Danny Rolling, at 36 years of age, was on the lam, having attempted to kill his retired police lieutenant father by shooting him in the face just months before he went on a crime spree spanning armed robbery to first-degree murder. After this look at Gainesville Ripper Danny Rolling, read about Dorothea Puente, the Death House Landlady. Finding Powell asleep on the downstairs couch, he stood over her briefly but did not wake her up, choosing instead to explore the upstairs bedroom where Larson was also asleep. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! He later claimed his intent was to add to the shock of whoever discovered her. His father, James Rolling, a Shreveport policeman, informed Danny that he was undesired from conception. Danny Rolling, who was dubbed the Gainesville Ripper, ultimately pleaded guilty to five counts of first degree murder for the deaths of the college students, and was subsequently sentenced to death. Claudia Rolling said she sought to get Rolling psychological care several times, but her husband said nothing was wrong with him. Install Bingo Quest - Summer Garden Adventure for Free: https://bingosummer.onelink.me/JmgS/psserialkillers Daniel Harold Rolling, also known as The Gainesvi. "It would not let me rest," she said. James also assaulted and battered Danny, his mother Claudia, and his brother Kevin for trivial reasons, such as breathing in an unpleasing manner. Bachman's brother, . Over the course of four days in 1990, Rolling went on a rampage where he murdered five University of Florida students in a spree that terrified the nation. Lewis told the task force that the reason for the murders was that Rolling was subjected to inhuman conditions while incarcerated at Parchman Penitentiary in Mississippi. Rolling himself blamed that time period in prison in a 17-page letter he sent to the Associated Press in 2000, alleging that a mangy dog gets more consideration and that living in filth drives you crazy as a loon.. 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 the film, Rolling is portrayed by Zachary Memos. He often cried about "how his heart hurt" from the poor relationship with his dad, she said. He, as well as his mother Claudia, and brother Kevin, were beaten for the most absurd reasons, such as breathing in a way that James did . The Gainesville Ripper on trial for murder. After that, he turned to crime raping a woman who looked like his wife and spending eight years in prison for robberies. Wikimedia Commons A memorial on 34th Street in Gainesville, Florida, for Rollings victims. His microphone was then cut off, ending a life story as twisted as any that could appear on the big screen. Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. The triple murder in Shreveport of Julie Grissom, her father, and nephew clued the Gainesville police into their suspect. Danny Rolling lived an unhappy life. search for one of history channel's most popular shows, and you will discover pawn stars.rick harrison, the main star of pawn stars, has been friends with danny and kevin, who rode motorcycles with rick's brother, for several years.since rick was aware of . Fla. Killer of 5 students is put to death. 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. William DeLong is a freelance wordsmith. [4], By this point, the murders had attracted widespread media attention. By now, news of the murders had spread across the University. On August 24, he slipped into the home of UF freshmen Christina Powell and Sonja Larson and brutally stabbed and raped both students. Prosecutors reminded jurors that Kevin Rolling, Danny Rolling's younger brother and closest friend, grew up in the same home and did not become a serial killer. On numerous occasions, Rolling claimed he had multiple personalities. A native of Shreveport, Louisiana, Danny Rolling was the son of James and Claudia Rolling. Jurors have heard evidence from a Rolling confidante, convicted killer Bobby Lewis, that Rolling "snapped" in a Mississippi prison where sewage spewed into his cell several times a week. Kicked out of the Air Force in 1972 after getting busted for drug possession, Rolling went to live with his grandfather and, for a time, found some stability through his church. The report made her think about Rolling, whom she had met at her Louisiana hometown church, and his possible link to these three other Shreveport murders. Humphrey was arrested after a physical altercation with his grandmother and held in custody for five months, until a grand jury refused to indict him on the murder charges citing insufficient evidence. They were sitting by themselves at the dinner table in Louisiana when Danny Rolling told her about his darker side, which would blossom in August 1990 with the slayings of five Gainesville college students. Biography reports the Gainesville Ripper murders also inspired a number of books, including Danny Rolling's own account of his crimes, titled "The Making of a Serial Killer: The Real Story of the Gainesville Student Murders in the Killer's Own Words", which he co-wrote withjournalist Sondra London. And thats when she mentioned the family argument in May 1990 that