Before hanging up, the self-professed Zodiac said he would settle for Melvin Belli if Bailey could not be reached. She testified that in 1992, during a date, Ellwood, while under the influence of drugs, assaulted, beat and strangled her into unconsciousness. He said that he was 27 and the girl was 32. Henry testified that she had not given the police this information, as she was wanted for petty offenses at the time. Was the FBI able to get enough information from The Howard Stern Show phone call to make an arrest? But as the conversation progressed, it became clear to Stern and listeners that this one sounded deadly serious. I think I just do it for the sense of power." [2] Some of the victims have never been identified. Weill, a California photographer suffering from severe Bipolar Disorder, was known to be fixated on celebrities. 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. Submissions should outline a mystery and provide a link to a more detailed review of the case such as a Wiki article or news report. All Rights Reserved. Gant was a 15-year veteran of the New Orleans Police Department, and also the last person seen with Sharon Robinson before she went missing during the early hours of April 30. [8] For the next 30 years, Ellwood lived in squalor because of his drug addiction, had no permanent residence, never married and changed professions often, mostly sticking to photography and cab driving. The link to a police officer was made last April when Sharon Robinson, a casino coin-changer, and her friend, Karen Iverster, were murdered. The rest remain unsolved. To some, these questions might seem like the kinds of things all of us might ask if given the opportunity to interview a serial killer, but Stern makes some key maneuvers less than a minute into this conversation. [8] The investigators became increasingly suspicious when Ellwood started speaking about having a dream in which he was being questioned about a series of murders and later admitting to frequenting the locations where the bodies were found, but continued to reaffirm his innocence.[8]. Each time 'Clay' answered a question he responded in a calm, matter-of-fact manner. He took the lives of ten people in Sedgwick County, Kansas. Footage of the phone call. [1] [2] Murders [ edit] On December 14, a fourth victim, as yet unidentified, was found near Behrman Highway, not far from where Danielle was found. Obviously,one of the biggest questions here iscould this actually be real, or is "Clay" playing some sort of very sick joke? Well, thats exactly what happened on the morning of Wednesday, August 13, 1997, during a live broadcast of WXRKs landmark radio program, The Howard Stern Show. But that all changes a couple of minutes into this strange and disturbing phone call. For now, the answer to this question remains unresolved. With no confession or hard evidence to charge him with, detectives had no choice but to let Gant go. [8] Ultimately, the murder charge for Delores Mack was dropped,[11] but on the basis of very circumstantial evidence and unreliable testimony, Ellwood was found guilty of killing Cheryl Lewis and was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole on August 17, 1999. Serial murder is distinguished from mass murder, in which several victims are . He immediately asks if Clay has sex with his victims before killing them. [8] Owing to his addiction, Ellwood was arrested several times from 1968 to 1998. And so, when 13 Reasons Why season 3 releases (possibly later this year), there will be a lot to discuss. Britton had dropped out of school shortly before her death, and was last seen in a New Orleans bar next to an unknown man. On June 2, 25-year-old George Williams' body was found in the LaBranche Wetlands area of St. Charles Parish. This image shows a police sketch released to the media in 1992, after one woman survived an attack and provided a description to police of the man she said choked her and left her for dead. [2] During a press conference in August, Chief Richard Pennington announced to the media that the current prime suspect was 33-year-old Victor Gant, a police officer working in New Orleans. During the interrogations, he admitted to frequenting black prostitutes throughout his life, claiming that he knew more than 100 girls, in addition to frequently taking drugs such as heroin, crack cocaine and LSD over the years. 1". Ellwood remains a suspect in several of the killings, but no charges have been filed against him. 'Clay' said calmly. [5] A partially undressed Ellwood was forced out of his car and told to show his driver's license. V C September 13, 2021. [12] Gant left New Orleans after his discharge from law enforcement and moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where he presumably still lives today. 