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. [10] Diane Gilliam, a former prostitute, told the court that she had known Ellwood since the early 1990s and had dated him periodically. Replies analysing and speculating over the mystery and possible explanations are encouraged. Many people believe that Russell Ellwood is "Clay the Serial Killer," the man who contacted The Howard Stern Show in 1997 and confessed to killing women in a call that was broadcast on the show. [2], According to investigators, the crimes began in the summer of 1991, after a young black woman informed police about an attempt on her life. [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. The similarities between Clays phone call and the New Orleans murders of the early 1990s were listed as follows . In December 1965, Weill attended a San Francisco press conference for legendary singer/songwriter Bob Dylan, asking him a series of bizarre questions. Sometimes, its not a good fit for a particular department. An autopsy determined that she had been strangled. [2] During a press conference in August, Chief Richard Pennington announced to the media that the current prime suspect was 33-year-old Victor Gant, a police officer working in New Orleans. [2] The results were inconclusive and no charges were filed against Gant, who was dismissed from the force in August 1996.[2]. Due to extreme decomposition, neither could be identified, and are referred to as "Jane Doe No. Five days later, more skeletal remains were found, this time to a girl whose age is estimated to be around 15 to 17. Luckily, neither Eric Weill nor the Zodiac ever made good on their shared threat to murder school children. Another of Collins hires, Carver College Police Captain Michael F. Nemard, had previously been forced out of his job as a lieutenant with the College Park Police Department after being arrested for beating his wife, and a subsequent investigation revealed that he had once shoved his gun into another ex-wifes mouth and cocked the hammer. In the end, Ellwood was found guilty of the murder of Cheryl Lewis. Was the FBI able to get enough information from The Howard Stern Show phone call to make an arrest? Stokes stated Ellwood bought her lunch and treated her nicely before driving her to his home, where he suggested that they use cocaine. The victims were later identified as Karen Ivester and Sharon Robinson, 30 and 28, respectively. 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. 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. This further shows a pattern of narcissism inherent in many serial killers like the Zodiac obsessively following your own press. I'll kill you too." [10] According to the testimony of Denise Sanders, who was Lewis' best friend, she had seen her with Ellwood three days prior, who was out driving his cab. After doing drugs together, Ellwood beat her, but she managed to flee. [2] Eighteen days later, the body of 28-year-old Charlene Price was found in a New Orleans park, just one mile from where Britton was found. When he appeared in court, other prisoners who knew Ellwood gave witness accounts against him. It is currently unknown whether Gant is still employed by any law enforcement agency, but investigators within the New Orleans Police Department are hopeful that future advancements in DNA technology will bring conclusive answers regarding his possible involvement in the slayings of these young women. Redhead Murderer, or the Bible Belt Strangler Where: Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Tennessee On January 16, he was stopped by traffic cops for speeding and was scheduled to appear in court, but failed to appear on time and was subsequently arrested for contempt of court. According to his cellmates, Ellwood implicated himself in the prostitute killings back in New Orleans and its various suburbs. Ellwoods attorneys also attempted to convince the jury that he had also been in Ohio when Lewis was killed, and that a receipt proving so had been deliberately destroyed by Lt. Sue Rushing, the former leader of the New Orleans task force. And so, when 13 Reasons Why season 3 releases (possibly later this year), there will be a lot to discuss. 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. According to the investigators, Gant had killed both her and her friend, Karen Ivester, in order to get rid of them. 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. He was also ordered to perform forced labor. He indicated that he had "dreamed" of the moment that he was questioned by a task force looking into serial killers. Weill had also photographed The Beatles final live performance before a paying audiencetheir famous August 1966 Candlestick Park concertand was now apparently obsessed with the Zodiac Killer, along with lawyer to the stars, attorney Melvin Belli, who was working with the Rolling Stones at the time. Howard Stern then asks Clay how many prostitutes he's killed. On the next day, the body of 42-year-old Delores Mack was found in the waters of a canal near a highway, not far from the Lewis crime scene. For more information, please see our He began killing for unclear motives, taking the life of Cheryl Lewis, his first known victim, by drugging her and drowning her in a canal on February 1-3, 1993. Clay hesitates for a few seconds before saying he actually used a hammer during most of his murders. What do you think ? [2], On February 13, 25-year-old Stephanie Murray's body was found in a small pond near the Bonnet Carr Spillway. The penalty couldn't be upheld though, since Sowell died in prison in February 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBRAY3N3FXw. was thought to be a serial killer. 