He boasted to other prisoners about his murders in Louisiana during this period. After doing drugs together, Ellwood beat her, but she managed to flee. Jaya Mckeown - Jaya moved to Boston from New York to pursue a master's degree in corporate communications at Emerson College. [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. called and asked for tape of that call.". It is unclear where she was employed, but nothing indicated that she engaged in prostitution or used drugs. When questioned by investigators, Ellwood claimed he was changing the oil on his taxi and had chosen the remote location to dump the used oil without being seen. While he was only convicted of 1 murder (Cheryl Lewis), he is believed to killed upwards of 20 prostitutes during the 1990's. During "Clay's" call, he joked about how the only suspect the Nola police had was a black people officer. 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. 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. Copyright 2023 washingtonindependent.com. 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. (1:00 mark in audio) You might notice a pattern emerging here. 'Clay' said calmly. Before hanging up, the self-professed Zodiac said he would settle for Melvin Belli if Bailey could not be reached. Due to extreme decompisition, she too remains unidentified, and is named "Jane Doe No. Do you think "Clay the Serial Killer" is Russell Ellwood? -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 [1] [2] Murders [ edit] "Clay" The Serial Killer. Original music created by Micheal Whelan through Amper Music, Theme music created and composed by Ailsa Traves, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/new-orlea-murders-cold-case_n_581730c2e4b0390e69d1070c, https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/New_Orleans_Serial_Killer, https://www.websleuths.com/forums/threads/la-new-orleans-serial-killer-storyville-slayer-1991-1995.320712/, https://www.nola.com/news/crime_police/article_7c5a64cc-64ca-5f46-9491-074bc8f7de68.html, https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/dial-911-and-speak-to-the-prime-suspect-1581988.html, https://govsalaries.com/gant-victor-5361263, https://ultimateunexplained.com/clay-the-serial-killer/, https://www.reddit.com/r/howardstern/comments/c73ydc/sternthology_recently_had_on_clay_the_serial/, http://murderpedia.org/male.E/e/ellwood-russell.htm, https://criminalminds.fandom.com/wiki/Russell_Ellwood, https://criminalminds.fandom.com/wiki/Victor_Gant, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUE1yiMditE, https://www.newspapers.com/image/470203793/, Kimberly Riley & Jeremy Britt-Bayinthavong, Paul Skiba, Sarah Skiba, and Lorenzo Chivers, June & Jennifer Gibbons (The Silent Twins). Despite having a defining characteristic - namely strongly protruding front teeth - she was not identified. A mother of three, she had multiple arrests for prostitution during her lifetime. Less than a year after being hired by Collins to patrol the school, Turner exposed his penis to three more women while on duty. Even if Clay the Serial Killer was not, in fact, Russell Ellwood, there is still a strong possibility that this caller was telling the truth. The call has never been conclusively confirmed as legitimate but many suspect the caller is Russell Ellwood. 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. As we heard, Clay made reference to killing a black transvestite during his call. Ellwood hoped that the second murder charge would also be dropped, but the government stood by its position. List of serial killers in the United States, "Police officer suspected in New Orleans killings", "Exclusive: Detective Tries To Solve 25-Year-Old Serial Killer Cold Case. [2] Autopsies determined that Ivester had been strangled, while Robinson had been beaten and strangled, but the presence of water in her lungs indicated that the cause of death had been drowning. Here, Clay makes reference to Jimmy Swaggart, the famous Pentecostal Televangelist. [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. Collins brushed off criticism of his hiring practices during a 2017 interview by stating, Ill give people a second chance sometimes. The autopsy established the remains belonged to a young black girl, who at the time was in her early twenties and approximately 1,57cm tall. After all, my listeners who took drama club classes in high school will remember that the first rule of improv is to always say yes. 13 Reasons Why season 2 ended with a monumental cliffhanger that had many viewers wondering about Clay's (Dylan Minnette) fate moving forward. Victor Gant, however, did not stop himself from getting into trouble. Dennis Rader, also known as the BTK killer, murdered 10 people during his 16-year killing spree. 