Killer Stories with Harvey Guillén - “The Gainesville Ripper” Pt. 1: Danny Rolling

Episode Date: April 27, 2020

It's likely that an abusive, loveless upbringing in the 1960s and ‘70s shaped Danny Rolling’s troubling violent sexual fantasies. After a young life of petty crime in Louisiana and Georgia, one incident set Danny off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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killer's crimes, listener discretion is advised. This episode includes discussions of domestic abuse, murder, and sexual assault that some people may find offensive. We advise extreme caution for children under 13. The night air was warm, but 23-year-old Danny Rowling had ice in his heart. He walked the quiet streets of his parents' neighborhood, trying not to think about what had just happened. His wife O'Matha had just driven the final nail into the coffin. Their marriage was dead.

Omatha had taken everything from him, even his daughter. Now there was a chance he may never see either of them again. Danny's fingernails drove into his palms as he clenched his fists. He felt incensed, rejected. He'd been given Omatha by God, and she had decided that didn't matter. Eventually, Danny arrived at a familiar house, just a few streets from his parents' home. Two young coeds lived there. Danny knew them well. Not personally, though. He had taken to watching them at night through their open windows. One of them was blonde, the other a brunette. Thinking about the brunette made Danny remember Omatha's own long Auburn hair. It was one of the first things he'd noticed about her.

He stepped toward the sidewalk and moved towards the house. On such a hot night, the women had left their front door. door wide open. A screen door was all that separated them from Danny. He was close enough to see now. The brunette, he didn't know her name, was alone on the couch reading. As he stood watching her study, a surge of anger came over Danny. He no longer felt content simply observing from the darkness. He stalked closer to the house, picking up a sharp metal gardening tool on his way. I'm Greg Poulson. This is Serial Killers, a Parcast Original. Every episode, we dive into the minds and madness of serial killers. Today we're taking a look at Danny Rowling, the Gainesville Ripper.

I'm here with my co-host, Vanessa Richardson. Hi, everyone. You can find episodes of Serial Killers and all other Parcast Originals for free on Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. To stream Serial Killers for free on Spotify, just open the app and type Serial Killers in the search bar. At Parcast, we're grateful for you, our listeners. You allow us to do what we love. Let us know how we're doing. Reach out on Facebook and Instagram at Parcast and Twitter at Parcast Network. In August of 1990, Danny Rowling committed five horrific murders that sent the town of Gainesville, Florida, into a frenzy. Today, we'll look at Rawlings' childhood, including the extreme abuse he suffered at the

hands of his father. We'll see how his turbulent life led him to commit a series of petty crimes and eventually his first shocking murders. In part two, we'll cover the murderous rampage that terrorized the University of Florida, inspired an iconic horror film, and earned him the moniker, the Gainesville Ripper. Danny's father, James Rowling, never wanted children. He married Claudia in 1953 and the two soon learned they were expecting a child. The marriage would never be a happy one. According to a neighbor, James said love was garbage. The neighbor later quoted James saying love is when somebody wants something from somebody. There's no such thing as love. And it seems he truly believed that. 22-year-old James resented Claudia and beat her throughout the

pregnancy. For reasons unknown, James also slept with a knife under his pillow. Claudia never asked why. Perhaps fearing the question would anger her volatile husband. Having returned to Louisiana from the Korean War shortly before marrying Claudia, it's possible that James was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. Vanessa is going to take over on the psychology here and throughout the episode. Please note, Vanessa is not a licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist, but she has done a lot of research for this show. Thanks, Greg. The American Psychiatric Association defines PTSD as a psychiatric disorder

that can sometimes occur in people who have witnessed or experienced a traumatic event, including natural disasters, terrorist acts, serious accidents, personal violence, and war. The symptoms of PTSD can include irritability, anger, and reckless behavior. According to a 2010 study, of Australian-Korean War veterans, researchers cited PTSD occurrence numbers as high as 32%. Though PTSD would not excuse James' abhorrent behavior, it would certainly account for his frequent violent outbursts and his desire for a weapon close by while he slept. However, post-traumatic stress disorder wasn't a widely accepted issue among veterans until years later,

after the Vietnam War. It's unlikely anyone would have made the connection between James' behavior and his military service at the time. If Claudia had hoped her husband's demeanor would improve after their son arrived, she was sorely disappointed. James seemed to feel nothing but hate in his heart for his son, Danny, when he was born in May of 1954. Young Danny was subjected to emotional and physical abuse from a very early age.