resulted in Danny shooting his father in the stomach and the face. But the verbal depravity was almost daily, with James telling Danny that he was unwanted or an embarrassment. Rolling followed them home, broke into their house, and simply overpowered them. His mother made repeated attempts to leave her husband but always to take him away like a criminal because his father was embarrassed by Danny. In 2013, TV documentary series The Real Story aired an episode profiling the movie Scream. London described meeting Rolling as something she wasnt prepared for, according to the Washington Post: Standing before my hungry eyes was one gorgeous hunk of man. Rolling, to the Post, described his relationship with London as deep as the Amazon river and just as wild!. 0:00. Instead of leaving the duct tape on his dead bodies, Danny disposed of it in dumpsters to get rid of any fingerprints. But Danny tried to stay in control and he attended church and struggled to hold down steady work. His father was a Shreveport police officer named James Rolling, who told Danny that he was unwanted from birth. Monday, December 26 2022. Danny Harold Rolling (May 26, 1954 - October 25, 2006), also known as the Gainesville Ripper, was an American serial killer who murdered five students in Gainesville, Florida over four days in late August 1990. Daniel Harold Rolling Executed October 25, 2006 06:13 p.m. by Lethal Injection in Florida 47th murderer executed in U.S. in 2006 1051st murderer executed in U.S. since 1976 3rd murderer executed in Florida in 2006 63rd murderer executed in Florida since 1976 Florida victims: (left to right) Christina Powell, Christa Hoyt, "Mr. Rolling has an incredible amount of underlying anger," Krop said. 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. Rolling was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. Then he killed Tracey. Following the visit, he was served his last meal, which consisted of a baked potato, butterfly shrimp, a lobster tail, strawberry cheesecake, and sweet tea. Lewis information spread beyond the five murders for which Rolling received death sentences: Rolling told him that he had killed a family of three in Shreveport after stalking the young woman of the family. On August 27, the killer surfaced again at the home of two 23-year-old UF students, Manuel Toboada and Tracy Paules. In total, Rolling confessed to killing eight people. 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. A 2007 independent feature film titled The Gainesville Ripper, based on accounts of the killings, was shot in the Gainesville and Jacksonville, Florida areas. A tortured soul since birth, Rolling, a.k.a the Gainesville Ripper, passed on the horrifying abuse he had endured onto his victims. In 2021, an episode of the ABC primetime true crime television series 20/20 aired the murder case. "It was almost as if you could crawl inside and feel his pain," Mills said. STARKE - In the end, serial killer Danny Rolling offered no apologies. Back when I was researching Danny Rolling, I wanted to write about a serial killer on a college campus, and an FBI agent hunting down a college professor. The song Harold Rollings Hymn from the 2007 John 5 album, The Devil Knows My Name is inspired by Rolling. In one incident, Danny's mother went to the hospital after claiming her husband tried to make her cut herself with a razor blade. In 1994, Rolling pleaded guilty to five counts of murder, three counts of sexual battery and three counts of armed burglary in connection with those five slayings. Tracy Paules, who was 23 years old, was living with her roommate Manny Taboada, also 23. After confessing to the murder and mutilation of five students in Gainesville, Florida in August 1990, he was ultimately executed. Don Maines, an investigator on the case with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, traveled to Shreveport in November 1990, because of similarities between the murders committed in Gainesville and murders committed in Shreveport. ". On Rollings deathbed, the 52-year-old sang a hymn-type song that rambled on for five verses. Those aggressive tendencies and poor impulse control would foreshadow Dannys murderous rage later in his life. His killing spree inspired Kevin Williamson to pen the script for the blockbuster movie Scream. Ex-wife O'Mather Lummus, whom Rolling has blamed for much of his troubled life, walked into Alachua Circuit Court to face the man she had not seen in 17 years. As reported by Biography, authorities initially suspected another student, who lived near two of the victims and was displaying erratic and violent behavior in the weeks surrounding the murders. In one example of the senior Rolling's sense of discipline, he pinned Danny to the ground and handcuffed him, then had police take his son away because he was embarrassed by him. Rolling claimed to have suffered severe mental and physical abuse at the hands of his father throughout the majority of his childhood. Danny also used cleaning solvents on the dead bodies to remove any traces of semen. Gedurende die dag sy pa sit op 'n polisie-uniform en bedien die wet, en in die aand het teruggegaan huis