[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:08.90,0:00:11.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Have you ever met a monster?
Dialogue: 0,0:00:11.52,0:00:16.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Someone so scary they alerted\Nthe reptilian part of your brain?
Dialogue: 0,0:00:16.52,0:00:20.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One morning, I was going to my job\Nas a criminal justice reporter in Denver.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:20.61,0:00:22.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I stepped into a crowded elevator,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:22.64,0:00:23.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,faced front,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:23.77,0:00:27.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and got the sense that someone\Nbehind me was watching me.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:27.29,0:00:28.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I glanced over my shoulder
Dialogue: 0,0:00:28.88,0:00:33.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to see this man staring at me\Nin a very calculating way
Dialogue: 0,0:00:33.03,0:00:35.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with cold shark eyes.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:35.51,0:00:36.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I stared back,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:36.99,0:00:39.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and my look said "rude person,"
Dialogue: 0,0:00:39.39,0:00:41.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and he didn't drop his eyes.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:41.28,0:00:44.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I ended that contest\Nand turned back around,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:44.06,0:00:46.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,alarm bells sounding in my head.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:46.51,0:00:50.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I instantly decided I didn't want him\Nto know which floor was mine.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:50.42,0:00:53.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So at the next stop,\Njust before the doors came together,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:53.27,0:00:55.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I darted out at the last minute.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:55.43,0:00:58.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I flew up the stairs\Nand ran into the newsroom,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:58.57,0:01:00.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,my heart pounding.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:00.60,0:01:03.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The fear of monsters is instinctive.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:03.71,0:01:05.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In Denver, in 2005,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:05.59,0:01:08.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,reports of a serial rapist\Nhad residents so frightened,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:08.93,0:01:11.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,some were carrying baseball bats.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:12.35,0:01:15.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Police released a name, Brent Brents,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:15.02,0:01:18.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the media scrambled to find out \Nwhatever we could on this guy.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:18.97,0:01:23.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A reporter at the rival newspaper got\NBrents' sister in Arkansas on the phone,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:23.34,0:01:24.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and she said,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:24.40,0:01:25.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"He deserves whatever he gets,"
Dialogue: 0,0:01:25.93,0:01:27.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,before hanging up.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:27.63,0:01:30.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One sentence, but we'd been scooped.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:31.35,0:01:34.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Get thee on a plane\Nto Arkansas," editors said.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:34.59,0:01:37.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Find his family\Nand get them to talk to you."
Dialogue: 0,0:01:37.66,0:01:39.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I did.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:39.30,0:01:42.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,His mother described Brents\Nas willful, intelligent.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:42.94,0:01:44.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He'd grown up hunting and fishing;
Dialogue: 0,0:01:44.92,0:01:47.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,ran track, wrestled, boxed.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:47.72,0:01:49.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He had a learning disorder
Dialogue: 0,0:01:49.18,0:01:52.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and became frustrated,\Nthen angry, in school.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:52.44,0:01:55.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He started smoking pot\Nat age 10 and drinking,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:55.23,0:01:57.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that's when he began\Nbeating his mother.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:57.82,0:02:00.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,At 13, he flipped a switch\Non a railroad track
Dialogue: 0,0:02:00.85,0:02:02.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and was sent to juvenile detention,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:02.94,0:02:05.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where he was in and out\Nuntil the age of 18
Dialogue: 0,0:02:05.78,0:02:08.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when he was convicted\Nof raping two children.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:08.95,0:02:13.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He served 16 years in prison\Nand was released without supervision.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:14.05,0:02:17.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,His sister remarked that Brent\Nhad a lot of anger toward their father,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:17.57,0:02:19.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who had died the year before.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:19.76,0:02:21.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I turned to the mom and said,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:21.36,0:02:22.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"I'm sorry to ask,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:22.88,0:02:26.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but this is a standard question\Nwhen someone sexually abuses others:
Dialogue: 0,0:02:26.44,0:02:28.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was Brent ever abused as a child?"
Dialogue: 0,0:02:29.79,0:02:31.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There was a long pause,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:31.48,0:02:33.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and then, looking down, she said,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:33.38,0:02:35.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Brent makes up all kinds of lies."
