Killer Stories with Harvey Guillén - "Crazy Dave" David Edward Maust Pt. 2

Episode Date: December 1, 2022

Once back in the U.S., Maust serves time for manslaughter before regaining his freedom. He continues befriending teenage boys who fill his need for companionship. But time and again, Maust caves to his violent urges. Despite his guilt, and his spontaneous ability to stop himself mid-murder attempt, he takes four more lives by 2004. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Due to the graphic nature of this killer's crimes, listener discretion is advised. This episode includes discussions of violence, suicide, exploitation of children, and the sexual assault and murder of adults and minors. We advise extreme caution for children under 13. On September 10, 2003, David Moss stood over James Raganje, watching the sleeping teen's chest rise and fall with each breath. It was so peaceful. It was until David pulled out a length of rope. At that, a small piece of him screamed in protest, but a louder voice in his head soothed him. He won't feel anything, it told him.

It's now or never. David crouched by James' head and slipped the rope around his neck. A mixture of adrenaline and pleasure spread through him as he pulled, watching the fiber dig into the teenager's skin. Even the part of him that resisted killing couldn't deny the thrill. Within minutes, James had stopped breathing. David felt for a pulse, and finding none quietly wrapped the boy in duct tape and plastic wrap. Then he dragged the body into the basement and dumped it in a hole he'd dug in the floor. After that, David trudged back upstairs, trying to shake away the memory of what he'd just done.

He went to the refrigerator and grabbed a beer. He drank it quickly, then opened another. But before he could get too drunk, he remembered something. James' young friend Michael Dennis was still passed out in the other room. David wasn't finished yet. Hi, I'm Greg Poulson. This is Serial Killers, a Spotify original from Parcast. Every episode, we dive into the minds and madness of serial killers.

Today, we'll wrap up our exploration of David Edward Moss. I'm here with my co-host, Vanessa Richardson. Hi, everyone. You can find episodes of serial killers and all other Spotify originals from Parcast for free on Spotify. Last time, we learned about David's abusive mother and his childhood spent in neglectful institutions. Then we watched as the voice in his head urged him to do increasingly awful things, until David finally took the life of a 13-year-old boy. Today, we'll see David's craving for companionship clash with his deep desire.

to hurt those closest to him. And as his body count increases, we'll follow the investigation to bring him down. We've got all that and more coming up. Stay with us. This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Bonnie and Clyde, the lonely hearts killers,

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Sign up for your $1 per month trial today at Shopify.com slash killers. That's Shopify.com slash killers. This episode is brought to you by ZipRecruiter. Whether you're hiring for a role or searching for a killer, the hunt can be exhausting. When detectives looked and searched to find any kind of evidence to find the person they were looking for, like Jack the Ripper, the Golden State Killer, the Unit Bomber. It's tedious work to find what you're looking for. So, if you're hiring, I've got news for you. You can skip the lengthy investigation and the tiresome process of sorting through hundreds of resumes.

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That's ziprecruiter.com slash killers. Meet your match on ZipRecruiter. This episode is brought to you by Prime. Obsession is in session. And this summer, Prime originals have everything you want. Steamy romances, irresistible love stories, and the book to screen favorites you've already read twice. Off campus, L, every year after, the love hypothesis.

Sterling Point, and more. Slow burns, second chances, chemistry you can feel through the screen. Your next obsession is waiting. Watch only on Prime. On May 26, 1974, David Moss stood in a forest, panting over 13-year-old Jimmy McClister's motionless body. Just minutes ago, Jimmy had been on the back of David's moped,

cruising through the wooded streets surrounding Frankfurt, Germany. Now he was dead. After nearly a decade of repressing murderous urges, 20-year-old David had finally given in. He felt a sob rise in his chest. But even as he grappled with his complicated feelings, he knew he had to hide the body. Regaining his composure, he started digging a hole in the forest floor. When it was big enough, he placed Jimmy inside, filled the hole in, and left him behind. On the other side of town, Jimmy's family and friends noticed his disappearance immediately and raised the alarm.

