court battle with ex-assistants and headline making cocaine confession. >> life deals you what it deals and you just carry on. >> now is she ready for a sit down tell all? >> i'm not going to do a sit down interview. the idea of talking about really personal matters in your life and embarrassing my children, no, i mean, like, you've got to stop somewhere. >> the british chef returning to her family for season three of "the taste", searching for the new great cook. >> i have hope in my heart. >> i have hunger in my belly. >> i'm ruling for you, can't tell the guys. >> including anthony bore dain who's promising a spicy season. >> we're passionate about food and have strong opinions how you should or shouldn't do things. this time it's for real. >> mentoring, tasting and refereeing? >> just go, you're hurting his

feelings now. >> who can take the heat in the kitchen, the taste on abc. >> we might need to call nigella to referee this interview. >> i can't remember an interview that they have done where it doesn't end up in a slap or microphone to the head, including my latest visit to the set of the show "the exs xt. >> act cool. your role, delightful question. >> leah spilling season four secrets from the exs. >> there's a wedding. >> good. >> you don't know who's getting married. >> i love weddings. >> i don't love weddings, i love the idea of two people getting married. i find them to be extremely boring. >> this won't be boring, i'm letting her interview her castmates. >> jimmy kimmel, watch out. >> a pep talk from her former dancing partner, tony.

>> your interview for extra, i have to see this. she works through a few issues. >> you have a new partner. >> and finally ready to grill your co-stars. >> how great is it to work with me? >> doesn't get any better. >> hello, nikki, love to see you. >> wayne, is there going to be any couple between you and my character? >> i've been trying since you arrived and nobody seems to care. >> now, you guys had kissing scenes, did you talk about it before, no tongue, tongue, i go to the right, i go to the left? >> it's always tongue. >> it's always tongue. >> i'm always the first person to -- >> leave. hello. see you. >> catch leah and the very first cast wednesday nights on tvland. >> it's time for extra hot deals. style mined is here. what do we have today? >> time to bring the party with you wherever you go with blue tooth audio speakers by carbon

audio. they have speakers on both sides. they retail for $99 at the time at 61% off, 39 bucks. next up some great jewelry. >> beautiful. sterling silver platinum finish jewelry, we have the earrings and bracelet and necklaces and come packaged in the beautiful box here. retail up to $231 and 66% off they start at 35 bucks. >> we have this air spray flat iron and offers a flexible hold and won't build up and helps fight frizz. this retail for $164 but today that's 67% off, 54 bucks. >> get your hands on all of the extra hot deals, head to style mined.com. >> in hollywood there's a saying, it's all about who you know and this guy knows the

right people. >> when you have charlie sheen as a superstar friends you're definitely winning. >> every time i'm with him i'm getting advice. >> 19-year-old rising baseball star conner green, a pitcher for the blue jays -- >> getting drafted was one of the best days of his life. >> spending his offseason modeling. charlie helping his journey along the way. >> he is a huge fan of baseball as well and i'm a huge fan of what he does. he helped me get on his anger management as an extra job and great person to have in your courtney. >> helping prepare for casting calls. what do you like to wear? >> topsiders little guy. >> i'm thinking effortless, little on trend and you want to be able to show that you can pull off any trend, any look. >> conner, you are ready to put every campaign of your dreams, you look amazing. >> thank you very much, i came to the right place.

up next, everybody loves raymond. everybody really loves reunion. >> people saw themselves in us. >> extra brings ray romano and doris roberts back together. >> you have a little zip to you. >> then jamie fox and the new annie, how fox got john mccain and chris christie to bust a move. >> republicans love to dance with me. >> that's next but first -- >> we're hooking up our audience with the bath and body skin caroline, clean on me, the creamy hand gel and hand food, nongreasy hand cream and righteous butter. go to extratv.com for your chance to win. i'm hooking up the crowd. who wants beautiful skin?

they are bringing the broadway hit annie to the bringing screen this holiday season. jamie fox and wallace. >> before he was in annie and won an oscar, jamie and i first crossed paths in 1990. >> i knew this guy back when he was in high school. >> you're taking it back. >> i'm in college in san diego and my friend of mine, you got to come to my high school, there's this kid -- >> chul la vista high school. >> you're doing a dance thing and whole thing and just turned the place -- listen, that kid right there going to be a star. >> it's mr. fox getting everyone up and moving in the hamptons. >> when i do it charity for ron pearlman, republicans love to dance with me. and then i look out and see mccain, he come on with it.

