A native of Shreveport, Louisiana, Danny Rolling was the son of James and Claudia Rolling. The robbery had been committed ten days after the bodies of Paules and Taboada were found. "I said, 'What kind of problem,'" Juracich said, "[and Steven said], 'He likes to stick knives into people.'" Danny Rolling, also known as The Gainesville Ripper, was an American serial murderer who killed five students over four days in late August 1990 in. He eventually quit the Air Force after too much drug use which included taking acid more than 100 times. Not only were the Rolling children not allowed to have birthdays or holidays, but they never even got an affectionate word or action from their father. Shippy and Kaza conduct a paranormal investigation in Rolling's childhood home in Shreveport, Louisiana. While in prison, Rolling would also receive comfort from an unexpected source: Sondra London, the journalist, who achieved a degree of fame from writing a book on her ex-boyfriend, suspected serial killer G.J Schaefer. The two married when Claudia was 19-years-old, only to find out that they were pregnant with their first child two weeks later. In one incident, Danny's mother . In 1955, Kevin Rolling, Danny's younger brother was born, this caused the level of abuse to increase. He was beaten because he wasnt crawling properly. In the early morning hours of Friday, August 24, Rolling broke into the apartment shared by 17-year-old university freshmen Sonja Larson and Christina Powell. Unfortunately for Danny, his father never wanted children. 2023 Biography and the Biography logo are registered trademarks of A&E Television Networks, LLC. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. May 26 1954 - Shreveport, Caddo, Louisiana, United States, Oct 25 2006 - Prison Cemetery, Raiford, Union, Florida, United States, Oct 26 2006 - Rockford, Winnebago, Illinois, United States, side of a rope line, about 60 people cheered the execution of, country championships. Dorothea Puente, the Death House Landlady. Danny and his younger brother moved back to Shreveport, Louisiana with their mom and stayed at their grandparents house (Claudia's parents). The Italian fashion designer was coming home from a neighborhood walk when a madman appeared out of nowhere and shot him dead on the steps of his beloved Miami Beach mansion. Photo: AP Photo/Chris O'Meara Print Cite The Untold Truth Of Danny Rolling, The Gainesville Ripper, Rolling was not identified as the Gainesville Ripper, The Making of a Serial Killer: The Real Story of the Gainesville Student Murders in the Killer's Own Words. Rolling covered both of the young womens mouths with duct tape before he bound their hands. Back in Shreveport in November 1989, Rolling was fired from his job at a restaurant. Danny Rolling was only one-year-old when his father first abused him, beating him for not crawling to his expectations. But the verbal depravity was almost daily, with James telling Danny that he was unwanted or an embarrassment. Born in May 1954 in Shreveport, Louisiana, his father James, a Shreveport Police Officer, made sure he knew he was unwanted. While Rolling initially met with the task force alone, he asked for Lewis to join them; he wanted his friend to make statements and answer questions in his lieu. His killing spree inspired Kevin Williamson to pen the script for the blockbuster movie Scream. In the film, Rolling is portrayed by Zachary Memos.[16]. On his alleged use of Rolling, Lewis wrote: "It not something I'm proud of -- it just survival -- in a animal world.". Police couldnt find enough evidence at crime scenes to implicate Danny Rolling. A fearful Kristen tries to calm him down, but Steve rants at her. executed Wednesday. Danny Rolling was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. It was after he returned to Shreveport from prison, his mother said, that Rolling talked about the other "person" inside. 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, 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. He shot him in the face. 