Killer Stories with Harvey Guillén - “The Midwest Highway Murderer” Larry Eyler Pt. 2

Episode Date: December 2, 2021

In the early 1980s, Larry Eyler haunted the highways of the Midwest, leaving the gay communities of Indianapolis and Chicago paralyzed with fear. But eventually, the people closest to him brought him down once and for all. 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 murder, sexual assault, and mutilation that some people may find disturbing. We advise extreme caution for children under 13. The abandoned stretch of farmland, nestled just off U.S. Highway 41, didn't look like much. But to Henry and Gladys Hanson, it was a gold mine. The couple were avid mushroom hunters and traveled around Indiana to find. forage, and every fall they returned to this unassuming farm. But this morning, Henry had an uneasy feeling. The ground looked strange. The soil newly turned. The land felt less deserted than

usual. He wasn't the only one who took notice. Gladys stood beside him tense. She looked suddenly haunted, and Henry followed her gaze. A few yards ahead lay two smooth brown mounds. They were much too large to be mushrooms. As Henry drew nearer, his breath caught in his chest. They were human skulls. This had always been a sacred place to the Hansons. Now it was a mass grave. 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're returning to the saga of Larry Eiler, the Midwest's Highway Killer. 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 described Iler's unstable childhood and his internalized homophobia. We also tracked how his deep-seated rage drove him to kidnap and kill young men he solicited for sex. Today, we'll follow Eiler

as he terrorizes the Midwest Highways, killing unsuspecting hitchhikers. We'll also cover how authorities finally apprehended Eiler only to be forced to let him go. 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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Meet your match on ZipRecruiter. 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 wall. Hosted by me, your guide, Derek Hayes.

Somehow I lost eight whole hours. Listen now on Spotify or wherever you get your podcast. On December 21st, 1982, Larry Eiler turned 30. He'd always loved that his birthday fell during the holidays. It was his favorite time of year. He'd even dressed as an elf for his work's Christmas party. But this year, he wasn't in the mood for a big celebration. All he could think about was murder.

ones he'd committed and those he was yet to carry out. On Christmas Day, police found the body of 25-year-old John R. Johnson in a field near the small town of Lowell, Indiana. Eiler had killed the bartender almost two months earlier, and by the time authorities found his body, Eiler was ready to strike again. Three days earlier, Eiler was in downtown Indianapolis. He prowled the streets in his pickup truck, moving towards one of his favorite gay bars.

By now, this routine was familiar. 21-year-old John Roach sometimes did sex work in the area. He was also a regular at the bars and known to hitchhike. All of these things made him a perfect target for Eiler. As with many of Eiler's crimes, the exact details of what happened aren't clear. But at some point, Roach got into Eiler's truck. Once inside, Eiler bound John's hands with a nylon cord and stabbed him repeatedly in the abdomen, killing him.

Afterward, he left Roach's body in a wooded area near Interstate 70. Before he left, he made a half-hearted effort to conceal him with sticks and leaves. It wasn't enough. Roach was found a few days later on December 28. Around the same time, authorities found the remains of 23-year-old Stephen Agin in the woods near the small town of Newport, Indiana. At first, no link was made between Stephen and Roach. The bodies were found about 50 miles apart under different police-trial.

jurisdictions, but neither county had its own forensic pathologist, so both cadavers were sent to Bloomington, Indiana. There, coroner Dr. Richard Pless began his analysis. Within minutes, he knew he was dealing with something highly unusual. Stephen's torso had been mutilated, as though his attacker wanted to cut him open. He'd also been suspended upside down, like the carcass of a hunted animal. Dr. Pless had never seen a mutilation this vicious. And once he moved on to Roach's body, a chill ran down his spine. This victim, too, had been maimed. The multiple stab wounds in his abdomen and back demonstrated huge overkill. The killer had clearly been driven by an uncontrollable rage. Vanessa is going to take over on the psychology here and throughout the

episode. Please note, Vanessa is not a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist, but we have done a lot research for this show. Thanks, Greg. Dr. Pless didn't know it at the time, but he had picked up on a key aspect of Eiler's personality, which had been with him for years. Research suggests that early experiences can play a huge role in how a serial killer commits their crimes. According to a 2020 paper published in the journal Psychiatry, Psychology, and Law, murderers who experience physical abuse at a young age are more likely to use excessive violence, known as overkill. It's also more common for them to torture their victims. Eiler's childhood was marred by violent abuse from multiple men, including his father and at least

two stepfathers. He likely felt physically and psychologically unsafe and had no control over what was going on. So as an adult, it seems he relished turning the tables. He made his victim powerless by drugging and binding them. He then inflicted horrific cruelty beyond what was needed to kill them. Dr. Pless knew nothing about who Eiler was or his life history. But looking at the two bodies before him, he was certain they'd been killed by the same person. Just as certain as he was, that that man would strike again. But when Dr. Pless alerted state police to his concerns, nothing came of it. That meant Eiler was free to carry on with his killing spree. Even separate from his crimes, Iler cherished his independence.

