48 Hours

Krystal's Courage: The Trial (14x16)

: 08, 2001

On Dec. 30, 1999, a drifter named Tommy Lynn Sells broke into a home in Del Rio, Texas, and brutally killed 13-year-old Kaylene Harris. Krystal Surles, 10 years old at the time, had her throat slit but managed to escape and go for help. Krystal helped authorities identify her attacker, eventually leading to Sells' capture. She also became the star witness in Sells' capital murder trial. While under arrest, Sells shocked authorities when he freely admitted that he had been crisscrossing the country for 20 years, murdering men, women, and children. His confession may have closed a 13-year-old case in Illinois. In 1987, Elaine Dardeen, seven months pregnant at the time, and her 3-year-old son, Peter, were found bludgeoned to death in their home. The shock of the attack caused Elaine to give birth. The newborn girl, who authorities believe was alive at the time, was also clubbed to death. Since this story was first broadcast early in 2001, authorities have linked him to 22 homicides.