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 . Robinson, portraying himself as a wealthy businessman and philanthropist, offered to pay Debbie's medical expenses and give Sheila a job. I never thought it out to the level of: 'What if one of these bodies ever gets loose? 8225 North Church Rd., I-35 & State Route 152, Kansas City, MO, 64158-1105. Body Found In Barrel Linked To Robinson? There, he enrolled in the Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI), with aspirations of becoming a college professor. [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. Although one victim (Mark Wallace) had been seized by opportunity when he had discovered him seeking shelter from a severe thunderstorm in his tool shed, his other five victims had been captured after he had unsuccessfully tried to steer them away from their general lifestyles, and had thus simply become frustrated at the failure of his efforts. At Berdella's home, Bryson was knocked unconscious with an iron bar, then bound to Berdella's bed, where he was subjected to similar methods of abuse and torture endured by previous victims, although in Bryson's case, Berdella repeatedly swabbed his eyes with ammonia,[23] before exclaiming to him: "The only things you need to think about are you, me, and this house. John E. Robinson Sr., the convicted serial killer who stored some of his victims' bodies in barrels, has filed a motion to have his Johnson County death sentence thrown out. The following June, Berdella found Mark Wallace (whom he vaguely knew via Wallace having previously helped him with yard work) hiding in his tool shed to seek shelter from a severe thunderstorm. [4]:57, At his work premises, Berdella became acquainted with a fellow merchant named Paul Howell, who operated a booth adjacent to his own. Ferris gradually became delirious,[4]:288 but Berdella continued his physical and sexual assaults until he noted in his log that Ferris was "Unable to sit up more than 1015 sec[onds]". Though his statement was technically a guilty plea and was accepted as such by the Missouri court, observers remarked that it was notably devoid of any remorse or specific acceptance of responsibility. All five women were killed in the same way, by one or more blows to the head with a blunt instrument. By his mid-teens, Berdella had begun to display a degree of self-confidence, becoming rude and condescending to others, particularly women. [4]:258, Berdella would later state that he briefly attempted to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation upon Howell after he had died before dragging his body to the basement. In. [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. As had been the case with Robert Sheldon, Berdella invited him inside his house, and, noting Wallace's acute state of tenseness and depression, volunteered to inject him with chlorpromazine with the explanation this would "calm down and relax" him. Police say there is no truth to a rumor about a serial killer that is circulating on social media in the Kansas City area. John Robinson, who did not. [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. 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. [4]:33[n 7]. Shortly thereafter, investigators discovered that photograph "D" released to the media in this same array was one Larry Wayne Pearson. By 1999, he had attracted the attention of authorities in Kansas and Missouri as his name frequently came up in missing person investigations. [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. Three hundred and thirty four Polaroid pictures and 34 snapshot prints of various men were also found in Berdella's house. That evening, Berdella's father had a heart attack at the age of 39. Nonetheless, in his early teens he briefly had a girlfriend. [25] Berdella had kept him bound to a bed on the second floor of the house throughout much of the time he had been held against his will, repeatedly sodomizing him, drugging him, and injecting his throat with drain cleaner to diminish his ability to speak loudly. 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. [11] Corroborating Bryson's claims of having been restrained and tortured in a second floor bedroom, investigators discovered the bedroom on the second floor was found to have burnt ropes attached to the posts at the foot of the bed. Robinson, on the other hand, faced pressure to plead guilty to avoid an almost certain death sentence in Missouri, and failing that, yet another capital murder trial back in Kansas. These confessions were given to prosecutors between December 13 and 15, 1988. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [14] Both a hacksaw and a miter saw were discovered in the basement of the property,[21] and a chainsaw was also found to be soiled with bloodstains, flesh, and pubic hairs. [4]:266. Officers also discovered a stenographer's pad containing the detailed torture logs he had maintained for each victim above a chest of drawers,[4]:37 several newspaper clippings from The Kansas City Star regarding a missing young man named Jerry Howell, and both a wallet and a driving license belonging to a missing person named James Ferris was discovered in a closet on the second floor of the property. Robinson hired her, reportedly with the promise of extensive travel and a new wardrobe. [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. '", Robert Berdella, describing how he viewed his victims once he had decided to render them captive. She was initially considered a possible victim but was later identified as Lois Tomich, who police believe was killed by her ex-husband. [4]:312, After six weeks of captivity, Pearson deeply bit into Berdella's penis before screaming he could not continue to tolerate his ongoing poor treatment. The family regularly attended Mass, and both sons regularly attended religious education courses. He was 43 years old. [6], In the summer of 1967, Berdella graduated from Cuyahoga Falls High School. However, Koster faced pressure to make a deal because his case was not technically airtight. Later, Robinson told Trouten's mother that she had run off with an acquaintance after stealing money from him. Bryson would also testify in person at an initial, pretrial hearing on June 9. Shortly after his release from hospital and further questioning by the KCPD, Christopher Bryson lapsed into cocaine abuse. The New Evil: Understanding the Emergence of Modern Violent Crime (Amherst, New York: Prometheus Books, 2019), pp. [8]:270 Towards the end of Stoops's captivity, he tried to feed his captive ice cream and soup, although Stoops "wasn't able to keep anything down". She vanished in June of that year. 