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. Although he was eventually named a suspect in the Gainesville Ripper killings, authorities had little evidence, and nothing directly tying him to the crimes. With the exception of Taboada, all of the victims were petite white brunettes with brown eyes, like Rolling's mother. Danny then changed his identity with papers he stole after breaking into someones house. He turned to a series of armed robberies to get cash, and subsequently was in and out of the criminal justice systems in Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, and Alabama. In 1998, a judge ruled that proceeds from the book to the tune of $20,000 could be seized from London for work published in relation to the Gainesville Ripper story, reported the New York Times. Temperamental, controlling and violent, James fought with Claudia and heaped verbal abuse on Danny and his younger brother, Kevin, resorting to physical attacks on the boys as they got older. Investigators responded to the tip and quickly found Rolling, who had been arrested on September 7, 1990, for an Ocala, Florida, supermarket robbery. He took a shower before leaving the apartment. As a teenager and young adult, he was arrested several times for robberies in Georgia. He returned to Sonjas dead body and raped her again. Danny Rolling, the serial killer imprisoned for killing five Florida college students, forged a strong bond with a person who informed on him and asked him to be his mouthpiece. [6], News of the Gainesville murders haunted Juracich, so she finally contacted police in November, based on her hunch about Rolling's connection to the murders in both cities. The mother of my children," he tells a cowering Kristen. Tom Grissom is buried by his daughter. As reported by The Sun Sentinel, Rolling's injections were administered beginning at 6:03 p.m., and he was pronounced dead at 6:11 p.m. 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. The psychologist said Rolling likened the killings to the "ethnic cleansing in Bosnia" and also told him Paules' last words: "You're gonna get caught. Afterwards, Julie Grissom's body had been mutilated, cleaned, and posed. Rolling, who recorded the songs on August 4, 1990, days before murdering the five . Na die verskyning van Kevin Light Rolling begin woedend pa te versprei na die jonger broer Danny. Four of Rolling's victims were petite brunettes. Claudia Rolling said she sought to get Rolling psychological care several times, but her husband said nothing was wrong with him. Although he was given an opportunity to make an oral statement, Rolling spent the last three minutes prior to his execution singing a gospel song. A memorial on 34th Street in Gainesville, Florida, for Rollings victims. He claimed his motive was to become a "superstar" similar to Ted Bundy. 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 who blamed childhood abuse for his violent behavior, Rolling himself blamed that time period in prison. In 1994, before his trial could get underway, Rolling unexpectedly pleaded guilty to all charges. The Navy wouldnt take him so he joined the Air Force, but the military provided him no comfort. [6] They also found tools matching marks left at the Gainesville murder scenes. She also said that Dobbin told her that Rolling had told him he had a problem. This was in 1977. She attempted to barricade herself in her bedroom, but Rolling broke through the door. In addition to "Scream," Danny Rolling's murder spree inspired the 2010 film "The Gainesville Ripper." Authorities put out as much information as they could to try to catch the suspect, and students slept in groups and took every precaution they could think of. Claudia tried to escape the toxic marriage, but time and again she returned. William DeLong is a freelance wordsmith. Ex-husband of O'Mather Rolling Danny Rolling, the Gainesville Ripper, appears in court. . Daniel Danny Harold Rolling was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, on May 26, 1954, to Claudia and James Rolling, a local police lieutenant. Lummus testified on Thursday that during her marriage to Rolling from 1974 to 1977, he never spoke of abuse by his father, demonic visions or nightmares. A native of Shreveport, Louisiana, Danny Rolling was the son of James and Claudia Rolling. He later fled to Florida, where he began his burglary and robbery spree, which culminated in the murders of five people in Gainesville. About this time his mother was committed to a hospital after she had slit her wrists. Rolling confessed to being the Gainesville Ripper. There are now memorials across the University of Florida campus, including five trees planted to honor the victims, and a mural urging students to never forget. Louisiana's Shreveport is where Danny Rolling was born. At 62, Danny Rolling was a massive, powerful man. Ex-wife O'Mather Lummus, whom. ", "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. These are the real-life mobsters and events that inspired the books and movies. Rollings last meal consisted of a lobster tail served with drawn butter, butterfly shrimp with cocktail sauce, a baked potato