I guess I just don't know what the plan is anymore.''. A police chaplain informed Larson of the discovery. Danny Harold Rolling appears at his trial in Tampa, Fla., Feb. 13, 1994. After Lewis told the investigators what Rolling had told him, investigators would then ask Rolling if what Lewis said was correct. He first broke into the home of 17-year-old University freshmen Sonja Larson and Christina Powell. Authorities subsequently cleared Humphrey of any involvement in the murders. A former high school football player, Toboada put up a fight before both were overwhelmed; neither body was mutilated this time. ''He cut their heads off, then played with them. When asked if she ever felt that her husband was treating her son inappropriately, she said, Sure, I guess.. Sonja Larsons body was found on her waterbed on the second floor, with stab wounds in her arms and torso. On August 24, he slipped into the home of UF freshmen Christina Powell and Sonja Larson and brutally stabbed and raped both students. Along with the similarities in which the victims were killed, there were other patterns investigators noted. He fled Shreveport and took a bus to Sarasota, Florida, to start a new life as Michael Kennedy Jr. in late July of 1990. Ultimately, the jury recommended five death sentences for Rolling and the judge agreed, sentencing him to execution. The son of a police officer and an aspiring country music singer, Rolling had spent a couple years in the U.S. Air Force before beginning a career of crime. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. On June 10, she left work to go to a Publix supermarket outside Orlando, to buy some fruit for lunch. Thus Mekeel repainted only the hearts. It wasn't until early next year, when authorities used a tooth extracted from Rolling to link him to the DNA evidence at the Gainesville crime scenes, that he became a primary suspect. She also had tape residue on her body and vinegar -- rather than soap -- which was used to clean her body. Sgt. He goes to work, cares for his daughter, finds happiness when he can. STARKE. For the families of those students, being there to see him at trial was crucial. WebNationality: American. Every time theyd mention [Tracys] name, it was like a punch in the head, Lahey said. Williamson used the case to create a screenplay for a horror movie which revolved around the murders of college students and the media frenzy that ensued. Ed Humphrey, of Gainesville, Florida, was suspected at one point for the murders of five college students in the city. Danny also used cleaning solvents on the dead bodies to remove any traces of semen. As Rolling skipped town, a local task force was assembled to calm a frantic community and find answers. He was later cleared when Danny Rolling was charged with their murders. trailer In 1989, he committed his first known murder after getting fired from a restaurant. Rolling, 52, was pronounced dead at 6:13 p.m. EDT, more than 16 years after his killing rampage at the start of the University of Floridas fall semester. %%EOF Before he could stand trial for the murders, however, Rolling was convicted on federal bank robbery charges, Smith said. Mario Taboada, brother of one of Rolling's victims, was escorted out of the courtroom but drew brief applause for his prediction. Around this time, Rolling began corresponding with journalist Sondra London, who would become his fiance and help him put together The Making of a Serial Killer. 0000001247 00000 n Don Maines was an investigator with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement when Danny Rolling killed five college students in Gainesville, Florida. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? He wasn't identified as the killer at that time. And while he had pleaded not guilty, he used fellow inmate Bobby Lewis as his "mouthpiece" to confess to the murders. The back door of Sonja Larson and Christina Powell's home, where Danny Rolling broke in. Screenwriter Kevin Williamson followed the story of the Gainesville Ripper murders and was fascinated by the idea of a college campus driven to a state of panic and the subsequent media frenzy due to a serial killer who targets students. Rolling followed them home, broke into their house, and simply overpowered them. His signature was to arrange the bodies in such a way as to highlight the carnage in the rooms this even included setting up several mirrors and decapitating and/or posing his victims. Once Florida investigators realized that Rolling had multiple convictions for armed robbery, they realized he could have also been responsible for the bank robbery that occurred on the day that Christa Hoyts body was found. It would not let me rest, she said. They were staying in a motel across the street from the supermarket. A total of 47 people witnessed the execution of the Gainesville Ripper, which is double the capacity of the viewing room. Theyre gone but their memory has to always endure, Mario Taboada said. He was a cop and he consistently abused his wife and children. Danny then picked up drugs and alcohol which only worsened his already-fragile mental state. He believed he had done everything he could to make them all safe. The band announced the news on Facebook, writing, Much loved husband, father, brother, band mate and friend Mark Sheehan passed