Bizzarrepedia Serial Killers Internet's First Serial Killer "The Slavemester" [10], Berdella provided testimony to prosecutors between December 13 and 15, after he changed his plea and sought approval of their agreement not to seek the death penalty against him if he fully confessed. Berdella further claimed he had not seen him since. [7] The following year, Stasi's daughterknown since her (faked) adoption as Heather Robinsonfiled a civil suit against Truman Medical Center in Kansas City and social worker Karen Gaddis. Bob Berdella, the Kansas City Butcher, might have been viewed as an odd man by neighbors, but no one ever suspected that he was responsible for raping, torturing, and murdering seven men in 1980s Kansas City. Born in 1943, Robinson quickly turned to a life of crime, becoming involved in embezzlement and fraud. An early online correspondent was Sheila Faith, aged 45, whose 15-year-old daughter Debbie was a wheelchair user due to spina bifida. He was assigned a temporary public defender as his legal representative, and held in protective custody in a Jackson County jail in lieu of $500,000 bail (the equivalent of approximately $1,258,200 as of 2023[update]). He chose to remain in Kansas City and in September of that year, he moved into an address within the Hyde Park[13] district: 4315 Charlotte Street. You see, what you got, is nothing compared to what you can have. He helped start a neighborhood watch program, had worked as a chef, and ran his own booth at the . From approximately 1965, he would begin avidly collecting these artifacts; this practice would later inspire him to open his own antiques business in 1982. To all concerned, he attempted to restore his image as a "sensitive citizen" who had simply "made mistakes" in committing his crimes. (May 18, 2006). [3], After completing his probation in 1979, Robinson was arrested for embezzlement and check forgery, for which he served sixty days in jail in 1982. Mon 7am-4pm. [n 6], On the afternoon of Bryson's escape, Berdella was arrested on charges pertaining to the sexual assault of Christopher Bryson. Born Robert Andrew Berdella Jr. on January 31, 1949, in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, the man who would become this terrifying killer grew up in a deeply religious Roman Catholic family in the early 1950s. In a video that went viral on TikTok and other platforms, a man claimed that four Black girls . [4]:259261 The following day, he dismembered Howell's body using a chainsaw and boning knives, before wrapping the sections in newspaper and trash bags. [8]:271, In the spring of 1987, Berdella became friendly with a 20-year-old named Larry Wayne Pearson. [24] The meter reader led Bryson to the house he had been approaching, whereupon the occupants promptly called the police, who arrived minutes later. [4]:261. As Pearson had once been a ward of the court in Wichita, his dental records were discovered and compared with the skull found in Berdella's backyard. Kansas Supreme Court hears barrel bodies killer's appeal - KMBC They became something other than people to me. [48][12], Berdella's house was purchased by a local businessman for an undisclosed sum in December 1988. [4]:9495 These investigators would shortly discover Berdella had paid a $30 fee to secure a bond for Pearson in June 1987 (the equivalent of about $78 as of 2023[update]),[12] and that no further records existed to indicate Pearson was still alive. Only Berdella referred to James Ferris by his given first name, Walter. In addition to these disclosures, Kellogg was able to name three of the men depicted in the Polaroids as being Todd Stoops, Robert Sheldon, and Larry Wayne Pearson. [2]:6, Robinson became well known in increasingly popular BDSM chatrooms. He later dissected Sheldon's body in the third floor bathroom. He received a 5-to-20-year prison sentence for interfering with the parental custody of Stasi's baby, 20.5 years for kidnapping Trouten, and seven months for theft. John E. Robinson Sr. in 2002. She did sign a 115-item slave contract that gave Robinson almost total control over every aspect of her life, including her bank accounts. Berdella finished this discussion with a stern warning: "I've gotten this far with other people before, and they're dead now, because of mistakes they made. John Robinson, who did not. List of serial killers in the United States, List of serial killers by number of victims, "Berdella Doesn't Want to Discuss Crimes: Convicted in Dismemberments, He Cites Concerns for His Relatives, Lawsuits", "Robert A. Berdella, Already Convicted of One Count of First-Degree Murder, Pleads Guilty to A Second Charge", "Kansas City Sicko Kept Detailed Diary, Photos of Sex Torture, Bondage and Murder", "Robert Berdella: Madman or Just Murderer? When she moved to Kansas City, Robinson (who was still married) gave Lewicka an engagement ring and brought her to the county registrar, where they paid for a marriage license that was never picked up. The prosecution team assigned to the case accepted the plea, with assistant prosecutor Pat Hall later explaining this decision as being "in the best interest of our client, the people of the state of Missouri". [n 8][12], In late April, the skull found inside Berdella's closet was identified via dental X-rays obtained via subpoena from the University of Kansas Medical Center as that of Robert Sheldon. The ruling in the case of John E. Robinson Sr. -- accused of killing seven women and a teenage girl in Kansas and Missouri -- marked the first time that Kansas' high court has upheld a death sentence since the state reinstated capital punishment in 1994. [8], In 