When he was only a year old, James beat his son for not crawling properly. This incident marked the beginning of a childhood full of trauma. According to Danny, the violence only increased when his brother Kevin was born in 1955. Though Kevin and Claudia also suffered terribly, Danny felt that James disliked him in particular. James, a police officer, frequently tied his sons up as punishment for perceived slights or small misbehaviors. Once, he handcuffed Danny and Kevin together on the floor when they didn't mow the lawn to his satisfaction.

He then knelt on top of his young sons while they struggled to breathe under his weight. Repeated instances of abuse like this compelled Claudia to leave James many times over the years. She would pack her children into the car and take them and herself out of harm's way. Unfortunately, she always returned, either of her own volition. or after James's repeated pleas. Danny later reported that this cycle of abuse caused him to feel ambivalent towards his mother. He told clinical psychologist Dr. Harry Crop that he resented Claudia for being weak.

In his eyes, she did nothing to protect him and his brother from James's relentless torment. Victims of domestic violence are often blamed or shamed for staying with their abuser. victim blaming is particularly prevalent in modern American society, where the belief in a just world is strong. According to an article by psychologists Sherry Hamby and John Grick, in the Wiley Handbook on the Psychology of Violence, people with just world beliefs tend to feel that people bring upon them that which they deserve. Writing for the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute, Dr. Christine Fork Young suggests that this kind of victim blaming may also be a form of preserving one's sense of invulnerability. By finding things that a victim did wrong, a person can protect themselves by avoiding those behaviors in the future.

It seems that Danny Rawling, himself a victim of brutal domestic violence, fell into the victim blaming trap. Perhaps as a way of coping with the trauma, he placed the blame on his mother instead of where it belonged at the feet of his father. Desperate for small moments of hope in the ever-churning cycle of abuse. Danny was overjoyed when James found a puppy in 1959 and decided to bring the dog home. Five-year-old Danny was delighted to have a friend and a sympathetic ear to listen to him at last. But no one in the Rolling House, two legs or four, was safe from James' violent ways. He took to regularly beating the dog, eventually killing it with his frequent torture.

Danny later recalled his beloved dog dying in his arms. Despite James's propensity for violence, it seems that he was determined to instill some sense of right and wrong in Danny. At around five years old, Danny stole a candy bar from a store. What his parents found out, they made him return the chocolate and apologized to the store's owner. This reprimand seemed fitting for the crime, but we can guess that Danny faced more sadistic punishment from his father back at home.

This continued culture of violence and fear took a toll on Danny and his mother in more ways than one. In 1963, Danny failed to pass the third grade because he had taken too many sick days. It seemed Claudia was too afraid to tell her husband the news, terrified of setting him off. She suffered a nervous breakdown. While the term nervous breakdown has no official medical definition, it was a catch-all diagnosis given in the past to describe symptoms brought on by anxiety and depression. In Claudia's case, we don't have specifics on exactly what happened, other than that she was hospitalized for her condition. Around the same time that Claudia's mental condition was deteriorating. A school counselor reported that nine-year-old Danny suffered from an inferiority complex, with aggressive.

of tendencies and poor impulse control. The counselor suggested that Danny received some kind of therapy to help deal with these emerging issues. He never did. In other words, life continued on, much as it had for Danny's entire life. His parents fought frequently, making for a turbulent home environment.

At some time in 1965, when Danny was 11, he walked in on his parents during a particularly contentious argument. Danny watched as his mother locked yourself in the bathroom. On the other side of the door, Claudia decided she had only one way out of her nightmare. She used a razor to slice into her wrists as James pounded on the locked door. Eventually, he broke the door down and continued berating his wife. Danny watched on in horror as his mother lay bleeding on the floor. Following the incident, Claudia was hospitalized.