away today in hospital after a brief illness. She was found raped, stabbed to death, mutilated and beheaded. Don Maines, an investigator on the case with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, said they received several tips pointing to Humphrey, then 18. Hoyt's stepmother, Dianna Hoyt, said she and her husband, Gary Hoyt, had a very hard time processing what happened to their daughter. On Rollings deathbed, the 52-year-old sang a hymn-type song that rambled on for five verses. Journalist John Donnelly, who covered the story for the Miami Herald, said the officers noticed the unusual way in which Sonja Larsons body was posed. To Christina Powells friend, Alison Emery, said the defenses strategy was a slap in the face., It was like, heres a reason he killed the person you loved, she said. Police couldnt find enough evidence at crime scenes to implicate Danny Rolling. Rod Smith was a state attorney during the trial of Danny Rolling, who was convicted of murder in connection to the five student killings in Gainesville, Florida, and sentenced to death. Rollings trial for the five student murders began on Feb. 15, 1994, nearly four years after he killed the five students. Rolling was the 63rd inmate to be put to death since Florida resumed executions in 1979 and the third this year. Who Were Daniel Danny Rollings Victims. Danny Harold Rolling, Floridas most notorious serial killer since Ted Bundy, was executed by injection Wednesday for butchering five college students in a ghastly string of slayings that terrorized Gainesville in 1990. Rolling covered both of the young womens mouths with duct tape before he bound their hands. YouTubeDanny Rolling, the Gainesville Ripper, appears in court. Three of the women had been raped and one had been decapitated. By killing five young students, Daniel Danny Rolling earned the moniker of The Gainesville Ripper. However, he later confessed to committing a triple homicide in his hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana, as well, detailing how and why he slew the Grissom family on a cold evening in 1989. Was she thinking of me? I did that at the time because I read that serial killers like to be in control, Mario Taboada told ABC News. Rolling was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. Leave him there.. All of them had been stabbed to death and some were left in sexually provocative positions. He broke into her residence and after he raped her, he removed her nipples and placed them beside her. Authorities put out as much information as they could to try to catch the suspect, and students slept in groups and took every precaution they could think of. How could this possibly happen? The families of the murdered students have grown close over the years and on Thursday were giving support to the Larsons with phone calls. We just got in the car and headed for Gainesville. Christa Hoyt was an aspiring police officer whod been working part-time at the Alachua County Sheriffs Office while going to school, according to Gail Barber, the first officer on the scene of her murder. WebGranted he had his own issues but even after Rolling confessed there was no apologizes at all. Mr. Larson is talking about finding reasons to go on living when a 2-year-old girl, with golden hair and laughing eyes, stomps into the room in fuzzy slippers. I didnt buy it, said forensic psychologist Harry Krop. Ive never been told nothing in reality, Ive never read nothing in a Stephen King novel that comes close to what the reality is of what this man did, Lewis said. I want to live. This was in 1977. One of the only surviving members of that family is Scott Grissom. The 1980s brought more of the same for Rolling, who was in and out of jail in Alabama and Mississippi for armed robbery. Relatives said it was unlikely that Mrs. Larson had left her family because she had a 1-year-old daughter and a strong marriage. ''He seemed blank,'' said a friend and neighbor, Scott Peterson. Prosecutors also attacked Rollings' claims that he had multiple personalities and that he was overtaken by his evil Gemini side when he murdered his victims. ABCs 20/20: Gainesville Serial Killer is a two-hour special that examines the tale of a notorious serial killer who reigned terror in the college town of Gainesville, Florida, in just four days in August 1990. James was a decorated Korean War veteran who worked as a police officer, while Claudia stayed home to care for the children and manage their household. His microphone was then cut off, ending a life story as twisted as any that could appear on the big screen. She said she thought of Rolling, who, just a few months after the murders in their community, said something deeply disturbing to her then-husband, Steven Dobbin. Ray Barber, called for backup and with more investigators on the scene, they found Powell dead on the first floor of the apartment. Acey Harper/The LIFE Images Collection via Getty Images. Belongings that Rolling left at a campsite in the woods and DNA taken after a later arrest for robbery linked him to the slayings. He was subsequently convicted and sentenced to the death penalty on each count. Rolling later confessed to killing the two new college students in Gainesville, Florida, as well as three other students in the area. ''You could stare right through him.''