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. As a result, he became increasingly withdrawn, and further immersed himself in the solitary activities he had participated in since childhood such as painting, collecting coins and stamps, and writing to foreign pen pals. 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. [19] He would remain adamant to investigators that this would be not for his enjoyment, but what he termed his "physical and mental satisfaction". Robinson currently remains on death row at the El Dorado Correctional Facility in Kansas. Searching the house and grounds of 4315 Charlotte Street, investigators uncovered a human skull inside a closet on the second floor of his property,[26] and a partially decomposed human head in the backyard. [2]:15 Robinson received a life sentence without possibility of parole for each of the five murders. All rights reserved. [4]:307 That evening, Berdella ensured Pearson became intoxicated before injecting him with chlorpromazine and moving him down to his basement, where he bound Pearson's hands above his head, then linked the rope he had used for this purpose to a brick column, before injecting Pearson's larynx with drain cleaner. Several days later, her parents received a typewritten letter, with Godfrey's signature at the bottom, thanking Robinson for his help and asserting that she was "OK" and did not want to see her family. Getty Aerial view of suspected serial killer John Edward Robinson Sr.'s home June 6, 2000 in Linn County, Kansas . Prosecutors described Robinson as a predator who trolled the Internet under the name "Slavemaster" looking for sadomasochistic sex with women. Members of the public were prohibited from attending this hearing, with only family members of his victims and news reporters permitted access to the proceedings. The justices upheld his death sentence in a 415-page ruling that also addressed numerous technical arguments raised by Robinson's attorneys. 7920 NW Tiffany Springs Pkwy., I-29 & Tiffany Springs Pkwy., Kansas City, MO, 64153-2310. [30][n 10] The plea was entered following a late-morning recess in the arraignment hearing into this particular murder, and came as a surprise to both the judge, and prosecuting attorneys. The Kansas Supreme Court upheld the death sentence for a convicted serial killer on Friday who trolled the Internet for female victims, sometimes using promises of work or sex, and stuffed some of their bodies into barrels on his rural property. 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. Although occasionally making a generous monthly profit, the income he typically generated via this business was often not sufficient to maintain his daily expenses and to make ends meet. [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. John E. Robinson Sr. in 2002. Robinson, 72,. Robert Andrew Berdella Jr. (January 31, 1949 - October 8, 1992) was an American serial killer who kidnapped, raped, tortured, and murdered at least six young men after having forced his victims to endure periods of up to six weeks of captivity. 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". A post on . After several weeks, the woman dies of a contracted illness despite her captor's efforts to keep her alive. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. [3], By then, Robinson had discovered the Internet and roamed online chatrooms using the name "Slavemaster," looking for women who enjoyed playing the submissive partner role during sex. Shortly thereafter, Pearson temporarily lodged with Berdella, and willingly performed chores around his home as a means of paying rent. Wallace willingly accepted the offer and, 30 minutes later, Berdella decided to render him captive. Berdella also volunteered at fundraising events for a local public television station until the mid-1980s.[14]. KANSAS CITY, Mo. He tersely explained his successive actions to investigators on December 14 with the statement that he was "capturing them first, and what developed, developed." Robinson raised more than 100 issues in appealing his Kansas convictions and death sentence, including the ability of a juror in his 2002 trial to bring a Bible into deliberations. 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. Berdella invited him to his house with an offer of lunch,[4]:139 with an added incentive of sex as Stoops stated he needed $13 to purchase drugs (the equivalent of about $35 as of 2023[update])[8]:270, Berdella would later stress to investigators he had been extremely physically attracted to Stoops, and this victim was held captive for two weeks before he died, with him gradually increasing his captive's terror to make him a cooperative and incapacitated sex slave. [4]:289[10], Todd Stoops was a 23-year-old drug addict and occasional prostitute who, alongside his wife, had twice lived briefly at Berdella's house in 1984. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. In this testimony, Berdella claimed the movie he had first seen in 1965, The Collector, had left a major impression on him. [4]:316317 An interview with Robert Sheldon's employers at a Kansas City manufacturing plant had confirmed the young man had been a reliable employee of theirs, but that he had suddenly ceased attending work in April 1985. John Robinson's Family Described Him As Loving & Involved With the Family. ], When it became clear that the women's remains would never be found without Robinson's cooperation, a compromise was reached. [24] The meter reader led Bryson to the house he had been approaching, whereupon the occupants promptly called the police, who arrived minutes later. Other entries such as "gag loose, no resist in retie" or "very delayed breathing, snoring" were more self-explanatory. He would later claim to have become increasingly frustrated that many of these individuals were ignorant of his efforts to help steer them away from self-destructive behavior. Occasionally, Berdella's father physically and emotionally abused his children, and beat them with a leather strap. [2]:9, In 2002, Robinson stood trial in Kansas for the murders of Trouten, Lewicka, and Stasi along with multiple lesser charges. James Ferris's wife identified him in several instant photos found at Berdella's property, some taken after her husband's death. 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. 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. At the age of 14, in a rather . 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. In 2005, he admitted responsibility for five homicides in Missouri as part of a plea bargain to receive multiple life sentences without possibility of parole and avoid more death sentences. In response to these guilty pleas, Judge Meyers imposed five further concurrent life sentences, with an additional condition barring any future prospect of parole in the sole case of first-degree murder to which he pleaded guilty. [4]:300 On June 27, he ruptured Stoops's anal wall with his fist, causing bleeding and discharge. Unfortunately for those of us who have lived here all our lives, there has been more than one serial killer in Kansas - including one of the most terrifying serial killers of all time: Dennis Rader, also known as BTK (Bind, Torture, Kill). [11], As would be the case with all Berdella's murders, he kept a detailed log in which he documented each act of sexual and physical torture inflicted upon his victim. Rader was a serial killer active in Kansas from 1974 to 1991. 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. [45] Moreover, despite his claims to journalists whom he had contacted in the years of his incarceration, Berdella never expressed any degree of remorse for his actions and tersely referred to his victims as "play toys" in an interview he granted shortly before his death. [4]:281, On September 26, 1985, Berdella answered a phone call from an acquaintance named James Ferris,[n 3] who asked to stay at Berdella's home for a short time. The same afternoon he was ordered to pose for the series of nude photographs for comparison with the Polaroid images he had taken, investigators attempted to conduct their first formal investigation with him, although Berdella simply invoked his right to silence in this setting. [2]:6, Robinson became well known in increasingly popular BDSM chatrooms. [18], Shortly after, the judge at his trial, Alvin Randall, was informed of Berdella's death. Berdella further claimed he had not seen him since. Only Berdella referred to James Ferris by his given first name, Walter. "[4]:15, By the third day of his capture, Bryson had earned sufficient trust from Berdella to persuade him to establish a daily regime of tying his hands in front of him after his sexual abuse rather than above his head and to the bed upon the excuse that Berdella's doing so was restricting the circulation to his arms; he had also persuaded Berdella to leave a television on within the room, with the remote control placed between his legs whenever Berdella was out of the room. CA$250.00 Attention international customers. [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]. We're happy to ship internationally, please contact us prior to order for an accurate shipping quote. [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. (AP Photo/Matthew S. Hicks, Pool). Also in the room was an electrical transformer, plugged into a wall, and with wires leading to the bed. [4]:299300, During the second week of his capture, Stoops asked Berdella for a soft drink and sandwich. Two days later, three more bodies were discovered in barrels in a storage locker Robinson rented in the Kansas City area. All rights reserved. Jones Company. It is unclear whether Lewicka believed she and Robinson were married; she told her parents she had married but never told them her husband's name. Two officers were told to maintain a discreet surveillance of the property, as Bryson was driven to the Menorah Medical Center, accompanied by a third officer, for treatment as the fourth officer radioed the Kansas City Police Department (KCPD) to request a formal search warrant of the property be drafted. [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. This task force extensively researched Berdella's history, discovering that he was well-known among Kansas City's male hustlers, having earned a reputation for preying on transient young men. He would later be temporarily placed in protective custody at the Potosi Correctional Center, due to concerns for his safety. Robert Andrew Berdella Jr. (January 31, 1949 October 8, 1992) was an American serial killer who kidnapped, raped, tortured, and murdered at least six young men after having forced his victims to endure periods of up to six weeks of captivity. Entries reading "EK" or "EKG" referred to torture administered to his captives with electrical shocks, whereas several other entries contained the anatomical location where Berdella administered the abuse or torture to his victims. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. 