with sour cream and butter, strawberry cheesecake, and sweet tea. Then the cycle of abuse continued. According to the Miami Herald, Rolling broke into the home of freshmen Sonja Larson and Christina Powell on August 24, 1990, where he raped and stabbed them to death. According to Claudias accounts, her elder son endured physical abuse at least once or twice a week at his fathers hands. October 25, 2006 / 6:46 PM / AP. In the early morning hours of Friday, August 24, Rolling broke into the apartment shared by 17-year-old university freshmen Sonja Larson and Christina Powell. In his final moments, he regaled the 47 people crammed into the witness room with one of his songs, a religious hymn with the refrain "none greater than thee, O Lord, none greater than thee." STARKE - In the end, serial killer Danny Rolling offered no apologies. He was pronounced dead at 6:13 p.m EDT. He told her the name of the personality, but she couldn't recall it. His father was a Shreveport police officer named James Rolling, who told Danny that he was unwanted from birth. Danny Rolling confesses to Louisiana killings, victims' families reflect: Part 11 In a letter to his pastor before his execution, Rolling confessed to killing the Grissoms in Shreveport. His crime spree inspired screenwriter Kevin Williamson to pen the script of the 1996 slasher film Scream. Krop presented no testimony of multiple personalities. The argument reportedly began when . From Gacy's first sexual assault conviction to his eventual execution, here are the key moments from one of the most notorious murder sprees in U.S. history. Krop said Rolling has a borderline personality characterized by violent mood swings, impulsive and self-destructive behavior, narcissism and anti-social feelings. She was also stabbed to death. The Making of a Serial Killer: The Real Story of the Gainesville Murders. Meanwhile, the killer they were looking for was already in jail. By all accounts, Danny Rolling "remained calm" throughout the day of his execution. In 2013, TV documentary series The Real Story aired an episode profiling the movie Scream. It was soon revealed that this student was battling acute manic depression, however, and with zero evidence connecting him to the murders, the task force was back to the drawing board. The following day, he made Santa Fe Community College student Christa Hoyt his next victim, leaving behind her severed head on a shelf to face her body propped up on the bed. Rolling turned to art and music for solacehis Christmas gift of a guitar at age 15 proved to be one of his happiest memories from adolescence. Rolling was the subject of a 2010 episode of Cold Blood, and briefly was mentioned in a 2012 episode of Motives and Murders titled "Not Again". Authorities feel Rolling did not manage to mutilate these bodies because he may have been in danger of getting caught, or was otherwise interrupted. Clark ProsecutorDanny Rollings Florida victims: (from left to right) Tracy Inez Paules, Sonja Larson, Manuel Taboada, Christa Hoyt, and Christina Powell. Mario Taboada, the brother of victim Manny Taboada, said the victims' memory "has to endure." April 10, 2021 Examined 9:54 What's next for Russia? In March 1994, a struggling actor and screenwriter named Kevin Williamson became engrossed in a news program about a drifter who terrorized the town of Gainesville, Florida, with the murders of five college students over three days in August 1990. He said Rolling's main problem is his voyeuristic need to peek into windows at women to satisfy his sexual urges and fantasies - which Rolling admitted doing before the killings. Shreveport police alerted Gainesville police to the similarity of the murder scenes, which is what prompted Gainesville Police's interest in Rolling. Julie Ann Grissom, her father William Thomas Tom Grissom and her nephew and his grandson, Sean Grissom, were murdered in their Southern Hills home in Shreveport, La., by serial killer Danny Rolling. Lewis was a bit of a character on his own: he was the only person to escape from death row in Florida in a 1978 prison break. The idea that Danny was an unwanted child was reinforced. He ranked fifth in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time." . Rolling was executed by lethal injection at Florida State Prison on October 25, 2006, after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a last-ditch appeal. Sondra started a correspondence with Rolling, leading to a book and also an engagement. The famed literary and celluloid antagonist was based on a Mexican doctor who murdered his boyfriend in 1959. Rolling