Murder! A topic that brings fear and intrigue to many. Throughout history, many people have immortalized their names by killing others. Some have gone a step further and carried out multiple murders embedding their names in history as serial killers. But why do these people carry out such atrocious acts? Is it the thrill? The adrenaline? Is it to be remembered? Or were they just born killers? Since time immemorial, many people have devoted themselves and their lives to finding out the truth, learning what makes serial killers tick. Sadly, this is a question that not many can answer. What is certain is many serial killers have particular reasons behind their madness. Some enjoy the feeling of power that murder grants them. Others do it for revenge. And others do it simply because they can. This is also true for any Connecticut serial killer. The area is a safe neighborhood with excellent security. But even this environment has seen its share of serial killers.
Here is a Connecticut serial killers list to help you understand their motives and stories.
Michael Bruce Ross
- Born on: July 26, 1959
- Death: May 13, 2005
- Number of victims: 8
- Date of murders: 1981-1984
- Date of arrest: July 28, 1984
- Reason for murder: Rape
- Conviction: the death penalty, executed on May 13, 2005
There are opportunistic murderers and meticulous murderers, and Michael Bruce Ross falls in the latter. His infamy spreads wide, so much so that he has gained many nicknames such as “The Egg Man” and “The Roadside Killer.” This led him to be the first person to be executed in Connecticut since 1960 and the last as the state has since repealed the death penalty.
Michael Bruce Ross had a troubled childhood like many serial killers in CT. He was the firstborn of four children in Hartford, the Most Dangerous Place in Connecticut. Their mother abandoned them, later being institutionalized. Some family members attest that he was a victim of child molestation by his uncle, who later committed suicide.
Michael Bruce Ross targeted young girls walking alone along the road or hitchhikers. He narrated how he would lure them to his vehicle before forcefully taking them to a remote place. He would then tie their hands and feet before raping them and brutally murdering them by asking them to turn over on their stomach and choking them to death.
He was caught when police were investigating the crimes in the area, and someone identified the vehicle. Police located the people with the car in question and interrogated them. Michael Bruce Ross was one of these people, and he admitted to the murders in Connecticut after interrogation.
He even went as far as showing the police where he had buried some of the bodies. He was sentenced to death, and his execution was carried out on May 13, 2005.
Emanuel Lovell WEBB
- Born in: 1966
- Death: Still alive
- Number of victims: 4
- Date of murders: 1990-1994
- Year of arrest: 1994
- Reason for murder: Rape
- Conviction: 20 years. Released in 2001 on parole. He was later sentenced to 60 years in Connecticut in 2008.
Also called “The Bridgeport Killer” or “The East End Strangler,” Emanuel Lovell WEBB was an ordinary man with a routine and a job as a security guard. This is an interesting case because they did not solve it like many older cases, making him a famous serial killer in CT. Instead, technology use was heavily in play.
At the time, Emanuel Lovell WEBB was not a suspect and was not linked to any of the murders. He did not dispose of the bodies far from where he lived. He was only caught for the murders after violating his parole, and the detectives matched his DNA to the four crime scenes. He was sentenced to 20 years in 1994 after pleading to the lesser charge of manslaughter and was released in 2001 on parole but was later arrested for violating his parole. And it is the second arrest that led to him being identified as the murderer of the four women.
The police say that after re-examining evidence of two similar murders in Connecticut and sending DNA samples to the FBI for further investigations, there was a hit with Emanuel Lovell WEBB’s DNA being found in both crime scenes. The detectives later sent two more DNA samples to the police, which positively identified Emanuel Lovell WEBB’s DNA in all the crime scenes.
Emanuel Lovell WEBB was charged with 60 years for murder and rape and is still serving his time.
Lorne Joe ACQUIN
- Born on: March 21, 1950
- Death: July 2015
- Number of murders: 9
- Date of murder: July 22, 1977
- Date of arrest: July 23, 1977
- Reason for murder: revenge
- Conviction: 25 years for each murder and 20 for arson
Tellingly, this is still the worst mass murder case in the history of Connecticut. ACQUIN may not be termed a Connecticut serial killer per se, but as a mass murderer, we still thought we should add him to this list because of the sheer gruesomeness of his crimes. He is termed a mass murderer because he did all the killings in one night compared to the time frame taken by serial killers.
ACQUIN killed his foster brother’s wife, her 7 children, and their niece. He tied them up and beat them to death with a tire iron. After killing the family, he set the house on fire to bury the evidence before escaping the crime scene.
The next day the police took statements from about 100 people, including the deceased’s husband. ACQUIN was called in for questioning, where he admitted to the horrifying murders. The 27-year-old was sentenced to 25 years for each murder and another 20 for arson. He told the police the reason for the murders was revenge but was never clear about who his hatred was directed to. He died in July 2015 before answering this question and was buried with his secret.
Matthew Beck
- Born in: 1963
- Death: March 6, 1998
- Number of murders: 4
- Date of murder: March 6, 1998
- Date of arrest: Killed himself
- Reason for murder: Employer revenge
- Conviction: Killed himself
Matthew Beck carried out one of the saddest and most vindictive mass murders in Connecticut history; This was just an ordinary man who came back after a four-month stress-related medical leave to find that things at work had changed. He worked at the Connecticut Lottery Office for eight years only to come back to find that he was demoted and his back pay request rejected. Matthew went to the Connecticut Lottery Offices on March 6, 1998, with a shotgun and a hunting knife. He executed four of his immediate bosses before shooting himself in the head.