Horrifying events like this led Danny to begin experimenting with drugs and alcohol as a coping mechanism. At the age of 11, he developed a serious alcohol problem. According to a study conducted by Doctor of Social Work, Julia M. Kabulski, the use of drugs and alcohol by children who experience violence may be brought on by trauma, like the violence Danny Rowling experienced at home. When symptoms of this trauma occur, such as anger, depression, and distress, association, the brain's stress coping mechanisms can become overwhelmed. Drugs and alcohol are often used by victims of abuse in an effort to reduce anxiety. Kabulski's study also points out that early substance use has been associated with an elevated risk of adverse outcomes, including poor academic performance, suicidal tendencies, and violent or deviant behavior.

It's possible that the prolonged and ongoing abuse Danny suffered throughout his child, only increased the likelihood that he would later exhibit violent behavior. Perhaps to escape the tyranny at home, Danny began to wander into the nearby woods when he was about 12. There he spent hours fantasizing and masturbating, as he imagined controlling and killing people. It's possible that Danny's emerging need for sexual dominance was a direct result of the violence that he experienced at home. Many victims of childhood abuse go on to have violent fantasies later in life. It's believed that the lack of control they feel over their own body is a defining factor in these developing fantasies.

In 1946, psychoanalyst Otto Fainyshell put forward the idea that, quote, before I can enjoy sexuality, I must convince myself that I am powerful. This theory, as it applies to sadists, suggests that the ability to control others through pain is a key component of their sexuality. As Danny grew up, his lust for control only increased. At age 14, Danny was caught peeping in the window of a neighboring teenage girl.

When James Rowling found out, he beat his son as punishment for his peeping. Peeping in windows has long been understood as a precursor to later more violent crimes. criminology professor Scott Bond notes that peeping on victims gives the perpetrator a secret sense of power and control. Utterly helpless against his father's abuse, it seems Danny sought the same dark power over others, much in the same way he fantasized about controlling people when masturbating. Retired investigator Paul Holes describes peeping as one of a number of social barriers many violent offenders overcome in their developing years. Gaining confidence from the violation of this barrier can lead to escalations,

breaking and entering, stalking, sexual assault, and in Danny's case, murder. Up next, Danny searches desperately for a way to escape his father. 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.

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dropped out of high school. Although he had earned his GED, it seemed he had no plans for further education, or the future in general. Eventually, without any other prospects, he enlisted. It's likely his repressed rage and taste for violence drew him to the armed forces. In early In 201971, he signed up for the Navy, but failed the enlistment test. With his first choice out, he turned to the U.S. Air Force instead. In June, Danny successfully enlisted and became airmen first class Rawling. Though he'd finally broken away from the tyranny of his father's home, he was incapable of taking control of his life in a responsible way.

While enlisted, he began using drugs at an alarming rate, including tripping on acid some 100 times. It wasn't long before Danny's superiors noticed his drug use. He was charged for possession and disobeying orders. A psychiatrist was brought in to speak with the 18-year-old and diagnosed Danny as having an undetermined personality disorder. Following this examination, Danny was honorably discharged. With nowhere else to go, Danny returned to Shreveport

and moved in with his grandfather. Soon after returning to Shreveport, he had a spiritual awakening. His newfound holiness began late one Saturday evening when Danny was hitchhiking home to his grandfathers. Car after car passed him by until one finally slowed to a stop. The driver, Brother Estes, welcomed Danny into his car and asked where he was headed. When Danny gave him an address, Brother Estes happily exclaimed that his church, the United Pentecostal Church of Shreveport was on the very next street. When they drove past the church, Estes asked if Danny would like to go in to pray. With nothing else to do so late at night, he agreed.

Inside, the church was dim, but for a few candles and an illuminated brass cross. In awe of the space, Danny followed Brother Estes to the altar, and both men knelt to pray. Danny wrote in his book the making of a serial killer, that he felt a new sense of peace in that moment. He watched as Brother Estes prayed for him and felt sure that this was his path. He returned the next day and was baptized. Over the next few months, Danny became actively involved at the church. He drove a bus that picked up children and the handicapped to bring them in for service on Sundays. He visited nursing homes to sing and play guitar. He handed out tracks in downtown Shreveport. He handed out tracks in downtown Shreveport and even dressed up as the Easter Bunny one year.

