On December 14, a fourth victim, as yet unidentified, was found near Behrman Highway, not far from where Danielle was found. Macdonald, who proposed in a 1963 American Journal of Psychiatry article that future serial violence and even murder can often be predicted in children who simultaneous engage in chronic bedwetting, compulsive arson, and cruelty toward animals. He ultimately got a job as a freelance photographer, but he left for an undisclosed reason. [8] Based on Hill's testimony, the task force tracked him down and re-interviewed in the presence of Ron Camden, a 27-year veteran of the Cincinnati Police Department's Homicide Unit. Clay hesitates for a few seconds before saying he actually used a hammer during most of his murders. All Rights Reserved. He then decided to become a cab driver because he couldn't afford a house and was living in his car. 1", was presumably strangled and found not far from Britton's body. Copyright 2023 washingtonindependent.com. Lewis' murder began a series of killings of at least 26 prostitutes spanning from 1991 to 1996 that authorities believe Ellwood is responsible for. [2] On February 5, 1994, skeletal remains were found in St. John the Baptist Parish, later determined to be a young woman between the ages of 25 and 35. Weinweir Henry, Lewis' cousin, stated that she last saw her at a hotel in Avondale with a man, whom she identified as Ellwood. On August 4, 1997, Ellwood was arrested and jailed on drug charges, with his prison sentence lasting nearly three months. He also brings with him many years of law enforcement experience, training and talent that would be invaluable to Carver College Police Department. In response, the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council reinstated Nemards police certification so that Collins could hire him. She was later identified as 39-year-old Lola Porter, who had gone missing from New Orleans in 1992. Of course, this does not immediately eliminate Clay as a legitimate suspect, but it does prove that he could have learned about Gant being under suspicion merely from picking up a newspaper or watching TV. Victor Gant has been associated with that group.". Zodiac was able to consistently lead the police of wild goose chases with his many letters, cryptograms, and phone calls due to his compulsion for following every detail about the police investigation into his crimes and potential identity printed about him in the press. - During the call, Clay claimed he was white, and that the only suspect at the time was a black cop who was romantically involved with one of the victims. After doing drugs together, Ellwood beat her, but she managed to flee. Was it real, or was this just another one of Stern's lowbrow stunts that he's famous for?Cla. According to her, Lewis had told Henry that she and Ellwood were on their way to a suburb of New Orleans, where her body was later found. Jaya Mckeown - Jaya moved to Boston from New York to pursue a master's degree in corporate communications at Emerson College. She had been strangled. [6] He became a police officer in February 1980, and while on patrol, Gant would spend a lot of time in red-light districts, where in later years he acquired many acquaintances among pimps, prostitutes and street informants. Just shoot out the front tire & then pick off the kiddies as they come bouncing out, However, two months later, police officials traced a series of phone calls made to Melvin Bellis home by the supposed Zodiac. On September 22, 1991, the killer claimed his third victim, twenty-eight-year-old Charlene Price. I was wondering if this story was ever validated or debunked? While prisoners in the United States do retain some telephone privileges, it is highly unlikely that Ellwood would have been able to call the Howard Stern Show from prison and remain on the line for that long. Scan this QR code to download the app now. Where have we heard this before? Gant was cooperative with the investigators questions but refused a lie detector test. [6] In order to determine whether he was guilty or not, Gant was ordered to submit DNA for testing to see whether they could match it to the perpetrator's saliva, which was found on a piece of chewing tobacco found near Ivester's body. FBI agent John Fleming told the press in November 1995, "A common thread in the victims was their membership of prostitution rings that seem to have been connected with a group of NOPD officers. Another inmate, Stephen Michael Busser, also told police that Ellwood had boasted of being wanted for more than 60 murders within the state of Louisiana, and had even described to him in detail one of them. "Yesterday a guy called in and said that he had killed 12 prostitutes. On one hand, Clays hesitation before correcting Stern seems to hint at him telling the truth. After his disciplinary hearing, Gant complained to the press, saying, A lot of other people who have been charged worse than that are still on the job. When Sharons sister, Teri, and a group of supporters arrived at the scene to confront Gant, he spit tobacco juice at them before walking off. Ellwood is still considered a suspect in several of the homicides, although he has not been charged in connection with any of them. [2], On November 21, the body of 37-year-old Regina Oko was discovered. The bodies of Lewis and Mack were discovered on February 21 and 22, 1993 respectively. 