>> jamie gettin plenty of love and preppy annie for release this holiday season. >> i threw up on the swings once. >> there's new stuff such as cell phones and updated music. >> and you throw a new twist into daddy war bucks. >> will stacks, this would be their annie. they understand the cell phones and apps and things, which i'm still trying -- >> you and i both. >> definitely not kid friendly. horrible bosses 2. >> those guys, jason bateman, kevin spacey, jennifer aniston, you talk about being the fifth funniest person in the room, that's what i feel like. >> be sure to watch annie in theaters december 19th. all right, time for a little trivia if you get it right i'll give you this dvd, sin city, the

subject is the hit tv show everyone loves raymond. aside from ray row man no, can you name the only actor or actress to be in every single episode? your options, doris roberts, patricia heaton or brad garrett. >> doris roberts. >> that's right. we had an impromptu raymond reunion. >> it's been ten years since they said good-bye. >> you're watching boxing, the kids are here? >> i laugh a lot when i see it now. >> only extra with patricia heaton and doris roberts and ray romano for this mini reunion. >> people saw themselves, it's a great thing but sad commentary on the family life. >> which one do i say no to? >> it ran for nine seasons winning 15 emmys. what made it so successful? >> so great looking for christ sake. >> i like you tonight, you got a

little zip to you. >> patricia doing double duty working for extra. >> if your kids watched the show lately? >> my kids have not watched it late lately. >> my oldest son, a junior in college called me and said do you have any copies because my roommate it's his favorite show and can't believe i didn't watch it. >> will an official reunion happen? >> we can't do it without peter, it wouldn't be right. >> the cast at the comedy celebration remembering their lats co-star and friend pete boyle who died in 2006. >> i think of him and smile. >> reunion or no reunion, happy to see these stars are very much a family. >> now for this weekend's extra extra starting with an oscar winner helping raise awareness for a great cause. >> i miss you. >> reese witherspoon's career gold wild. her latest film getting oscar buzz.

>> one of the biggest moments of my career, definitely, my first movie i produced and starred in and it's a big deal for me. >> reese, sporting her producing partner at the hollywood bag lady's luncheon. >> it's a great event, we get to have fun and look at handbags and it's nice for women to support each other. >> paula abdul also coming out for the great cause. >> at the end of the day it's about giving back and raising awareness and raise money. >> tis the season to chime for change. >> i'm really, really happy i get to spend today with all of you guys. >> a.the camp in malibu. >> here they get to be in this amazing spot and connect with other girls their age in the same situations. >> kids say there's a mentoring program working toward finding families for orphan children. >> they get to have fun and be kids and be around people that are encouraging. >> it's a bird, it's a plane,

it's santa claus. santa touches down by uber and spreading holiday chair at the west field shopping center in san jose, california. >> thrilled to be part of a good cause close to home. >> it is an awesome day here at universal studios. it is the tenth annual day of giving. tell us about this event? >> operation school bell is here, we're hosting 250 kids that are part of l.a.'s usd homeless program. they get new supplies and back packs. >> plenty of supplies to last the full year and memories cherished to forever. >> i'm all in on that, nice job. >> a bonus extra extra our web series find of the way, anti-heroes. >> we just got super powers. >> the hilarious take on what's it like when normal trumps extraordinary. >> we're also not heroes. >> and when the average joe remains average. >> sorry, i had to take the