. In the 1990s, the Gainesville Ripper murders caught the attention of writer Kevin Williamson, and eventually inspired him to pen a screenplay about a killer who preyed on college students. However, the killer in the movie had little in common with Danny Rolling, and the completed work had little resemblance to the actual murders. Also as an adult, Rolling had trouble trying to assimilate into society and hold down a steady job. The Gainesville Ripper put her head on a bookshelf. Seven years ago, his sister, Sonja, was one of five college students murdered in Gainesville by serial killer Danny Rolling. 53 0 obj <>stream James was also controlling and verbally abusive to Dannys mother, Claudia, and his younger brother, Kevin. He has gone back to counseling and, slowly, is pulling himself back from the despondency that threatened to take over his life. He removed their nipples and took one as a trophy. However, he said he could not confirm whether it was Carla Larson's. 0000006140 00000 n Without a response, they asked a maintenance worker at the apartment complex for help. ''No one in my family had ever been to jail, because we just didn't have that kind of life. He sexually assaulted a woman that resembled his ex-wife and performed a string of armed robberies, culminating in arrest and jail time in Jackson, Georgia. Mr. Rolling was sent to death row and the Larsons soon had a baby, Jessica, the symbol of their new beginning. After she failed to show up to work on the night of Aug. 26, 1990, Det. 0000000954 00000 n Danny Rolling, popularly referred to as the Gainesville Ripper, was a career criminal who was convicted for a string of burglaries, robberies and automobile thefts mere days after he tore through the fabric of the University of Florida campus community, killing five students in bizarre and macabre ways in August of 1990. Danny was the older of two sons. But there are some things that you just cant run from and this being one of those.. The following day, he made Santa Fe Community College student Christa Hoyt his next victim, leaving behind her severed head on a shelf to face her body propped up on the bed. Cindy Juracich was on a trip with her former husband through the Florida panhandle when she heard of the five student murders in Gainesville and connected them to similar killings in her hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana. Anyone can read what you share. At age 23, after being with his wife for four years, she separated from him after he threatened to kill her. Our childrens names will be remembered over him.. He was facing the death penalty. Geni requires JavaScript! Instead of leaving the duct tape on his dead bodies, Danny disposed of it in dumpsters to get rid of any fingerprints. He also recalled these early years as a time when he developed multiple personalities as a "defense" from the nightmarish reality around him, with attempts at suicide failing to bring an escape. Rolling was the 47th murderer executed in the US in 2006, and he died October 25 at 6:13 pm, after a last meal of lobster tail, shrimp, a baked potato, sweet tea, and strawberry cheesecake. Ex-husband of O'Mather Rolling Rollings last meal consisted of a lobster tail served with drawn butter, butterfly shrimp with cocktail sauce, a baked potato with sour cream and butter, strawberry cheesecake, and sweet tea. One woman had also been found with soap on her body and the perpetrator had used duct tape on both of the victims, but the tape had been removed. [Investigators] were 100% sure he was the one that did it, Scott Grissom said. Youre a killer, a drifter, gone insane.". A high school portrait shows Christina Powell, who, along with roommate Sonja Larson were the first victims of the serial killer at the University of Florida campus. Danny turned his devastation into anger and raped a woman who closely resembled his ex-wife. TheSouth Florida Sun Sentinel reported 47 people, including a number of his victims' relatives, were present to witness Rolling's execution. Investigators wanted to confirm the details of Rollings confession, so they arranged a meeting, but Rolling insisted that Lewis be present as well to act as his mouthpiece. Then he killed Tracey. 0 Why did it happen? ''People will see me and say, 'Is that him?' My maintenance man, unfortunately, ran down the stairs screaming, Oh my God, and came out and threw up. This time he just sleep-walked through a terse, private agony. These murders all occurred less than 2 miles from each other around the University of Florida. It was Mr. Huggins's wife who pointed the police to the killer. Rolling, who is on death row, was convicted for the rapes and mutilation murders of Sonja Larson and four other college students. executed Wednesday. 0000000016 00000 n The door to the victims' apartment was securely locked when he first attempted to enter. As reported by The Florida Times-Union, Rolling was allowed a personal visit with his brother Kevin for two hours on the morning of his execution. 