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. He then suspended Howell's body above a large cooking pot and made several incisions to the youth's inner elbows and jugular vein, before leaving the body suspended in this position overnight to allow the blood to drain from his corpse. [43][18] At 2:00p.m. on October 8, 1992, Berdella complained to prison staff of severe heart pains, and was taken from his cell to the prison infirmary. [n 6], On the afternoon of Bryson's escape, Berdella was arrested on charges pertaining to the sexual assault of Christopher Bryson. They became something other than people to me. Throughout the latter part of his six weeks of captivity, Pearson trained himself to sleep without moving, in order that he did not antagonize Berdella and thus invite further torture or being returned to the basement. [14] He remained active in the association until the mid-1980s, when he relinquished his position. [9][10], Kansas and Missouri police note that long stretches of Robinson's time remain unaccounted for, and fear that there are additional undiscovered victims. HuffPost writes of how Berdella was a trusted figure who started a neighborhood watch program but mostly kept to himself.On the day before Easter in 1988, neighbors called the police . [4]:104, At the age of 19, Berdella was arrested for attempting to sell methamphetamine to an undercover officer;[11] he was released after posting a $3,000 bond (equivalent to about $25,600 as of 2023[update]),[12] and would later plead guilty to the offense and was handed a five-year suspended sentence. The rumor . He later dissected Sheldon's body in the third floor bathroom. This more detailed questioning occurred after Bryson had been released from the Menorah Medical Center, after he had undergone several days of treatment for his injuries. Before Friday's ruling, the court had faced criticism over the number of death sentences it had overturned. In a video that went viral on TikTok and other platforms, a man claimed that four Black girls . [4]:46 In his first year at the KCAI, Berdella was considered an attentive and talented student, although by his second year, Berdella became vocally anti-authoritarian. When asked if he performed this act deliberately, and with malice aforethought, Berdella simply stated, "Yes. Sheldon's skull was that which he placed inside a closet on the second floor of his property,[40] in an area of the household Berdella referred to as "my gallery area. [6], By the early 1980s, Paul Howell had relocated his business to a store close to the intersection of 39th and Main Street. With the state's assistance, he would complete a drug rehabilitation program. He was sentenced to three years' probation. Despite being considered a prime suspect in both cases, and being placed under surveillance, police had been unable to find any solid evidence linking him to either man's disappearance, and in both instances, after giving his initial statement to police, Berdella had indignantly refused to talk further without a lawyer present. 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. On Oct. 7, a Black woman escaped from a home in Excelsior Springs a city just north-east of Kansas City. 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. Missouri aggressively pursued capital punishment convictions, so Robinson's attorneys wanted to avoid a trial there. This casual friendship began when Pearson entered his shop and explained to Berdella that, as a child, he had held an interest in both witchcraft and wizardry. Furthermore, Berdella confessed that the level of abuse he inflicted had increased with each successive victim, and he had viewed the Polaroid images he had taken of his victims as being a "trophy or record of the event". 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. Rader was married and had two children, and was a leader in his community through the Christ Lutheran Church and Cub Scouts. He had a speech impediment and wore thick glasses from the age of five because he was severely nearsighted. Right now John E. Robinson is in his 70s, sitting on death row in Kansas. About Cracker Barrel; Food with Care; [2]:9, Over time, Robinson became increasingly careless, and his ability to avoid detection declined. [4]:17, Questioned at the scene by four officers, Bryson initially claimed he had been hitchhiking when abducted by Berdella, who had kidnapped, raped, and tortured him for four days before he escaped by jumping from a window on the second floor of the property. According to Berdella, one hour after his "experimenting" with hypodermic needles by inserting them into various muscles upon his victim's back, Mark Wallace died through a combination of "the drugs, the gag, and the lack of oxygen". Legal Statement. Beginning in the late 1970s, Berdella worked with the South Hyde Park Crime Prevention and Neighborhood Association, becoming their chairman in the early 1980s and encouraging neighborhood watch patrols. [2]:8, Around the time of Lewicka's disappearance, a licensed practical nurse named Suzette Trouten moved from Michigan to Kansas to travel the world with Robinson as his submissive sex slave. [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. 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'. [7] Heather won a second judgment in 2007 preventing Robinson from profiting from any future potential book sales or film rights. [42], In 1992, Berdella contacted the counselor whom he had met when first incarcerated, Rev. 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. Berdella used electrical shocks through Stoops's closed eyes in an attempt to blind him and injected drain cleaner into his larynx to try to silence his screaming. [4]:247 By this stage, Berdella had been openly gay for several years. 2" Stainless Steel Barrel blank. [4]:4647, When Berdella reached puberty he discovered that he was homosexual; initially, he kept this fact a closely guarded secret, and he did not become open about his sexuality for several years. Upon being sentenced, Berdella was transferred to the Missouri State Penitentiary, to commence his life sentence. [n 4], "You did not choose to be here, but you are. Tiffany, now 16 and named Heather, still lives with Don and Helen Robinson.
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