Russel Ellwood was a suspected serial killer who killed prostitutes (women) by drugging them and strangling them to death. She had been strangled. Obviously,one of the biggest questions here iscould this actually be real, or is "Clay" playing some sort of very sick joke? Was it real, or was this just another one of Stern'slowbrow stunts that he's famous for? 2021-08-16. Two off-duty St. Charles Parish deputies saw Ellwood returning to the scene of Cheryl Lewis' murder a year later while still partially clothed. On August 13, 1997, The Howard Stern Show received a call from a man who identified himself as "Clay". The Macdonald Triad has been criticized in recent years as an urban legend, as the three key factors cited in Macdonalds theory are more often linked to childhood abuse and neglect rather than some serial killer crystal ball, but nonetheless, but the time of this late-90s radio broadcast, the triad had become cemented as a key element of serial killer culture. [2] Gant denied the accusation, stating that he had pushed her during an argument, with Robinson hitting her nose on a chair - this was contradicted by her children, who said that they had witnessed him beating their mother. While he was only convicted of 1 murder (Cheryl Lewis), he is believed to killed upwards of 20 prostitutes during the 1990's. During "Clay's" call, he joked about how the only suspect the Nola police had was a black people officer. A few more bodies were found, but these victims were all determined to have been killed years prior to their discovery. FBI agent John Fleming told the press in November 1995, "A common thread in the victims was their membership of prostitution rings that seem to have been connected with a group of NOPD officers. 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. I think I just do it for the sense of power." and our 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. [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. Ellwood worked for a while as a freelance photographer in New Orleans and eventually worked as a cab driver. Ed?". When confronted by reporters from Huffington Post in 2016 regarding their hiring of a suspect in a series of serial killings as an officer assigned to protect college students, Carver College Police Chief R.J. Collins tried denying Gant had ever worked theredespite Gant appearing in full uniform on the Police Departments website and in photos shared on Facebook. When not imprisoned, he spent most of his time among fellow vagrants, with acquaintances describing him as an outsider who constantly sought to make get-rich-quick schemes, but consistently failed in his endeavors. Another of Collins hires, Carver College Police Captain Michael F. Nemard, had previously been forced out of his job as a lieutenant with the College Park Police Department after being arrested for beating his wife, and a subsequent investigation revealed that he had once shoved his gun into another ex-wifes mouth and cocked the hammer. Numerous articles from several national publications name Ganta black police officeras a suspect in the New Orleans serial murders a full two years before Clays phone call, and television news segments chronicling Gants activities were aired on CBS and ABC in late 1995. He was a cab driver in Nola that raped & killed prostitutes. Shortly after 2 AM on the morning of October 22, 1969, a man claiming to be the Zodiac Killer called the Oakland, California Police Department, demanding to speak with famed attorney F. Lee Bailey. Henry testified that she had not given the police this information, as she was wanted for petty offenses at the time. Where have we heard this before? For now, the answer to this question remains unresolved. Weill had also photographed The Beatles final live performance before a paying audiencetheir famous August 1966 Candlestick Park concertand was now apparently obsessed with the Zodiac Killer, along with lawyer to the stars, attorney Melvin Belli, who was working with the Rolling Stones at the time. serial murder, also called serial killing, the unlawful homicide of at least two people carried out by the same person (or persons) in separate events occurring at different times. A mother of three, she had a criminal record for drug possession. When he appeared in court, other prisoners who knew Ellwood gave witness accounts against him. Replies analysing and speculating over the mystery and possible explanations are encouraged. COPYRIGHT_WI: Published on https://washingtonindependent.com/russell-ellwood/ by Jaya Mckeown on 2022-07-18T05:09:07.471Z. On September 22, 1991, the killer claimed his third victim, twenty-eight-year-old Charlene Price. Clay quickly, and almost with a sense of pride, callously answers "Twelve". The key witness was supposed to be Robinson, but she was found dead on May 1, 1995. Before hanging up, the self-professed Zodiac said he would settle for Melvin Belli if Bailey could not be reached. The caller told the operator that he wanted Bailey to appear on a local television talk show so that he could call in and chat with Bailey. The victims were later identified as Karen Ivester and Sharon Robinson, 30 and 28, respectively. In this video 5 disturbing and shocking serial killer moments caught on video are looked at in all their frightful detail. they rattled off to him. At this point, nothing has been disclosed of Gant's fate afterward; whether or not there was a DNA match to the two aforementioned murders and/or the other 22 victims of the serial killer is unknown. At some point prior to 2016, Gant found employment as an officer with the Carver College Police Department in Atlanta. The victim is referred to as "Jane Doe No. She had been beaten and strangled. I never said my name was Ed" almost as if to say "How dare you get my name wrong". An autopsy determined that she had been strangled. [9] During the proceedings, a number of Ellwood's former cellmates and prostitutes testified as prosecution witnesses, with the former claiming that he had confessed to the killings while the latter claimed that he had assaulted them. Russell Ellwood went on trial in 1998 for the murders that he committed in 1993 of Cheryl Lewis, age 30, from Bridge City, and Deloras Mack, age 40, from Metairie. EDIT: Glad to see this post has stirred interest in possibly unraveling a case or debunking one! [2] Her estimated age was between 25 and 35. I'm willing to confess to two cases and give you all the details when I return to Louisiana. He said that he was trying to change the oil in his cab in a covert manner, depositing the used oil outside where no one could see it. Again, we hear Stern trying to casually ascertain personal details about Clay that might aid in eventually identifying him. But as the conversation progressed, it became clear to Stern and listeners that this one sounded deadly serious. In a somewhat aggravated tone of voice, the caller answers "No. The Storyville Slayer is the nickname given to an American serial killer who murdered at least 24 prostitutes and drug addicts, most of whom were women, in New Orleans, Louisiana. In August of 1997, "Clay the Serial Killer", a self-proclaimed serial murderer in New Orleans, Louisiana, called The Howard Stern Show and casually confessed to over 12 murders live on-air. After doing drugs together, Ellwood beat her, but she managed to flee. 3". This was refuted by Ellwood's receipts, which show a puzzling two-week break in February. Robinson's boyfriend was a police officer called Victor Grant, who has denied any wrongdoing. 