The church was where Danny met Omatha Ann Halco. Omatha was a striking woman with long brown hair, and she immediately drew Danny's eye. He'd been asking God to send him a woman, and when Omatha crossed his path, he felt sure his prayers had been answered. After a brief courtship, the pair were married, four months after they first met. Around a year later, Amatha gave birth to a daughter. However, much like Danny's parents, the young couple were not destined for a happily ever after. To support his family, Danny started working two menial jobs.

The responsibility of the situation was too much for the 21-year-old, and he began drinking again. He soon left the church, which had brought him much-needed stability. Now, without the support of his faith, Danny started to resemble his volatile father, James. Eventually, his behavior grew so unpredictable that Amatha became afraid of him. He disappeared for hours at a time, giving no indication where he was or what he was doing. One evening, Amatha answered the door to find Danny flanked by two police officers. He'd been caught peeping in the window of a local woman.

Because Danny's father was in the force, the officers agreed not to bring him in, but they insisted on escorting him home so they could at least tell his wife what had happened. This incident marked the beginning of the end of Danny and O'Matha's marriage. In his book, Danny claimed that it was also around this time that he began to see demons and spirits who attempted to possess him.

The vision supposedly took many forms and plagued him for years to come. Once, he saw a shadow of evil slither up the wall of his bedroom, where it hovered and reached for his soul. Later, while parked beside a small church graveyard, he was visited by the faceless ghost of a man dressed in Quaker garb. On yet another occasion, Danny witnessed a UFO pulsing with blue light above an empty field. He would later claim he committed his violent attacks

at the instructions of a demon who was possessing him. For now, though, if he was seeing apparition, apparitions, their main purpose seemed to be telling Danny not to go to work because he stopped showing up for both of his jobs. At her wits end, Omatha called Danny's parents to ask advice. In response, James showed up at their house and held a knife to his son's throat. The incident didn't encourage Danny to return to work, repair the young cobble's relationship, nor discouraged Danny from continuing to prowl the neighborhood. It was a little bit of the wasn't long before Amatha told Danny that she intended to leave him. Like his father, Danny seemed

to think that violence was the best way to handle the situation. He held a gun to his wife's head until she agreed to stay with him. When Danny later caught her having an affair with her ex-boyfriend, he flew into a rage and beat both of them. Once again, he brandished a gun at Amatha in an effort to get her to stay with him. When that didn't sway her, he turned the gun on himself. This kind of threat is a telling example of Danny's manipulations. When the threat of immediate violence didn't coerce Omatha, he pivoted to play on her guilt, making himself the victim. According to the University of Michigan, this kind of tactic is a common weapon used by domestic abusers and can be an effective tool in manipulating a victim.

Scared of her husband, but not wanting to be responsible for his death, Amatha begged him to put the gun down. Soon after the incident, she filed for separation, and Danny moved back in with his parents. They were divorced six months later. Around this time, Danny was working as a driver, transporting paper to printers across three states. During a trip, he sped around a round of. blind curve to find a traffic jam across the upcoming bridge. He noticed the jam too late to stop his truck and slammed into the back of a van at high speed. A passenger was thrown from the

van and Danny watched as she landed on the road. There was no way she could have survived the sickening impact. Without meaning to, without even thinking about it, Danny had taken his first human life. As far as we can tell, Danny never faced charges for the accident. Though there were certainly repercussions, it's likely that the trauma of the collision and seeing the woman's death deteriorated his already fragile emotional state. With the truck accidents still fresh in his mind, Danny was served with the divorce papers to officially dissolve his marriage. He was crushed. The very next night he felt compelled to go out on the prowl. Whenever he was dressed, he turned back to peeping in windows, watching women from the dark as they dressed.

Two college students had recently moved into a house just a few blocks from his parents' place. Danny had peeped on them many times before. That night, he returned to their yard and peered in through the screen door. He knew from previous visits that one of the girls was a blonde. The other was brunette, like his ex-wife. From his vantage point, Danny could see the brunette studying on the couch. Inside, the home was a glow with warm light. Just beyond the walls, Danny was shielded by the dark. The demon possessing him whispered in his ear, compelling him to act.