stairs, where's the crime? >> anti-heroes and that's this weekend's extra. >> still looking for that perfect gift this holiday season? not anymore. jessica and victoria decked out in holiday's hottest gifts. lawrence dare yen and burlington at the roger new york with the celebrity inspired gifts for everyone, jessica alba staying warm and looking hot. >> all she does is at a fab furry hat and layers on a scarf and matching glove set. >> what's on our wish list? gwen's style. >> how to take their look from ordinary to extraordinary, it's all about a pop of color. show yourself some love with a bright burst of red. >> any lady on your list would love to find a little gold under the tree, even victoria beckham. >> it's all about a big chunky watch. it is the ultimate accessory. for the watch and ring, under $25. >> and now we have the ultimate list for santa. >> get your glam webuyanycar.com has helped thousands of people let go of

all the hassle that comes with selling or trading in. we make selling your car, truck or suv, fast, safe and fair with three simple steps: one -- get your free online valuation. two -- drive to your local car-buying center. three -- walk out with a check in as little as thirty minutes. buying cars is all we do. all makes and models and no dealership pressure we'll even settle your loan or lease. so, don't wait. get your free online valuation now at webuyanycar.com. wake up with back pain? if so, call now! the sleep number bed supports you with a cushion of air that conforms to your body for more proper spinal alignment and better sleep. before i had my sleep number bed, i just had a hard time getting used to it because i'd been tossing and turning all night. now with my sleep number bed, i'm able to sleep through the night and i wake up refreshed. call now for a free $50 savings card and catalog. it's the perfect bed for couples because you adjust each side of the bed to your sleep number setting. the sleep number bed is the bed clinically proven

to reduce back pain and 93% of participants reported back pain relief. plus it costs about the same an innerspring yet lasts twice as long. so if you want to sleep better or find relief from back pain, call now! call this number now for your free $50 savings card and catalog with price list. call now for your free $50 savings card and catalog.

closed captioned for extra provided by --

that is going to do it for this weekend edition of "extra", we'll leave you with the trailer everyone was talking about this week. over 40 million checked this out so far. the star wars force awakens trailer, yes. we'll see you monday, everyone.

>> the dark side. and the light. ♪

>> he basically tells 'em, yeah, i was driving the getaway car. >> reporter: it was his buddy who did the killing, he said. ira draper. >> so, we go out and find his girlfriend and she's going, "i always believed he could have potentially done this. he's aggressive and he has these journals. they're journal entries about

defiling women and killing and burying 'em." >> reporter: they found and questioned draper, who said he understood why he was a suspect. >> have you ever thought about killing anybody? >> i've never really planned it out, but maybe thought about, yeah. >> reporter: but after a few minutes with draper, jackson had a familiar, sinking feeling. >> he was very much so enamored by the fact that the police were giving him attention. >> he was just playing it for all it was worth? >> he was getting a little "street cred" for it. >> reporter: and the dna confirmed it was all an act. two unpleasant men, police said, who seemed to be enjoying themselves at the expense of the cops. so, back to zero. by august, 2013, it had been almost a full year since amyjane brandhagen's murder in pendleton. investigators had exhausted

hundreds of leads and themselves. >> i knew it was having an impact on my physiological health as well as my mental health. >> reporter: on august 8th, the chief took his family out of town for some r&r. and the very next day, a woman named karen lange, happened to be a member of amyjane's church, announced to her husband, dan, she was going for a walk. >> she came down, and i'll never forget what she said. she said, "well, y'know, i was thinking that we could maybe go out for dessert afterward." >> reporter: karen was an accomplished singer and pianist. dan, vice president of the local community college. her walk along the river levee near downtown pendleton, the riverwalk, was an almost daily habit. it was 4:30 p.m. lots of sun left on a warm august afternoon. >> and the last words she said to me were, "well, i guess we'll just have a nice boring evening." >> reporter: dan went back to tinkering on his motorcycle,