33rd Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony - Show. And so, when 13 Reasons Why season 3 releases (possibly later this year), there will be a lot to discuss. [2], On February 13, 25-year-old Stephanie Murray's body was found in a small pond near the Bonnet Carr Spillway. He said that he was 27 and the girl was 32. - The victims were mostly African Americans. Ellwood's trial took place here in Lafayette, and the jury unanimously found him guilty of 2nd-degree murder. On June 2, 25-year-old George Williams' body was found in the LaBranche Wetlands area of St. Charles Parish. A native of Massillon, Ohio, Ellwood moved to New Orleans in 1968 after graduating high school. The key witness was supposed to be Robinson, but she was found dead on May 1, 1995. 1", was presumably strangled and found not far from Britton's body. Ellwood remains a suspect in several of the killings, but no charges have been filed against him. However, the truth of the matter is more complicated. 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. He took the lives of ten people in Sedgwick County, Kansas. [5] One of them, Stan Hill, contacted the county prosecutor's office and claimed that Ellwood had described to him in detail how he had driven the women to outlying areas of the city, offering them large quantities of drugs that caused overdoses, then strangled and dumped their bodies. Several of Russell Ellwood's other potential victims were clients of a black Nola cop who was a suspect in their disappearance. From the infamous Zodiac Killer who taunted the media with baffling clues about his crimes to the Cleveland Torso Murderer who beheaded and dismembered his victims, take look at these chilling serial killers who were never caught. 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. Cheryl Lewis died from drowning, while Delores Mack died from being strangled. He then decided to become a cab driver because he couldn't afford a house and was living in his car. [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. Reading comments online and on this video, it looks like I'm not alone. 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. 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. serial murder, also called serial killing, the unlawful homicide of at least two people carried out by the same person (or persons) in separate events occurring at different times. To me, that's definitely a red flag as to what kind of guy we're talking about here. This off-hand remark would later become one of the most interesting and controversial aspects of this story. The guy identified himself as Clay, mentioned if he killed himself he would miss the Batman movie, says he kills with a hammer, talks about comic books. His explanation for stopping was to apparently change the oil and repair the brake pads of his car, and willingly allowed his vehicle to be searched. 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. The victim is referred to as "Jane Doe No. Each time 'Clay' answered a question he responded in a calm, matter-of-fact manner. Los Angeles Times Exclusive. In addition to Gant, another resident of New Orleans, Russell Ellwood, soon came under police suspicion. [2] Due to the isolated locations of the dumping sites, the victims' bodies were left in water spanning from several weeks to several years, resulting in extreme decomposition and destruction of incriminating evidence. This was refuted by Ellwood's receipts, which show a puzzling two-week break in February. The NOPD never released that information to the public, but somehow Clay knew about it, and he was right. The Howard Stern best-of show, Sternthology, had recently re-aired the segment for the first time during the modern internet era, inspiring the Reddit posts. 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. According to his cellmates, Ellwood implicated himself in the prostitute killings back in New Orleans and its various suburbs. 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. While this propelled the case to a national audience, the case remained unsolved. Obviously,one of the biggest questions here iscould this actually be real, or is "Clay" playing some sort of very sick joke? Clay quickly, and almost with a sense of pride, callously answers "Twelve". One Suspect Is A Cop", "Police Officer Is Suspect In New Orleans Killing Spree", "Dial 911 and speak to the prime suspect", "Murder case moves to Lafayette for trial", "Investigator denies destroying evidence", "One charge against Ellwood will be dropped", "Investigation of 26 killings concludes with one sentencing", "Appeals court upholds deputy's dismissal", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Storyville_Slayer&oldid=1152510708, Violence against women in the United States, CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 30 April 2023, at 17:38. [2] In a 2016 interview with HuffPost, Major C.J. Weill, a California photographer suffering from severe Bipolar Disorder, was known to be fixated on celebrities. Judging by what I can find, Victor Gant was never charged with any of the murders and not much is known about him today. 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.