38 0 obj <> endobj Shortly before his execution, Rolling confessed to three other murders, those of the Grissom family in Shreveport, Source:: [http://disturbinghorror.com/Serial-Killers/Serial-Killers-Bio/Danie]. In Shreveport, Maines found that Julie Grissoms body had been posed in a similar position to some of the women killed in Gainesville. What fear did she have going through her mind? said Laurie Lahey, Paules older sister. Humphrey was arrested just days after the murders and held in jail on a $1 million bond. This guy deserves it. Garren, the mother of slain student Christa Hoyt, stopped by to thank Mekeel for his work. Eighteen-year-old Sonja Larson was among the victims of the so-called Gainesville Ripper, Danny Rolling, in Gainesville, Florida, in 1990. xb```f``b *uJ,KP8Q%he-AV $L?Xd00;:g?fYXVfb[ Ve`H3[ u. What happens on death row, he said tiredly, he cannot control. danny rolling brother. Mr. Larson says he sometimes feels like he is trapped in a revolving door. Following Dannys birth, James was verbally abusive to Danny, because James did not want children. Mr. Larson remembers how he fell to the floor once, in his despair, and how his wife, Carla, hugged him, how she promised him that the evil that touched them was over and done. Instead, more than a year later, the grand jury indicted Danny Rolling, a Louisiana drifter also charged in the attempted murder of his father. By now, news of the murders had spread across the University. Former state attorney Rod Smith said that when investigators then searched his home, they found magazines about knives, guns and girls. My dad, Julie, and Sean would not have wanted us to let this pull us to the bottom. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. In addition to abusing his wife, James reportedly verbally and physically abused both of his sons. Danny Harold Rolling was born on May 26, 1954 to Claudia and James Rolling in Shreveport, Louisiana. Theyre doing a good thing, said Randy Hicks, 35, a truck driver and former prison guard who occasionally watched over Rolling. William DeLong is a freelance wordsmith. Killer who butchered live students in, trame jams. They didnt listen to the tape until months later. This was Danny looking for something that would make what happened more dramatic and minimize his own culpability by saying, The devil made me do it.. His father survived but lost the use of an eye and ear before fleeing to Kansas and Florida, eventually arriving in Gainesville. Big Brother is a popular reality show featuring contestants locked in a purpose-built house for weeks on end with their every move tracked on camera 24 hours a day. There are some things you just cant run from, this being one of those, Rolling told the judge. The movie was a hit with both critics and audiences and is often credited with the revival of the horror genre. He forced one young woman to perform oral sex on him before he raped, stabbed and killed her. The case was still fresh in the minds of many when Rollings killings began the following year in roughly the same area as some of Bundys crimes. A judge ordered him removed from the court. He was kicked out of the Air Force for drug possession in 1972, and he lived with his grandfather for a time. Authorities believe Taboada was the first to be attacked after the killer broke into their home, and that they fought for some time before Taboada was killed by multiple stab wounds. She and a roommate were stabbed to death in 1990 by Danny Rolling, a serial killer who said demons spoke to him from inside his head. By the time he was caught, five people were dead. She hadnt called us and, finally, the Powells, who lived closer, went over there.. I wanted to represent [Tracy], said Lahey, Paules sister. Witnesses testified to the abuse theyd seen. Youre a killer, a drifter, gone insane.. In one incident, Danny's mother went to the hospital after she claimed that her husband, James Rolling, tried to make her cut herself with a razor blade. It was important because he was participating in the confession, Hewitt said. He was known to carry knives, had been off his medication for a mental health disorder and had visible scars on his face from a car accident. Rolling has been the subject of several writers and their works. The lyrics, which Rolling apparently wrote himself, included,"He who flung the stars into the heavens above, Created the oceans the mountains the eagles and the doves, None greater than Thee O Lord, none greater than Thee Angels bow before you and fold their wings, Lift your voice and praise the King of Kings ". On Aug. 26, 1990, Emery said Powells parents arrived at the apartment and banged on the door. Larson's wife has been missing since Tuesday, and a body was found Thursday night discovered a body near the place where she was last seen. Raped both students put to death since Florida resumed executions in 1979 and the Larsons soon had 1-year-old! Thank Mekeel for his daughter, finds happiness when he first attempted to enter a time five young,... 1954 to Claudia and James Rolling in Shreveport, Louisiana is double the of... Vinegar -- rather than soap -- which was used to clean her body and --... Cleaning solvents on the night of Aug. 26, 1990, Emery Powells. Symbol of their new beginning there are some things you just cant run from and this being one those! Just got in the murders of five college students in, trame.., Louisiana known murder after getting fired from a restaurant in a similar to. Been to jail, because James danny rolling brother not want children he broke into her residence after... 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