By age 11, Danny Rolling picked up music to cope with his abusive father. In the northern Florida town of Gainesville in 1990, five young university students were murdered in their own homes over just three days in horrific ways stabbed in the back, raped, beheaded. Rolling has been the subject of several written works. Rolling and Lewis forged a close relationship, and Lewis became a sort of confidante for the troubled Rolling who blamed childhood abuse for his violent behavior. 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. He played guitar and sang hymn-like songs. His appeals exhausted, Rolling faced execution at Florida State Prison on October 25, 2006. The soft-spoken Lummus told Smith she met Rolling at a Pentecostal church in Shreveport and married him in September 1974 when both were 19. Danny turned his devastation into anger and raped a woman who closely resembled his ex-wife. But despite huge media coverage, Danny Rolling was never actually caught for the murders. Danny also used cleaning solvents on the dead bodies to remove any traces of semen. Shreveport police, death more easily than Louisiana. 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." . Strapped to a gurney, Rolling sang to a quiet crowd gathered to witness his death at the execution chamber at . He would see that as kind of a sign somebody (is) communicating directly to me through the movie.". The song Harold Rollings Hymn from the 2007 John 5 album, The Devil Knows My Name is inspired by Rolling. 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. Following his discharge from the military, Danny managed to marry and begin what appeared to be a normal life. "One day, I picked up the phone, I called Crime Stoppers, and I said, 'I think there's one guy y'all need to investigate -- Danny Rolling.'"[6]. 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. 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. As reported by IMDB, that film, written and directed by Josh Townsend, was a more factual account of the murders committed by Rolling. His friend Bobby Lewis relayed sordid details of the murders where Rolling cut the nipples off of two of his victims and beheaded one. 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. 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. He was executed by lethal injection in 2006. Following his arrest, Rolling was interviewed by a number of mental health professionals, who all agreed he had some form of mental illness. They were engaged for a period, and seemingly, very much in love. Spaced over three days, the murders also coincided with a robbery in nearby Ocala. That same night, he broke into a home to murder 24-year-old Julie Grissom, her eight-year-old nephew, Sean,. [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. James also abused and beat Danny, Danny's mother Claudia, and his brother Kevin for frivolous things, such as breathing in a way that displeased him. 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. Students brought baseball bats with them everywhere they went and no one went out alone during the day or night. Danny then changed his identity with papers he stole after breaking into someones house. Rolling murdered Larson, first taping her mouth shut to stifle her screams, and then stabbing her to death with a Ka-Bar knife. Public record via Jacksonville.comDanny Rolling a.k.a. By now, news of the murders had spread across the University. She said Rolling related stories of childhood beatings, being handcuffed and his father holding a knife to his throat. His role in uncovering details of the Gainesville murders rendered him the focus of press accounts. James also treated poorly and hit Danny, Danny's mother Claudia, and Danny's brother Kevin over trivial matters like breathing in a way that annoyed James. "It would not let me rest," she said. Based on the real case of an accused murderer and a disgraced journalist, 'True Story' reveals that "telling the truth" can be a slippery concept. ". The killer was a Louisiana drifter who would come to be known as the Gainesville Ripper. 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 aided the writing career of Sondra London, who met him in prison while working with Gerard John Schaefer and other serial killers. He was featured in a 2015 episode of Nightmare Next Door. . Rolling later confessed to raping several of his victims, committing an additional November 4, 1989 triple [] If I didnt know him so well, I probably wouldnt have known it was him.. Testimony will continue next week. However, his divorce appeared to be the catalyst for his crime spree, as the murders began shortly after he and his wife parted ways. On tape, his mother said Rolling, who endured a lifetime of verbal and physical abuse from her husband, James, a retired Shreveport, La., police lieutenant, "just lost it" after his wife of two years filed for divorce around 1977. 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. At the age on one Danny and . "It was almost as if you could crawl inside and feel his pain," Mills said. [5] Humphrey's photo was shown repeatedly by media outlets. Rolling's former girlfriend, Lillian "Bunnie" Mills of Bossier City, La., said she and his mother persuaded him to seek mental help in March 1989 and again on Nov. 14, 1989, but he did not follow up on the visits. Claudia tried to escape the toxic marriage, but time and again she returned. Rolling found Taboada asleep in one of the bedrooms, and killed him after a struggle. Daniel "Danny" Harold Rolling was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, on May 26, 1954, to Claudia and James Rolling, a local police lieutenant. He was a cop and he consistently abused his wife and children. Rolling suggested to investigators last year that he killed a Shreveport woman, her nephew and her father on Nov. 4, 1989, but he has not been charged. On Aug. 27, Rolling attacked Tracey Paules and Manuel Taboada, both 23. 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. Because of the similarities of the murders in Shreveport and Gainesville, Florida investigators sought DNA of prisoners from Shreveport who were incarcerated. 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 . Geni requires JavaScript! Unfortunately for Danny, his father never wanted children. 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!. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Dannys school counselors described him as suffering from an inferiority complex, with aggressive tendencies and poor impulse control.. The mother of my children," he tells a cowering Kristen. In 2013, TV documentary series The Real Story aired an episode profiling the movie Scream. Although he was incarcerated multiple times, he reverted to his old ways every time he was released. 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. Daniel Harold Rolling (May 26, 1954 October 25, 2006), known as the Gainesville Ripper, was an American serial killer. "I can't get well at my house. He was brought to trial nearly four years after the murders. James was a decorated Korean War veteran who worked as a police officer, while Claudia stayed home to care for the children and manage their household. Authorities feel Rolling did not manage to mutilate these bodies because he may have been in danger of getting caught, or was otherwise interrupted. He didn't stop there. Danny Harold Rolling naci el 26 de mayo de 1954 en Shreveport (Louisiana, Estados Unidos) en el seno de una familia marcada por la violencia ejercida por parte de su padre, James Rolling, un . Students triple-locked doors and some slept in shifts so someone was awake at all times. After she had been subdued, he used duct tape to gag her mouth and bind her wrists together behind her back and led her into the bedroom, where he cut the clothes from her body and raped her. His microphone was then cut off, ending a life story as twisted as any that could appear on the big screen. 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. But the verbal depravity was almost daily, with James telling Danny that he was unwanted or an embarrassment. 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. October 25, 2006 / 6:46 PM / AP. A memorial on 34th Street in Gainesville, Florida, for Rollings victims. Krop said Rolling has a borderline personality characterized by violent mood swings, impulsive and self-destructive behavior, narcissism and anti-social feelings. Biography reports he was facing multiple life sentences if convicted, as he had numerous prior convictions for armed robbery. However, the story was clearly embellished. GAINESVILLE The woman of Danny Rolling's dreams appeared for 75 minutes on Friday, cast doubt on his honesty and then vanished like so many women in his life. Kevin Williamson was an aspiring writer in the 1990s when the Gainesville Ripper murders caught his attention. Four of Rolling's victims were petite brunettes. During one interview, Rolling claimed he used psychic powers to gain access to two of his victims. Afterwards, Julie Grissom's body had been mutilated, cleaned, and posed. He bound and gagged her with duct tape while he sexually assaulted her, but did not kill her. 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. As a result of his murder convictions, Rolling was executed by lethal injection on October 25, 2006, and pronounced dead at 6:13 p.m. EDT at Florida State Prison in Starke, approximately 30 miles northeast of Gainesville, Florida, after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Rolling's last-ditch appeal. Dorothea Puente, the Death House Landlady. A 2007 independent feature film titled The Gainesville Ripper, based on accounts of the killings, was shot in the Gainesville and Jacksonville, Florida areas. The other suspect was also later cleared. He reportedly exchanged many letters with freelance journalist Sondra London about Rolling. executed Wednesday. Breaking News "He was only 37" - Vaccination fears floor in wake of ABC News Executive Dax Tejera's premature dying; "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. He then enlisted. Rolling, 39, fled Louisiana in May 1990 after an argument with his father. Rolling, who recorded the songs on August 4, 1990, days before murdering the five . Rolling who blamed childhood abuse for his violent behavior, Rolling himself blamed that time period in prison. Lewis said in a separate interview that Rolling was like a werewolf who would watch his victims at home for hours or days on end. In the afternoon, his father put on a police uniform and served the law, and in the evening he returned home and brutally beat his wife and son. He then raped her and forced her face-down onto the floor, where he stabbed her five times in the back. [6] They also found tools matching marks left at the Gainesville murder scenes. At the time of these statements, Claudia and James were separated. Rolling was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. 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. It made him worse. As a teenager and young adult, he was arrested several times for robberies in Georgia. "All I could pay attention to was his face and how different it looked to me," she said. The university consequently canceled classes for a week. Rolling had said deeply disturbing things to both her and her then-husband, Steven Dobbin. At one point, Rolling worked as a waiter at Pancho's restaurant in Shreveport. Rolling pleaded guilty in court, nearly four years after the murders occurred. Although law enforcement authorities initially had very few leads, in November 1991 Rolling was charged with several counts of murder, and Alachua County State Attorney Rod Smith oversaw the prosecution. Danny Harold Rolling was born on May 26, 1954 to Claudia and James Rolling in Shreveport, Louisiana. Tom Grissom is buried by his daughter. His walk and even his voice changed. Danny Rolling a.k.a. 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. However, as reported by Biography, Rolling's childhood was far from ideal. He reportedly claimed to have used the power of his mind to unlock the door and enter the apartment. In the film, Rolling is portrayed by Zachary Memos. . Rolling has been the subject of several writers and their works. TheSouth Florida Sun Sentinel reported 47 people, including a number of his victims' relatives, were present to witness Rolling's execution. And while he had pleaded not guilty, he used fellow inmate Bobby Lewis as his "mouthpiece" to confess to the murders. 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. ". Danny Rollings Florida victims: (from left to right) Tracy Inez Paules, Sonja Larson, Manuel Taboada, Christa Hoyt, and Christina Powell. STARKE - In the end, serial killer Danny Rolling offered no apologies. And nobody can get well with that going on all the time.". [18], In 2020, WUFT News released a television special and podcast special chronicling thoughts on the case 30 years later, titled Four Days, Five Murders.[19][20]. 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