1. During her lifetime, she had been arrested multiple times for theft and was a known drug addict. Bus. But what if that wasnt the case? Three other sheriffs from the now-disbanded task force told the same reporter that at least four other suspects were on their radar. On August 13, 1997, The Howard Stern Show received a call from a man who identified himself as "Clay". An autopsy determined that she had been strangled. I never said my name was Ed" almost as if to say "How dare you get my name wrong". Actually nothing like that. Robinson's boyfriend was a police officer called Victor Grant, who has denied any wrongdoing. [8] A number of other inmates witnessed a fight between Ellwood and another inmate, during which he allegedly said "Yeah, I killed that nigger bitch. [2], On March 24, police found more skeletal remains under an overpass in Tangipahoa Parish. Sometimes, its not a good fit for a particular department. Ellwood was questioned regarding the murders and later booked as a suspect. After attempting to corroborate Gants alibis provided during questioning, the investigators found that Gant had lied in nearly every answer given to them during that session. Except this time, no police trace reveals the caller to be a hoaxer in a mental institution. According to CBS, "The Cleveland Strangler" killed at least 11 women during his run, and though he wasn't arrested in the past ten years, he was convicted for those killings in 2011 and sentenced to death. may be disturbing to some readers. Here we see Stern seemingly referencing the Macdonald Triad, named after psychiatrist J.M. According to the investigators, Gant had killed both her and her friend, Karen Ivester, in order to get rid of them. Sanders also admitted to withholding this information, because she was a drug dealer. Again, we hear Stern trying to casually ascertain personal details about Clay that might aid in eventually identifying him. Below is the infamous phone call to the Howard Stern Show. The Macdonald Triad has been criticized in recent years as an urban legend, as the three key factors cited in Macdonalds theory are more often linked to childhood abuse and neglect rather than some serial killer crystal ball, but nonetheless, but the time of this late-90s radio broadcast, the triad had become cemented as a key element of serial killer culture. Howard Stern then asks Clay how many prostitutes he's killed. At this point, nothing has been disclosed of Gant's fate afterward; whether or not there was a DNA match to the two aforementioned murders and/or the other 22 victims of the serial killer is unknown. (1:00 mark in audio) You might notice a pattern emerging here. And so, when 13 Reasons Why season 3 releases (possibly later this year), there will be a lot to discuss. 'World's Youngest Serial Killer' Had Murdered Three People By Eight Years Old; Convicted serial killer on death row explains how he feels just hours before his execution; Man Who Caught Golden State Killer Says There Are 2,000 Serial Killers In The US 'America's first female serial killer' says she 'did the right thing' in killing her victims When the task force talked to him again, he admitted to dumping the body of a black woman in the water next to a country road. As a direct consequence of this, he was found guilty of the crime and given a prison term of eighty-five days in the county jail. Destor of the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff's Office confirmed that Gant is still on the suspect list.[2]. Carver College has a long, troubled history of hiring disgraced police officers to patrol the Christian School. He dumped her body in Behrman Park, within one mile of the spot where Danielle was found. I'm willing to confess to two cases and give you all the details when I return to Louisiana. But as the conversation progressed, it became clear to Stern and listeners that this one sounded deadly serious. Camden later testified that Ellwood also confessed to him that he had killed a black girl, whose corpse he had dumped in the canal. This further shows a pattern of narcissism inherent in many serial killers like the Zodiac obsessively following your own press. [8] This request was denied, whereupon Ellwood confessed to killing Lewis and Mack, but refused to be audiotaped and soon after began denying that he had confessed. Clay told Stern he took a break for a year. When confronted by reporters from Huffington Post in 2016 regarding their hiring of a suspect in a series of serial killings as an officer assigned to protect college students, Carver College Police Chief R.J. Collins tried denying Gant had ever worked theredespite Gant appearing in full uniform on the Police Departments website and in photos shared on Facebook. [2] On April 2, two sets of skeletal remains were found in the canals, later determined to be of a young woman and a young man. This caller, who identified himself as "Clay," claimed to be an unidentified serial killer from the New Orleans area. When reporters called Carver College President Robert Crummie