One of Jimmy's friends, a 15-year-old, were calling Trevor, told authorities about David's moped and that Jimmy might have gone on a ride with him. After hearing this, U.S. military authorities approached David to ask him about Jimmy's disappearance, and the 20-year-old feigned ignorance so well that they let him go. However, when Jimmy's body was found a month later, investigators called David in again. This time, he broke down. But instead of admitting to murdering Jimmy, David invented a story about getting into a moped accident. That was how the teen died, he said. That might have been a tough cell, especially if Jimmy's body was in a condition that showed how badly he'd been beaten,

not to mention the fact that he'd been buried in a forest, but David had something that. working in his favor. Apparently, some people believe that Trevor actually killed Jimmy and that David was trying to protect the younger boy. But without any proof to support this theory, the authorities charged David with premeditated murder, as well as larceny of a motor vehicle for stealing the moped in the first place. What happened next isn't totally clear, but perhaps some more influential officials believe that David was innocent because the military court swallowed the accident story.

In early December, 1974, they convicted David of manslaughter and sentenced him to four years in prison, which he was ordered to serve in Kansas. At this point, we want to pull over and remind you that a lot of what we know about David's story comes directly from a long autobiography, he wrote. Using that manuscript, plus notes from his lawyer, author Dory Moss sketched out a picture of the killer's life. However, because of so much of the book's content was based on David's own recollections, trusting that it's all truth can be difficult. Keep that in mind as we move forward.

While we've confirmed facts wherever possible, his own accounts of his crimes might not be reliable. Likewise, getting verifiable insight into David's mind is impossible. Part of him was grateful to be behind bars, where he couldn't hurt anyone, where he could contribute. He made himself useful, earning a diploma, learning trades,

and writing letters to his mother, Ava. David's good behavior earned him review opportunities before the parole board, but he turned them down. He told officials he didn't want to be considered for early release. Vanessa is going to take over in the psychology here and throughout the episode. Please note, Vanessa is not a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist, but we have done a lot of research for this show. Thanks, Greg. We've talked a lot on this show about how physical and sexual abuse can influence someone's propensity for violence in the future. But the abuse David experienced at the hands of his caretakers and mother growing up

likely affected him in this moment too. In a 2020 issue of psychiatry, psychology, and law, researchers found that serial killers who'd experienced sexual abuse growing up, like David, are more likely to feel deep remorse and guilt for their crimes. This aligns with the stories of David's sobbing after hurting his victims. So it seems possible that his deep feelings of guilt and self-loathing led him to choose choose solitude over freedom. Perhaps he hoped that if he didn't have the opportunity to hurt anyone else, he wouldn't. But alone in prison, David still yearned for company. And so, after a few months,

he began hanging with some of the younger men. We aren't sure when, but at some point, he struck up a friendship with a man named Luke. A handsome Southern boy from Georgia, Luke had a mysterious scar on his chest, and David felt drawn to him. He wanted a friend, someone to come. He wanted a friend, someone connect with. After nervously approaching Luke, David introduced himself and mentioned that he'd spent parts of his childhood in Georgia. From that moment forward, the pair spent every moment together, playing cards, talking, and wrestling. We aren't sure if the relationship ever became sexual or romantic, but it was deeply intimate. David found that he could talk with Luke about anything. But the closer David and Luke became, the more it triggered David's seemingly boundless rage.

Something about the younger man unhinged him, and they got into a huge fight. However, a few days later, David regretted his behavior. He felt heartbroken that he'd lost his best and only friend. So he begged for forgiveness, and after a while, Luke accepted the apology. As far as we can tell, the two men passed their time behind bars without any incident, patiently waiting out their respective sentences. When David was up for parole again in 1977, he finally took the opportunity. That May, the 23-year-old walked out of prison a free man.

Luko was also released from prison shortly after that, and the two men moved to Savannah, Georgia together. There they worked odd jobs to keep afloat. But their main focus was using the city as their playground. Most nights were spent drinking, smoking weed, and trying to pick up women. It was all two young men could ask for, except for the fact that David's thirst for violence got stronger by the day. The urge to hurt Luke radiated through David's mind. The impulse was a constant thorn in his side, and one night in January, he decided to remove it. After a night on the town, David and Luke stumbled home. As soon as they stepped inside,