He moved around constantly and loved the feeling of an open road before him. Most of the week, he lived with his boyfriend, 22-year-old John Dobrovalskies, at their shared apartment in Chicago. When he wasn't with John, he was in Terre Haute, Indiana. There he stayed with 44-year-old Robert Little, his longtime friend and benefactor. Although John and Iler were a couple, John also had his own family to take care of. He'd been married for a few years and kept a house in the suburbs with his wife and children. He maintained the facade of being heterosexual for the sake of his family, though his wife knew all about Eiler. This duplicity appealed to Eiler. He'd never been at ease with his sexuality, and keeping their relationship hidden felt more comfortable than the alternative.

Although both men had skeletons in their closets, John had no idea just how many terrible secrets his boyfriend really did. kept. By now, Eiler had racked up multiple bodies, as well as what would later be described as several attempted murders, and he had no intention of stopping. On December 30th, he picked up 22-year-old David Block, near the Highland Park suburb of Chicago. David had recently graduated from Yale and was visiting family for Christmas. That night, he told his parents he was going to visit a friend. Like with much of Eiler's story, the specifics of that night are murky. we can tell, David never made it to his destination, but his car was found about 30 miles north of Chicago. It's possible it broke down and he hitched a ride with Eiler. At some point, Eiler stabbed David

to death, then dumped his body in a field near Lake Forest, Illinois. A month later, in that same city, 16-year-old Irvin Gibson disappeared from his home. He'd been released from a juvenile facility a few months earlier and sometimes performed sex work for money. It's suspected that Eiler lured Irvin into his car and stabbed him to death, hacking viciously into his body. When the teenager was dead, Eiler left him in a wooded area just off the expressway, covered with brush and leaves. That night, Eiler felt blissfully calm, as he always did after a kill. Riding that wave, he drove home to John. Meanwhile, word was spreading fast in the Chicago and Indianapolis LGBTQIA Plus.

communities. Despite the authorities' apparent apathy, young gay men in the areas knew they were being targeted, and no one seemed to care. Over the next few months, Eiler kept killing at an alarming rate. Some of his victims still haven't been identified, but we'll tell you about some that have. The body of 26-year-old Edgar Undercoughler, a member of the Air National Guard, was found on March 4, 1983. Evidence suggests Eiler stabbed him to death and left his body in a deserted rural area near Danville, Illinois. 19-year-old John Bartlett was living with his sister in Chicago after being discharged from the army. He disappeared from the city in early March.

So did 22-year-old Michael Bauer, a pizza delivery man, and John Ingram Brandenburg of Chicago. Iler kidnapped, drugged, sexually assaulted, and murdered these three men. Afterwards, he drove their bodies about 80 miles south of Chicago to an abandoned farmhouse just off U.S. Route 41. There, he dug a shallow grave in a wooded area where wild mushrooms grew among the oak trees. It's not clear why Eiler decided to bury these victims together. As far as anyone can tell, their only link was their abduction from the Chicago area. That said, Eiler was in a frenzy that march, killing at an accelerated pace. There may not have been much rhyme or reason to his actions.

claimed another victim before the month was out. On March 20th, 17-year-old Richard Wayne arrived at a Greyhound station in Montpellier, Indiana. The teenager was on his way to Indianapolis, where he planned to enroll in school. Once he got off the bus, he called his mother to let her know he'd made it. He said he was going to get his life together, find a career, and build her a big house.

That was the last time she ever spoke to her son. Just after the call, Richard likely had to her. hitched a ride with Eiler, who abducted and killed him. So far, Eiler had allegedly killed 10 men without being caught. He felt unstoppable and carried on with his life as usual. About two weeks after he killed Richard, Eiler met 28-year-old Gustavo Herrera at a gay bar in Chicago. Gustavo was a little different from Eiler's average targets. He dated women and had two children.

But he was also a regular at the city's gay bars. Despite not being his typical mark, it appears Eiler decided Gustavo had to die. It's possible that Gustavo reminded Eiler of his boyfriend, John, who lived a similar double life. Friends of the couple described Eiler as incredibly insecure, and said he often accused John of being unfaithful. Eiler's obsessive jealousy had been building since they started dating nearly two years ago. Perhaps Eiler was projecting his feelings about John onto Gustavo. If so, this might explain the particular. particularly vicious way in which he died.

