- The detectives try to track down a tall, beautiful woman who has been terrorizing the city by robbing men, beating them up and in some cases shooting them. Their job is made more difficult by the fact that there are many inconsistencies in the victims' reports.—frankfob2@yahoo.com
- Season 3 Episode 31 The Big Girl 4-1-54 Friday narrates, he and partner Smith are working the night watch out of Robbery Division, sixteen people reported robbed, beaten, and shot, where the assailant is described as a tall beautiful woman.
They interview John Maloney from his hospital bed, he appears to be bad shape, head bandaged, taken nourishment via a straw. Maloney describes picking up a blond woman, who pulled a gun on him, robbing him of his keys and wallet, telling him to get out of the car, lay down in the street, she hit him with the gun then shot him. Maloney looks at pictures Friday, Smith brought, cannot identify any of the pics. They exit Maloney room, Friday tells Smith, the bullet shattered Maloney's spine, he will never walk again. Beverly Allen is a mug shot Maloney part identified, they circulate that pic; the crime lab identifies the gun as a 38 Colt, based on the bullet pulled from Maloney's back along with the other victims' gunshot wounds; confirmed, same gun for each crime.
Friday listens to the Captain pour on the pressure from all angles, sixteen victims, newspaper article, the Chief wants the criminal caught. Smith enters, the two suspects are located out of state, so much for suspects. Friday, Smith respond to a shooting hearing from the Captains office. He said for them to roll on it. They show up to find the victim lying on the pavement, bleeding from a vicious beating, with a single bullet wound in his left shoulder. Conscious when they arrived, the victim passed out from his wounds, is carted to the ambulance, Smith shows Joe a 38 shell casing. Crime lab confirmed the shell casing was the same gun used in the prior crimes. Friday narrates of the continued dragnet attempting to find the woman suspect.
Suspects were brought in, questioned, released, not matching the overall description. Finally a woman is brought in for questioning, matching the likeness of the assailant. The suspect carries a gun, she says is for protection, Smith checks with registration as Friday continues his questioning. Donna Stewart is the lady's name, Smith gets word there is no registration on the gun. She insists it is registered. A call comes from records, the registration was misfiled, the permit is for keeping the gun in the home, not for transporting on the person. Friday tells Miss Stewart they will have to keep the gun and she will be arrested for carrying the weapon. Stewart is not their suspect.
Joe, Frank check in with the Captain after more days have passed without a suspect; a call comes with a possible lead, a burglary in a Hollywood motion-picture studio, articles taken were assorted wigs, a coat, a sweater and a footprint, size nine from a man's shoe. Friday narrates about the resources of the detective, the lab, a variety of records that can assist the police with their search for suspects. The point Friday is making it all takes time, there is no magic involved, it is all work.
Another run through records based on the additional information is in process, meanwhile Captain Didion wants to see Friday, Smith. Emil Collins is talking to the Captain, he picked up a woman who pulled a gun on him, he slapped it away, the police brought her down to HQ. Emil Collins gives his statement to a police stenographer. The woman brought in was a copycat, she was down on her luck, so she thought she would try to pull a robbery like the one in the papers. It is not the woman they are after, doesn't match the description, per Didion.
Friday, Smith respond to another assault, tall blond with a gun. Harry Reese is the latest victim, number eighteen, Harry is a truck driver, bleeding, robbed at gunpoint, slugged and shot through the left shoulder. The suspect was hitchhiking and Harry picked her up. Reese doesn't think the suspect could be a man in disguise.
Smith alerts Joe, a cab driver, Edgar Morse, just dropped off a woman, in a hurry to the nearby hotel, leaving a trail of blood in an alley. Friday, Smith follow the blood trail to the hotel back entrance, they enter the hotel, following the trail to a locked room door. Joe kicks down the door, gunshots come from a closet, Friday, Smith carefully open the closet door, out stumbles a man dressed as a woman, wounded in the leg, he falls to the floor, saying they would never have got him if it weren't his accident. Smith cuffs him, suspect says the gun discharged, shooting him the leg. Smith lifts up a wig showing Joe, who is calling for an ambulance. The caught suspect was living in a hotel for women, the bureau is covered with his disguises.
James Sutter was tried, convicted with assault to commit murder, nine counts, and robbery in the first degree, nine counts, now serving his term in the State Penitentiary, San Quentin, CA.
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