Dialogue: 0,0:02:36.78,0:02:39.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Police caught him\Na few days after Valentine's Day.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:39.59,0:02:41.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,At the start of that weekend,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:41.32,0:02:43.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a detective had told him on the phone,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:43.22,0:02:45.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Turn yourself in, you little punk."
Dialogue: 0,0:02:45.53,0:02:48.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Brents essentially replied,\N"Come find me."
Dialogue: 0,0:02:48.72,0:02:52.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That weekend, he raped five victims,\Nincluding two children,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:52.97,0:02:55.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and nearly beat a young woman to death.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:55.75,0:02:58.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The DNA from those cases\Nwas processed within hours,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:58.63,0:03:00.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the manhunt that followed
Dialogue: 0,0:03:00.12,0:03:02.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,ended in a dramatic car chase\Ninto the mountains,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:02.67,0:03:04.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where police captured him at gunpoint.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:05.58,0:03:09.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This kind of story\Ncauses a media feeding frenzy.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:09.17,0:03:11.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Reporters flocked \Nto the jail, but I didn't.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:11.74,0:03:14.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I didn't think it would do any good.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:14.09,0:03:18.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Instead, I sent him a letter\Non plain stationery, handwritten,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:18.44,0:03:20.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,two sentences:
Dialogue: 0,0:03:20.10,0:03:21.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Dear Brent,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:21.30,0:03:24.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I went to Arkansas, where I met\Nwith your mom and sister.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:24.70,0:03:26.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you were to ask them,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:26.09,0:03:29.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they would say I treated them\Nwith dignity and respect,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:29.11,0:03:31.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I would do the same for you."
Dialogue: 0,0:03:31.28,0:03:33.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I then gave him the phone\Nnumber to the newsroom
Dialogue: 0,0:03:33.54,0:03:36.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and told him to call collect anytime.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:36.06,0:03:38.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Because I figured\Nhe'd be getting a lot of hate mail,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:38.61,0:03:40.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on the back of the envelope, I wrote,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:40.40,0:03:42.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Please don't be afraid to open this."
Dialogue: 0,0:03:45.18,0:03:46.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,At the end of that week,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:46.37,0:03:50.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,police issued a statement\Nabout another confirmed victim of Brents.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:50.20,0:03:53.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And since they'll protect the identity\Nof a victim of sexual assault,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:53.85,0:03:57.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they'll only release the cross streets\Nthat are close to where it happened.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:57.90,0:04:01.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Get thee to those cross streets,\Nyou and a photographer," editors said.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:01.76,0:04:04.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Find this anonymous victim,\Nand get her to talk to you."
Dialogue: 0,0:04:05.74,0:04:07.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Right.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:07.32,0:04:09.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So off we went to those cross streets,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:09.41,0:04:12.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we found a sea of rental units,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:12.88,0:04:14.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like giant Legos.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:14.82,0:04:18.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We knocked on doors\Nfor hours, with no luck.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:18.07,0:04:21.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was close to getting dark\Nwhen we saw a woman out walking her dog.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:21.98,0:04:24.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Dog walkers are always great\Nfor information,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:24.52,0:04:25.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and sure enough,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:25.76,0:04:29.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,she said the handyman had told her\Nabout a woman who'd been attacked.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:29.02,0:04:30.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,She gave us the handyman's door number,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:30.88,0:04:32.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and he gave us the victim's door number.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:32.80,0:04:34.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I knocked on the door,\Nand a man answered,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:34.81,0:04:38.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I could see this tiny,\Ndark-haired woman hiding behind the door.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:38.01,0:04:41.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I identified myself,\Nand she came out and said,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:41.30,0:04:42.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"You scared me."