After drugging him, Iler drove Gustavo out to a deserted construction site on the outskirts of Chicago. There he stabbed Gustavo to death, then cut off his right hand. This was a startling change in Eiler's routine. He hadn't dismembered any of his victims before. It seemed his rage was becoming more and more savage, and soon it would be his undoing. In a moment, police get Eiler in their sights. Hello, I'm Hannah Maguire. And I'm Suruti Bala, and we're the hosts of the new Spotify original from Parcast, Sinister Societies.

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and the signature Southern Country Rock of Eric Church on July 6th. Tickets on sale now at yamava theater.com, only at Yamava Resort and Casino, celebrating its 40th anniversary. You win? Must be 21 to enter. Now back to the story. By the spring of 1983, 30-year-old Larry Eiler is thought to have killed as many as 12 men across Indiana and Illinois. Because his victims were spread across various police jurisdictions, the investigation so far had been slow, with little coordination between teams. As a result, the authorities didn't yet realize they were dealing with a serial killer, but that changed in May of that year. That month, Eiler met 22-year-old Daniel Scott McNeve at an Indianapolis bar.

According to the accounts of those who knew him, Daniel was a laborer and part-time sex worker. After chatting inside, Eiler lured Daniel out to his truck. Then he bound Daniel and drove to the outskirts of town. There, he stabbed Daniel to death and dumped his body in a field, just off I-70 and headed back to town. Two days later, a farmer found Daniel and called the authorities. His body was delivered to Bloomington, and Dr. John Pless was once again called in to perform the autopsy.

Dr. Pless immediately recognized the similarities between this murder and those of Stephen Egan and John Roach. He'd unsuccessfully tried to sound the alarm before, but now he had even more ammunition. He called the state police again and insisted that the three bodies were clearly the work of one person. He warned that a serial killer was stalking the highways of the Midwest. This time, they listened. The state police formed what the Chicago Tribune called a gay homicide task force, headquartered in Indianapolis. Detectives from multiple counties and departments were assigned to work together on the case.

This development was big news for the local queer community who'd been living in fear for months, However, that meant it didn't take long for word to reach Eiler. Now that the investigation was finally ramping up, he knew it wasn't safe to keep killing, so he laid low. But without an outlet for his anger, it began to spill into his personal life. Iler and his boyfriend, 22-year-old John Dobrovolskys, started fighting even more than usual. Around this time, Eiler reportedly discovered that John was seeing someone else. despite his own frequent dalliances, he was furious.

After an alleged fight with John one night at early July, Eiler left his Chicago apartment. He was fed up, frustrated by John's refusal to bend to his will. He started driving south to Terre Haute, heading towards 45-year-old Robert Little's townhouse. He knew Little would let him stay as long as he wanted. But as the night grew darker, so did Eiler's mood. The argument with John had left a bitter taste in his mouth and a sick of anger in the pit of his stomach. The further he drove, the more on edge he felt. He only knew of one way to calm his racing thoughts. He had to blow off some steam. The perfect

opportunity presented itself when he saw hitchhiker on the side of the freeway. Eiler couldn't help but smile. It was meant to be. Eiler slowed his truck and pulled over. He rolled down his window and beckoned the young man over. He was a black man in his late teens or early 20s. but he's never been identified. Investigators referred to him as Adam Doe, so we'll do the same. According to Eiler, he offered Adam $75 for sex, and the man agreed. Eiler gave him vodka and a sedative, then drove him out to an abandoned farm in Newton County.

The same place where he'd murdered and buried three other victims. Once they'd arrived, Eiler tied Adam up and told him to make his peace with God. Then he stabbed him to death. Then Eiler opted to bury Adam in a separate area of the farm, away from the others. By his own admission, this was because the other victims were white, and he didn't think it was, quote, proper to bury Adam next to them. Eiler's bigotry ran deep. In addition to his internalized homophobia, he was evidently a racist.

In the course of our research, we found a surprising lack of contemporary studies on the correlation between racist views and violent tenderness. But in 1973, a paper published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found a significant link between racial prejudice and aggression. Researchers found that highly prejudiced subjects were more likely to have a hostile disposition. They were also more inclined to become physically aggressive when provoked. Eiler's prejudice was another symptom of the violent anger within him. But even in a blind rage, his bias persisted. Back in Indiana, the search for the killer was ramping up.