lost all track of time. it was dark when his son walked into the room and asked an innocuous question. >> "where's mom?" i said, "hmm, well, i don't know, i'll give her a call." so, i went and tried to make a phone call and i couldn't get ahold of her. >> reporter: but it was after 9:30 p.m. karen usually walked for less than an hour. she'd been gone for five. in some people, anxiety stokes panic. dan is not like that. it's a coping mechanism. he stays calm. he made another call. >> long day. 10:00 p.m. at night. my phone rings. and so, "hey, hi, dan." >> reporter: remember jed and lisa hummel? friends of amyjane's from church? karen always parked her car in front of their house when she took her late afternoon walks. >> he says, "is karen at your house?" no. no, i just got home and i asked lisa if she'd been over.

i said, "no, haven't seen her." >> and i had looked outside and sure enough the car was still there, so we went out to the car and she wasn't there. >> reporter: so, jed and lisa grabbed flashlights and walked the couple blocks from their house down to the river levee. and there in a parking lot sat a pendleton policeman. what should they do, they asked him? >> and he just thought it was unusual enough that he got a hold of dan. >> reporter: as the officer left to talk to dan, jed and lisa kept looking through the dark along the river bank. >> there's a fear of not finding anything. and there's a fear of finding something. >> when i got to the -- where the policeman was, we were talking and he said, "you seem to be awfully calm for your wife being missing." and at that point, i thought, holy mackerel, y'know? if there's something bad that happened to her, i could be a suspect. >> reporter: from his patrol car, the officer was able to

pull up images from cameras stationed around the river levee. no sign of karen. then, her cell provider sent a "ping" to karen's phone. it turned up across the main road about a half-mile from the river in the parking lot at walmart, where again, the officer could not find karen. what was going on? around and around the riverwalk they went, pointing their puny flashlights at a sea of dark. >> i did go home about five. i wrote an email saying, "karen is gone. i don't know where she is. i just have to go to bed." and i went and i just cried. >> reporter: he did not sleep long. the phone call that startled him awake brought news -- some good. some very, very bad. coming up -- amyjane's

murder and karen's disappearance. could they be connected? investigators are about to discover a disturbing clue. >> i think in that moment most of us knew that that wasn't coincidence. and the winner of this year's superstar... (coughs) coughing can really be disruptive. with a record breaking fifty million votes, your superstar is... that's why there's delsym. delsym helps silence coughs for a full 12 hours with an advanced time release formula for all day or all night relief. up to twice as long as other cough liquids. so the only sounds you'll hear are the ones you want to hear.

bianca! (cheering) delsym. silence is relief. and now for a limited time try delsym for free, with mail in rebate. so you can see like right here i can just... you know, check my policy here, add a car, ah speak to customer service, check on a claim...you know, all with the ah, tap of my geico app. oh, that's so cool. well, i would disagree with you but, ah, that would make me a liar. no dude, you're on the jumbotron!

whoa. ah...yeah, pretty much walked into that one. geico anywhere anytime. just a tap away on the geico app.

>> reporter: there have been few clues and no arrests, now another woman in the same small town has disappeared as we rejoin our story, police are about to discover a chilling connection between the two that will terrify an entire community. but will it help them catch a killer? again, keith morrison. >> reporter: dawn took its own imperious time on the morning of august 10th, 2013. by that time, going on 6:00 a.m., karen lange had been

missing more than 12 hours. and then finally, the morning sun lit up the banks of the umatilla river. and -- >> the policemen called. he said, "we found your wife." >> reporter: she was found and alive. but what the policeman said next was terrifying. >> well, when he said, "we found your wife and she's alive" that was a great relief. but he certainly made it sound like it was a tough, tough thing. >> reporter: oh, it was. karen had been struck from behind by some heavy, blunt object. her skull was crushed. the wound was massive. right away, the detective called the chief on vacation in the mountains five hours away and described the way they found her. >> did he think she was dead already? >> he thought she was dead. tremendous amount of blood. he indicates that he reaches for her, her wrist to see if she has