He quietly removed his shoes and put his socks over his hands. Then, replacing his boots, he crept toward the porch. On the back of a chair, he found a cleaning cloth and thought it would make an ideal mask. He used a small garden fork to poke two holes for his eyes and then tied it like a bandana around his face. At the rear of the house, he used the garden fork to unlatch the screen door and slipped into the house. Then he burst into the living room to the horror of the young woman.

Danny cut an intimidating figure, standing six foot two with his face completely covered and a sharp garden tool in one hand. He dragged the woman into a nearby bedroom and covered her face with a sweater. He raped her and then made a hasty exit from the house. As he ran the few blocks back to his parents' home, he threw the garden fork into a canal. Minutes later, he strolled back through his front door, like nothing had happened. And indeed, it seemed like nothing had, for Danny. He was never caught for the crime and only admitted to it,

many years later. Danny was emboldened by how easily he'd gotten away with a violent attack, but he was possibly also slightly ashamed of what he'd done. Over the next several years, he began a crime spree, but no longer targeted individual women. Instead, he carried out a series of armed robberies across Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana. He seemed to favor Wind Dixie supermarkets, where he was able to get away with several hundred dollars at a time.

But his spree couldn't last forever. In May of 1979, Danny was arrested just hours after robbing a Winn-Dixie. He readily confessed to his earlier robberies and was sentenced to six years in prison. Danny spent the next five years shuffling around the prison systems in Georgia and Alabama. He made several escape attempts, but was quickly apprehended each time. After serving five years of his sentence, he was released in 1980. at age 30. But outside of prison walls, Danny seemed incapable of staying out of trouble.

A year after his release, he robbed another supermarket. He was sentenced to four years in Jackson County Jail. He was paroled two years later in 1988 under the condition that he leave Mississippi and return to Shreveport. Back in Shreveport and once again living with his parents, Danny had difficulty finding work, perhaps due to a status as a parolee. He was eventually able to find a job at a restaurant and held it for several months. But on November 4, 1989, Danny was fired.

Danny had missed three consecutive shifts with no explanation. When his manager confronted him and fired him, Danny flew into a rage. In his anger, he threatened to kill his manager and the restaurant's cook. He never followed through with him. this threat, but Danny would kill someone that very same night. As his life spiraled out of control, he would make someone else pay for the chaos. Coming up, Danny commits his first horrific murder. Own it all. Pay off your home, travel for life, drive a Ferrari. In celebration of the world premiere of the Monopoly Big Board Buckslot Machine by Aristocrat Gaming, Yamava Resort and Casino

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Instant room upgrade. Stop taking bad travel advice. Start comparing hundreds of sites with kayak and get your trip right. Kayak, got that right. Now, back to the story. On November 4, 1989, 35-year-old Danny Rowling was fired from his job at a restaurant in Shreveport, Louisiana. In a fit of rage, he threatened to kill two of his coworkers before he left work. As far as we can tell, Danny's threats weren't taken seriously because they don't seem to have been reported to police.

But he was angry enough that he felt compelled to kill someone. And it seemed he already had a victim in mind. A young woman he'd been stalking for some time. 24-year-old Julie Grissom was already on edge after receiving a series of strange phone calls in the days leading up to November 4th. She was 24 years old, and like Danny's ex-wife, a petite brunette. Much like the woman Danny raped in the late 70s, she was also a college student, a marketing major at Louisiana State University. Julie had moved home to Shreveport to live with her father, Tom, after transferring from the campus in Baton Rouge.

Tom lived on Beth Lane, about 10 minutes away from Danny and his parents. Staying with Tom and Julie that weekend was 8-year-old Sean, Tom's grandson, and Julie's nephew. The visit was part of a special birthday celebration for him. On the night in question, Julie was planning to attend a high school friend's wedding. She had a red dress picked out for the occasion, but never got the chance to put it on. Some time around 6 p.m. that Saturday evening, Danny snuck up to the Grissom House. It's unclear exactly what happened next, but it's believed that Julie was the sole-intented target of Danny's violence.

