In the isolated desert town of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico operated one of the most sadistic sexual predators ever encountered by law enforcement. He may also have been one of the country’s most prolific serial killers. Perhaps David Parker Ray lacks the instant name recognition of a Ted Bundy or a Jeffrey Dahmer, but his unspeakable crimes are no less heinous for the families of his victims, the investigators who worked feverishly in their quest to imprison him, and the traumatized women who were fortunate enough to survive his wraith. This provocative and disturbing documentary, The Sex Chamber, retraces Ray’s long-hidden reign of terror. A 59-year old mechanic and father of two, Ray was generally regarded as a highly intelligent, pleasant and upstanding member of his close-knit community. Amongst those who believed they knew him best, he was the last person they would categorize as a sexual torturer of women. The depth of his psychosis first came to light when a young prostitute was discovered nude, chained and screaming hysterically for someone to call the authorities. Her story was harrowing. She claimed to have been kidnapped by Ray, kept in his home for three days and repeatedly molested and tortured before managing her narrow escape. When the police searched Ray’s property, they discovered a gruesome environment that fully corroborated the victim’s story, including a utility shed where he kept a large inventory of elaborate sexual torture devices. What first appeared to be an open and shut case proved to be anything but. Ray was a mastermind at covering his tracks. This was a talent that had served him well over the course of 40 years, during which time he likely confiscated, raped and murdered countless women. Additionally, he is believed to have subdued his victims with a potent cocktail of memory-erasing drugs. This left obvious holes in the accounts of his accusers, and gave him the leeway to characterize each assault as consensual. The filmmakers speak with the original investigators who first happened upon the torture chamber, the defense attorney who worked on Ray’s behalf in spite of the certainty he had of his client’s guilt, and a key witness for the prosecution who struggled to recount the painful details of her molestation in court.