13 Reasons Why season 2 ended with a monumental cliffhanger that had many viewers wondering about Clay's (Dylan Minnette) fate moving forward. Some modern articles about Clay the Serial Killer claim that his comment about a black police officer being the main suspect is what piqued the interest of the FBI, as this information was supposedly not released to the public, but this isnt the case. WARNING: Disturbing Content The caller "Clay" is believed to be serial killer Russell Ellwood that was arrested in 1998 and sentenced to life in prison in 1999. He reportedly submitted blood and tissue samples for the investigation, but nothing more is really known. Russell Ellwoods preferred MO was drugging his victims to the point of overdose and then dumping them in shallow bodies of water to drown. [8] This request was denied, whereupon Ellwood confessed to killing Lewis and Mack, but refused to be audiotaped and soon after began denying that he had confessed. To me, that's definitely a red flag as to what kind of guy we're talking about here. 1. The Zodiac vanished into quiet oblivion sometime in the mid-1970s and Weill committed suicide in 2006. "Did your mom beat you? On January 16, he was stopped by traffic cops for speeding and was scheduled to appear in court, but failed to appear on time and was subsequently arrested for contempt of court. If youll recall from earlier in this episode, Clay the Serial Killer called into Sterns show on August 13, 1997over one week after Ellwood was jailed. The guy said that he was put on medication in prison and he was having nightmares and hearing all kinds of things. they rattled off to him. "Clay the Serial Killer" As he has been dubbed calls into the Howard Stern Show to admit to 12 slayings of New Orleans area prostitutes. 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. Self-Professed New Orleans Serial Killer Once Confessed 12 Murders to Howard Stern. Next to the print matching Sharons shoe was a spit out wad of chewing tobacco. Actually nothing like that. .zklaml-syj27z{font-family:adobe-garamond-pro,serif;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant-numeric:lining-nums;line-height:1.45;overflow-wrap:break-word;color:black;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:inline-block;cursor:pointer;color:white!important;font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12px;}.zklaml-syj27z:hover{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}.zklaml-syj27z:hover{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | twi.news@washingtonindependent.com | dmca@washingtonindependent.com. While this propelled the case to a national audience, the case remained unsolved. The phone call starts out a bit rocky as Stern goes to the phone call and asks "Is this Ed? Ellwood was eventually charged with one murder and received life imprisonment in 1999. [1] Through the course of the investigation, two separate suspects were considered, one of whom was convicted of one murder, leading investigators to believe that multiple killers are responsible. 30-year-old Karen Ivester had been strangled and her nude body was left in a swamp under I-55. She recounted an incident in which Ellwood forced her into his car at gunpoint, then drove her to an underpass where he beat, raped and robbed, threatening to kill her during the ordeal. Gant complied, and the samples were sent to a police lab for testing against the wad of chewing tobacco found near Karen Ivesters body. Stern started asking more specific questions about Clay's' killing process and where he kills his victims. (1:00 mark in audio) You might notice a pattern emerging here. The interview's tone slowly took a turn after Clay's response. .zklaml-k63hep{font-weight:bold;color:undefined;}Russell Ellwood.zklaml-1p7ut1l{color:undefined;} was thought to be a serial killer. During "Clay's" call, he joked about how the only suspect the Nola police had was a black people officer. Almost immediately, the FBI became aware of a dirty open secret within the New Orleans Police Departmentseveral officers were involved with or straight-up leading prostitution rings while on duty. This, along with his mention of wanting to leave clues in the wake of his crimes seems to definitely hint at some obsessive inspiration taken from Zodiac, or a similar killer like BTK or Jack the Ripper. Will Clay Jensen get arrested at the start of 13 Reasons Why season 3 for his involvement with Tyler's deadly plan? *alleged killer calls himself clay *claims to have killed 12 women, first when he was 16 *used hammer or strangulation *killed in New Orleans and Mississippi area *says he's white, has kids never been married *seems to say most victims or at least half were black and they always approached him The victims were later identified as Karen Ivester and Sharon Robinson, 30 and 28, respectively. SACRAMENTO . I never said my name was Ed" almost as if to say "How dare you get my name wrong". I'm willing to confess to two cases and give you all the details when I return to Louisiana. He first rendered his victims unconscious by giving them drugs, and then he killed them in a number of ways, most commonly by strangling or suffocation. When the task force talked to him again, he admitted to dumping the body of a black woman in the water next to a country road. She described him as a muscular, well-dressed, middle-aged black male who drove a dark-colored vehicle, possibly a Buick Regal or Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Eventually, Ellwood was released again, and in January 1998, he returned to New Orleans. These two murders were part of a string of at least 26 prostitutes who were murdered between 1991 and 1996. [12] A deputy who worked in the department later attempted to sue them for allegedly firing him for revealing that Rushing had destroyed crucial evidence, but his appeal was rejected due to lack of evidence. According to his cellmates, Ellwood implicated himself in the prostitute killings back in New Orleans and its various suburbs. On one hand, Clays hesitation before correcting Stern seems to hint at him telling the truth. Ellwood was questioned regarding the murders and later booked as a suspect. Gant was cooperative with