured next door to the Library on Higuera Street. He continued to drink. He began to feel less pain.
After a couple of hours of imbibing, Krebs thought about heading home for the night, but he decided to hit one more bar before calling it a night. He piled into his 1993 blue Ford Ranger pickup and drove from Higuera Street over to Bull’s Tavern on Chorro Street—one block away from the Jennifer Street Bridge. There he continued to throw back more alcohol.
Krebs looked up at the clock in Bull’s Tavern and decided he definitely needed to go home. He stumbled slightly out of the club, fished around in his pockets for his truck keys, and climbed into his ride. He pulled the truck out of the bar parking lot and headed north on Santa Barbara Street, which then intersected with Osos Street, which he took in a northwestdirection. As he headed up Osos Street, something, or rather someone, caught his eye. An attractive young woman staggered alone down the street. Krebs did a double take at the blond woman wearing dark pants and a silky dark blue blouse. Krebs thought she was pretty. He decided to turn around and see where she was heading.
Krebs drove around the block and parked his truck on a side street off Osos Street. He quietly sat in his truck, with the headlights off, and watched as the drunken woman continued walking southeast. Krebs’s eyes followed her until she came upon Church Street and Triangle Park.
She’s going to the bridge.
Krebs had a premonition that the young woman would walk up to the Jennifer Street Bridge. Once he realized where she was headed, he fired the truck up, shifted into gear, and headed for the bridge. He drove on the right side of the circulardriveway toward the bridge. To the left of the driveway lay the Amtrak train station, which serviced the San Luis Obispo County area and would take commuters up north to San Francisco and south down to Santa Barbara, Ventura County, and Southern California. To the right was the JenniferStreet Bridge—a footbridge that provided convenient access for pedestrians and cyclists access into the Jennifer Street neighborhood. Rex Krebs pulled his truck into the first parking spot below the stairs to the bridge.
He waited to see if she would come to him.
The intoxicated woman had two choices to make at this time. She could continue on her way down Osos Street, which would then cut over onto Santa Barbara Street, sending her in the opposite direction from Rex Krebs. On the other hand, she could veer left into the circular driveway, which led to the railroad and the Jennifer Street Bridge.
She veered left toward the bridge.
Rex Krebs smiled as he saw her heading toward the bridge. He reached inside his truck, grabbed something, and headed up the stairs to the top of the bridge. He looked down and saw the woman walking toward the ramp.
She’s coming up!
He then took the item in his hand. He stretched it wide with both hands and placed it over his head.
It was a white Halloween skull mask.
He waited.
FORTY-FOUR
Less than two weeks later, David Zaragoza paid Krebs a visit. Yet another routine stop from his parole officer.
Upon arriving, Zaragoza noticed something different about Krebs. He seemed to be growing his hair out. At least what little hair he had on the sides. Zaragoza felt the change in appearancewarranted a photograph, so he had Krebs pose for him. The parole officer also noticed a red mark on the left side of Krebs’s neck and jaw area. Krebs told Zaragoza that he had a rash and had no idea how it got there. Zaragoza asked Krebs about his job and Roz. Krebs reported that they were both fine.
Thanksgiving and Christmas were rather low-key for Krebs. Things would change, however, in the new year with two unexpected arrivals. The first came from Roz Moore. On January 17, 1999, she found out that she was pregnant with Krebs’s child. Surprisingly, the news excited Krebs. They were both shocked, but joyous nonetheless. Unfortunately, the celebration did not last.
Within a matter of days, the excitement left the building. Krebs visited Roz at her house and told her they needed to talk. Krebs, visibly upset, told Roz that he wanted her to get an abortion. He kept saying that this “is not a good idea.” When she pressed him for a reason why, he told her because he “did not have a conscience.” Moore, who looked forward to having the child, sat in stunned disbelief trying to figure out why he had changed his mind. She could not understand his sudden turnaround. She believed he would make an excellentfather. Nevertheless, she stood by her man and told him that she would get rid of the baby.
The second unexpected visit came just weeks later. Krebs’s dad, Allan Krebs, showed up at his son’s doorstep. Allan wanted to see his son before he headed to the penitentiary for his 1998 drug bust. Rex Krebs had not seen his father in years and had no clue how to react to his tormentor. He decided to welcome him with open arms.
Rex and Allan Krebs spent the next few days enjoying one another’s company while fishing and drinking beer. They went out to dinner in downtown San Luis Obispo and brought Roz along with them. She noticed that Rex and his father got along wonderfully. It appeared to her as if they were trying to establish a positive father-son relationship. Krebs even introducedhis dad to Greg Vieau, who believed it appeared as if the two men were attempting to reconcile the fractured relationship.As soon as the visit began, however, Allan had to leave.
With the departure of Allan Krebs, one surprise remained out of the picture. The other, their unborn child, however, remainedan issue. On February 17, 1999, Moore informed Krebs that she intended to keep the baby.
Two days later, on February 19, 1999, Krebs paid Dr. RandallTrue another visit. The meeting lasted the usual forty-five minutes and Krebs updated the doctor on his current condition.He reported that he felt fine and told the doctor about Roz’s pregnancy. Dr. True denoted that Krebs seemed happy about the new turn of events. The two men spoke about Krebs’s impending role as a father and the responsibilities that came with that position. He noted that Krebs seemed rather “ambivalent” about those responsibilities.
They talked about his father’s visit and how his dad was on his way to prison very soon. The remainder of their discussionconsisted of meaningless chitchat to which Dr. True scribbled in his notepad that Krebs acted “calm, friendly, polite, eurythmic (or normal).” Dr. True also mentioned that he expressed his thoughts coherently. There did not seem to be anything wrong with Rex Krebs.
On March 6, 1999, Muriel Wright dropped by the barn apartment. She told Krebs that she would be leaving the next day for a couple of weeks to Oakley, California. She had offeredto house-sit and puppy-sit for her sister. She asked Rex if he would take care of her dog while she was away. He smiled and told her he would be glad to help.
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