This past September, I took a call from French radio station RTL. And while my interviewer used the RTL studio, it was not a radio interview. No, my French is only good for ordering food and wine. It was, instead, an audio interview for the podcast “L’Heure du Crime” [The Crime Hour]. Hosted by Jean-Alphonse Richard, the series takes an in-depth look at various titillating crimes. Robert C. Hansen always seems to qualify. This time, it was his remorse, or lack thereof, that was on the line.
My first line: “Hello, Mr. Richard.” This, apparently, is a stock phrase used to introduce the host. Apparently I nailed it on the first attempt. No second take was needed.
As with most broadcasts, what followed was a series of “scripted” questions. My big line: “We can say without a doubt that he has no remorse.” The “he” here is, of course, Baker Bob.
We can say without a doubt that he has no remorse.
Leland E. Hale, RTL podcast, “Robert Hansen: le chasseur de femmes de l’Alaska“
Remorse is, of course, one of those “inside someone’s head” questions. Looking back on Hansen’s confession, the prevalent mood is quite the opposite. There is, for example, his continued insistence that the victims did something — like trying to escape — that provoked him to murder. In other words, “it wasn’t my fault.”
That is a flimsy platform upon which to build remorse. Hansen did, however, say “sorry” a great deal during his confession.
“I’m sorry I don’t remember the right dates and so forth, it’s going to have to be a little bit vague on that,” he said of his overall command of what he’d done. Hansen also couldn’t remember the details of his crimes. “And uh, uh, I can’t remember where, but I know I took and threw her shoes out of my car, I’ m sorry I don’t know where.”
He didn’t remember much about his early morning alibi sessions with John Henning. “It’s been so damn long ago now, I’m sorry I didn’t… I can’t remember for sure. Th… that afternoon I come down there late that afternoon or else it was the following Monday. I… it wouldn’t have been on Sunday.”
D.A. Victor Krumm: What do you mean when you say, hurt created?
Robert Hansen: Uh, okay, uh (pause) I’m sorry. Uh, there was…I’m sorry this is…this is hard for me to talk about.
And so on. There were 49 versions of “sorry” during his confession. None of them remotely about feeling sorry for what he’d done.
Robert C. Hansen wasn’t sorry. He was pathetic.
Leland E. Hale
So… After all these years, I can’t say that Robert C. Hansen was ever sorry. Instead, as one of his surviving victims insists, “he was evil.” Remorse was not in his vocabulary.
Copyright Leland E. Hale (2023). All rights reserved.
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