Robert Frederick CARR III
- Born in: 1943
- Death: July 6, 2007
- Number of murders: 4
- Date of murder: 1972 – 1976
- Date of arrest: 1976
- Reason for murder: Rape
- Conviction: 1,400 years, Life imprisonment
Perhaps not a well-known serial killer in most parts of the world apart from Connecticut. But the residents and families of people living in the area may never forget the name Robert Frederick CARR III. He admitted to being “born evil” to the police after he was caught by accident by a police officer attempting to rape a housewife.
After he was arrested, he admitted to the rape and murder of 11-year-olds Todd Payton and Mark Wilson and 16-year-old Tammy Ruth Huntley before the body of 21-year-old Rhonda Holloway was found. He also admitted to raping almost a dozen girls and boys. A three-bench judge panel sentenced him to 1400 years in jail for sexual predatory rape and murder. He died in prison on July 6, 2007.
Errol S. DEHANEY
- Born in: 1968
- Death: Still alive in prison
- Number of murders: 3
- Date of murder: November 25, 1995
- Date of arrest: same day
- Reason for murder: Domestic violence
- Conviction: Life imprisonment on December 8, 1999
Errol S. DEHANEY, a husband and a father, killed his entire family after a dinner party before threatening to kill himself. Witnesses say that he had asked his wife to leave the party because one of their children had wet themselves and needed to go home. After a disagreement, the wife went back to their friend’s house, where Errol S. DEHANEY followed her and shot her five times mercilessly at point-blank range. He then went back to the car and shot his two children.
He was arrested soon after the owners of the house called the police. Errol S. DEHANEY pleaded insanity during his trial with physiological reports from his past but was sentenced to life in prison on December 8, 1999.
Richard Tobias DELAGE
- Born in: 1954
- Number of murders: 2
- Date of murder: July 29, 1960 / November 15, 1969
- Date of arrest: October 3, 1975
- Reason for murder: Random shootings
- Conviction: Plea bargained to 20 years maximum on September 9, 1976
Serial killers often have profound and twisted motives for their killing sprees. However, you cannot say this about Richard Tobias DELAGE, who seemed to have killed random women for no reason at all. He committed his first murder when he was 15 years. He shot and killed a 29-year-old school teacher using unusual Swedish ammunition in her car. He also shot and killed a 23-year-old girl in her car with the same Swedish ammunition nine years later. But he failed to kill another young lady 6 years later after shooting her in her car. He then checked himself to a hospital where the police found him. On September 9, 1976, he was offered a plea bargain for manslaughter, where he spent 20 years.
Geoffrey Kent FERGUSON
- Born in: 1951
- Death: Committed suicide in prison on May 7, 2003
- Number of murders: 5
- Date of murder: April 18, 1995
- Date of arrest: two days later
- Reason for murder: rent dispute
- Conviction: Life in prison is without a possibility of parole; in 1998
Geoffrey Kent FERGUSON had several rent disputes with 3 of his tenants at his Redding, Connecticut house. He had threatened them severally that he would take action if they were late for rent again. On April 18, 1995, he snapped and went to the house with a gun to the property, where he shot his three tenants and two of their friends. He then set the house ablaze and escaped. However, one of the victims survived and crawled out before telling the first response team that Geoffrey Kent FERGUSON did it. Geoffrey Kent FERGUSON was arrested two days after and later convicted with life in prison without a possibility of parole in 1998. He committed suicide in his cell on May 7, 2003, after spending about four years behind bars.
Steven Joseph HAYES
- Born on: May 30, 1963
- Number of murders: 3
- Date of murder: July 23, 2007
- Date of arrest: same day
- Reason for murder: Home invasion
- Conviction: Sentenced to death on December 2, 2010
Some serial killers like Robert Frederick CARR III say they were born evil, but others like Steven Joseph HAYES don’t care. In a seven-hour ordeal where he and his partner killed and raped a wife and her two children, they seemed almost excited about what they did. What was initially a home invasion by Steven Joseph HAYES and his partner Joshua A. Komisarjevsky, where they said no one was going to get hurt, quickly escalated to a gruesome crime scene. They tired down the husband before proceeding to tire up the wife and the kids in their respective rooms. When the haul they found did not certify them, they decided to take the wife to the bank to withdraw $15,000 early that morning. The wife told the bank teller what was going on, and she called 911. However, by the time the police arrived at the victims’ residence, they found that the two criminals had raped and killed the mother and her two daughters before setting the house ablaze. The husband was the only survivor who escaped and went to his neighbor to find help. Joshua A. Komisarjevsky and Steven Joseph HAYES were arrested later a block away from their crime scene smelling of gasoline. They were both given death sentences.
Matthew Steven JOHNSON
- Born in: 1963
- Number of murders: 3 +
- Date of murder: 2000 – 2001
- Date of arrest: January 13, 2002
- Reason for murder: drug-related
- Conviction: three life sentences
Matthew Steven JOHNSON was only caught due to DNA evidence from the Cold Case Unit in Connecticut. All his murders were done in a one-mile radius of Asylum Hill in Connecticut, but all the cases went cold due to lack of evidence. After his arrest and sentencing, Matthew Steven JOHNSON has continued to deny any involvement in the murders even though his DNA was found on all three victims. The Supreme court denied his appeal, and he is still serving his sentence.
As you can see, murder goes beyond age, gender, race, and beliefs. It is one of the biggest mysteries of all time. But even the vilest people still have rights. No matter the crime, the law has to be followed. And one such law is bail and bonds. Unless someone is a flight risk or the court has reasons not to grant bail or bond, it is a right.
For this reason, it is always important to work with a reliable bail bonds company like Connecticut Bail Bonds Group if you are looking for Bail For Murder. Visit our website for more information.
Connecticut Bail Bonds Group
11 Asylum St, Suite 512 Hartford CT 06103
(860) 420-2245