a pulse. and her leg moves and she gasps. >> reporter: but it didn't look like she'd be alive for long. the detective drove dan lange to the hospital. told him, prepare for the worst. as he arrived at the emergency room, dan ran into a nurse he knew. >> and she took one look at me, and i was so heartbroken that i, of course, broke down. and then i had a chance to see karen. >> reporter: the doctors gave her a slim chance -- one in a hundred maybe. she was airlifted to a bigger hospital in portland for specialized care. and as dan kept watch at her bedside, he remembered an odd comment karen made a few days before she was attacked. her boys were in college, nearly grown. she wasn't sure what her purpose was anymore. as she told dan -- >> "i really wish that i could be u you know, more useful if

i'm going to remain here. >> on planet earth? >> on planet earth, yeah. and i would assure her with "but god has a plan and you will be used." >> reporter: but what kind of use was this? if she lived, she might never regain conciousness. if she regained conciousness, she might never be the same. how useful could that be? and then, suddenly, the case of the murder of amy brandhagen and the attack on karen lange seemed to take on a new and terrifying meaning. chief roberts returned from his vacation to be handed this photograph by investigators. it had been taken four years earlier. >> one of the detectives had gotten his hands on an image of amyjane brandhagen and karen lange together dated august the 14th. >> oh, my god! >> amyjane brandhagen was murdered on august the 14th. karen lange was assaulted on august the 9th, one year after amyjane's murder. >> like somebody's targeting them, or somebody within the church has some strange

motivation. >> it could be a member of the congregation, or it could be somebody who they provided outreach services to. >> reporter: in pendleton, at the free methodist church, the word spread quickly. >> i think in that moment, most of us knew that that wasn't coincidence and i can't tell you how we knew. >> well, small town. same church. >> small town, same church, we all knew each other. i think we just knew. >> reporter: in a town where murder is rare, two women, one photo and dates that lined up like a message. had to be a connection. >> oh, it certainly crossed my mind. i think it crossed everybody's mind. >> reporter: so, once again, detective jackson and the others scoured hours of video recorded by dozens of cameras stationed around town, looking for a suspect. good luck. when amyjane was murdered in broad daylight, those videos turned up exactly nothing.

and then? then, luck turned. they saw this, recorded by one of the cameras stationed around the riverwalk. 6:31 p.m. -- karen lange. there she is right there out for her walk and following her a man, watching her with what looks like a pipe hidden behind his back right there. >> they cross a small footbridge. there's a short stretch there of maybe 50-60 yards where there's just no visibility from any direction unless you're actually on the path. and right there is where he attacks her. >> reporter: is that where she was found? >> she was found about 30 feet down the path. >> reporter: and then they found this video, recorded by another camera about an hour after the attack. same man enters a park bathroom and minutes later emerges to use a drinking fountain. >> i immediately said, "it's the same guy. we've got to show it's the same guy." >> reporter: wait. the same guy as who? chief roberts remembered -- after amyjane was murdered, the only witness who saw anything

reported a young man with dark hair, wandering near the motel. >> basically, the description was fairly generic -- male, 20-something, dark hair, a little bit longer with dark toned skin. now, we have the second crime a year later, almost to the anniversary. and here's a male profile, or image on our network camera system that fits. it fits! >> reporter: but who was he? and why was he targeting women from the same church? within hours, a very unusual kind of pendleton roundup was underway. the order was clear -- find him fast. coming up -- the evidence that was about to send this case into overdrive. >> it gave me chills. >> when "dateline" continues. ♪ ah, push it. ♪ ♪ push it. ♪ p...push it real good!