The task force launched a public hotline and were soon swamped with tips. Unfortunately, most of them led nowhere, but that summer they got a call that changed everything. The call was from a man named Tom Henderson, who had a history with Eiler. Some sources indicate that Tom was Eiler's ex. Others say Eiler stole Tom's boyfriend, leaving him with a grudge. However, his motivation didn't change the information he had. had to offer. Tom told police he believed Eiler was behind the murders, and he had plenty to back up his suspicion. He told them about the stabbing Eiler was arrested for in 1978. He also insisted

that Eiler had a violent temper and said he was known for being into bondage. Once police started interviewing members of the queer community in Indianapolis and Terre Haute, a clearer picture emerged. Several men said Eiler had frightened them by suddenly becoming violent, during sex. Some said Eiler had even tried to cut them with a knife, which matched up with the murderer's M.O. Authorities also discovered that Eiler traveled regularly between Indianapolis, Terre Haute, and Chicago. So he had links to the areas where most of the victims had disappeared from. So far, the evidence was all circumstantial, but it was enough to make Eiler a person of interest. He wasn't placed under official surveillance, but members of the task force did start

periodically tailing him in Indiana. It's not clear whether Eiler was aware of this. It's possible he thought the investigation had died down. And as the summer drew to a close, he felt confident enough to kill again. But this time, he'd stay close to Chicago. 28-year-old Ralph Collise lived with his girlfriend in the windy city. It's not clear if he also frequented gay bars or how he crossed paths with Eiler on August 31, 1983, but either way, Eiler abducted him and stabbed him 17 times, killing him. He left his body in a

clearing near a Lake County Road. Iler had gone so long without being caught that it never occurred to him to go further afield, but disposing of Ralph so close to where he left other bodies was a mistake. Authorities in Illinois were aware of the Indiana Task Force and had stepped up the police presence in and around Chicago. As a result, it only took 12 hours for them to find Ralph's body. Unlike most of Eiler's crime scenes, this one was fresh enough to contain useful evidence. Officers lifted tire tracks and footprints from the mud to check them against their database. Around this time, the Chicago police began coordinating with the Indiana Task Force.

They shared information on persons of interest in the case, including Eiler. Unaware that the investigation had crossed eight lines. Eiler carried on his usual activities in Chicago. On September 30th, he visited a few gay bars in the city. Then, after he failed to pick anyone up, he drove out towards the expressway. At an on-ramp, he picked up a hitchhiker. Darrell Hayward was trying to get to Indianapolis for a funeral. Iler operated during a time when hitchhiking was in decline, but still relatively common.

The practice has been around in some form since the dawn of the automobile. In the 1960s, the act took on a trendy association with the hippie counterculture movement. Hitchhiking became so popular that the FBI even stepped in. They warned drivers not to pick up hitchhikers in case they were murderers or, quote, sex maniacs. Arguably, the risk is even higher for those getting into a stranger's car. But for young broke people with a high-risk tolerance, people like Darrell, hitchhiking remained tempting. So Darle hopped into the truck and Eiler offered him $100 if he would let him tie him up. It was clearly a sexual advance.

At first, Darle said no, but the money was enticing. As he drove, Eiler kept insisting he wouldn't hurt him, that Darrell could trust him. Eventually, he agreed. So Eiler pulled over near a ditch and got out of the truck. Darle went down into the ditch with Eiler, but then faltered. The traffic was rushing by in the expressway above them, and he felt exposed. He asked Eiler if they could go somewhere more private. Eiler said, sure, he knew of a barn nearby where no one would bother them.

We can only imagine what might have happened had things gone according to Eiler's plan, but luckily for Darrell, they didn't. Just as they were emerging from the ditch, a state trooper happened to pass by. He stopped them for parking illegally along the interstate. The Trooper Radio Dispatch to check Eiler's license and registration information. As soon as the dispatcher heard the name, he made the connection. The routine traffic stop had just become something much bigger.

But without any firm evidence, the police were in a tricky spot. However, after some speedy deliberations, a sergeant arrested Eiler on charges of solicitation and brought him into custody. His luck, it seemed, had finally run out. Up next, the seemingly airtight case. case against Eiler falls apart. Now we finish our story. In September of 1983, Illinois police arrested 30-year-old Larry Eiler for soliciting sex. They suspected he was the serial killer they'd been chasing for four months, but needed more evidence. While he wasn't charged with any crime on the

morning of his arrest, the move could by the authorities time. Once Eiler was in custody, investigators informed him he was a suspect in the series of murders in Illinois and Indiana. Iler quickly and adamantly denied killing anyone. To prove his innocence, he agreed to be fingerprinted, undergo a polygraph test, and even consented to his vehicle being searched. But by this time, the search had already happened, and it was fruitful. Officers had found a bloody knife and a nylon rope in its truck. Despite this damning evidence, Eiler was released, and within days he searched. He stood. truck back. Iler hired a Chicago attorney and filed a civil suit against both the Lake County, Illinois Police and the Indiana State Police. His attorney claimed Eiler had been illegally detained

