The Doll Man Case

[Joe Friday]

July 11, 2006
It's been an exciting several weeks. Our new captain is Don Cragen and he introduced me to my new partner, Detective Rick Sorvano, then told me we'd be working in conjunction with Chris Meloni on what they're calling The Doll Man case.

Donna Deere, a known Harlem prostitute, was raped and murdered in a Plaza Hotel room on Monday night. The murderer left a note, using newspaper fonts, that said, "Good luck catching me, Joe." Since there are no other NYPD detectives named Joe, this might have been aimed at me, which is why Meloni specifically asked for me.

Macy Garret performed the autopsy on Tuesday and confirmed that Ms. Deere was violently raped while tied to the hotel room bed, then smothered with a pillow. Duct tape was used to tie her to the bed and cover her mouth. No semen was found and no condoms were left at the scene.

The odd thing was a naked doll was found in a similar position with duct tape over her mouth with the note tied to her hand.

Ms. Deere was discovered by a maid in a supposedly empty 8th floor hotel room. Jeff Mallard conducted the crime scene investigation and is currently running tests on everything he was able to obtain in the way of hair samples, DNA under the victim's nails and finger prints.

Chris Meloni has already learned that Ms. Deere was being represented by Diane Neal an attorney who got her out on bail after Donna was arrested in a call girl party. I plan to meet with Ms. Neal to compare previous case notes. Is the killer a man I arrested before?

Captain Cragen met with the press and gave them minimum information regarding the murder. We don't need to start copycat attacks or create a serial killer panic until we're sure what was behind this violent attack.

[Joe Friday]

July 15, 2006
Rich Sorvana and I first visited with Diane Neal, Donna Deere's attorney, in her Plaza hotel law offices. Our timing was amazing, because Diane had just opened a gift box left at the main lobby desk with her name on it. In that box was another doll, this time with dark hair matching Diane's and a not that said, "You're next, BITCH". This time the doll was dressed in a business pants suit like Ms. Neal wears and a miniature brief case in her hand. Diane says she has no clue who this Doll Man might be, but she agreed to go through her recent files looking for clues.

Since the first doll's note was simply, "Good luck catching me, Joe"  we believe this killer might be seeking revenge over one of my arrests and Ms. Neal's inability to get him off innocent.

Jeff Mallard said that both dolls were simply Barbie dolls that can be purchased almost anywhere. The Doll Man simply colored the hair to match the victim.

The bad news is that the following day when Diane Neal arrived at home and headed in to take a shower, she found another doll in her bath tub, naked this time, underwater, and with a weight tied around her neck. The note was written on the mirror using one of her lipsticks, saying, "Joe can't save you, BITCH, I can get you anywhere"

Rick was looking for an apartment in Manhattan anyway since he was transferred from The Bronx, so we put him in room 2004, right next door to Diane's place a unit with adjoining doors.

[Nelle Porter]

July 16, 2006
After having brunch with a few friends at the Palm Court on Sunday, I was stunned upon arriving back at my apartment to find a doll pinned to my bed with one of my kitchen knives. The doll was naked and the note said, "This could have been you, BITCH. Maybe next time I stop by it will be."

I reported it to the Carnegie Hill security manager, then called Joe Friday on his personal cell phone. He sent Jeff Mallard over to examine the entire apartment and bag the doll and knife as potential evidence.

I'd heard about The Doll Man and assumed right away that was probably the source. A seemingly very tired Jeff said it could still be copycat stuff, but I need to be careful until we can locate the culprit.

I'll look though my previous old cases, looking for those that involved me, Diane and Joe, since we were the targets so far. It might be somebody that was recently released from prison, or even from a mental institution.

[Omar]

[Posted as Gabriel Mancini]

Reading the reports of the first murder and hearing the details of the rest around the water cooler, I can't help but want to catch this guy and put a slug right between the eyes- just cause, or not. Both Ms. Neal and Ms. Porter- wow, they were quite the piece of tail, no matter how hard they tried to downplay it with their professional wears. Maybe I should volunteer myself like the gallant Mallard- even go so far as to offer to stay the night with one of them? Or both- at the same time at my place? A naughty smirk holds that thought, before the coffee scolds my tongue and puts me back in line.

There did seem to be a noticeable pattern with those being terrorized- they're all women linked to Friday somehow. I left him a note voicing my concern, especially suggesting that they keep a good watch out for his cute daughter (wondering if she's legal and how Joe would feel about me being his son-in-law; the chuckling stops once I curse myself for letting myself burn my already tender tongue).

Hoping they turn up some more leads, as my own investigation is kind of dead-end currently.

[Joe Friday]

July 21, 2006

Once again the Doll Man struck, this time shredding up the master bedroom in my residence. My wife Anne and my daughter Jan were standing at the front door of our two story home at 100 Boston Post Rd., Baychester, in The Bronx as I pulled in the driveway.

Anne was in tears, so Jan told me what had happened and led me upstairs. The queen size bed was shredded with one of our kitchen knives and a male and a female doll lay there, obviously their throats slit with that knife.

On the mirror, written in lipstick was his message. " "If you think I'm kidding..... think again!"

I called Jeff Mallard and asked him to bring his kit and come over. I called for Chinese take out since Anne was too upset to cook.

Once again, it was just threats, no more murders, but we need to find out who's behind this and why.