Dialogue: 0,0:04:44.51,0:04:46.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Her name is Margaret,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:46.09,0:04:47.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and she told me her story.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:48.22,0:04:50.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Her attack had happened\Nnearly three weeks earlier,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:50.61,0:04:54.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and she still had the yellow outlines\Nof bruises on her neck.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:55.12,0:04:57.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Brents had rushed her at her front door -
Dialogue: 0,0:04:57.07,0:04:59.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,she was coming home from running errands.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:59.05,0:05:00.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,She fought him,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:00.48,0:05:02.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and he beat and choked her
Dialogue: 0,0:05:02.32,0:05:03.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and then raped her.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:04.42,0:05:06.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Margaret pointed to her couch,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:06.10,0:05:08.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which had a big chunk\Ncut out of the upholstery.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:08.87,0:05:10.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The police had taken it for evidence
Dialogue: 0,0:05:10.64,0:05:13.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because that was where\Nthe rape had happened.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:13.68,0:05:16.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And when you can't afford a new couch
Dialogue: 0,0:05:16.04,0:05:18.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you can't afford\Nto break your lease and move -
Dialogue: 0,0:05:18.48,0:05:19.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and Margaret couldn't -
Dialogue: 0,0:05:19.94,0:05:23.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,then you're forced to live\Nwith reminders of your worst nightmare.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:24.82,0:05:26.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The police had told her
Dialogue: 0,0:05:26.06,0:05:29.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the DNA from her case\Nwould take about two months to process.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:29.42,0:05:32.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They gave her no hope of solving her case.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:32.48,0:05:34.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And then she saw a story\Nabout Brents being wanted
Dialogue: 0,0:05:34.96,0:05:37.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and recognized his mug shot\Nas her attacker.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:38.11,0:05:42.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One of the last things she said to me\Nthat night really struck me.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:42.05,0:05:43.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,She said, "I hate him.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:43.77,0:05:45.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Yet I still feel sorry for him.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:45.62,0:05:48.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,An animal - poor creature."
Dialogue: 0,0:05:49.14,0:05:51.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A week later, Brents called me.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:51.80,0:05:55.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One of the first things he said to me was\N"I'm not going to give you anything."
Dialogue: 0,0:05:55.64,0:05:57.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I love it when people call me and say,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:57.55,0:05:59.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"I'm not going to talk to you."
Dialogue: 0,0:05:59.45,0:06:00.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Okay.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:01.53,0:06:02.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He then said,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:02.60,0:06:04.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"I have one question for you,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:04.63,0:06:07.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and anything further\Ndepends on your answer."
Dialogue: 0,0:06:07.43,0:06:10.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And he said, "People say\Nthey hate me, that I'm a monster.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:10.40,0:06:12.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Do you think so?"
Dialogue: 0,0:06:12.18,0:06:15.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And without thinking,\NI said, "No, I don't.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:15.76,0:06:17.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You've done monstrous things,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:17.61,0:06:20.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but I don't consider you a monster."
Dialogue: 0,0:06:20.71,0:06:23.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that's how we started\Na correspondence.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:23.89,0:06:25.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In one letter, Brents wrote,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:25.42,0:06:29.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Don't trip - I've actually stood\Ntwo feet away from you in an elevator."
Dialogue: 0,0:06:29.35,0:06:30.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And rolling my eyes,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:30.71,0:06:33.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I pulled out a piece of paper\Nto fire back a response of
Dialogue: 0,0:06:33.44,0:06:37.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Don't BS me. We had a deal\Nto always tell the truth."
Dialogue: 0,0:06:37.28,0:06:42.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I realized that had been him\Nbehind me on the elevator that morning.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:42.15,0:06:43.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The man whose very presence
Dialogue: 0,0:06:43.74,0:06:46.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,had caused me to run to the newsroom\Nlike a frightened rabbit.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:47.68,0:06:50.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It turned out that Brents\Nhad followed my work.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:51.26,0:06:53.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A few months before\Nhe was released from prison,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:53.56,0:06:55.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I had co-authored a three-part series
Dialogue: 0,0:06:55.33,0:07:00.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,into how the military mishandles cases\Nof sexual assault and domestic violence,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:00.40,0:07:03.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that had resonated with him.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:03.23,0:07:05.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Not because he was a perpetrator,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:05.60,0:07:11.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but because the angry man-child within him\Nconsidered himself a victim.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:12.48,0:07:15.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is a picture of Brent in first grade.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:15.95,0:07:19.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,His father had been raping him\Nfor three years by then.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:19.31,0:07:23.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A few weeks after this next picture\Nwas taken, when Brent was 12,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:23.84,0:07:26.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,his father beat him so badly
Dialogue: 0,0:07:26.04,0:07:28.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that he suffered\Nwhat medical records described
Dialogue: 0,0:07:29.20,0:07:31.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as "a left orbital blowout fracture."
