Rope Burns

After customizing Michaud's green minivan into the ultimate mobile torture chamber, the predatory pair hit the road to hell. From California to Nevada, they abducted defenseless young women, including one of Daveggio's own relatives, and forced them to endure hours—sometimes days—of unspeakable sexual acts in their orgy of terror.

But for Michaud and Daveggio, the biggest thrill of all was yet to come. After their next marathon rape and torture session, they pulled together on the rope and strangled 22-year-old Vanessa Samson to death—unware that evidence from their horrific final crime would lead to their capture by police...or that, one day, they could both be condemned to die by lethal injection.

Michelle Michaud was a suburban northern California mother and a part-time prostitute. James Daveggio was a drug abuser and violent rapist. Together, they forged one of the most perverse alliances in criminal history, and in September 1997, began a nightmare spree of incest, kidnapping, rape, torture...and murder.

After customizing Michaud's green minivan into the ultimate mobile torture chamber, the predatory pair hit the road to hell. From California to Nevada, they abducted defenseless young women, including one of Daveggio's own relatives, and forced them to endure hours—sometimes days—of unspeakable sexual acts in their orgy of terror.

But for Michaud and Daveggio, the biggest thrill of all was yet to come. After their next marathon rape and torture session, they pulled together on the rope and strangled 22-year-old Vanessa Samson to death—unware that evidence from their horrific final crime would lead to their capture by police...or that, one day, they could both be condemned to die by lethal injection.