Beyond The Boardwalk

Harold Dow Reports On Four Grisly Killings In Atlantic City

(CBS)  This story originally aired on May 19, 2007. It was updated on Feb. 21, 2008.

"We're in the midst of rejuvenating Atlantic City," says local radio host and Atlantic City legend Pink Kravitz. "The casinos this past year generated $5 billion.This industry has created over 40,000 jobs for people right here in Atlantic City. Come see for yourself."

But a few short miles from the Atlantic City’s glittering casinos sits a strip of low-rent motels. Behind them, a lonely path runs along a drainage ditch.

As correspondent Harold Dow reports, police in the Atlantic City suburb of Egg Harbor Township were alerted on Nov. 20, 2006, to a grisly discovery: spaced out along the drainage ditch were four dead women.

At the time, John DeAngelis was a captain on the force. When police examined the first body, they immediately noticed something strange. "They had discovered that the victim did not have shoes on and was barefoot," he explains.

In fact, it turned out that all four victims were methodically positioned in the same bizarre manner. "All facing east, all with no shoes on, no purse, no cell phone, no personal belongings," DeAngelis explains. "It appears that these women were killed just for the sake of being killed."

And DeAngelis believes that most likely, one killer was involved with all four victims.

Fear of a serial killer on the loose rocked Atlantic City and the entire Northeast. Police had a high profile case on their hands with few clues. And as they began to identify the victims, it took on a new and more troubling dimension. All four murdered women had friends and families who loved and supported them. So why and how did they end up in a place like this?

Barabra Breidor’s sisters Francine and Valerie were not surprised when they learned that she was one of the victims; Barbara had been missing for weeks.

Fran and Val prefer to remember their sister in happier days, growing up in the Philadelphia suburbs, spending summers with Barbara on the Jersey shore. “Barbara was raised in a very stable, loving home,” Val remembers.

But Barbara had trouble coping with the sudden death of her father. The death, says Val, completely devastated the family and left Barbara depressed.

After a tough year at Penn State University, Barbara left school and returned to the South Jersey shore. She held several steady jobs, and in 1997, achieved a life-long goal: motherhood.

Barbara Breidor was 42 years old. Her daughter Dominique is only 9.

Solving Barbara’s murder was the job of Atlantic City Prosecutor Jeffrey Blitz. He formed a special task force to crack the case. Even before Blitz identified Barbara Breidor, he revealed the name of the first woman found in the ditch: 35-year-old Kim Raffo.

Kim’s cousin Juliette remembers the two of them growing up on the streets of Brooklyn. “Always smiling, you know, always happy,” Juliette recalls.

As Kim grew into a young adult, she seemed to be headed in the right direction. “She really had it together. I was so proud of her,” Juliette says.

Hugh Auslander fell in love with Kim and married her in 1989. The young couple moved to Florida and had two children; Hugh worked a good construction job, while Kim devoted herself to the kids.

“Everything was about as good as it gets,” Hugh remembers.

But then things began to fall apart. Kim fell in love with another man, a chef she’d met at a cooking class and by 2003, the marriage was over. Kim eventually moved to Atlantic City with her lover. Three years after they arrived in town, Kim Raffo was dead.

Kim was strangled to death. The second victim identified died similarly. She was 23-year-old Tracy Ann Roberts, who, according to DeAngelis, came from a small town in Delaware and trained to be a medical assistant.

Tracy had only moved to Atlantic City within the past year. “Everybody that knew her said that she was a really nice, pretty, young person that had her whole future ahead of her,” DeAngelis says.

[formerNJresident]

I saw this program the other night, and was horrified by what happened to these four women. I'm originally from NJ, and am pretty familiar with the stories about drugs and street crime in Atlantic City. I'm now a PA resident, having lived in PA since about 1992. Molly Dilts was from Black Lick, PA, not too far from where my father grew up; my dad was originally from Vestaburg, PA, which is also a defunct coal town, with hardly any jobs or industry. I am only sorry that Molly did not get the help she needed or she'd be with us today, and with her little boy, Jeremiah. It's truly awful what happened to these women. I pray for their children and their families.