♪ ♪ ow! ♪ oooh baby baby...baby baby. if you're salt-n-pepa, you tell people to push it. ♪ push it real good. it's what you do. ♪ ah. push it. if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. it's what you do. ♪ ah. push it. i'm pushing. i'm pushing it real good! i'm telling you i heard someoh!ng... (awkwardly laughs) get out. enough's enough! d-con baits are fomulated to kill in one feeding. guaranteed.

i was out for a bike ride. i didn't think i'd have a heart attack. but i did. i'm mike, and i'm very much alive. now my doctor recommends a bayer aspirin regimen to help prevent another heart attack. be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen.

♪ >> reporter: when the free methodists of pendleton, oregon went to their weekly worship services that sunday in august, 2013, they offered their prayers for karen lange lying in a portland hospital in a coma. her husband dan -- a constant presence at her bedside. the prognosis was poor. but dan, optimistic by nature, struggled to hang on. >> it's just the faithful

attitude that says, no matter what happens, it's god's plan. and his plan is to prosper us. even if i were to lose karen, i had to hold onto that and realize that. >> reporter: in those first two days since karen was found in the brush alongside the pendleton riverwalk, shock spread like bad electricity. >> someone came up to our senior pastor and said, "y'know, i think i'm glad i'm not part of your church after all these things have happened." you're thinking is there a serial killer around? >> reporter: not fear, exactly. not yet. but someone was out there, was among them, had killed once, perhaps twice. and so the unease grew, dark places were avoided. >> the odds of a stranger picking two people that were as connected, difficult to wrap your mind around. >> reporter: umatilla county

district attorney dan primus. >> reporter: yeah. this sounds more like a zodiac-type killer. it's like one of those weird puzzles. >> absolutely. as you're working these investigations, you're thinking of all those things and trying to determine what connection is there between karen lange and amyjane brandhagen? >> reporter: it seemed very likely to the police and the d.a. that the man seen in the surveillance video was the one who attacked karen lange. and that he might also have been the killer who stabbed amyjane to death in that motel room one year earlier. but who was it? the chief asked his street cops to look at that video. anybody recognize him? and, what do you know, one of them did. >> he looked at the image for a second and sid, that's danny wu. >> reporter: how did he know? because he'd encountered him four times in the previous year. minor infractions, though, so they'd never confirmed that his name actually was danny wu. but there was one thing that

might help id him. >> he had a very distinct tattoo on the inside of his left wrist which read, "semper fi." >> reporter: he's a marine. >> that was my initial reaction. >> reporter: but while chief roberts didn't know who the man really was or where he was now or why he'd targeted two women who once taught bible school together, he knew they had to track him down right away. >> this was a community on edge. >> reporter: but now he's out there. >> he's out there. we've gotta find him. there could be more victims. >> reporter: the chief cancelled all time off, called in every available officer. a manhunt was on. and then, a bit of luck. the very same sharp-eyed detective who found karen noticed something odd nearby. a wooden panel on the back of an old batting cage beside the riverwalk looked not quite right. so, the officer reached behind the loose panel and found a pipe that appeared to have blood on one end.

the dna confirmed it was karen's blood. and then, when the crime lab compared a dna sample from the other end of the pipe with material found under amyjane's fingernails -- >> i get that call on a sunday afternoon. now, we've connected the dots. >> reporter: the man who assaulted karen and amyjane brandhagen's killer were one and the same. right away, the police chief shared the news with the d.a. >> i was at home. chief called me and asked if i was sitting down. he told me that the dna from the pipe matched the dna found underneath amyjane's fingernails. and it gave me chills. >> reporter: but, though chief roberts officers scoured the town, even distributed flyers with wu's pictures on it. they found nothing. hours piled up, days, more than a week. no danny wu. but anxiety? oh, yes. >> you didn't leave garages unlocked. sheds, doors windows, cars -- >> you do, you feel kinda like