Luke stripped down and passed out. It's possible that seeing an unconscious naked man triggered David. Thanks to his childhood spent playing the knockout game, maybe he felt entitled to do whatever he wanted to Luke. Moving quietly, David fetched a knife. He stood over Luke's body, watching his ribs expand and contract with each breath. In one quick motion, David plunged the blade into his friend's torso. But as blood pulled on the ground, David panicked. He shook Luke awake and called 911. Later, David told authorities that Luke came home from partying with the wound. And since Luke couldn't remember anything from that night, the episode drew to a close

without further issue. But in April of 1978, while Luke recovered in Georgia, David moved to Chicago to work at a machine shop. Desperate to be reunited, David found Luke a job near him in Chicago. And after being apart for so long, David couldn't resist his urges. The very night Luke moved in, 24-year-old David snuck into his room and pointed a gun at his friend's head, but when he pulled the trigger, the weapon misfired. Luke startled awake and the two men locked eyes.

There were likely two simultaneous realizations at that moment. Luke suddenly knew that it was David who stabbed him months ago, and David knew that his relationship with Luke was finished. But there was no time to stop and think. Instead, Luke grabbed the gun from David as well as all the knives in the house. Then he stayed away from David for the rest of the night. The next day, he wrote a letter to David, telling him that he'd never see him again, but that he hoped David would get help. Then he left.

Luke never reported the attack, so David didn't face any official repercussions for the assault, but he did have a difficult few months dealing with the loss of his friend. According to his account, he struggled with his loneliness and violent impulses until he found something that made him feel better. In October of 1978, David met a 14-year-old boy named Brian and paid him to come to his house to pose for pictures. Once they were alone, David instructed the teen to take off his clothes, then tied him up with rope for the photographs.

It was the beginning of a perverted routine. He'd offer Brian money, alcohol, and a place to hang. out in exchange for taking explicit photographs of the boy. Eventually, David escalated to sexually assaulting the minor. This went on for about three months until Brian moved out of town. Once he was gone, David found a new target. 19-year-old Scott came to work at the same machine shop as David in 1978. The two clicked, and David likely hoped it would be another chance at a meaningful relationship like the one he once shared with Luke. However, Scott was more independent than Luke, which upset David.

He had other friends, a girlfriend, and even a son. But David wanted the young man all for himself. Around Labor Day of 1979, he decided to act on that desire. That holiday weekend, the two friends went on a bender. Both nights, Scott crashed at David's place. When Scott was asleep, David sexually. assaulted him. Then, on Monday night, the 25-year-old decided he needed more. Just as he had done with Luke, David hovered over his friend with a knife as the voice in his head cheered him on.

He stabbed Scott once, but unlike Luke, Scott woke up and started to fight back. Riding the wave of adrenaline, David held him down and choked him. Then, on a dime, David's mind switched from killer to friend. He let go of Scott's throat like his hands had been burned. Apparently horrified at what he'd done, he dialed 911. Eventually, help arrived, and though David had a moment of relief knowing his friend would make it out alive, it didn't last long. Scott told the authorities exactly what happened, and they took David into custody. Even after his mother bailed him out, David felt like he was coming apart of the seams. He started self-harming, partly as a coping mechanism. To hear him tell it, he wanted to be in

where he could waste away without hurting anyone. But less than a year later, in April of 1980, David was found not guilty of attempted murder. That meant he was a free man, but the only one celebrating was the small, bloodthirsty voice in the back of his mind. Coming up, David adds to his body count. Of all the mysteries in the world, perhaps the greatest is, when will it all end? will it all end? Or rather, how? Hi listeners, it's Richard and Molly from the Spotify original from Parcast, Unexplained Mysteries. With the end of the year approaching, Unexplained Mysteries is taking a closer look at some of the most infamous end-of-the-world scenarios in a five-part

doomsday special you do not want to miss. Throughout the month of December, discover the many ways people have prophesized our demise. From a religious apocalypse, and an alien invasion to threats from space and nuclear warfare. We'll even explore how advancements in technology could be our undoing. Do any of us have anything to truly be scared of? Therein lies the mystery. Listen to the Unexplained Mysteries' five-part Doomsday Special, free and only on Spotify.