2006, the body of a young woman was found in a barrel in an area of rural Iowa where Robinson reportedly had a business partner. For weeks, Kansas City police denied rumors of a serial killer James Ferris's wife identified him in several instant photos found at Berdella's property, some taken after her husband's death. [9] Two days later, Berdella returned to Cuyahoga Falls by himself. He was sentenced to three years' probation. Pearson's body was later dismembered in the basement, and his head initially stored in a plastic bag inside Berdella's freezer before being buried in the backyard. [4]:151. Despite these later claims to investigators, Berdella would often engage in sexual relations with the men he befriended, and would establish a degree of control over them in part to engage in these sexual relations via methods such as loaning them money and allowing them to live rent free at his house for periods of time. Locations States Missouri. Her missing persons' case remains open. [n 1] He began spending much of his free time with male prostitutes, drug addicts, petty criminals, and runaways. Berdella was able to name all of his victims to investigators. She vanished in June of that year. Shortly after his release from hospital and further questioning by the KCPD, Christopher Bryson lapsed into cocaine abuse. [14] He remained active in the association until the mid-1980s, when he relinquished his position. KANSAS CITY, Mo. Stasi was never heard from again. He also became acquainted with a clique of students who supplied him with drugs which he then sold to other students at a profit. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. [4]:41, Before the search of Berdella's property had concluded, the KCPD assembled a special task force of 11 detectives and one sergeant to focus exclusively on Berdella's case. In 1965, Berdella saw the film adaptation of the John Fowles novel The Collector. [6], Berdella became known as the Kansas City Butcher due to his practice of extensively dissecting his victims' bodies, which he would then dispose of in garbage bags, and The Collector due to both the movie which he stated was the basis of the fantasies behind the modus operandi of his crimes, and much of the evidence subsequently uncovered by investigators.[4][7]. Investigators suspect that more victims remain undiscovered. He also engaged in acts of animal torture on at least two occasions; during one of these instances, he decapitated a duck in the presence of his peers, and in the second instance, he experimented with sedatives and tranquilizers on a dog. Police questioned Robinson, who denied any knowledge of her whereabouts. In response, Berdella killed Pearson by first bludgeoning him into unconsciousness with a tree limb,[22] then suffocating him with a bag and ligature, before driving to the hospital to receive treatment for his wound. Upon his release, Bonner left her husband, a prison doctor, and moved to Kansas to work for him. or redistributed. One of those traced, a young man named Freddie Kellogg, was able to state to detectives he and several other young men had intermittently lodged with Berdella since the early 1980s, and that Berdella had been in the habit of plying his lodgers with drugs typically intravenously before engaging in sex with them regardless of whether they consented or not. John Edward Robinson's Kids & Family: 5 Fast Facts - Heavy He promised Stasi a job and a stable living situation in Chicago in exchange for signing several sheets of blank stationery. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. In 1975, Robinson's probation was extended again after an arrest on charges of securities fraud and mail fraud in connection with a phony medical consulting company he had formed. He was arrested in June 2000 at his farm near La Cygne, Kansas, after a woman filed a sexual battery complaint against him and another charged him with stealing her sex toys. For the first time, we're hearing from the daughter of one of his victims, and it's an unbelievable story you'll . In June 1967, Graham reported to the Kansas City police that Robinson had embezzled about $33,000 from him by manipulating checks and deposits. The frightened 22-year-old told Kansas City police that she's been locked in a basement for a month and identified 39-year-old . As a form of reward, Pearson was moved to the second floor, with Berdella first informing Pearson that if he continued to cooperate, he would not continue to inflict as much pain upon him as he had done so while he had been held captive in the basement. [29], Berdella would be formally charged with the murder by dismemberment of Larry Wayne Pearson in July after the head discovered in his backyard was formally identified as Pearson's on May 12. On the farm, a task force found the decaying bodies of two women, later identified as Lewicka and Trouten, in two 85-pound (39kg) chemical drums. Robinson is known to be responsible for eight homicides, but his total victim tally remains unknown. Godfrey told friends and family that Robinson was sending her away for training. [6], In the summer of 1967, Berdella graduated from Cuyahoga Falls High School. [5], Between 1987 to 1993, Robinson was incarcerated, first in Kansas (19871991) on multiple fraud convictions and later in Missouri for another fraud conviction and parole violations. Serial Killer John Edward Robinson's Victims List | Heavy.com At 37 years old, Diamond Blair . [30], On December 19, 1988, Berdella formally waived his rights to be tried for any of the outstanding murder charges, upon the understanding he was to be convicted of one further count