had said deeply disturbing things to both her and her then-husband, Steven Dobbin. Danny, in particular, seemed to be strongly affected by the abuse. Danny Rolling was born in Shreveport, Louisianna in May 1954 to 19-year-old Claudia Rolling, and decorated war vet James Rolling, who's believed to have suffered from PTSD and other mental illnesses. He broke into her residence and after he raped her, he removed her nipples and placed them beside her. His father survived but lost the use of an eye and ear before fleeing to Kansas and Florida, eventually arriving in Gainesville. To determine the sentence, jurors listened to testimony from his mother, who recounted the abuse the defendant had received at the hands of his father, and from a psychiatrist, who described an alternate personality of Rolling's named "Gemini," who drove him to his sadistic acts. As in the Powell murder, he forced her to lie face-down onto the bed and stabbed her in the back, rupturing her aorta. Rolling has been the subject of several written works. As he later recalled in The Making of a Serial Killer: The Real Story of the Gainesville Murders, Rolling endured the sort of horrendous childhood that made him ripe to emerge as a menace to society. Rolling confessed more killings before dying Shortly before he was executed in Florida this week, serial killer Danny Rolling handed his spiritual adviser a handwritten confession to a grisly. The next day, Rolling killed Christa Hoyt in much the same fashion. Rolling was executed in 2006 after singing a hymn and eating a lavish dinner, and never quite achieved his dream of being a superstar like Ted Bundy though he undoubtedly still harbored these dreams in prison. "He'd come over every night for a while, and then one night, Steven came in and he goes, 'He's got to go,'" Juracich said. Although he initially denied the charges, Rolling eventually confessed to killing a total of eight people between 1989 and 1990. In February 1994, just before the start of his trial, Rolling abruptly changed his plea to guilty. Dr. Robert Sadoff, who testified at Rolling's trial, said Rolling may have identified with the movie because Gemini is his astrological sign. At the time of these statements, Claudia and James were separated. A Friday night in May 1990, Rolling, then 35, shot his father, a retired Shreveport police lieutenant, in the head during a dispute at the Sunset Acres home. In one incident, Danny's mother went to the hospital after claiming her husband tried to make her cut herself with a razor blade. [9][10][11], Shortly before he was executed in Florida for the series of killings in Gainesville, Rolling claimed responsibility for the Shreveport murders, handing his spiritual adviser Reverend Mike Hudspeth and Florida police a handwritten confession and apology. Danny Rollings DNA was similar enough to DNA left at the Gainesville murder scenes to charge him with murder. He was subsequently convicted and sentenced to the death penalty on each count. The small camp where he had been living was in a wooded area near apartment complexes frequented by students; investigators discovered audio diaries he had made there alluding to the crimes. But Danny tried to stay in control and he attended church and struggled to hold down steady work. The movie's plot may have also inspired the grisly nature of one of the Gainesville Ripper's first murders. Testimony will continue next week. [7], In November 1991, Rolling was charged with five counts of murder. 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. Rolling posed Paules' body but left Taboada's in the same position in which he had died.[4]. "filings were almost carbon copies of Rutherford's appeals. He would see that as kind of a sign somebody (is) communicating directly to me through the movie.". Prosecutors found enough evidence to convict him and he was subsequently executed on October 25, 2006, in Florida. The Gainesville Ripper continued to steal from homes and gas stations until he was finally caught in Ocala after a high-speed chase. Killer who butchered live students in, trame jams. Danny Rolling greets his public defender Trish Jenkins as his mental competency hearing continues at the Marion County Courthouse in Ocala, Florida, on May 31, 1991. Hes now engaged in the Fox series The Following which taps into hysteria on a college campus. On Rollings deathbed, the 52-year-old sang a hymn-type song that rambled on for five verses. Danny Rollings Florida victims: (from left to right) Tracy Inez Paules, Sonja Larson, Manuel Taboada, Christa Hoyt, and Christina Powell.