[Joe Friday]

August 6, 2006
The call from Lindsay told me the Doll Man struck again. I headed for Lindsay's place with Jeff Mallard in tow. Lindsay was a bit tense, but maintaining control. We listened to her story as we went over her place with a fine tooth comb, looking for clues.

Jeff snapped tons of pictures of the fornicating dolls and the typical lipstick post on her bathroom mirror which said, "Such a sensual female you are!… I enjoyed that trip."

Lindsay told us about her trip to Monterey with Rachel, that she fears one of the men they had dinner with might just have been the Doll Man. There is also a high possibility that the Doll Man just followed her out there and hurried back first to plant the dolls.

Our next stop was with Rachel and we brought Lindsay along so we could compare notes. The fornicating dolls were identical except for the name tags, these with Peter and Rachel on them. The note on her mirror was a bit different. "Rachel, Rachel, Rachel…. Lindsay is making a slut out of you also… such a shame… I might have to kill you, too."

More photos and Jeff took the bedding into the CSI lab hoping to identify the perpetrator. The best lead though might be finding out who made similar flights, because that was the only way the Doll Man could know this much information.

We're also working with the Monterey and San Francisco police to identify Harry and Peter the two men our ladies had dinner with on Saturday night.

[Joe Friday]

August 15th, 2006
On Monday we finally located Harry Wagner here in New York City. He owns a nice home at 210 Ditmar St in Queens. More amazing was the fact that he owns and operates a toy store called "Dolls & Stuff" in Queens.

He willingly spoke with us in his toy store for a long time, answering questions, since he was indeed the man that spent all that time with Lindsay Davis in Monterey, California. He said that he had been following the Doll Man story on the TV news and in the newspapers.

He realized we considered him a suspect because of the recent situation with Lindsay and the fact that he owned that doll store. He didn't object when we requested his DNA and fingerprints, but so far the actual Doll Man hasn't left a trace. If Harry is the Doll Man, he sure has covered his tracks really well.

Harry is a widower now. His wife died last year after falling down a full set of stairs. We're researching his recent past. What we really need, but might have trouble obtaining, is search warrants for his home and store. That way we can gain access to data from his computers looking for possible links.

As we were finishing up, a young, good looking, female customer walked in. I noticed the way Harry looked her over, top to bottom and back up. He even licked his lips, the sign I recognize of a predator. She purchased a doll and some clothing as a birthday present for her niece. As Harry rang up her purchase, he asked for her address, saying that he would add her to his mailing list. Wisely, she only gave him her email address.

We quietly followed her out of the store, showed her our N. Y. P. D. badges, and advised her to be careful with Harry. I gave her my card and asked her to call me if Harry used her email to contact her. It turns out her name is Angel Jones and we dropped her off at the Columbia University dorms since we were heading back to Manhattan.

I may be dead wrong about Harry, but I plan to keep an eagle eye on him for a while.

[Joe Friday]

August 20, 2006
On Saturday night I was sitting at my desk wrapping up a robbery case file when Angel called. She said that Harry Wagner had sent her and email and she still was trading email posts with him. She said she was sure he was tracking her location down and it scared her.

I asked her to send me all the emails posts, which she did quickly. It was obvious he was trying to learn as much as he could. I sent a squad car to cover her dorm, but after Tyler Franco made sure Harry was actually sending his emails from Queens, I told Angel to relax. He won't be after you tonight.

I read all his posts. Angel said she was willing to do what ever it might take to get this monster off the streets. I advised her that I would use an undercover cop to go visit Harry's shop again, Chris Meloni as a supposed boyfriend. Harry will no doubt learn about Jesse from watching her, but if he's really the Doll Man, and I'm sure he is, the idea of her "putting out" to this older guy will enrage him.

We're going to request search warrants for both his home and shop once he makes a move. We're also researching the death of his wife. It seems she was cheating on him, but we'll have to exhume her body in order to determine if he killed her first.

[Joe Friday]

September 23, 2006
Last night we received a 911 call from Lindsay Davis and I arrived to find Harry Wagner being restrained by Bruce Wilonski. It turns out that Lindsay was pretty lucky to have met Bruce in the lobby of the Plaza Hotel and he accompanied her upstairs.

Apparently, Harry saw Lindsay leave the Plaza assuming she was headed for the New York Times offices. He entered her penthouse suite using a stolen master key card, set up a naked doll once more on her bed and was writing a nasty note on her bathroom mirror when he was surprised by Lindsay's rapid return. Lindsay says she forgot something on her desk and asked the cabbie to turn around and take her back.

Bruce was preparing two glasses of wine while Lindsay entered her bedroom. Harry was hiding behind her bedroom door and grabbed her as she entered, using his switchblade knife at her throat. Lindsay claims he cupped one breast and demanded that she strip naked for him.

Bruce heard her and stepped in behind Harry demanding that Harry release her. Bruce says that Harry released Lindsay, turned and took a hefty slash at Bruce, cutting his arm. Bruce grabbed Harry's wrist, forced him to drop the blade, and hit Harry so hard he slid down the wall to the floor whining.

When I arrived, it was obvious Harry was indeed the Doll Man. I read him his rights and Harry refused to answer questions, claiming he needed a lawyer. We took him to the 5th Precinct, let him call a lawyer and then booked him for assault. The DA, Nelle Porter, will review all the evidence and no doubt charge Harry with the murder of Donna Deere.