Dialogue: 0,0:07:31.59,0:07:33.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,His left eye socket was broken.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:35.38,0:07:37.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Records and interviews with family members
Dialogue: 0,0:07:37.92,0:07:41.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,indicate that his father\Nwas a violent, sadistic man.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:41.70,0:07:43.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The two children from his second marriage
Dialogue: 0,0:07:43.67,0:07:46.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,were both removed from the home\Nbecause of his abuse.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:46.16,0:07:48.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And Brent and his brother\Nwere both returned,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:48.90,0:07:50.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,although it's not clear why.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:51.59,0:07:52.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Brent's father told him
Dialogue: 0,0:07:52.84,0:07:56.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that he himself had been beaten\Nand sexually abused as a child
Dialogue: 0,0:07:56.20,0:07:59.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by his father, Brent's grandfather.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:59.46,0:08:02.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And so the pattern repeated:
Dialogue: 0,0:08:02.37,0:08:06.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,pain, degradation, shame.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:07.25,0:08:11.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Brent Brents did to others\Nwhat had been done to him as a child.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:11.08,0:08:15.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And while he was still a child,\Nlike many victims he blamed himself.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:15.94,0:08:17.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He once wrote,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:17.02,0:08:19.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"I don't remember much\Nof when I was real young
Dialogue: 0,0:08:19.42,0:08:22.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,except fear and shame\Nand lack of courage."
Dialogue: 0,0:08:23.07,0:08:26.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Brents told me that after\Nthat detective said to him,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:26.03,0:08:27.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Turn yourself in, you little punk,"
Dialogue: 0,0:08:27.81,0:08:32.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that he, Brents,\Nhad worked himself into a rage.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:33.40,0:08:37.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Then he'd gone and committed\Nhis final horrific crime spree.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:37.98,0:08:39.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I'm not saying
Dialogue: 0,0:08:39.04,0:08:44.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that these factors are an excuse\Nfor the violence Brents committed.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:44.70,0:08:47.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He made choices.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:47.09,0:08:51.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He absolutely deserves\Nto spend the rest of his life in prison.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:51.76,0:08:53.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But knowing what happened to him
Dialogue: 0,0:08:53.76,0:08:58.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,does help explain why someone like Brents\Ncould commit such violence
Dialogue: 0,0:08:58.31,0:09:00.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with such a lack of empathy -
Dialogue: 0,0:09:00.94,0:09:03.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that his brain was predisposed to it
Dialogue: 0,0:09:03.64,0:09:07.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the abuse inflicted\Non him was his model.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:08.64,0:09:10.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's human nature
Dialogue: 0,0:09:10.08,0:09:13.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to want to distance yourself\Nfrom someone like him,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:13.02,0:09:16.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,label him as a "monster,"\Ndismiss him as evil.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:16.01,0:09:18.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We don't want to have\Nanything in common with such a monster
Dialogue: 0,0:09:18.97,0:09:23.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because then it could mean that we too\Nare capable of monstrous things.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:24.08,0:09:28.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But putting a rapist in the category\Nof "monster" may make us feel safer today,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:28.48,0:09:30.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but it's more dangerous for tomorrow
Dialogue: 0,0:09:30.92,0:09:34.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because then we won't believe\Nthat the "monster" can be a neighbor,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:34.65,0:09:37.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a co-worker, a trusted friend.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:37.74,0:09:40.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that enables them\Nto hide in plain sight.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:42.18,0:09:45.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The dominant theme of how to prevent\Nsexual assault today
Dialogue: 0,0:09:45.28,0:09:47.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is cloaked in helpful advice like
Dialogue: 0,0:09:47.60,0:09:52.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Don't walk alone, don't drink too much,\Ndon't put yourself at risk."