Transport Your Senses with Soldes Janato's limited edition perfume mist collection. At Sephora, spritz on lush notes of rainforest orchid and crisp seabries with he fresco paraizzo. Embrace of floral and fruity scent inspired by Rio's nude beach with chiqui bikini or caps for sun-kissed bliss with limonada jolada, where zesty Brazilian lemonade accord meets coconut milk and golden brown sugar. Don't miss Sol de Janeiro's limited edition perfume mist collection only at Sephora. Now back to the story. By 1981, 27-year-old David Moss had killed one teenage boy and attacked many more, including his closest friends. But the guilt he felt for his heinous crimes did nothing to curb his insatiable desire to kill. On the morning of August Dayth, about two years after he stabbed Scott, David woke up with a sense of certainty.

He needed to take a life soon. After a little thought, he settled on his next. target, Brian, a boy he'd regularly photographed and sexually assaulted for years. David told himself that all of the bad in his life stemmed from what he did to Brian, and it wouldn't be solved until the 16-year-old was dead. On August 9th, David drove to Chicago and parked outside Brian's house, and for a while, he just sat there, drinking beer. According to Dory Moss's book about David, part of him didn't want to hurt anyone. But that side was no longer in control.

As he sipped his drink, his anticipation grew. After a while, David saw a teenager approach Brian's house. But it wasn't his intended victim. It was Brian's 15-year-old cousin, Donald Jones. David had met Donald a few years ago, so he called him over. Even though David convinced himself it was Brian who needed to die, it suddenly didn't matter. Just like in Germany, the boy in front of him was a man.

enough. David asked Donald if he wanted to sell drugs and return for some cash, probably aware that David used to give his cousin money. Donald agreed. The teenager got into the car and David drove to Elgin, a Chicago suburb about an hour west of the city. There, he pulled his car into an abandoned quarry. The pair grabbed some drinks and walked along some railroad tracks until they reached a pond. That's where David made his play. They sat down and cracked open their beard. and spent the next little while drinking and chatting. Once Donald was well and truly drunk, David pounced. The 27-year-old pushed the younger boy to the ground and held him there, beating him unconscious.

Then he took out a knife and drove the blade into Donald's stomach. It's unclear exactly what happened next. According to David, he pushed Donald into the water. With his injury making it difficult to stay afloat, the teenager drowned slowly. begging for help. However, another account suggests that David held Donald under the water, actively drowning the team as he struggled. There's no way to know for sure what happened that day.

We only have David's word to go on, and the theory authorities came up with later. However, David claimed it would have been braver if he had drowned Donald himself, but instead he was cowardly and mesmerized by Donald's final, awful moments of life, and just watched. Whatever the truth, David drove home once Donald slipped beneath the surface. A few days later, the teen's body was discovered in the pond. And while investigators briefly questioned David, nothing came of it. They released him without charge, never realizing they had a serial killer in their grasp. Though he didn't seem to be a suspect, David felt antsy to leave Chicago after he killed Donald.

So that fall, he got into his car and drove to his. Texas, planning to start a new life. If he hoped to leave his violent urges in Illinois, it didn't work. In October of 1981, about a week after he got to town, David approached a group of teenage boys about an odd job. That was enough for one of the boys to get into the car and drive to a motel with David. Once there, David tied him up and beat him in the head with a pipe, but stop before killing him. According to David's account of that day, the point of the Part of him that didn't want to kill had won.

He started to sob, thinking about his victims, and knew that the only way he would stop was if he was behind bars. Whether the teenager reported the attack to police, or David turns himself in, we don't know. But he not only confessed to hurting the boy, but he also told them about what happened in Chicago, except all he said was that he thought he had killed people. He got blackouts, he said, and maybe that was true.

After his confession, David sat in jail for over a year. Then in January of 1983, he pled guilty to injury to a child causing bodily injury and was sentenced to five years in prison. Meanwhile, in Cook County, Illinois, investigators heard all about David's half-baked confession and connected him to the murder of 15-year-old Donald Jones. Prosecutors indicted David for murder. Then towards the end of 1983, David made a choice. He confessed to murdering Donald and requested that he be given the death penalty.

