BELLEVUE, Neb.(KMTV) –A former KMTV anchor has released the final version of his book about the 1980s murders of two Omaha-area boys, featuring the killer's death row drawings in color for the first time.
- • Former KMTV anchor Mark Pettit releases final version of his book about the 1980s Omaha child murders, featuring killer John Joubert's death row drawings in color for the first time.
- Behavior analysts say the colored drawings reveal Joubert was a pedophile and sadist who would have killed again if not executed.
- The case involved the murders of 13-year-old Danny Joe Eberle and 12-year-old Christopher Waldon by an Offutt Air Force Base airman 42 years ago.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A former KMTV anchor has released the final version of his book about one of Omaha's most notorious murder cases, featuring never-before-seen colored drawings made by the killer on death row.
Mark Pettit has followed the case for 40 years and interviewed John Joubert, the Offutt Air Force Base airman who murdered two young boys in the 1980s. His book "A Need to Kill" now includes Joubert's death row drawings in color for the first time.
"It brought the drawing to life in color, I was like the public needs to see this, this is what they look like," Pettit said.
The murders happened 42 years ago when Joubert killed 13-year-old Danny Joe Eberle of Bellevue while he was on a paper route and 12-year-old Christopher Waldon of Papillion while he was walking to school.
"People wouldn't let their kids out of their sight. It was moment that changed us and people don't forget that," Pettit said.
The two drawings depict disturbing scenes of violence against children. Behavior analysts told Pettit these drawings indicate Joubert was a pedophile and a sadist.
"The behavioral science had advanced, so they were able to take these drawings and tell me things about the killer and my main question was would he do it again and they told me without a doubt he would have killed again," Pettit said.
The book also contains colorized pictures of the victims.
"You see Danny Joe's blue eyes, you see Christopher's bright blonde hair, so you see them as their parents saw them, not black and white, not as murder victims," Pettit said.
Pettit said he stayed on the case so long to get to the why. With these colored drawings, he says it feels like he finally closed the case.
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