for comment on the situation, Crummie defended Chief Collins, telling them Nobodys broken a law or committed a sinpeople are just uncomfortable about talking to strangers. When confronted with the information about Gant, Crummie finally said that he was no longer working for the Carver College Police and that he had no obligation to discuss it further. Ellwood, a cab driver original from Ohio, had been seen with Lewis several times prior to her death, and had aroused the suspicion of local police when he was found wandering in a state of undress near the crime scene about a year after Lewis body had been found. [4], On September 3, the body of 21-year-old Tyra Tassin was found. All things considered, these facts make Russell Ellwood a compelling suspect for Clay the Serial Killer, and it is easy to why so many articles name him as such. The second witness, Antoinette Holmes, who lived near Lewis, testified to seeing her at the Time Saver restaurant in Bridge City two weeks before she was reported missing, standing between two parked cars and talking to a cab driver. He boasted to other prisoners about his murders in Louisiana during this period. EDIT: Glad to see this post has stirred interest in possibly unraveling a case or debunking one! [7] The interview with the potential serial killer caused a massive media publicity, thanks to which FBI agents allegedly went to the studio and seized audio recordings of the call to establish the caller's location and possible identity. He immediately asks if Clay has sex with his victims before killing them. Ellwood was taken into custody on August 4, 1997, just a few days after the completion of the interrogations, for allegedly purchasing cocaine from an undercover police officer at his house near Sebring. [6] In the early 1990s, Gant gained a reputation for being corrupt after a number of informants reported that he, along with a few others, were running racketeering operations against pimps and other criminals. In 1997, 'Clay' called into the show to tell Stern and Quivers he had killed 12 sex workers. When Colonel Walter T. Gorman and other members of the task force met Ellwood in Sebring, Florida, they said he was friendly and willing to help. Despite the fact that no oil changing supplies were found in his vehicle, the police let Ellwood go, but not without keeping an eye on him. [2] Most of them were strangled to death, while a number of others were beaten and drowned in canals and rivers, and then dumped in swamps, rivers or canals near highways bordering the western shores of Lake Pontchartrain. Two days later, the skeletal remains of another young girl were found, whose identity was never ascertained. At some point prior to 2016, Gant found employment as an officer with the Carver College Police Department in Atlanta. This policy was apparently the work of Carver College PD's first chief, Joseph L. Woods, who had been fired from five different police departments before finding work at the school in 2006. Another complication is thisBaton Rouge, the possible Jimmy Swaggart town referenced by Clay, is over 80 miles away from New Orleans, where nearly all the bodies were found. Luckily, neither Eric Weill nor the Zodiac ever made good on their shared threat to murder school children. One year later, on August 26, 1996, Gant was fired from the police force as result of the four internal investigations opened against him, with his beating of Sharon Robinson in the months before her murder being a major contributing cause. Although a suspect, Gant remained at his desk job with the NOPD. Again, the Macdonald triad rears its head. 6". A death record for Weill notes that he was the son of a man named Sam Weillyoull recall Sam as being the name Eric asked to be called while masquerading as the Zodiac on Jim Dunbars television show. was usually a hammer strike to the head, but one time via strangulation. He claimed he's killed 12 prostitutes in the New Orleans area. A native of Massillon, Ohio, Ellwood moved to New Orleans in 1968 after graduating high school. A lot happens right here. Well, thats exactly what happened on the morning of Wednesday, August 13, 1997, during a live broadcast of WXRKs landmark radio program, The Howard Stern Show. On May 4, 1995, less than a week after the formation of this task force, Gant was formally called in for questioning at the New Orleans Sheriffs Office. [12] A deputy who worked in the department later attempted to sue them for allegedly firing him for revealing that Rushing had destroyed crucial evidence, but his appeal was rejected due to lack of evidence. The charges were only dropped after a series of behind-closed-doors meetings with lawyers. After the call, police thought Ellwood could potentially be the "Storyville Slayer" a serial killer in New Orleans who murdered up to 24 sex workers. Ellwood remains a suspect in several of the killings, but no charges have been filed against him. How A Serial Killer Was Caught By A Plumber's Gruesome Discovery | Memories of a Murderer 26,602 views Aug 18, 2021 Dennis Nilsen's crimes were first exposed by a clogged drain. The Zodiac vanished into quiet oblivion sometime in the mid-1970s and Weill committed suicide in 2006. He