[ZepZoSoRox]

Why did they just look at him and not the other people who were staying at that hotel???

Oh, I dunno.
Maybe because none of the other people were perverts caught taping a naked under age minor???
Just a guess here!

[toleson1]

If he was a prime suspect then he would still be in jail huh?? There was over 50 people staying at those hotels at the time of the women being found. How is the fact that Terry was there coincidental?? Why did they just look at him and not the other people who were staying at that hotel??? I can give you all kinds of questions and possible circumstances you can look at it.

[toleson1]

I live with and have been living with the currently (Accused) killer. Here are some things to think about. First...why would the state of NJ let Terry out of jail if they for one second thought that Terry actually killed those woman?? Why did the judge lower the bail?? Why was he able to actually bail out of jail?? Why is he still out of jail?? I have the answers to all of it! BECAUSE HE IS INNOCENT!! Nothing ever came back on him being the killer. He has offered and gave DNA as well as everything else that AC wanted. I have been with this man for almost two years now. As I have known him from my past as well. Between the two of us we have 3 children. All of the kids love him, as well as our friends and family,. Yeah you can stick your nose up at him as you pass by, or walk faster when you see him walking. But you NEED to know that he is innocent. I love how all these TV shows do interviews on the woman's families and friends. Hell even people that didn't know them like owners of hotels and diners were all interviewed and asked what they thought. WHY didn't they contact Terry??? Why don't all these shows that want to show what a bad bad man he is contact him and interview him?? I know why!! Cause they don't want to make it look like they did wrong. All the news wants to show is who did this or that. Never in my life have I seen a show where they said "Oops...we made a mistake and we'd like to recant what we said!" NEVER and I believe we never will. If you have a question for him then post it. E-mail him he will answer what ever you'd like to ask!! He is innocent. But in the state of NJ you are not innocent till proven guilty. You are guilty and will ALWAYS be guilty in the eyes of the courts!!

[awinslow2]

Is the maintenance man who lived in the motel still a prime suspect? The fact he lived there at the time of the murders seems to be too coincidental.

[awinslow2]

Is the maintenance man who lived temporarily still a prime suspect? Was their evidence that a car was involved when the bodies were dumped? He would be a primary suspect for me unless the police believe a vehicle was used for each body.

[bozaptap]

I was in the hospital watching this piece. Seems to me no one mentioned the one glaring similarity all four women had in common. They were all mothers that left children behind? I mean what are the odds of one perpetrator "randomly" picking up 4 women on the street with that much age difference that all shared that one characteristic,they left their children behind. No one mentioned rape, all still dressed. Killer probably knew them. The Eastward facing position, no shoes, religious fetish?? Sounds more like facing toward home or removed the shoes so they couldn''t walk away again? I''m not a criminologist of any kind, but the profilers missed this one I think. Look for another street person or john that knew all four women, knew they left their children and that he was left by his mother and lived East of
Atlantic City.
Just a thought.

[bozaptap]

I was in the hospital watching this piece. Seems to me no one mentioned the one glaring similarity all four women had in common. They were all mothers that left children behind? I mean what are the odds of one perpetrator "randomly" picking up 4 women on the street with that much age difference that all shared that one characteristic,they left their children behind. No one mentioned rape, all still dressed. Killer probably knew them. The Eastward facing position, no shoes, religious fetish?? Sounds more like facing toward home or removed the shoes so they couldn''t walk away again? I''m not a criminologist of any kind, but the profilers missed this one I think. Look for another street person or john that knew all four women, knew they left their children and that he was left by his mother and lived East of
Atlantic City.
Just a thought.

[toeslayer2000]

If the perpetrater has taken shoes as trophies, then he (more likely male)is a restifist (shoe fetishist) and definately not a foot fetishist.

Believe it or not there is significant difference.

[bahbushkah]

Such a shame that anyone's life is taken so senselessly! And so scary that it is being said that a serial killer is on the loose, when Atlantic City is my backyard~ I am a single woman who often goes out to A.C. for dinner, a show, or even a drink by myself~ I am glad to have read this and will be in company in the future~ you just never know! Anything is possible~ I hope this guy is caught!! and soon!!