the investigators questions but refused a lie detector test. He then dumped her dead next to Louisiana's Highway LA 3160 in Hahnville. Cookie Notice If he was responsible for the string of murders that occurred in New Orleans, Ellwood's victims were almost always prostitutes. The second witness, Antoinette Holmes, who lived near Lewis, testified to seeing her at the Time Saver restaurant in Bridge City two weeks before she was reported missing, standing between two parked cars and talking to a cab driver. He ultimately got a job as a freelance photographer, but he left for an undisclosed reason. Replies analysing and speculating over the mystery and possible explanations are encouraged. She was an impoverished mother of three who engaged in prostitution and had several previous arrests. Instead of firing Turner, Collins allowed him to quietly resign. Back in the day, The Howard Stern Show routinely received tons of insane calls from people claiming many wild things. The witness, like Gilliam, did not report the incident because she was a drug addict. It doesnt mean they are bad officer.. The caller, who went by the name Clay, phoned into the comedian's radio show back in 1997 and claimed that he was responsible for killing a dozen women in New Orleans. What do you think ? You can read the details Ellwood's trial over at lobservateur.com. [6] He became a police officer in February 1980, and while on patrol, Gant would spend a lot of time in red-light districts, where in later years he acquired many acquaintances among pimps, prostitutes and street informants. Despite the fact that his attorneys said he was in Ohio at the time of both killings, Ellwood was detained and charged with two counts of second-degree murder. 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. However, it was believed that he was responsible for as many as 15-20+ homicides in the New Orleans area, and many people feel that he was responsible for even more. Or was something even stranger going on? A subreddit dedicated to the unresolved mysteries of the world. Camden later testified that Ellwood also confessed to him that he had killed a black girl, whose corpse he had dumped in the canal. [2], On February 13, 25-year-old Stephanie Murray's body was found in a small pond near the Bonnet Carr Spillway. While prisoners in the United States do retain some telephone privileges, it is highly unlikely that Ellwood would have been able to call the Howard Stern Show from prison and remain on the line for that long. [2], On February 20, 1993, the skeletal remains of 30-year-old Cheryl Lewis were discovered in the waters of a canal near Hahnville. Ellwood hoped that the second murder charge would also be dropped, but the government stood by its position. This guy is either the dumbest serial killer or this was just a jokester with a really bad sense of humor seeking attention. [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. [2], On May 6, the body of 39-year-old Sandra Williams, who had been strangled, was found on a boulevard in New Orleans. Discretion is advised. In 1998, RussellEllwood stood trial for the 1993 murders of Cheryl Lewis, 30, of Bridge City, and Deloras Mack, 40, of Metairie. Lewis's mother, Lillian, reported her missing on February 2, 1993. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. [8] Based on Hill's testimony, the task force tracked him down and re-interviewed in the presence of Ron Camden, a 27-year veteran of the Cincinnati Police Department's Homicide Unit. This sort of bizarre call was not out of the ordinary for the show, where Stern often hoax calls from people with crazy stories. Later, Ellwood received $15,000 from his mother, but he invested it all in penny stocks and lost it all. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBRAY3N3FXw. Privacy Policy. was thought to be a serial killer. In 1997, 'Clay' called into the show to tell Stern and Quivers he had killed 12 sex workers. Robinson's boyfriend was a police officer called Victor Grant, who has denied any wrongdoing. Shortly after 7 AM, the man claiming to be Zodiac called in, and asked to called Sam., The mans threat was a clear reference to Zodiacs letter sent to the San Francisco Chronicle on October 13, 1969less than two days after his murder of Paul Stinein which he writes, School children make nice targets, I think I shall wipe out a school bus some morning. Dennis Rader, also known as the BTK killer, murdered 10 people during his 16-year killing spree. A lot happens right here. [5] However, while investigating her death, authorities learned that she was last seen alive on February 2, getting into the car of an unidentified white male. [2], On March 24, police found more skeletal remains under an overpass in Tangipahoa Parish. She had been beaten and strangled. [2], In May 1995, a task force was established by the New Orleans Police Department, in conjunction with surrounding parishes and the FBI, in order to solve the killings. Discretion is advised. Ellwood worked for a while as a freelance photographer in New Orleans and eventually worked as a cab driver. In this video 5 disturbing and shocking serial killer moments caught on video are looked at in all their frightful detail. During the test, Rushing was unable to answer a series of questions regarding the missing receipts, but the result was inconclusive, casting doubt on Ellwood's guilt. In the end, Ellwood was found guilty of the murder of Cheryl Lewis. Clay told Stern he took a break for a year.