of first-degree murder (that of Robert Sheldon), and four counts of second-degree murder. Robinson received the death penalty for the murders of Trouten and Lewicka, and life imprisonment for Stasi's murder because she was killed before Kansas reinstated the death penalty. Don't try to fight me, or you'll just get more of what you had earlier. John Edward Robinson (born December 27, 1943) is an American serial killer, con man, embezzler, kidnapper, and forger who was found guilty in 2003 for three murders committed in and around Kansas City, receiving the death penalty for two of them. These confessions were given to prosecutors between December 13 and 15, 1988. Nonetheless, he did claim that he had tried to prevent any of his victims from developing any form of malnutrition or infection by occasionally administering antibiotics, or nutrients intravenously as his abuse and torture escalated. On the fifth day of his captivity, having by this stage endured torture such as the repeated administration of electrical shocks with the transformer, and the breaking of several hand bones with an iron rod to render him submissive,[4]:311 Berdella deduced Pearson had earned his trust as to his continued cooperation in his sexual and physical abuse. Before Friday's ruling, the court had faced criticism over the number of death sentences it had overturned. [18], Shortly after, the judge at his trial, Alvin Randall, was informed of Berdella's death. Wallace willingly accepted the offer and, 30 minutes later, Berdella decided to render him captive. As Bryson spoke, the officers also noted that in addition to the dog collar and broken foot, Bryson had red, swollen eyes, and visible scars and welts across his entire body. Lorenzo Jerome Gilyard, Jr. (born May 24, 1950), known as the Kansas City Strangler, is an American serial killer.A former trash-company supervisor, Gilyard is believed to have raped and murdered at least 13 women and girls from 1977 to 1993. Robinson, now 71, was sentenced to life in prison for killing four other women and a teenage girl in Missouri. When Berdella refused, Stoops burst into tears. Bender Mounds, Kansas by Kathy Alexander. A Kansas serial killer convicted of murdered several women and stuffing some of their bodies into barrel appealed his case to the Kansas Supreme Court Tuesday. Consequently, their bodies were never recovered. Robinson hired her, reportedly with the promise of extensive travel and a new wardrobe. [4]:121122, As numerous male names had been found scrawled upon various stenographer's pads at Berdella's address, the detectives began attempting to trace each of them. Berdella was largely unathletic, whereas his younger brother, Daniel seven years his junior displayed an aptitude for various sports from an early age. In a carefully scripted plea in October 2003, Robinson acknowledged that Koster had enough evidence to convict him of capital murder for the deaths of Godfrey, Clampitt, Bonner, and the Faiths. He was 43 years old. Investigators also noted that posts on the bed had been extensively worn, suggesting that restraints had earlier been tied to these posts, and that the individual or individuals had struggled to free themselves. The torture included repeated administering of 7,700-volt electrical shocks to the shoulder and testicles for up to five minutes in each instance, and acupuncture via hypodermic needles to the neck and genitals. [8]:245 Berdella's father was a devout Roman Catholic of Italian descent. Missing person reports had been filed in relation to both these men, and Berdella had been extensively questioned in relation to both of these disappearances. [4]:266. Because of this he seldom socialized with his peers. In 1969, Robinson was arrested in Kansas City for embezzling $33,000 from the medical practice of Dr. Wallace Graham, where he worked as a radiographer using forged credentials. John Robinson, one of the most infamous serial killers of recent times, is the subject of the episode titled "Sole Survivor," on ABC's journalistic and true crime show '20/20'. [28] He would later have his lawyer threaten to file harassment accusations against police unless their questioning and surveillance of him ceased. The auction attracted considerable national interest; attracting telephone bids from across the United States. [4]:353 Berdella sought solace in his Catholicism and later read extensively about many faiths but eventually became cynical about all religion. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, His family had also moved into an apartment above the shop. [1], Because he made contact with most of his post-1993 victims via online chatrooms, Robinson is sometimes referred to as "the Internet's first serial killer". Order Now . In 1977, he was named to the board of directors of a local charitable organization where he forged letters from its executive director to the mayor of Kansas City and from the mayor to civic leaders, naming him as the organization's Man of the Year. The plot of the film revolves around a disturbed man who stalks and then abducts a young woman whom he finds attractive, holding her captive in his windowless stone basement, and viewing her as little more than an attractive specimen. [21], Following the submission and acceptance of this plea, the judge insisted that Berdella confess under oath as to Pearson's death. from CA$700.00 Straight & Spiral fluting. In 2007, Heather and the hospital reached a settlement for an undisclosed sum, which Heather said she would split with her biological grandmother, Patricia Sylvester. 