It's just going to be my word against his. The true number of victims of Robert Ben Rhoades may never be fully known, for a variety of reasons. Robert Ben Rhoades is a 71 year old white male, 6' 1" 175 pounds, and currently resides in the Menard Correctional Facility in Chester Illinois. According to her, in the summer of 1985, Rhoades was driving for a trucking company based in Georgia that has an office right on I-95. This tells me that he liked manipulating through terror. With all her freckles, she looked very Irish. I could tell you the last three songs played on the radio if you asked, but only if you asked. I imagined for a moment flying to Illinois. Evil Lives Here: Deadly Fetish has serial killer Robert Ben Rhoades ex-wife, Debra Davis, talk about when she met Robert and how their relationship ended eventually. She never reported the incident, as she had promised Robert. Read More: Where is Robert Ben Rhoades Now? Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Rhoades intentionally chose women who lacked credibility. She was on a trip with her husband, Bob, the last she ever took in his truck. The woods were blue in the gray light, which was either dusk or a coming storm. "They don't use that emblem now. It was a ghost story. To revisit this article, visit My Profile, thenView saved stories. Defendant Robert Boyd Rhoades was convicted of the first degree murder of Michael Lyons, with special circumstances of murder in the commission of forcible sodomy, murder in the commission of a lewd act on a child, and murder by torture. I'd heard of at least one who got hung up on a meat hook in the back of a refrigerated trailer because a trucker thought she'd given him VD. Another prostitute had been grabbed there as well, in 2006, but was found farther down the road with her throat slit. I knew from talking to the Martinsburg police that the truck stop had been under the jurisdiction of the Berkeley County sheriff. She also had children from another marriage. Or rather, I remember what he was not wearing. We do the interview, but I don't take notes. Robert Ben Rhoades' love for the BDSM scene wasn't something that he kept a secret. The more I learned about Rhoades, the more I saw parallels between us. TV-14. She told Robert he didnt really want to do what he was about to do, that he could change his mind and she would never report him to the police. 1 of 3 DNA26C-C-24JAN00-EZ-HO --- Convicted murderer Robert Boyd Rhoades was linked to the 1984 slaying of eighteen year-old Julie Connell through DNA records. On Monday, Rhoades pleaded guilty and was charged with two counts of capital murder in Sutton County, Tex. "Do you remember what his cab looked like? Sagittarius. Six weeks later, though, we parted ways. He shows it and asks what they think is going on. Around her neck was a dog chain with a padlock attached to the ring that had been used to restrain her neck. The dungeon-like compartment was described in "Roadside Prey" by Alva Busch, a book written about Rhoades. Eventually, law enforcement discovered Robert Ben Rhoades was a serial killer, in addition to being a sexual sadist who enjoyed torturing women and girls. Before serial killer Robert Ben Rhoades killed his victims, he like to snap a photo of them. I remember thinking it could be me, since I was also a teenage hitchhiker. The newspapers were equally silent. He could be the killer. Roadside Prey. She had been missing from the Houston area since early 1990 after running off with her boyfriend. She hid there until she was sure she heard his truck leave. This modus operandi makes it difficult for authorities to determine how many victims Robert Ben Rhoades had. She didn't do what he expected. Debra told me that "Bob" always wore matching Dickies, usually dark blue. The photo was taken by serial rapist, torturer and murderer, Robert Ben Rhoades, who dressed the young teen in a black dress and heels, forcibly cutting her hair for the occasion. Smith said that should Rhoades ever be released from the Illinois prison for any unforeseen reason, he would be returned to a Texas prison. These are narratives we know. Rhoades was identified as a suspect . On my way out, I destroyed every single picture of me over the age of 12 so that there would be nothing to give to the police. His wife, Debra Davis, was from Texas. she said. Like Regina, I also had a little journal and probably wrote something in it that night, because it was far too cold to sleep. The FBI theorized Robert had killed at least three women per month. While the first few months were great, Debra noticed that Roberts appetite for sex increased. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. But in the picture, with her inch-long hair and dog collar, she looked like a gutter punk, like any girl you might see in any university district. Could Debra help solve an active investigation? So, if youre curious about where Debra might be today, heres what we know! While I was hitchhiking, he was driving. It is also worth mentioning that Debra has spoken at domestic violence conferences over the years and shared her story. In Roberts truck, the authorities found his murder kit which contained cords, chains, whips, leashes, and fishhooks. A few days later, Robert kidnapped another couple. Lisa Pennal's full statement, it turned out, had been destroyed for file space. Roberts relationships didnt last very long, he had been married three times. If Rhoades hadn't been stopped by a patrolman on I-10 in Casa Grande, Ariz., in 1990, his crimes might never have been discovered. Rhoades avtjnar ett livstidsstraff p Menard Correctional Center i Chester i Illinois . Born in Council Bluffs, IA #7. This meant that several of the photos she was the subject of were taken during her last moments alive. Between 1975 and 1990, Robert Ben Rhoads, now 73, savagely murdered at least three victims and possibly, investigators believe, as many as 50 during his treks across North America as a professional truck driver. I said it was his choice. The girl, he said, "wasn't one of our own. He was not wearing a T-shirt. Of the 200 people on a suspect list, almost all of them were long-haul truckers. ", "That sure sounds like Bob. All That's Interesting tells us that this trucker was Rhoades. Police photo. He lived with his mother, Fay Rhoades, and several siblings in a two bedroom home at 2400 Avenue D. Robert's father, Ben Rhoades,. I did a search on towns named Martinsburg. In that one, driven by penis envy, a woman's inner child taunts a man into seducing her so that she can be freed from guilt for her own "sadistic fantasies." new content, we kindly appreciate any donation you can give to help It wasn't the early '70s, it was 1987, and the woman killed was 19-year-old Lamonica Cole. It seems our profound fascination with serial killers is matched by an equally profound lack of interest in their victims. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Rhoades didn't live a double life as much as a shadowed one. It's me, Sugar Bear, in party row. She was a drifter." ", I had a vision of Lisa Pennal as a truck-stop Kali roaming the back lots in her denim skirt and fuzzy slippers with an ozone hole for a halo. Investigation Discovery referred to Rhoades' truck as a "rolling torture chamber," based on what was kept inside this enclosure. I said he could do it in a few minutes. The question of what you do with your old SWAT jacket when you retire had never entered my mind. It was getting dark. According to The Daily Nonpareil, Rhoades' truck logs placed him in the area where at least 50 unsolved murders were believed to have taken place. Rhoades received a second life sentence in the plea, in exchange for prosecutors not seeking the death penalty. Unlike those of other young women on the road, my story was now recognizable. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. The trial began in 1994 and Robert was ultimately convicted of the first-degree murder of Regina Kay Walters. Please enable javascript before you are allowed to see this page. In 1994, Robert Ben Rhoades was convicted of the first degree murder of Regina Walters. Investigation Discovery's ' Evil Lives Here: Deadly Fetish' has serial killer Robert Ben Rhoades' ex-wife, Debra Davis, talk about when she met Robert and how their relationship ended eventually. An unidentified girl, shown here in a photograph taken by Rhoades. He was sentenced to life without parole at Menard Correctional Center in Chester, Illinois. She would be easy to dismiss. Around the same time that Robert joined the military, his father was arrested for molesting a twelve-year-old girl and ultimately committed suicide while awaiting trial. I knew in my body that it was over. I didn't tell him about my recent inquiries at first; I just asked where he'd dropped me off. When authorities in Texas were notified, they recognized her as being the same girl in some eerie photographs they seized from Rhoades' home after his April 1990 arrest. She shook her head; then her eyes clouded some. The rig was equipped with handcuffs on the ceiling, which enabled Rhoades to chain his female victims so that he could torture them before killing them. The more I learned about Rhoades, the more I saw parallels between us. In Robert Ben Rhoades's truck, authorities recovered a briefcase filled with sex toys and torture devices which the hitchhiker said the trucker had used to abuse her over the course of several hours. Then he started talking about the dead girl in the Dumpster and asked me if I'd ever heard of the Laughing Death Society. But it was also a dangerous form of brinksmanship, because if a trucker was going to cross the line, the higher stakes meant he was going to do it for real. the Murderpedia project stay alive. To at least one of my questionswas Rhoades my guy?I'd have a clear answer, a simple yes or no. Robert shot and killed Douglas right away and dumped his body in Sutton County, Texas. There was a Martinsburg truck stop somewhere in my story, and there was a dead 17-year-old hitchhiker. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). This is the last picture ever taken of Regina Walters. When rescued, she was wearing fuzzy lion slippers, talking secret prisons and being on a mission to see the presidentjust the kind of testimony that makes most detectives stop taking notes, since they're looking at someone who can't stand trial. Looks too much like a target.". She told me there was only one and he had gone fishing. Narrowing the field to those last seen around truck stops and rest areas, the bureau counted over 500 bodies, almost all women. The arrest set off a chain of events that led to Robert being convicted for three murders and suspected of many more. I lived in that gap. This former trucker is believed to have killed over 20 people spanning from 1975 to 1990. Debra had a difficult time coping with the news that Robert had tortured women and killed multiple people. On April 1, 1990, a state trooper made a shocking discovery when he stopped to investigate a semi-truck that was parked off Interstate 10 in the city of Casa Grande, Arizona. Between Pennal and Rhoades, it's Rhoades they believe. Rhoades was found guilty of murdering Patricia Walters in an Illinois court and sentenced to life in prison. When the FBI extradited him to Illinois, he was able to get a phone number off a waitress while shackled hand and foot and wearing an orange prison suit. He said a gun was about control but a knife is personal. Robert is believed to have tortured, raped, and murdered over fifty women between 1975 and 1990 during truck stops, but because most of his victims were sex workers and hitchhikers it is difficult to confirm exactly who and how many people he has killed. Sure, serial killers ~killed~ people, but what did they actually do? Truck stops in the 1980s were closed worlds where what went on passed unnoticed on the outside. The driver reached the cab, swung up behind the wheel, and said we should get going. she said. I asked about the knife. Murder Victim. I was still in shock, so I walked back out to the same road and started hitching south. The vehicle had been converted into a refuge for the killer, a place where his most sinister desires could be inflicted on victims without detection. I finally got to Davis through agent Young. We had $60 and a Smith Wesson five-shot with one bullet in it, which we accidentally fired off in a field in Maryland during a discussion about whether the safety was on. Rhoades later was extradited to Texas for the murder of Jones and another victim. You called and left a message a day or so after I dropped you off, saying I was going to read about a dead 17-year-old hitchhiker they found in a truck stop and that it wasn't you.". Mark Young said Rhoades likes to feel like an expert and that I should ask him to "educate" me, so while writing my letter I used permissive language, saying I wanted him "to teach me what I did right and what I did wrong" when I was traveling. According to the FBI, quite a few. Martinsburg was nothing but a pinprick, just a dot on a minor route feeding into a midsize highway on the outskirts of Altoona, PA, not the sort of place you'd expect to find a busy truck stop. In 1985 my biggest problem was sleep. Bruce Willis. Young was right. The photos stayed in my head, though, and with them came questions: What if the man who pulled the knife on me really did murder the hitchhiker? The interior of the truck's cab contained a hidden compartment that could only be seen if you were between the seats. I needed to understand what my responsibility was and to find my own answers, if nobody else's, so I began to look. March 30, 2012 — -- A Texas trucker who kept a traveling torture chamber in the cab of his rig pleaded guilty to murdering a newlywed couple more than 20 years ago. Behind the tragic elements of Regina's story, like some kind of pentimento, I saw my own. Though her remains were discovered within months of her death, it wasn't until 2003 that she was able to be positively identified (via The Daily Nonpareil). I called the office. Had she ever heard about it? Investigators from various law enforcement agencies along his route poured over his driving logs. Girls no one would miss. need your help for this. The memory was twenty-seven years old, and nothing in it was actionable. Every trucker I ever met had a gun, so the knife seemed significant. When I got home from West Virginia, a letter from Rhoades was waiting. I kept my eyes closed, stayed still, then rolled away from him, pretending I was still asleep. She was wearing those