According to his own writing, it was the only way to stop him from hurting people. But it wasn't just that. He no longer wanted to live. Apparently, that wasn't a fleeting impulse. By 1985, the 31-year-old had been transferred to Cook County Jail in Illinois. Within weeks of this change, David attempted to take his own life. twice. After this, authorities declared him unfit for trial and sent him to Elgin Medical Health Center. There, according to Dori Moss's book about David, a professional

diagnosed him with anxiety, depression, suicidal and homicidal potential, and borderline personality disorder. This diagnosis could partly explain the several suicide attempts David made throughout his life. A 2006 study in the American Journal of Psychiatry found that 60 to 60 to 60, 70% of patients with BPD make at least one suicide attempt throughout their life. For months, David received intense therapy and several rounds of medication. And though he became less of a risk to himself, he still believed he should get the death penalty. Then, sometime in the early 1990s, David was found guilty of Donald's murder.

But instead of the death penalty, he earned a 35-year sentence, plus credit for the time he'd already served. Just like during his previous incarceration, David's good behavior earned him multiple chances at parole. At first he turned them down, explaining that he believed prison was his only hope of not hurting anyone. But over the years, he became less vocal about his concerns. And after serving 17 years, David was cleared for release. In the summer of 1999, 45-year-old David stepped off a shuttle bus at Midway Airport in Chicago. He struggled to find his feet at first, but in the spring of 2000, he moved into his own apartment just outside the city with another ex-con who had recently been released.

But even though he liked having the kid around, David also tried to protect the guy from himself. In one instance, he was so afraid that he'd kill his housemate, that he asked the guy to leave. He made up an excuse that his parole officer was making him live alone. But he couldn't control himself forever. In January of 2001, the 47-year-old attacked one of his young friends with a lead pipe, but he dropped the pipe before he beat the man to death, then drove his friend to the hospital. David's victim gave three contradicting statements about the incident, which was possibly because David got him drunk before making his move.

The upshot of this confusion was that when David denied doing anything wrong, the authorities had no reason to hold him. So David didn't want to be back in prison. He also didn't want to attack anyone else. So for the next two years, he shut himself off completely. Then in early 2003, he moved to Hammond, Indiana, just across the Illinois border. He was close enough to continue commuting to his job at a company called Trophies Are Us. He kept himself busy doing odd jobs around his apartment, like mowing the yard and fixing

up the basement. Besides his job, the only person he interacted with was his parole officer. But about a month after David arrived, Trophies Are Us hired 19-year-old Nicholas James. He was just the kind of underdog that David liked to get close to. It only took him about a week to invite Nicholas to his apartment for beers. As he'd done in the past, David invented a story about needing help selling drugs. Nicholas was nervous at first, but David told him he didn't make a decision right away. They could wait a few months.

This gave both of them time to make their choice, Nicholas about David's offer, and David about what he wanted to do with his new friend. Though the pair spent a lot of time together, they had a tumultuous friendship. According to David, Nicholas would let David buy his booze, but then leave to drink it with his other friends. In David's mind, the teenager didn't treat him like a real friend. This kind of treatment might have reminded David of his mother, who'd seemed to take pleasure in depriving him of love. love and affection. Now, while David grew more desperate for the affection he craved,

his loneliness curdled into anger. Eventually, he made his choice. It was time to get rid of Nicholas. On Friday, May 2nd, David invited the teenager over, promising to take him to a party on a boat. When Nicholas arrived, 49-year-old David offered Nicholas a beer and a joint. Then when the younger man's guard was down, David told him to close his eyes. He had a surprise for him. Used to David buying him gifts, Nicholas did as he was told. But instead of a present, David picked up a lead bat, heart pounding. He swung the weapon into Nicholas's skull.

Wordlessly, Nicholas slid to the ground. David hit him a few more times, before he noticed he was getting blood all over his home. Worried about the mess, he spread out a plastic tarp and dragged Nicholas onto it. That's when he realized the kid was still alive, though unable to speak. But it didn't seem to phase David. He'd called for help for some of his previous victims, but not this time. Instead, David grabbed a beer and sat in the other room, listening to the teenager's rough breath and occasional puking.