Dialogue: 0,0:09:52.03,0:09:54.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the message, primarily to women,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:54.39,0:09:56.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is "Don't get raped."
Dialogue: 0,0:09:57.38,0:10:01.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,How about we turn our focus\Nto a different population instead and say
Dialogue: 0,0:10:01.40,0:10:03.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Don't rape."
Dialogue: 0,0:10:03.80,0:10:05.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And then why don't we take it\None step further
Dialogue: 0,0:10:05.98,0:10:07.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and ask ourselves
Dialogue: 0,0:10:07.31,0:10:12.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,what are we doing wrong as a culture\Nthat we continue to produce rapists?
Dialogue: 0,0:10:13.06,0:10:16.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Because whether it's the ex-convict\Nwho attacks strangers,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:16.81,0:10:19.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the college boy who rapes his girlfriend,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:20.48,0:10:23.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or the celebrity who drugs\Nand assaults his victims -
Dialogue: 0,0:10:23.59,0:10:30.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they all choose to exert anger, power,\Nand control over someone else.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:30.28,0:10:34.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And with that choice,\Nthey are all the same.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:34.17,0:10:37.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And they all leave pain in their wake.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:38.58,0:10:42.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I've interviewed more than 50 survivors\Nof campus sexual assault
Dialogue: 0,0:10:42.18,0:10:44.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the past two years alone.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:44.28,0:10:47.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the details I learn\Nabout their perpetrators
Dialogue: 0,0:10:47.14,0:10:52.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,paint a picture of so many young men\Nbeing deliberately predatory.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:52.53,0:10:55.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They isolate their intended victim,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:55.15,0:10:58.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they ply them with drugs and alcohol,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:58.29,0:11:00.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they lock doors,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:00.07,0:11:03.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they ignore tears,\Nthey ignore pleas to stop,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:03.24,0:11:07.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they ignore the fact their victim\Nis limp with fear or is unconscious.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:08.60,0:11:13.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,10 years ago, Brent Brents\Nwas sentenced to 1,509 years.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:14.07,0:11:19.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Today, all over this country, we're seeing\Nnew generations of serial rapists.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:19.60,0:11:21.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Why is this still happening?
Dialogue: 0,0:11:22.24,0:11:26.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Why do we continue to reinforce\Nthe message to our boys and young men
Dialogue: 0,0:11:26.62,0:11:31.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that their worth is linked\Nto their ability to dominate?
Dialogue: 0,0:11:32.35,0:11:36.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What if we prized compassion\Nmore than power?
Dialogue: 0,0:11:38.06,0:11:40.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When they're little, we tell our kids,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:40.47,0:11:43.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Play nicely in the sandbox."
Dialogue: 0,0:11:43.00,0:11:44.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They get older, and we say,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:44.56,0:11:46.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Don't get in fights in the playground.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:46.43,0:11:49.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Take a breath, count to 10, walk away."
Dialogue: 0,0:11:50.01,0:11:51.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Then they get older still,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:51.54,0:11:56.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we teach them about the biological\Naspects of sex: health and reproduction.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:57.91,0:12:01.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What if we were to evolve\Nthose conversations with our youth
Dialogue: 0,0:12:01.55,0:12:04.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and teach them how feeling shame,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:04.52,0:12:07.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,how feeling powerless, feeling angry -
Dialogue: 0,0:12:07.28,0:12:10.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all of which cover up hurt and rejection -
Dialogue: 0,0:12:10.76,0:12:14.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,could cause them to want\Nto dominate someone else?
Dialogue: 0,0:12:14.66,0:12:18.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that they can learn\Nto recognize triggers and not act on them?
