Empty Promises

could have permanently changed the “computer” of Robin’s brain, the crime might never have been discovered, much less successfully prosecuted.

    The long ordeal of Robin Marcus seemed to be over. At the time Hank Marcus was murdered, however, life sentences in Oregon were not what they seemed to be. Some lifers got out in ten to twelve years. And by the late 1990s Tom Brown began to appear periodically before the parole board, asking to be released.
    The victims or the victims’ families usually appear at these hearings, standing in a small room with the felon who terrorized them as they give their reasons why the prisoner should not be released. To protect Robin, Bob Hamilton stands in as the victim. “It would be too hard on Robin to have to see Tom Brown again,” Hamilton explains. “So I’m there in her place, and Brown and I engage in what’s basically a long staring contest.”
    Thus far, Brown has failed psychological tests that would indicate he was safe to move about in society. He is still in prison, but he will continue to come up for parole, and it’s quite possible he will one day be released from the Oregon prison system.
    Robin Marcus is over forty now; she has remarried and has children. In her new, happy life she now lives thousands of miles away from Oregon. Only a handful of people know where she is and what her name is, and she is grateful for that. She is still afraid of the man who hunted humans rather than animals, and she dreads the day he is paroled.

Photographic Insert
    EMPTY PROMISES

    Steven Sherer and Jami Hagel Sherer. Steve wanted a thin, blond wife with large breasts, and Jami tried to be everything he wanted. (Judy Hagel Collection)

Jami and her son, Chris, in the poster that Microsoft printed by the thousands in the hope that Jami could be found alive and well. The $10,000 reward was offered by Microsoft and Jami’;s family and friends.

Steve often found himself in a police lineup. These four Seattle Police Identification Information Cards show how often his appearance changed. Note the different names and birth dates.

Yearbooks and wedding photos that Steve took with him in his constant travels after Jami vanished. (Police photo)

Steve and Jami’s his-and-hers bowling shirts. Steve won trophies and money prizes at bowling. Jami hated bowling because he treated her so badly at the alleys. (Police photo)

The blue suitcase Steve carried with him after Jami’s disappearance, although it was heavy and unwieldy. It was filled with secret things. (Police photo)

Steve had a fetish for certain clothing, and he made Jami dress to please him. Later, he often asked new girlfriends to wear these items. (Police photo)

Jami’s size-1 blackleather miniskirt. Steve had his new girlfriends model it for him after Jami disappeared. (Police photo)

Steve also kept most of Jami’s thong and bikini panties for years after she disappeared. (Police photo)

Steve liked Jami to wear these long black-satin gloves. (Police photo)

Jami’s “Mom” T-shirts. Oddly, Steve remembered that aspect of Jami, too. In a certain way, he kept her with him. (Police photo)

One of Jami’s favorite dresses, also size 1. Redmond detectives found it after a very long search. (Police photo)

Jami’s prized Mazda was found in the Shoreline Unitarian Church parking lot. (Police photo)

The extra key to Jami’s Mazda. Steve claimed he had no key. (Police photo)

Investigators confer as Jami’s car is hoisted by a tow truck. Mike Faddis, third from left, had no idea that seven years later, his life would revolve around the Sherer investigation. In 1990, when this photograph was taken, he was a traffic officer. (Police photo)

The transit station on the I-5 Freeway near the church where Jami’s Mazda was found. Maggie the bloodhound and other dogs tracked the killer’s scent to this spot. (Police photo)

Steve’s mother’s home in Mill Creek. On September 30, 1990, Steve broke the panes of glass beside the front door to get into her house. He undoubtedly needed her Bronco that day. A decade later, police and FBI agents arrested him here.

Lieutenant James Taylor, Redmond Police Department. Seven years after Jami vanished, he promised Jami’s mother he would find out what happened to her.

Redmond Detective Mike Faddis, with Jami’s brothers in the background, smiling after the prosecution won a crucial point in the Sherer trial. (Leslie Rule)

The prosecution team: Senior King County Deputy