there's a serial killer in town! >> reporter: and then? a call from the local convention center. two catering company employees told the dispatcher they'd gone in through a side door to the kitchen. >> and here sits this person who they readily recognized as this danny wu that we had disseminated the images of, and he was sitting there drinking a coke. and he basically picked up his stuff and disappeared into the facility. >> so, he's in the building somewhere. it's a big building. >> it's a big building! >> reporter: within minutes, the police surrounded the convention center. a search dog trained to bite joined in. they set up a command post outside one of the center's windows. >> the dog's just woof, woof, woofin' at the door. and the oregon state trooper behind us says, "i can see a leg hanging out of the ceiling." and there was this. >> looking through a window? >> i take about two steps back from where i'm standing and i can see it. so, i give 'em the command to enter. they go straight to this location in the stairwell and there he is.

>> reporter: minutes later, the suspect, the man known as danny wu, the man who may have murdered one woman, possibly even two and terrorized the town of pendleton, walked out in handcuffs and into the flashing cameras of the local paper. >> reporter: later, officers took this video of his hiding spot in an air conditoning duct in the convention center's ceiling where he had a blanket, a radio and some clothes. >> it looked like a nest. looked liked he'd been there for awhile coming and going, hiding in plain sight. he'd been here all year. >> reporter: but now what? would he talk? lawyer up? or even would he reveal who he really was and why it appeared that he'd targeted the women of the free methodist church? coming up -- inside a heart of darkness. >> i didn't understand that. i had never heard that before. >> revelations that would leave this town and its investigators

shattered. >> i didn't know whether to cry. i didn't know whether to

♪ >> reporter: here he was. the man they knew as danny wu, the man detective sergeant rick jackson had been chasing for a year. >> i'm sergeant rick jackson.

we're at the pendleton police department. i know i'm not dressed like a normal police officer. >> reporter: jackson was out hunting elk when they caught danny wu and rushed in still in his camo, hoping to finally get answers to a year of questions. >> are you willing to talk to me? >> to a certain point. >> reporter: the chief and the d.a. watched from a nearby office. >> i didn't expect him to say anything. i expected him to ask for a lawyer. i wasn't sure how he was gonna respond to any of the questions. >> reporter: but d.a. primus and all of them were in for a big surprise. >> what's your name? >> my name's lukah chang. >> i'm gonna write it down. what's your last name? >> chang. c-h-a-n-g. >> reporter: sure enough, not danny wu, lukah chang. 23 years old, the son of christian missionaries. a deserter from the u.s marines who drifted into town without any plan and stayed briefly at that downtown motel where he

encountered a maid named amyjane. >> did you talk to her? >> no, only in passing. like, she would knock on doors and say, "hey, you want your room cleaned?" like, no. >> reporter: soon chang was broke, living on the street, spending his days at the town library across the street from the travelodge. >> so, you walked by and you saw her? >> i saw her working and it's, oh, look, a target of opportunity. attack. >> so, i just walked in and waited. >> okay. >> how long did you have to wait? >> probably half an hour. >> as you're waiting there a half hour, you're thinking to yourself, what? >> i'm gonna do it. >> so, you grabbed her, brought her into the motel room, the bathroom and then what happened? >> i stabbed her. >> with what? >> a knife. >> reporter: but when detective jackson tried to get into this young man's head, the conversation veered off to a cold and disturbing place. as a missionary's son, was lukah chang rebelling against his parents? against god? detective jackson asked the question on just about every mind in pendleton, oregon. >> why? >> see how it felt.