'Mindhunter': ADT Serial Killer in Kansas Explained - Insider Berdella would recall that like the subsequent victims he would hold captive Howell had repeatedly pleaded for his ongoing abuse and torture to cease throughout the period of his capture, although Berdella would either ignore these pleas, taunt his victim, or threaten him. By Associated Press May 28, 2022 Serial killer John Robinson appeals death sentence in barrel bodies life sentences without possibility of parole, life sentence without possibility of parole, List of serial killers in the United States, Cold Case Files - Sex, Lies and Murder (February 23, 2010), "Death sentence is upheld for serial killer John E. Robinson Sr.", "Authorities investigate Tomich for deaths of prostitutes", Complete Court TV coverage of "slave master" serial killer John Robinson, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Edward_Robinson&oldid=1137938651, Robinson, John E Sr (KDOC# 45690) - current status is incarcerated, This page was last edited on 7 February 2023, at 04:47. Logan, C. (26 May 2007). Death sentence is upheld for serial killer John E. Robinson Sr. Police say there is no truth to a rumor about a serial killer that is circulating on social media in the Kansas City area. All rights reserved. Throughout this period of captivity, Berdella repeatedly drugged, tortured, raped and violated him with foreign objects,[4]:258 repeatedly ignoring Howell's intermittent questioning as to why he was being treated in this manner, and pleas to be freed before, according to Berdella, Jerry "either asphyxiated on [his own] vomit, or the combination of the gag and the medicines were too strong for him to be able to catch breath". [4]:183, Berdella performed well academically, though teachers often found him difficult to teach, in part due both to his aloofness, and his being the recipient of bullying by other students. For $5,500 in "legal fees", the couple received Tiffany (whose identity was confirmed by DNA testing in 2000[5]) and a set of authentic-appearing adoption papers with the forged signatures of two lawyers and a judge. However, he would later state to investigators that he had thought almost constantly about escaping. A few days later, Robinson contacted his brother Don and sister-in-law, Helen, who had been unable to adopt a baby through traditional channels, informing them that he knew of a baby whose mother had killed herself. Sheldon was drugged with sedatives and held captive in the second floor bedroom for three days, enduring forms of torture such as the swabbing of drain cleaner in his left eye,[4]:266 the insertion of needles beneath his fingertips,[4]:268 the binding of his wrists with piano wire with the intention of permanently damaging the nerves in his hands,[4]:271 and filling his ears with caulking to reduce his hearing capacity. [20] According to Berdella, although Sheldon was responsible in paying rent, he considered him "an inconvenience" and, although he was not physically attracted to this victim, chose to drug and hold him captive on April 12 when he returned home from work to find Sheldon intoxicated in his home. In the 19th century, Kansas was a bloody place, especially before the Civil War, as " Free-Soilers " and slavery advocates "duked" it out for control of the new territory. Robert Berdella was born on January 31, 1949, in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio,[4]:45 the first of two sons born to Robert Andrew Berdella Sr., a die setter for the Ford Motor Company, and Mary Louise (ne Huffman) Berdella. Show you care with a Cracker Barrel Gift Card. "There are [probably] other barrels waiting to be opened, other bodies waiting to be found."[1]. For you to survive being here, and for you to, you know, make it, it could either be rough or it could be easy. [10], In the years following his 1988 convictions and incarceration, Berdella granted an interview to the Missouri-based television station KCPT, and corresponded with numerous individuals. [7], In November 2015, the Kansas Supreme Court vacated the Trouten and Stasi murder convictions on technicalities, but upheld the Lewicka conviction and its accompanying death sentence. These bags were later placed inside larger trash bags which Berdella placed outside for a garbage crew to collect and take to a landfill site. Furthermore, Berdella confessed to having alternately buried the two victims' heads in his backyard,[26] adding that he retrieved and cleaned the first skull that of Robert Sheldon at the time he buried victim Larry Pearson's head in the same hole. He then brought an electrical transformer to the basement. [4]:260, Although police extensively searched for the remains of Berdella's victims throughout their initial investigation into his crimes, the confession he provided to investigators in the autumn of 1988 confirmed the dismembered bodies of all six of his victims had been stowed in trash bags and subsequently taken to unknown landfill sites. Three hundred and thirty four Polaroid pictures and 34 snapshot prints of various men were also found in Berdella's house. [n 4], "You did not choose to be here, but you are. He won't ever tell. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. [4]:231 He initially operated this side business from his home. "[4]:323 Berdella removed the teeth from this skull and stowed them inside envelopes in the same room. [4]:103, In 1969, Berdella voluntarily withdrew from KCAI after receiving harsh criticism from college administrators for killing and cooking a duck for the sake of art. [4]:8182, Berdella is believed to have killed his first victim on July 5, 1984. The Blair family is a well-known crime family in Kansas City.