Story serial killer town

Many of these details came from an assault on a woman who managed to survive her wounds. Still, she chose to disregard her fears, instead telling herself she was silly to think this; that surely the power was out.

When a table lamp suddenly switched on behind her, she knew he was there. She tried to run, but at this point was so terrified her feet became glued to the floor.

All the evening news stations ran the same footage, her lying in her hospital bed, head wrapped in gauze and her eyes swollen shut.

She described how she had learned somewhere if you are ever attacked by a wild animal, to let yourself go completely limp and play dead, which she did by falling to the floor after he sliced open her scalp and stabbed her in the belly. She said she went lifeless, hoping he would stop the assault, but how she managed to stay still with multiple stab wounds is beyond me. Listening to her description on the news was horrifying.

She said it was the worst moment of her life. I can only imagine. At age 21, I still lived at home with my Mother, Stepdad and younger sister, Elizabeth. I was studying biology at the local university, with some vague hopes of attending Veterinary School. For income, I worked as a waiter in a diner near the freeway. Because I was 21, I could legally serve the customers cocktails — mostly beer and wine.

Not bad for someone with questionable ambition at this point in his life. Thursday and Saturday night were our favorite gathering times. We partied often, but on these two particular evenings, we liked to ride our motorcycles to a raucous bar near the University called the Lid, listening to music and playing pool or foosball.

This meant you could keep two beers going at all times, a very important bonus from our perspective. By the time I hopped on my motorcycle to drive home, I was buzzed, horny and vaguely hungry. I briefly considered stopping at White Castle for a few cheeseburgers, but then decided against it. I had to work a long shift tomorrow, and the last thing I needed was to overpower my customers with uncontrollable flatulence. It was close to am as I pulled into our driveway. Lightning flickered in the west, threatening a storm.

I always killed the cycle engine as I turned up the street; usually I had enough momentum to just glide to the top of the driveway. As I dismounted, I noted all the lights were out, including the one above the outside door.

Mom usually left that on for me, so I was mildly annoyed to have to stumble through the complete darkness. My perception was just enough off to fear walking into a door jamb. I thought about keeping my helmet on but dismissed the idea quickly. I was too liquored up. After fumbling with my front door key, I saw the door was unlocked. Not unusual.

The entryway opened to a split level, with six steps up and a dozen down, where both my sister and I had bedrooms. However, it took authorities almost two years to find and charge Rolling with the murders.

Authorities were laser-focused on a different suspect, a student who lived in the same complex as two victims and exhibited extreme erratic behavior. Rolling was found guilty by a jury and sentenced to death. Flickr HAH Photography. In , after exhausting all his appeals, Rolling was executed by lethal injection.

But not before singing a gospel hymn for two minutes strapped to the gurney. Florida In Your Inbox spinner. Thank you! You will receive your first email soon. Love Florida? Get more stories delivered right to your email. The killer turned out to be Robert Lee Yates, Jr. During these uncertain times, please keep safety in mind and consider adding destinations to your bucket list to visit at a later date. Robert Yates grew up in Oak Harbor and had what appeared to be a normal childhood.

Yates would solicit them for sex, sometimes do drugs with them, and then shoot them. In , he picked up Christine Smith, who managed to escape despite being assaulted and shot. Thanks to DNA evidence, he was tied to 12 other victims, and he pleaded guilty to avoid the death penalty.