Dialogue: 0,0:12:18.89,0:12:21.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,At least start that conversation.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:22.47,0:12:25.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And then speak up\Nif you witness predatory behavior -
Dialogue: 0,0:12:25.60,0:12:27.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you'll know it when you see it.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:27.62,0:12:32.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Don't make excuses for it,\Ndon't look away, don't cover it up.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:32.99,0:12:36.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And because sexual assault\Nhappens on a continuum,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:36.50,0:12:41.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,starting with verbal harassment\Nand escalating to a physical attack,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:41.04,0:12:46.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,speak up if you hear or read a joke\Nabout sexual assault or victimization.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:47.32,0:12:50.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's not funny; it's not sexy.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:50.84,0:12:52.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's dangerous.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:53.26,0:12:56.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If someone confides in you\Nthat they've been sexually assaulted,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:56.47,0:12:57.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,believe them.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:57.74,0:13:01.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,False reports are so rare,\Nso yes, believe them.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:01.68,0:13:03.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Listen to them without judgment.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:03.88,0:13:05.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Help them find resources
Dialogue: 0,0:13:05.40,0:13:08.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and then support\Nwhatever they decide to do.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:09.08,0:13:10.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For victims, Brents told me
Dialogue: 0,0:13:10.84,0:13:15.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that group counseling for sexual offenders\Nin prison does not work.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:15.72,0:13:18.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For an inmate even to be seen\Ngoing to sex offender group
Dialogue: 0,0:13:18.89,0:13:20.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,puts their safety at risk.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:20.99,0:13:24.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And once there, they don't want\Nto be seen as vulnerable.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:24.30,0:13:27.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's difficult to change\Nwhen you're living in fear.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:27.83,0:13:30.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And if we really do want\Nto help them try to change,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:30.95,0:13:34.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,why not offer more\Nof the respect and compassion
Dialogue: 0,0:13:34.73,0:13:38.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that can be felt with\None-on-one focused attention?
Dialogue: 0,0:13:38.76,0:13:41.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Something a damaged person\Ndesperately needs.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:42.52,0:13:46.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Instead of building more prisons\Nand focusing on punishing perpetrators,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:46.86,0:13:49.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,why don't we try to prevent them?
Dialogue: 0,0:13:50.28,0:13:51.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Brents has often said,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:51.43,0:13:55.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by the time he was nine,\Nhis brain was broken.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:56.96,0:13:59.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What if someone had intervened\Nin his life early on?
Dialogue: 0,0:13:59.82,0:14:02.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A neighbor, a teacher.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:02.55,0:14:07.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,How could no one have noticed\Nthat boy who went to school with bruises,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:07.39,0:14:08.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,smelling like urine
Dialogue: 0,0:14:08.69,0:14:10.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because he had wet the bed\Nthe night before
Dialogue: 0,0:14:10.83,0:14:13.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,rather than creep\Ndown the hall to the bathroom
Dialogue: 0,0:14:13.02,0:14:15.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and risk waking his father?
Dialogue: 0,0:14:16.37,0:14:18.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you help an abused child,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:18.49,0:14:23.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you could be preventing a lifetime of pain\Nfor more than one person.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:25.09,0:14:28.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So many people today\Nlive in what I call "garage houses,"
Dialogue: 0,0:14:28.53,0:14:30.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where the garage is the dominant feature.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:30.91,0:14:32.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They drive up to their garage at night,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:32.78,0:14:35.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the door goes up, the car goes in,\Nthe door goes down,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:35.85,0:14:38.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they stay inside\Nuntil they leave the next day.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:38.98,0:14:41.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They can't tell you the name\Nof the family down the street.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:41.86,0:14:45.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They won't interact,\Nand they sure won't intervene.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:45.74,0:14:51.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What if we dared to care\Nwithout hesitation, without condition?
Dialogue: 0,0:14:51.98,0:14:53.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's a harsh truth,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:53.01,0:14:56.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but our society cares more\Nabout sexual assault victims
Dialogue: 0,0:14:56.37,0:14:58.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if they are the right kind of victim.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:58.97,0:15:00.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Remember how police told Margaret
Dialogue: 0,0:15:00.74,0:15:04.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the DNA from her case\Nwould sit on a shelf for two months?
