Sunday 6 July 2014

Larry Eyler - The Highway Murderer

This man was another one of those prolific killers that did not reach the media heights that other serial killers achieved.  Yet, his crimes made him just as dangerous as anyone of the so-called "elite" band of killers.  Larry Eyler was a killer of young men and boys, which, after his death, was revealed to have stretched over five states.  He travelled around these states using the network of highways or interstate roads, thus earning him the name of "The Highway Murderer," "The Highway Killer," & "The Interstate Killer."  Eyler was born on 21st December 1952, in Indiana, where as he grew up he displayed a volatile temper, and needed rough, violent, gay sex.  It has been said that Eyler was ashamed to be a homosexual, where boyfriends or casual sexual partners suddenly became his victims.  His killing spree ran from 1982 to 1984.

    His first victim was Jay Reynolds whom was found dead dumped outside Lexington, In Kentucky.  The young man had been stabbed to death.  Kentucky Police then dealt with another three young men being found stabbed or strangled.  They realised they had a serial killer on the loose.  Then it was back to his home state of Indiana, where he killed another three young men.  Then, into 1983, and Eyler had moved on to Illinois, when in August of that year, he murdered Robert Calise and dumped his body near Lake Forest.  Then in September, Police arrested him on Insterstate 65, where he had a bound man.  A search of his vehicle produced, rope, tape and a bloodied knife.  The blood and tyre tracks matched those left at the scene of Robert Calises` murder.  Was this the end of the line for him?  No, it was not.  In one of those unbelievable examples of "justice" Eyler was released whilst cops carried out their investigations!!!!  To show his contempt for the cops, he went on to murder another four young men.  Allegedly whilst he was kept under surveillance!

    He was arrested at last for the Calise murder but a Judge ruled the evidence against him was inadmissible at a preliminary hearing.  Once more Eyler was released to go out and kill more young men.  But his luck ran out when he was arrested for the murder of 15 year old Daniel Bridges.  He was convicted and sentenced to death in July 1986.  He drew up a list of his victims and where he killed them, in order to win a plea bargain, but authorities rejected it.  He died in March 1994, from Aids-related illnesses, but he told his attorney, Kath Zellner, to release it to the authorities.  This was where authorities gained the information on unsolved murders of young men and boys.  Eyler`s total number of victims as thought to be as many as 23.  He admitted 17 murders, plus four with an un-named accomplice.  This man has never been found.

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