Finally, whether from pity or bloodline, David decided to end it. He grabbed a rope and walked to the kitchen where he strangled Nicholas to death. After that, David wrapped his latest victim in the plastic sheet and moved him to the basement, where he had been replacing the cement floor. He sprayed the body with purple spray paint,

a trick he learned would mask the smell of decay and lowered Nicholas into the hole. Then he covered him with five gallons of cement and went back upstairs. For the next few weeks, David grappled with the anxiety and shame of the murder. But the disappearance of Nicholas James barely made a ripple in the community. He was reported missing, but it seemed like investigators had no idea what could have happened to him, or that David was responsible. And with no one trying to stop him,

this cold-blooded killer was set to do it all over again. Coming up, David flirts with deaths in more ways than one. Are you looking for support in your weight management journey? Zepbound terseptide may be able to help. Zepbound is a prescription medicine used with a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity to help adults with obesity, or some adults with overweight who also have weight-related medical problems to lose excess body weight and keep the weight off. Zepbound is approved as a 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, 12.5, or 15 milligram injection. Zepound contains terseptide and should not be used with other terseptide containing product,

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Now back to the story. By the summer of 2003, 49-year-old David Moss had taken the lives of three young men. And while nightmares of his victims haunted him at night, David didn't make any effort to stop himself. Not anymore.

On July 5th, David stopped by Hammond's local swimming pool. It was likely more than the summer heat that drove in there. Teen boys spent their days doing cannonballs, dunking each other and splashing around. And David would have found that appealing. When he saw 13-year-old Michael Dennis at the pool laughing and full of life, David's stomach twisted.

He'd found his next target. David called the boy over and asked if he wanted a job driving cars and delivering packages. Likely excited to earn some extra spending money, Michael agreed. A few days later, the boy arrived at David's place. Eager to earn the teenager's admiration, David gave him cash in a beer right away. Michael frequented David's apartment for the next few months, and he wasn't always alone. He often brought his friend, 16-year-old James Regani. David claimed that he let the boys watch TV, drink, smoke weed, and play with his pet snake, anything they wanted.

But David wanted Michael for himself, and in his mind, that meant only one thing. After a couple of months, David dug another hole in his basement. this one twice the size of Nicholas's grave, and on September 10th, he was ready to make his move. Michael and James came over around 9 a.m., ready for a day of fun. They'd left their parents a note to say that they were running away, though it's unclear if that was their idea or David's. Either way, once they got to the apartment,

they all piled into David's car and headed out. After that, the group got breakfast, and David let Michael drive back to his house. That night, the boys played poker and got drunk. Then they passed out around 10 p.m. That's when David took a deep breath and steeled himself. It was time. He started with James.

The 16-year-old was lying on the floor of the bedroom, so David stood over him and wrapped a rope around his neck. He pulled as tightly as he could, forcing all the air out of the teenager. When James finally went limp, David duct-taped his whole body, covered him in plastic and dragged him down to the basement grave. It's important to remember that most of David's accounts of his crimes

come from his own recollection, with little to corroborate his side of the story. So there's no way to know that the narrative we're working with is wholly accurate. It's just the only one available. According to Dory Moth's book, David needed to rest after he killed James, so he sat down to drink a beer. Then, a little while later, he was ready to push on with his plan. Around 2 a.m., David took his rope and stood over Michael, who was still out cold from all the alcohol. He strangled the teenager to death, then threw him into the basement hole alongside James.

The final step was just to pour cement over the bodies and go to bed. At first, Michael and James' disappearance didn't get much attention. The two boys sometimes spent the night out without much explanation. And this time, they'd left notes to announce, they were running away. But their parents were worried. James and Michael's mothers filed missing persons reports with the Hammond Police Department, not long after their sons went missing.

Sergeant Ronald Johnson, a 30-year veteran on the squad, took over the case. When he learned the boys had been spending time with a man named David Moss, his radar pinged. A quick search revealed David's convictions for killing two teenage boys. A couple of days later, Johnson and a colleague went, to David's apartment, where they found him enjoying a beer. They asked him questions about the missing boys, but David claimed he hadn't seen Michael or James for at least two weeks. From the outside, David appeared calm and collected. He even showed the detectives around his

apartment. Still, despite David's demeanor, Johnson had a weird feeling about the 49-year-old, but he had no concrete reason to suspect him based on their conversation and search. It was just a hunt. Meanwhile, David was scared and wasn't sure what to do. After the cops left, he packed his bags and drove south, perhaps contemplating another fresh start. But when he was pulled over for a missing license plate, he decided to head back to Hammond. He wasn't going to turn himself in, but he wasn't going to run either. Fortunately for the killer, the investigation was going poorly. As Johnson interviewed David's neighbors, boss and landlord, he found that most people

liked the ex-con, or at least didn't have a problem with him. Plus, the investigators hadn't found anything to place David with the boys around the time they disappeared. Still a friend of the teens told an officer that David had given them alcohol and weed. This set off Sergeant Johnson's alarm bells again. Armed with this information, the officer arrested David and charged him with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The killer wasn't in custody for long, though. His landlord paid his bill. But soon after his release, David surprised Sergeant Johnson with a call. He said he wanted to come in and talk.