then dumped her dead next to Louisiana's Highway LA 3160 in Hahnville. I mean, he's a multi-millionaire and arguably the most recognized name in broadcasting, so clearly he's kind of good at his job. To some, these questions might seem like the kinds of things all of us might ask if given the opportunity to interview a serial killer, but Stern makes some key maneuvers less than a minute into this conversation. This image shows a police sketch released to the media in 1992, after one woman survived an attack and provided a description to police of the man she said choked her and left her for dead. Reading comments online and on this video, it looks like I'm not alone. If he was responsible for the string of murders that occurred in New Orleans, Ellwood's victims were almost always prostitutes. The Storyville Slayer is the nickname given to an American serial killer who murdered at least 24 prostitutes and drug addicts, most of whom were women, in New Orleans, Louisiana. On September 21, the remains of 29-year-old Regiter Martin were discovered in the waters of another canal near a highway. Additionally, an associate of Ellwood's from a Florida prison gave investigators confirmation that Ellwood had once told him he liked having s*x with intoxicated people who were utterly powerless over their bodies due to the medications' side effects. [8] Officers found none of the items required for the fixes, not even a flashlight, which would be necessary to perform such repairs in an unlit area at night. You can tell initially that Stern and Robin aren't really taking the guy seriously, and who can blame them? He gave details that were similar to how Cheryl Lewis' body was dumped. The deputies let Ellwood go although his taxi didn't have any motor oil, oil-changing tools, oil filters, or brake pads. The similarities between Clays phone call and the New Orleans murders of the early 1990s were listed as follows . "Did your mom beat you? Antonio Rodriguez admitted to being the "Kensington Strangler" in January 2011, ending a case in which the convicted killer was dubbed a "sexual, serial killer." Rodriguez wanted to have "rough . When he appeared in court, other prisoners who knew Ellwood gave witness accounts against him. While the accusations had some meritthe FBI having actually ended their involvement with the task force so that they could investigate Rushings misconductthe jury was unconvinced, and in August 1999, Ellwood was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Cheryl Lewis. But that all changes a couple of minutes into this strange and disturbing phone call. Back in the day, The Howard Stern Show routinely received tons of insane calls from people claiming many wild things. At the time, Swaggarts ministries were located in Baton Rouge, Louisianaa city whose population is still today over 50% black. While incarcerated, authorities charged him with the murders of Lewis and Mack on March 4, 1998.[5]. She described him as a muscular, well-dressed, middle-aged black male who drove a dark-colored vehicle, possibly a Buick Regal or Chevrolet Monte Carlo. In another blow to Gants credibility, the serial murders of female prostitutes in the Treme and Algiers came to an abrupt stop in the wake of his questioning by police. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. To me, that's definitely a red flag as to what kind of guy we're talking about here. Between 1991 and 1995, a suspected serial killer claimed the lives of multiple people in the New Orleans area. His mother, Yvonne, who worked for a TV station, raised Sean with her. A subreddit dedicated to the unresolved mysteries of the world. Suspected Stockton serial killer caught while on 'mission to kill': What we know . He was also ordered to perform forced labor. At any given time, between 25 and 50 serial killers are thought to be hiding in the shadows of the United States and driving around looking for their next possible victim. The dramatic arrest in 2018 of Joseph James DeAngelo Jr. was all the more astounding because of how detectives said they caught . called and asked for tape of that call.". In 1998, Russell Ellwood stood trial for the 1993 murders of Cheryl Lewis, 30, of Bridge City, and Deloras Mack, 40, of Metairie. [9] During the proceedings, a number of Ellwood's former cellmates and prostitutes testified as prosecution witnesses, with the former claiming that he had confessed to the killings while the latter claimed that he had assaulted them. This was refuted by Ellwood's receipts, which show a puzzling two-week break in February. Los Angeles Times Exclusive. .zklaml-syj27z{font-family:adobe-garamond-pro,serif;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant-numeric:lining-nums;line-height:1.45;overflow-wrap:break-word;color:black;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:inline-block;cursor:pointer;color:white!important;font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12px;}.zklaml-syj27z:hover{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}.zklaml-syj27z:hover{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | twi.news@washingtonindependent.com | dmca@washingtonindependent.com.

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