toe en wreed klop sy vrou en seun. Learn about the real inspiration behind the 2017 movie about the Pentagon Papers. Danny was only one-year-old when his father abused him for the first time. Meanwhile, the killer they were looking for was already in jail. He was abused by his father, James Rolling, who was a Louisiana State Police officer. He goes over every step of the way how he's gonna kill the neighbor across the street. He reportedly claimed to have used the power of his mind to unlock the door and enter the apartment. But thats not quite the end of the story. Danny Rolling was born in Louisiana in 1954. His father, James, was described as "controlling and violent." Shreveport police, death more easily than Louisiana. Rolling who blamed childhood abuse for his violent behavior, Rolling himself blamed that time period in prison. In February 1994, just before the start of his trial, Rolling abruptly changed his plea to guilty. During one interview, Rolling claimed he used psychic powers to gain access to two of his victims. His appeals exhausted, Rolling faced execution at Florida State Prison on October 25, 2006. Rolling later confessed to raping several of his victims, also committing a triple homicide in his home city of Shreveport, Louisiana, and attempting to murder his father in May 1990. The famed literary and celluloid antagonist was based on a Mexican doctor who murdered his boyfriend in 1959. [15] Rolling's relationship with London, which developed while he was behind bars, was the focus of an episode of Errol Morris' First Person. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. Following his divorce from his wife in the late 1980s, Danny Rolling began committing murder. He then enlisted. London and Rollings book The Making of a Serial Killer: The Real Story of the Gainesville Murders, led to them being sued under the Son of Sam law, which prevents convicted felons from profiting from their stories. By all accounts, Danny Rolling "remained calm" throughout the day of his execution. By 1992, Rolling was in jail awaiting trial for the armed robbery of a Winn-Dixie grocery store. One suspect was Edward Lewis Humphrey, a University of Florida student who had a history of mental illness and bore numerous scars on his face from a car accident. 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. In fact, when the family got a dog whom Danny became quite attached to, James allegedly beat the creature so often that he died in his sons arms, driving Danny to hurt animals as well. While Rolling was in prison and the prosecution built their case for his 1994 trial, he became close with another inmate: Robert Bobby Lewis. Rolling is one of the suspects in the murder of five college students in Gainesville, Florida, last year. Scott Grissom, the son of William Grissom, brother of Julie Grissom and father to Sean . However, his divorce appeared to be the catalyst for his crime spree, as the murders began shortly after he and his wife parted ways. When Danny failed the third grade for too many absences due to illness, his mother had a nervous breakdown. He raped a woman who resembled his ex-wife and embarked on several armed robberies through the South, leading to his incarceration in Jackson, Georgia, in 1979. His friend Bobby Lewis relayed sordid details of the murders where Rolling cut the nipples off of two of his victims and beheaded one. After confessing to the murder and mutilation of five students in Gainesville, Florida in August 1990, he was ultimately executed. Kevin Rolling brother About Daniel Harold Rolling Danny Harold Rolling (May 26, 1954 - October 25, 2006), also known as The Gainesville Ripper, was an American convicted serial killer. Instead of throwing a big party to celebrate Muhammad Ali's 1964 win over Sonny Lison, Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke and Jim Brown quietly met to celebrate the victory. According to court documents, the task force who had met with Lewis on occasion refused his attempts to receive incentives in exchange for information. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Claudia made several attempts to escape from the violent and abusive marriage, but she always returned. ", "How a woman in Louisiana helped break the case of 5 student murders in Florida", "Sarasota victim: Rolling was 'pure evil', "Psychologist Says Rolling Suffers From Disorders", "Rolling Confessed to Shreveport Killings Before Execution", "Danny Rolling executed for five student murders", "Murder Made Me Famous 'The Gainesville Ripper', "The Mark of a Killer 'Danny Rolling: The Gainesville Ripper', "Four Days, Five Murders: A WUFT-TV Special", Inmate Release Information Detail - Inmate 521178, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Danny_Rolling&oldid=1132283448, This page was last edited on 8 January 2023, at 04:06. His time in between stints in jail were spent traveling the country, stealing and occasionally forcing himself on women. Danny Rolling a.k.a. On his alleged use of Rolling, Lewis wrote: "It not something I'm proud of -- it just survival -- in a animal world.". 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