2". You can read the details Ellwood's trial over at lobservateur.com. She then identified Ellwood as the driver. He reportedly submitted blood and tissue samples for the investigation, but nothing more is really known. Reading comments online and on this video, it looks like I'm not alone. 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. He was born on June 24, 1962, in Baton Rouge, Louisianna. [2] On the following day, the body of 39-year-old Sandra Warner was found in St. John the Baptist Parish. Ultimately found guiltyof the murder of Cheryl Lewis, Ellwood was thought to be responsible for as many as 15 murders in the New Orleans area, and many believe responsible for many more. On August 4, 1997, Ellwood was arrested and jailed on drug charges, with his prison sentence lasting nearly three months. Stern then launches into a flurry of questions, asking Clay why he kills women, how he kills them, if he has sex with them, and more. On one hand, Clays hesitation before correcting Stern seems to hint at him telling the truth. The video, posted by true911calls, replays the call between host Howard Stern, co-host Robin Quivers, and the caller, so-called 'Clay.'. During the interrogations, he admitted to frequenting black prostitutes throughout his life, claiming that he knew more than 100 girls, in addition to frequently taking drugs such as heroin, crack cocaine and LSD over the years. According to multiple reports, what grabbed the FBI's attention during the phone call on The Howard Stern Show was that the caller revealed information about his murders that authorities say they never made public. Before hanging up, the self-professed Zodiac said he would settle for Melvin Belli if Bailey could not be reached. In the wake of incidents like these, its no surprise that Chief R.J. Collins seemingly had little issue with hiring a potential serial killer who ran a prostitution ring like Victor Gant to the Carver College Police Force. Copyright 2023 washingtonindependent.com. Jaya Mckeown - Jaya moved to Boston from New York to pursue a master's degree in corporate communications at Emerson College. Three months later, in November 1996, Gant was arrested for battery after choking and threatening his new girlfriend, Karen Thibodeaux, inside her home. The details are given below, whether Russel was the culprit or not. In 1997 "Clay the Serial Killer" told The Howard Stern Show that the NOPD's main suspect in serial killings was "a black police officer". 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. [2], On January 4, 1992, the body of 29-year-old Lydia Madison, who had several arrests on charges of prostitution and drug possession, was found in a ditch under a highway overpass. He ultimately got a job as a freelance photographer, but he left for an undisclosed reason. For now, the answer to this question remains unresolved. She had been beaten and strangled. [2], On January 22, 1995, the body of 29-year-old impoverished mother of three Wanda Ford was found in a swamp near the I-55. Self-Professed New Orleans Serial Killer Once Confessed 12 Murders to Howard Stern. Once the call ended, the saga of Clay the Serial Killer faded into relative obscurity. They didn't catch him? Other true crime sleuths who have heard recordings of Ellwoods voice insist there are no sonic similarities between him and Clay. 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His mother, Yvonne, who worked for a TV station, raised Sean with her. V C September 13, 2021. Cheryl Lewis on February 1, 2, and 3, 1993 (drowned; found on February 21; it is unknown if the charges against Ellwood were dropped). As we heard, Clay made reference to killing a black transvestite during his call. Below is the infamous phone call to the Howard Stern Show. And while the Zodiac Killer case is still unresolved, at least this small, bizarre chapter eventually reached a tangible conclusion. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. He also said he committed two of the murders in a parking garage and the rest on the side of the road. Little is known about Ellwood's early life other than the fact that he might have been born in Massillon, Ohio, and that he served time for drug offenses and probation violations in Florida and Ohio. Richard Pennington, chief of the New Orleans police, said that a police officer was a suspect, but he refused to identify him. Sometime in the early 2000s, Gant left Louisiana and moved to Georgia. "No. [1] [2] Murders [ edit] During her lifetime, she had been arrested multiple times for theft and was a known drug addict. - The known victims were killed between 1991-1995, with a gap lasting almost exactly one year in between February 1993 and February 1994. He said that he was 27 and the girl was 32. Ellwood later claimed that a mental illness had caused him to boast, demanding that the interrogations cease and he be allowed to return to New Orleans to see his attorney and be provided with treatment. While he was only convicted of 1 murder (Cheryl Lewis), he is believed to killed upwards of 20 prostitutes during the 1990's. He dumped her body in Behrman Park, within one mile of the spot where Danielle was found. He was a cab driver in Nola that raped & killed prostitutes. He said that he was trying to change the oil in his cab in a covert manner, depositing the used oil outside where no one could see it. This was refuted by Ellwood's receipts, which show a puzzling two-week break in February. Ellwood hoped that the second murder charge would also be dropped, but the government stood by its position. These two murders were part of a string of at least 26 prostitutes who were murdered between 1991 and 1996. 