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Brooks Douglass, the focus of Dateline’s The Haunting, faced a terrible incident in his teenage years. At 16, he witnessed the brutal murder of his parents at their home, the r*pe of his sister, and was left for dead - all done by two drifters. The fateful evening was on October 15, 1979.
Trigger Warning: The article has mentioned violence and r*pe.
The tragic event didn’t kill his spirits, and he went on to have a promising career as a State Senator in Oklahoma. Unfortunately, Brooks Douglass is no longer alive as he died on May 9, 2020, at 56.
His sister, Leslie, who survived the attack, became a successful professional educator. Dateline captured their story in a documentary titled The Haunting, first aired on May 27, 2011. Its rerun was conducted on October 26, 2022, and also recently.
What happened to Brooks Douglass and his family on October 15, 1979?
Originally aired on May 27, 2011, on NBC, the news program showcased the entire story of Brooks and how he went from being a murder victim and a State Senator to finally forgiving the killers of his parents, revered Pastor Dr. Richard Douglass and Marilyn Sue Douglass. Leslie, his sister, also recounted the incident that crumbled their lives in The Haunting.
As per both their accounts, a knock on the evening of October 15, 1979, turned out to be a fatal blow to their lives. Brooks answered the door, and a man named Glen Ake (24) stood on the other side of it. He reportedly told the then-16-year-old that he lost his way and wanted to make a phone call.
Brooks Douglass innocently agreed, and Ake went to his car to get the number. He returned with a gun and another man, Steven Hutch (26), also armed. After barging in, they hog-tied the whole family in the living room at Douglass’ Okarche, Oklahoma, home and held them at gunpoint.
Hutch and Ake then disconnected the telephone lines and demanded Leslie show them where the expensive things were kept. They reportedly robbed $43 (which stands at about $181.85 after inflation adjustment) and r*ped Leslie, one by one. Leslie was brought back and hog-tied along with her horrified family. Afterward, the two attackers had dinner prepared by Marilyn.
Around 10 pm, Hutch went to ready the car while Ake shot Brooks Douglass and Marilyn in the back, each once, with his .357 Magnum. Meanwhile, Richard and Leslie got shot twice, also in the back.
The bleeding family was left fighting for their lives, with Richard and Marilyn succumbing to their injuries. Meanwhile, Ake and Hutch decamped with the money and wedding rings. They were arrested in Colorado 37 days later, after which Hutch faced a death sentence, and Ake got two 200-year life sentences.
With time, Brooks Douglass and Leslie tried to survive through the trying times, faced turbulent marriages, and followed their respective careers. Brooks Douglass pursued law and became a State Senator in 1990, the youngest to serve in Oklahoma at 27.
He championed a bill in 1992 about the rights of crime victims and also produced and acted in The Amendment (earlier called Heaven's Rain) in 2018, which chronicled the gruesome incident.
On May 9, 2020, Brooks Douglass died in Dallas, Texas, due to cancer. Leslie, on the other hand, reportedly worked as an elementary school teacher. She currently lives in Edmond, Oklahoma.
Dateline's The Haunting can be streamed on Peacock.