Dialogue: 0,0:15:04.80,0:15:07.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When Brents attacked victims\Nin a high-income neighborhood,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:07.56,0:15:10.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that DNA was processed within hours.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:10.74,0:15:15.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Lady Justice might be blind,\Nbut she can sure have a champagne taste.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:16.97,0:15:18.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I stayed in touch with Margaret
Dialogue: 0,0:15:18.48,0:15:21.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as her case wound its way\Nthrough the court system.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:21.50,0:15:25.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In July of 2005, Brents\Npleaded guilty to her attack.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:25.69,0:15:29.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Like many survivors who struggle\Nwith post-traumatic stress disorder,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:29.77,0:15:32.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Margaret was terrified\Nof leaving the house.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:32.55,0:15:35.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,She had nightmares, flashbacks.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:35.93,0:15:38.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,She couldn't hold down a job.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:38.08,0:15:40.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Her marriage fell apart.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:40.78,0:15:42.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The day before the hearing,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:42.07,0:15:44.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Margaret asked me to deliver\Na message to Brents for her,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:44.74,0:15:46.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I agreed.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:46.04,0:15:48.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And this was her message:
Dialogue: 0,0:15:48.19,0:15:49.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Tell him ...
Dialogue: 0,0:15:50.54,0:15:52.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I forgive him."
Dialogue: 0,0:15:54.42,0:15:56.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's stunning, isn't it?
Dialogue: 0,0:15:57.16,0:16:01.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,How could she forgive this man\Nwho wounded her so?
Dialogue: 0,0:16:01.20,0:16:04.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Who nearly took everything from her?
Dialogue: 0,0:16:05.05,0:16:06.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And she said,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:06.06,0:16:08.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"I'm not thinking of the man\Nwho tried to kill me.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:08.63,0:16:12.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm thinking of the little boy\Nwho had the same thing happen to him."
Dialogue: 0,0:16:13.21,0:16:15.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And she said, "Hating is not hard.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:16.23,0:16:19.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But if I go on hating him,\NI will never get over it."
Dialogue: 0,0:16:20.98,0:16:21.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And she added,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:21.99,0:16:25.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"If it was me, I would want someone\Nto try to help me or listen to me
Dialogue: 0,0:16:25.70,0:16:29.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and not just look at me\Nlike I was an animal or a monster."
Dialogue: 0,0:16:30.72,0:16:32.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,She inspires me.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:33.41,0:16:38.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If Margaret can forgive Brent Brents,\Nwe can forgive anybody.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:39.69,0:16:43.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This case had a profound\Neffect on my life.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:44.22,0:16:48.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It taught me that we are all connected
Dialogue: 0,0:16:48.05,0:16:52.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that turning our backs on others\Nis really abandoning ourselves.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:53.47,0:16:56.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It made me realize I didn't like\Nthe reporter I had become.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:57.17,0:16:59.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was actually Brents\Nwho pointed out to me
Dialogue: 0,0:16:59.22,0:17:01.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that he and I had something in common:
Dialogue: 0,0:17:01.30,0:17:02.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we were both driven.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:04.27,0:17:07.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I quit that job shortly after\Nhis case ended,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:07.34,0:17:09.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I will never again work in a newsroom,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:09.85,0:17:11.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because the desperate\Ncompetition for ratings
Dialogue: 0,0:17:11.94,0:17:14.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is unhealthy for me in many ways.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:15.48,0:17:19.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I no longer knock\Non a survivor's door unless I'm invited.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:20.92,0:17:22.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I started that correspondence with Brents
Dialogue: 0,0:17:22.98,0:17:26.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because as a journalist who has spent\Na lifetime covering sexual assault,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:26.92,0:17:30.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I wanted an answer to the question "Why?"
Dialogue: 0,0:17:30.83,0:17:34.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He began as a bug under a microscope,\Nand that's what I told him.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:35.80,0:17:40.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Brent Brents became a lesson\Nin humanity and compassion.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:41.96,0:17:45.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Even so-called "monsters"\Nhave things they're afraid of.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:46.29,0:17:48.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Brents wrote me about his.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:48.92,0:17:49.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He said,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:49.93,0:17:53.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"My biggest fear is that I will die
Dialogue: 0,0:17:53.26,0:17:57.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,without ever having done anything good."
Dialogue: 0,0:17:58.78,0:18:00.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that's why I tell this story.
Dialogue: 0,0:18:01.66,0:18:03.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thank you for listening.
Dialogue: 0,0:18:03.56,0:18:05.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)