slippersbut she was telling the truth. The picture was given to Young by Regina's mom. At the time, she was out with friends when she came across Robert in a pilots uniform. The Daily Nonpareil reports that Rhoades had been married multiple times, and his third wife came forward to police with additional information about his bedroom hobbies. Rhoades is currently serving life sentences in Illinois for three murders. They were stringing crime tape around the Dumpster just as another state trooper rolled into the lot. Upon searching Rhoades's vehicle, officials found he had converted his semi-truck into a mobile torture chamber, allowing the middle-aged husband and father to torment and abuse women as he crisscrossed the United States. They found her near a Dumpster behind the restaurant at the Gateway Travel Plaza in Breezewood. Nothing came up, but that wasn't too surprising. In 1984, he started dating Jerry Howell, a good-looking 19-year-old male prostitute. Most say she's a prostitute and that it's a "transaction gone bad." Rhoades, dressed for a Halloween party, was an active member of the S&M scene in Houston. He struck a deal with prosecutors in Texas, pleading guilty to avoid the state's death penalty for the murder of both Patricia Walsh and Douglas Zyskowski. Ad Choices, He was methodical, he rode the highways, and he preyed on teenage girls. Criminals. Rhoades saw what Debra was looking at. He attempted college but he soon decided it wasnt for him and dropped out, becoming a long-haul truck driver instead. I only ran about a hundred yards before I turned and hid, because I didn't know if I was being chased and needed to see. In the second installment of Death on the Open Road: Highway Homicides, we cover the case of evil serial killer Robert Ben Rhoades aka The Truck Stop Killer. Robert Ben Rhoades. Robert's victims were hitchhikers. Could Debra help solve an active investigation? Regina Kay Walters is remembered among his victims for the terrifying photograph he took of her moments before he murdered her. Sexual sadists in particular work off erotic maps established early on. Regina Walters had been seen in Chicago standing freely outside his truck in a public place. The hitchhiker also told police that while Robert Ben Rhoades was subjecting her to horrific acts of abuse and torture, he told her his nickname was "Whips and Chains." Inside Robert Ben Rhoades' Traveling Torture Chamber, Illinois Department of Corrections/Wikimedia Commons. It was in this compartment that Robert Ben Rhoadesconstructed a tiny room of horrors to hold his undetermined number of victims. At the center of everything was my own breath. to keep expanding and making Murderpedia a better site, but we really Wikipedia External References Rhoades antas ha torterat, vldtagit och mrdat fler n 50 kvinnor, [ 2] men endast 3 har bekrftats. Reading it, I found it hard not to hear the man telling me to "run.". "Don't you think that fact starts to rule him out? His operation spanned for over 15 years between 1975 to 1990 leading to the death of over 50 victims before he was convicted of several charges and . On the show, she talked of feeling a lot of guilt. The next morning, I drove to the Gateway Travel Plaza in Breezewood, Pennsylvania. His truck is said to have contained a homemade torture chamber. On the table in front of Young was a snapshot of Regina Walters that I hadn't seen, taken not very long before she was abducted. There were seven within rangeIndiana, Iowa, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Missouri, West Virginia, and New Yorkall less than a day's drive apart. Lee still uses the tape when he trains police detectives in interrogation. When you get in a truck at a truck stop, everyone notices. "That was the problem with him," Smith said. Getting sleep was pretty easy with a boyfriend, because one of us could always stay awake. Walsh and Zyskowski had recently gotten married, and they had decided to travel from their hometown of Seattle, Washington, to Georgia. First Name Robert. You asked me to have sex and offered to pay. ", Inside the briefcase, officers found dildos, alligator clips, handcuffs, leashes, and whips. 'Truck Stop Killer' Robert Ben Rhoades is thought to have tortured, raped and killed more than 50 women during a reign of terror lasting from 1975 to 1990. He was charged with kidnapping and assault. Lee told me that the final lines of Holts's police statement read, "I don't see any good in filing charges. Truck in a pilots uniform six weeks later, Robert Ben Rhoades ' love for the scene... Chain with a boyfriend, because one of my questionswas Rhoades my guy? I 'd have a answer... Soon decided it wasnt for him and dropped out, becoming a truck... Enable javascript before you are allowed to see this page never reported the incident, she. 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