Missouri Serial Killers
ColdCaseIndex documents 4 serial killers whose murders took place in Missouri, with first known killings from 1977 to 1992. 3 of them were caught; 1 linked case file document their victims. The earliest series is Joseph Paul Franklin (1977) and the most recent is I-70 Killer (1992). Profiles are added in order of public interest, so this page is not a complete census of the state.
All 4 profiles
Joseph Paul Franklin
James Clayton Vaughn Jr. (birth name)
Executed. Joseph Paul Franklin, a white supremacist sniper, was convicted of eight murders in Utah, Missouri, Wisconsin, Ohio and Tennessee committed between 1977 and 1980.
Lorenzo Gilyard
The Kansas City Strangler
Serving life. Lorenzo Gilyard, a Kansas City trash company supervisor, was linked by DNA in 2004 to the strangling of 12 women and girls and convicted in 2007 of six 1986-1987 murders.
Robert Berdella
The Kansas City Butcher
Died in prison. Robert Berdella pleaded guilty in 1988 to murdering six young men held captive at his Kansas City, Missouri home between 1984 and 1987.
I-70 Killer
I-70 Serial Killer
Unidentified. Six shop workers were shot in the head in small stores in Indiana, Kansas and Missouri between April 8 and May 7, 1992, all linked by a .22-caliber weapon.
At a glance
| Name | Alias | State | Active | Convicted | Confessed | Suspected | Legal status | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph Paul Franklin | James Clayton Vaughn Jr. (birth name) | Utah, Missouri, Wisconsin, Ohio, Tennessee | 1977 to 1980 | 8 | — | 8 to 22 | Convicted | Executed |
| Lorenzo Gilyard | The Kansas City Strangler | Missouri | 1977 to 1993 | 6 | — | 13 | Convicted | Imprisoned |
| Robert Berdella | The Kansas City Butcher | Missouri | 1984 to 1987 | 6 | 6 | 6 | Convicted | Died in prison |
| I-70 Killer | I-70 Serial Killer | Indiana, Missouri, Kansas, Texas | 1992 | — | — | 6 killed in 1992; 2 more killed and 1 wounded in Texas in 1993 to 1994 are a disputed possible link | Unidentified | At large |