>> see how what felt? >> taking a life. >> why? >> i was curious. >> how did it feel? >> empowering, saddening. >> empowering and saddening at the same time? >> uh huh, yes. empowering because i took a life. saddening because i realized at the same time, life is precious. >> reporter: that was it? to see how it felt?? >> i didn't understand that. i've never head that from a killer before. >> reporter: but why the second attack? did he target those two women because they taught bible school together? because they appeared in that photograph together? >> not really. it was approaching the anniversary of the first time. >> reporter: and that was just about it, said lukah chang. >> she was walking by. i noticed, followed, attacked. >> reporter: he was a brick wall. if the real answer was buried in

his religious past, or his failed military career. or some other secret corner we were not to know, ever. >> you feel remorse? >> not really. >> why is that? >> i got tired of feeling emotions and stuff like that. i got tired of feeling the feelings. so, i'm like, "all right, let's just cut that out." and so i did. >> reporter: and then, having had his say, the man the police had been chasing for so long was safely tucked away in a jail cell soon to plead guilty to murder and attemped murder and begin serving 35 to life. >> i can't even describe the relief. it's like the world is lifted off your shoulders. >> i didn't know whether to cry. i didn't know whether to scream. i just didn't -- i was just kind of dumbfounded. >> reporter: across the state in portland, dan langetold his comatose wife, karen, they caught him. though, of course she couldn't hear that.

and then? a few days later, dan turned on his video camera. and -- well, see for yourself. >> karen, can you raise that hand up? karen, can you raise your hand again? karen, can you raise that hand up? there ya go. yeah, very good! >> reporter: to the astonishment of her doctors, life flooded back. >> i'm doing very well. i feel great. >> reporter: and just a year after that vicious attack, here she was, karen lange. the woman whose ordeal wound up catching a killer, not exactly the purpose she expected when she talked to her husband dan that day. >> like, i told him not long ago, "don't ever pray for more to do with your life. 'cause boy do you get answered on that!" >> reporter: her recovery took a long time, of course. three hospitals, surgeries to rebuild her skull, months in a protective helmet. but of that awful night, she has no memory at all.

>> what was the sense that you recall, at least, of coming out of this blackness into -- back up into life again? >> well, a lot of it was just a feeling that i didn't know what was wrong. i didn't know why i was in a hospital. i didn't know i was in portland. >> reporter: the lange's troubles are not over. a few months after dan brought karen home from portland, he was diagnosed with cancer. so, a skeptic's question -- >> y'know, you two have been through so much in the last year. i mean, has this not damaged your faith? you're not angry at god for picking on you? >> no. >> reporter: i mean, if there's a plan for you, it's your plan to be so brutalized by an attack and by cancer? >> well, the beauty is that we also see the blessings.

see now it's had such a positive effect on people and how it could be so much worse for me. i see it as we need to go through it. it will be a season of recovery for us. >> reporter: and then, in september, it was pendleton roundup time again. and the mc's voice boomed through the arena. "miracles happen," said the announcer. no one in pendleton knows that better than our singer today for our national anthem, please welcome, ms. karen lange, to the arena. [ cheers and applause ] ♪ oh say can you see ♪ by the dawn's early light >> i looked at it as an opportunity to really just thank the people of pendleton for all the support, all the things that they did they for me and my family.

♪ of the brave [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: in pendleton, the world was back on its axis. though, perhaps a smaller, sadder, place without the girl who always reached out to the lonely, the strangers, just like the one who drifted into town and killed her. >> pretty remarkable, huh? i mean, isn't he exactly the sort of person that she would have sought out? >> i find that very ironic. and it's also the same person that if she were here today, she would say, take the way of forgiveness, it's the better way. >> let's pray. come, lord jesus -- >> reporter: and every sunday, the faithful still fill the pews at the pendleton free methodist church. and a barefoot sprite who loved to dance lives on at least in memory. >> amy's life was great. and i think the people who knew her would want to live better lives because of knowing her and

knowing who she was. that's all for now. i'm lester holt. thanks for joining us. this sunday -- >> no justice. >> anger and disbelief across the country after a grand jury decides not to incite a police officer in a chokehold death. >> each of us has to grapple with some hard truths about race and justice in america. >> is the criminal justice system failing african-americans? america in black and white. our new poll on how african-americans and whites view the police. the fight within the republican party over immigration. >> we have limited options in terms of how we can deal with this. >> how far will republicans go to block president obama's executive action? >> what i am here