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. -The caller knew a black police officer was a suspect in the murders of two women in New Orleans (the FBI requested the recordings & got involved because of that statement due to it matching things not publicly known) & the officer remained a suspect even after Ellwood was linked to the string of murders because police believe the killings to be When he takes control of the conversation by asking Clay if he strangles his victims, Stern then opens the door for this supposed killer to impulsively divulge his true method of killing, should he be incorrect in his initial assumption. More on that after we finish listening to the call. Spoiler: It's a lot. Her cause of death was later determined to be homicidal drowning. may be disturbing to some readers. Despite raising a lot of suspicions early on, this call quickly faded into relative obscurity after it happened, before being brought back to the attention of internet sleuths in 2019. There was no mistaking his evil as his nickname was short for 'Bind, Torture, Kill'. Cookie Notice Obviously,one of the biggest questions here iscould this actually be real, or is "Clay" playing some sort of very sick joke? 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. According to her testimony, she had boarded the car of an unknown man in Algiers sometime in July, and after having a conversation with him, the man strangled her into unconsciousness and dropped her off on the streets. This sort of bizarre call was not out of the ordinary for the show, where Stern often hoax calls from people with crazy stories. Russell Ellwood went on trial in 1998 for the murders that he committed in 1993 of Cheryl Lewis, age 30, from Bridge City, and Deloras Mack, age 40 . Woods retired less than a year later while facing the suspension of his police license, and was eventually replaced by R.J. Collins, who apparently later hired Victor Gant. The chilling moment an apparent serial killer called intoThe Howard Stern Show is going viral again on TikTok, and the clip still leaves us with more questions than answers. This caller, who identified himself as "Clay," claimed to be an unidentified serial killer from the New Orleans area. Sanders also admitted to withholding this information, because she was a drug dealer. During the conversation with host Howard Stern, which was broadcast live, "Clay" described details for more than 12 murders and gave some details about his background, indicating that he was a white resident of New Orleans. She testified that in 1992, during a date, Ellwood, while under the influence of drugs, assaulted, beat and strangled her into unconsciousness. The Son of Sal Salvatore Perrone Department of Corrections On August 13, 1997, The Howard Stern Show received a call from a man who identified himself as "Clay". He was locked up for 85 days after being arrested on August 4, 1997, on drug charges. He was a cab driver in Nola that raped & killed prostitutes. [2] FBI agent Neil Gallagher later clarified that Gant was a suspect only in Robinson and Ivester's murders, and at present, they had no evidence tying him to any of the other killings. [2] Like Williams, Filson was transsexual and worked at a nightclub under the name 'Brenda Bewitch'. He gave details that were similar to how Cheryl Lewis' body was dumped. "Clay" The Serial Killer. [2] On December 14, skeletal remains were found in a ditch near a highway. Russell Ellwood is the man many believe to be "Clay the Serial Killer", the man who called The Howard Stern Show in 1997 and confessed to killing 12 women. The treads on her shoes definitively matched a shoeprint found next to a dead body that had been discovered only three hours earlier and only a mile awayand the victim had been Sharons best friend. The call has never been conclusively confirmed as legitimate but many suspect the caller is Russell Ellwood. [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. Russell Ellwoodis the man many believe to be "Clay the Serial Killer", the man who called The Howard Stern Show in 1997 and confessed to killing 12 women. While conducting various intervews, FBI agents learned that Victor Gant had apparently openly spoke of his dislike of Karen Ivester prior to her murder, supposedly because she had talked a friend of hers out of becoming a prostitute, cutting into Gants bottom line. [7] First, youll notice Stern is continuing his line of questioning by leading the conversation with suggestions in the hopes that Clay will impulsively give in to correcting him with accurate information due to his narcissistic desire to control the narrative. -. Los Angeles Times Exclusive. In this video 5 disturbing and shocking