PORTLAND -- The family of the man who murdered Brooke Wilberger'sbroketheir silence,revealing pubilclyhow they pieced together that their brother, Joel Courtney, was a murderer.
Courtney raped and killed the 19-year-old Oregon girl in May 2004 and the murder was the focus of the latest NBC episode of 'Dateline.'
Courtney's sister Dina recalled when her brother disappeared, during which time he abducted and killed Wilberger. He came back with a wild story.
He walked through the door and announced, kind of loudly, 'You'll never believe where I've been,' said sister Dina Courtney-McBride. I said okay, where were you?
He said'I was kidnapped. There were these guys. They had guns and knives and we were in the woods. It was rainy and cold and there was a girl there and we were hiding. And y'know, there was blood and it was awful.'
Meanwhile, Brooke Wilberger's family was frantically trying to find her. I said, 'Where's Brooke?' Brooke's mother Cammy Wilberger recalled.
And he (her son) said, 'What do you mean? You don't know?' Cammy Wilberger continued. He goes, 'We don't know where she is.' I said 'Spence, don't tease me. What are you talking about?' And he said, 'No seriously mom. We can't find her.' And right then I had a chill go through my whole body.
Joel Courtney refused to speak with investigators regarding the Wilberger disappearance. But his sister remembered when her mother visited him in jail and asked him, Joel, did you do this?
According to Courtney-McBride, he answered, It's not really like it seems like and I'll never be held accountable.
Courtney eventually confessed to the murder, and gave investigators information on where they could find Wilberger's body, in exchange for avoiding the death penalty.