It seemed like maybe David was going to confess, but he never showed up for the appointment. The next day, Johnson went to Trophys Aras and asked David if he'd be willing to take a polygraph. After spending some time thinking it over, he agreed. His story changed several times during the test, and there were holes in his alibi for when the boys went missing. But still, he passed. In a 2014 study published by WebMed Central, researchers asked people with schizophrenia to take polygraph tests about their delusions. Seventeen out of 23 patients produced valid polygraphs, meaning they believed their delusions

to be true. It's possible that at least part of David truly believed in his made-up story. But it's also worth noting that polygraphs aren't usually admissible in U.S. courts. save for a few minor exceptions. Regardless, David was free to go. Sergeant Johnson felt conflicted. He knew that David had killed in the past, but the seasoned cop also knew that didn't make him guilty now. He just had to follow the evidence wherever it led him.

But in this case, there wasn't much to go on. At least, there wasn't just then, but at some stage, David's landlord had started to doubt his tenants' innocence. On November 20th, 2003, the last last year, landlord let the authorities into the building while David was out. Sergeant Johnson, some other officers and the landlord went into the basement, where they noticed a freshly poured square of cement. They had brought a cadaver dog to inspect the basement.

It circled the corner with the new cement, which was promising. But to know for sure, they would need to dig up the basement. A few weeks later, on December 9th, investigators finally cracked the surface of the concrete. Almost immediately, a horrendous smell filled the air. They didn't need cadaver dogs to know what lay below the surface. By the next day, authorities had pulled up all three bodies and issued a warrant for David's arrest. At the time, the 49-year-old was biking home from work. When a cop car screeched to a halt in front of him, David didn't resist. Part of him had been waiting for this. Hilded at Lake County, Jay.

David quickly confessed to the murders. For some reason, though, he fabricated a convoluted story about who killed the boys. He conscripted his landlord and one of Michael's friends as accomplices. Johnson and his colleagues agreed that David had likely lied for a majority of the statement, but with three murder investigations, they had plenty of time to find the truth. As the authorities sorted through the evidence and David's confession, the media seized on the story of serial murder. Journalists even tracked down David's mother, Ava, and younger brother Jeffrey. Both of them had plenty to say about the killer's childhood.

But the real drama unfolded in the courtroom. David's trial proceedings began in late 2004. On the whole, it was a strange event, with David pleading not guilty and lawyers debating how admissible his initial confession was. In the fall of 2005, David's lawyers presented him with a plea deal. If he admitted to all three murders and gave a full confession, he would receive three consecutive life sentences. David took the deal and confessed his guilt to the public on Halloween. That December, he was sentenced to life without parole.

He didn't have much life left to live, though. The following month, 51-year-old David Mossed died by suicide. After a turbulent life, during which he caused a... irreparable pain to so many, he took himself off the board, making just one thing certain. He'd never hurt anyone again. Thanks again for tuning in to serial killers. We'll be back soon with a new episode. For more information on David Moss, amongst the many sources we used, we found blood-stained, when no one comes looking by Dory Moss, extremely helpful to our research. You can find all episodes of Serial Killers and all other Spotify

originals from Parcast for free on Spotify. We'll see you next time. Stay safe out there. Serial Killers is a Spotify original from Parcast, executive produced by Max Cuddler. Our head of programming is Julian Borrow. Our supervising sound designer is Russell Nash, with Nick Johnson

as our head of production, and Trent Williamson as our senior production specialist. Ben Bishop is our supervising editor, and Derek Jenner. is our writing lead. This episode of serial killers was written by Kit Fitzgerald, edited by Joel Callan, fact-checked by Claire Cronin, researched by Brian Petrus and Chelsea Wood, produced by Bruce Kitovich, and sound design by Michael Motion. Our hosts are Greg Paulson and me, Vanessa Richardson. An Alien Invasion, Nuclear Warfare, The Second Coming,

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