serial killer moments caught on video are looked at in all their frightful detail. Keep discussing! [2], The perpetrator(s) mainly targeted girls and women of African-American descent, aged between 17 and 42, as victims. [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. In a manner strikingly wise for a shock-jock morning radio host, Stern begins asking a series of seemingly mundane questions regarding Clays modus operandi. Although a suspect, Gant remained at his desk job with the NOPD. Three other sheriffs from the now-disbanded task force told the same reporter that at least four other suspects were on their radar. It was revealed that these phone calls were coming from Napa State Hospital and had been made by a young man named Eric Philips Weill. Clayface in Batman turns his fist into a hammer. [2] Some of the victims have never been identified. The next day Howard says they were contacted by the FBI. Between the years of 1974 and 1991, serial killer Dennis "BTK Killer" Rader was at large. However, it was believed that he was responsible for as many as 15-20+ homicides in the New Orleans area, and many people feel that he was responsible for even more. [12] Gant left New Orleans after his discharge from law enforcement and moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where he presumably still lives today. The interview's tone slowly took a turn after Clay's response. A subreddit dedicated to the unresolved mysteries of the world. On December 14, a fourth victim, as yet unidentified, was found near Behrman Highway, not far from where Danielle was found. Or was something even stranger going on? [2] Her estimated age was between 25 and 35. With the 29th Pick in the NFL Draft, The Saints Select Bryan Bresee, Nate Diaz, Former UFC Fighter, Chokes Out Logan Paul Look-A-Like on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, The Worlds Largest Bounce House Heading to New Orleans April 21-23, Reopening Date Announced for Audubon Aquarium in New Orleans, 2023 New Orleans Jazz Fest is Going Cashless, Recall of New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell Falls Short, Official Numbers Show, Company Behind Popular Mobile Games Opens Hub in New Orleans, Louisiana, LSU Wide Receiver Malik Nabers Arrested in New Orleans on a Weapons Charge, New Orleans, Louisiana Accounts for 5 Percent of Mass Shootings Nationwide in 2023. He said it was a knife from what he was told. Collins himself had been previously fired by two separate police departments before working at Carver, and had once been put on probation for an entire year by the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council. SACRAMENTO . Some modern articles about Clay the Serial Killer claim that his comment about a black police officer being the main suspect is what piqued the interest of the FBI, as this information was supposedly not released to the public, but this isnt the case. Dec. 8, 2020 5 AM PT. She too had been strangled, but was had no known history with either drugs or prostitution. She was an impoverished mother of three who engaged in prostitution and had several previous arrests. I think I just do it for the sense of power." [3] As a young man, he was a boxer and regularly went to the gym and did weightlifting, and closely matched the 1991 suspect sketch based on "Brenda"'s testimony. [3], On August 4, 1991, the body of 17-year-old Danielle Britton was found in a ditch not far from where "Brenda" had been abducted. On April 30, 1995, the body of 28-year-old Sharon Robinson was found face-down in a shallow body of water next to an I-55 off ramp in LaPlace, Louisiana, 25 miles west of New Orleans. Imagine youre driving to work one morning, or youre at home making breakfast, and you turn on the radio for some background noise. When not imprisoned, he spent most of his time among fellow vagrants, with acquaintances describing him as an outsider who constantly sought to make get-rich-quick schemes, but consistently failed in his endeavors. If youll recall from earlier in this episode, Clay the Serial Killer called into Sterns show on August 13, 1997over one week after Ellwood was jailed. 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. .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. [1] In response, Gant's attorney John Reed said that his client was innocent and the evidence was purely circumstantial.[3]. 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. 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 was eventually charged with one murder and received life imprisonment in 1999. According tocriminalminds.fandom.com Ellwood would live in his car from time to time when he couldn't afford to live anywhere else. They say some of the details the caller talked about were things that only the killer would know. The Zodiac vanished into quiet oblivion sometime in the mid-1970s and Weill committed suicide in 2006. Like the previous victims, Williams was a drug addict and had been arrested for robbery and drug possession. He immediately asks if Clay has sex with his victims before killing them. Well it wasn't a fake call because after the show the F.B.I. Gant was a 15-year veteran of the New Orleans Police Department, and also the last person seen with Sharon Robinson before she went missing during the early hours of April 30.
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