5" and "John Doe No. [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. If Clay was just some random radio troll calling in for attention with very little thought put into his story, he might have simply gone along with Sterns suggestion of strangulation. 10 Dennis Rader. In early 1995, a disciplinary panel and hearing to determine Gant's punishment began. I mean, he's a multi-millionaire and arguably the most recognized name in broadcasting, so clearly he's kind of good at his job. The Howard Stern best-of show, Sternthology, had recently re-aired the segment for the first time during the modern internet era, inspiring the Reddit posts. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/humaninterests Join the Mailing List: https://www.humaninterests.co.uk/newsletter Why serial killing rose in the 70s and fel. The guy said that he was put on medication in prison and he was having nightmares and hearing all kinds of things. The guy identified himself as Clay, mentioned if he killed himself he would miss the Batman movie, says he kills with a hammer, talks about comic books. While they were somewhat skeptical that this caller was indeed the Zodiac Killer, the San Francisco Police were eager to set up this unconventional television broadcast in the hopes that a call could be traced to rule out or confirm this individual as a legitimate suspect, as the Zodiac had struck in their city only two weeks prior, murdering cab driver Paul Stine in cold blood before fleeing into the night. Macdonald, who proposed in a 1963 American Journal of Psychiatry article that future serial violence and even murder can often be predicted in children who simultaneous engage in chronic bedwetting, compulsive arson, and cruelty toward animals. While incarcerated, authorities charged him with the murders of Lewis and Mack on March 4, 1998.[5]. Assuming this wasnt some radio prank, how else would Clay know that some of his victims were never found, unless he took special notice of their identities and the locations where he left their bodies so that he could scour media reports for their discovery later? [2], According to investigators, the crimes began in the summer of 1991, after a young black woman informed police about an attempt on her life. The Son of Sal Salvatore Perrone Department of Corrections [10] Gilliam stated that she woke up to find herself in a pool of blood in an unfamiliar, wooded area, where a passing motorist found her by chance and sheltered her at the motel he was staying at. While the accusations had some meritthe FBI having actually ended their involvement with the task force so that they could investigate Rushings misconductthe jury was unconvinced, and in August 1999, Ellwood was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Cheryl Lewis. Sometime in the early 2000s, Gant left Louisiana and moved to Georgia. He was one of the two main suspects in a series of murders of women in New Orleans, Louisiana. Russell Ellwoodis the man many believe to be "Clay the Serial Killer", the man who called The Howard Stern Show in 1997 and confessed to killing 12 women. 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. [9] Ellwood was eventually convicted and ordered to spend 120 days behind bars. The bodies of Lewis and Mack were discovered on February 21 and 22, 1993 respectively. This off-hand remark would later become one of the most interesting and controversial aspects of this story. [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]. 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. Acting fast, the police arranged for Jim Dunbar, the host of KGO-TVs, AM San Francisco, to have Melvin Belli join him on the air that morning, as Bailey was 3,000 miles away in Boston at the time. Policemen later interviewed her friends and acquaintances, who stated that she had been cohabiting with a white male who vanished shortly after Porter went missing. Join the news democracyWhere your votes decide the Top 100. There were a few things Clay said, or the way he said them, that made me think he was making stuff up on the fly. 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. She too had been strangled, but was had no known history with either drugs or prostitution. While this propelled the case to a national audience, the case remained unsolved. They got him iirc. "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. During her testimony, "Brenda" gave a description of her attacker, from which an identikit was created. Weinweir Henry, Lewis' cousin, stated that she last saw her at a hotel in Avondale with a man, whom she identified as Ellwood. Another inmate, Stephen Michael Busser, also told police that Ellwood had boasted of being wanted for more than 60 murders within the state of Louisiana, and had even described to him in detail one of them. Users on the Websleuths message board began compiling data on these killings in November 2016, which Stern fans took notice of three years later. It took nearly four months for the results to come back, and when they did, detectives were disappointed to learn that the results were inconclusive. Later, Ellwood received $15,000 from his mother, but he invested it all in penny stocks and lost it all. Powered by RedCircle. Eleven months after the final body was found, police discovered additional skeletal remains on April 8, 1996. Sharons boyfriend33-year-old Victor Gantwas a known user of chewing tobacco. [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. "Clay the Serial Killer" On the morning of 13 August 1997, a mysterious man called into the syndicated radio program of popular shock-jock Howard Stern. -. He was born on June 24, 1962, in Baton Rouge, Louisianna. [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. At the time, Swaggarts ministries were located in Baton Rouge, Louisianaa city whose population is still today over 50% black. NOPD Via criminalminds.fandom.com With no confession or hard evidence to charge him with, detectives had no choice but to let Gant go. Even if Clay the Serial Killer was not, in fact, Russell Ellwood, there is still a strong possibility that this caller was telling the truth. Here, Clay makes reference to Jimmy Swaggart, the famous Pentecostal Televangelist. During her lifetime, she had been arrested multiple times for theft and was a known drug addict. [5], During this period, according to investigators, the killer(s) committed several other murders, but due to various circumstances, the bodies of the victims were found only in early 1994.
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