However, as she wasn't home alone, things didn't go according to plan. Tom was grilling stakes at the back of the house while Sean watched TV in the family room. On his way to find Julie, Danny stabbed Tom several times in the back and chest. Eight-year-old Sean was stabbed once in the back. Once her family was out of the way, Danny felt free to do as he pleased with Julie. Two days later, on the morning of November 6th, Sean's mother got a call from her son's school to let her know that he hadn't shown up for class. Worried, she made several calls to the house on Beth Lane, but no one answered. At 8.30, she phoned the police.

Taking her concern seriously, officers asked the Grissom's neighbors to check in on the They made their way in through a utility room that opened off the garage. Their stomachs churned once they stepped inside. The body of 55-year-old Tom Grissom lay crumpled against the door. Not far away, Sean's body lay face down in front of the television. Both had been left as they fell. In a nearby bedroom waited a scene worthy of a horror film. Julie Grissom's naked body was positioned.

naked body was positioned partially hanging off a bed. She had been stabbed at least three times in the back, but was found facing up, indicating that a killer had posed her. Her dark brown hair was fanned out around her head, a ruffled halo against the bedspread. When a murder victim's body is found in a clearly arranged pose, it's usually for one of two reasons. If the killers attempting to confuse investigators or throw them off the scent, then it's referred to as staging. However, the positioning of Julie's body suggested a sexual motive, one that satisfies the killer's urges. This is commonly known as posing. Criminologist Arnune Edelstein suggests that this kind of posing, Julie's legs were spread apart with no underwear, is a way of further humiliating

a female victim. In his book, Danny explicitly stated that he attacked his first rape victim in response to his wife's final rejection. It's easy to follow that train of thought and see that this posing of Julie's body is further proof of a grudge held against women for perceived slights against him. Investigators arrived quickly at the scene and taped off the property in an effort to preserve crucial evidence. What they found, however, was a puzzling set of clues that left them little to go on. Julie's body had bite marks on it, but she'd been washed in vinegar in an apparent effort to clean away DNA evidence. It was clear that she'd been restrained with duct tape and that the tape

had been carefully removed afterward. The house, though clearly the sight of three brutal murders, was surprisingly neat. There'd been no ransacking and nothing of value was missing from the home. As the investigation continued, police were flummoxed. Detectives announced that they were searching for a man with clear psychological problems and a knowledge of crime scenes. Examinations showed that all three Grissom stab wounds were made by a marine-style K-bar fighting knife. But there was no sign of a murder weapon found at the scene. Neighbors of the Grissom family were shaken by the gruesome attack

and became vigilant about who came and went from their street. Days ticked by, alibis were checked, but hope of making an arrest in the case dwindled. It seemed Danny had gotten away with murder, and now he had a taste for it. Thanks again for tuning into serial killers. We'll be back on Thursday with Part 2. When we'll delve into Danny's murderous spree that left a college town terrified, inspired an iconic Hollywood film, and earned him the name, The Gainesville River. You can find more episodes of Serial Killers and all other Parcast originals for free on Spotify.

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Serial Killers was created by Max Cutler and is a Parcast Studios original. Executive producers include Max and Ron Cutler, sound designed by Anthony Valsick, with production assistance by Ron Shapiro, Carly Madden, and Freddie Beckley. This episode of Serial Killers

was written by Joel Callan, with writing assistance by Abigail Cannon, and stars Greg Polson. and Vanessa Richardson. A beloved 75-year-old man washing up getting ready for bed is brutally beaten and killed. Despite an exhaustive investigation, the killer avoids arrest and then strikes again. I'm Global News crime reporter Nancy Hicks. You might listen to a lot of true crime podcasts this year, but they're not crime beat.

Search for and follow the award-winning podcast Crime Beat on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you find your favorite podcasts. Do you want to hear something spooky? Some monster, it reminded me of Bigfoot. Monsters Among Us is a weekly podcast featuring true stories of the paranormal. One of the boys started to exhibit demonic possession. Stories straight from the witnesses' mouths themselves. Something very snake-like lifted its head out of the water.

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