in violation of his 14th Amendment rights. The suit also stated that Eiler hadn't consented to his vehicle being searched before it happened. Therefore, the evidence they found in his truck should be suppressed. At the same time, Eiler's friends and family gave defined interviews to the press, claiming that the police were picking on him. An anonymous source identified only as Eiler's male lover insisted that Eiler's naivety had gotten him into trouble. He said that Eiler had, quote, an almost childlike innocence about him.

But the evidence against the killer was mounting. Through October, the Lake County Police and the Indiana Task Force worked together to build a case against him. During a search of 45-year-old Robert Little's house in Terre Haute, Indiana, where Eiler lived part-time, they found more circumstantial evidence. There were credit card receipts and phone records that placed Eiler in the vicinity of many of the murders. More damningly, the tire tracks from the Ralph Calais crime scene matched Eiler's truck.

Additionally, the footprints at the scene were left by Eiler's boots. Meanwhile, more bodies were being unearthed. On October 19th, two mushroom hunters arrived at the abandoned farm in Newton County, Indiana. The couple, Henry and Gladys Hansen, had been foraging in this spot for years. Nobody else seemed to know about it, and whenever they returned, they found an incredible variety of mushrooms. But on that chilly morning, the Hanson's discovered something other than fungi. Two human skulls lay next to each other in the dirt. Shaken, they called the police.

When officers arrived, they discovered that there were a total of four bodies. Since none of them could immediately be identified, they became. It became known as the Newton County John Doe's. Within a couple of months, Michael Bauer and John Bartlett were IDed using dental records. It took almost three decades, but eventually John Ingram Brandenburg was named in April of 2021. The identity of the last victim, Adam Doe, has never been confirmed. Though police suspected Eiler was responsible for the four Newton County murders, they focused

on Ralph's murder. This is likely because they had so much more physical evidence from the scene. On November 1st, Eiler was charged with murdering Ralph Collies and taken back into custody. But Eiler's previous lawsuit against the police soon became a serious roadblock. Three months after being charged, a judge cited with Eiler. He had been illegally detained. Any evidence collected in the course of that detention couldn't be used against him. Eiler was freed on bond in February of 1984.

The authorities had been painfully tantalizingly close to putting Eiler behind bars for good. It was hard to believe that their own mistakes had ruined it all. Eiler wasted no time taking advantage of his renewed independence. One of the conditions of his release was that he couldn't leave the state of Illinois, so he relocated permanently to Chicago. Robert Little, who'd partially funded Eiler's legal fees, helped him get a new shoreside apartment in the far north of the city. It was a relief to be away from the hustle and bustle of downtown.

Eiler was now notorious. Though he'd been released on a technicality, he was still a suspect in more than 20 murders, and the city's LGBTQIA plus community knew it. Even sex workers in the area knew to be wary of Eiler. Perhaps they sensed he wasn't done killing. 16-year-old Danny Bridges was among them. On the night of August 19, 1984, Danny left his sister's house around 10.30 p.m.

He told her he needed some air. Little who'd been visiting Eiler that weekend later claimed that he left around the same time to drive back to Indiana. Around the same time, Eiler went out in his pickup truck prowling the streets for a new victim. When he saw Danny walking along, he slowed to a crawl and, offered him a ride. For reasons we'll never know, Danny agreed to get into the truck. Iler may have drugged him to keep him compliant, or perhaps he went willingly to Iler's apartment.

Once they were inside, Iler tied Danny to a chair. He beat and tortured him before he stabbed him to death. After Danny was dead, Iler dismembered him. He cut his body into eight pieces, draining each one of blood and placing the them inside separate bags. This was a radical change to Eiler's MO. He'd cut off one previous victim's hand, but had never dismembered an entire body that we know of. According to a 2020 study by Canadian researchers, there are two primary motivations for criminal

dismemberment. When the motive is to hide the body and avoid detection, it's considered to be defensive dismemberment. When the motive is sexual gratification from the act itself, that's an offensive. defensive dismemberment. Iler routinely propositioned his victims as ways of getting them alone, but sexual gratification may or may not have been part of his actual motivation for killing. It's highly probable that he dismembered Danny defensively, purely to make it easier to hide the body. By the time Eiler had finished with his grisly work, a day had passed. Working quickly, he carried the hefty bags containing the body parts down to his apartment complex's garbage area. Then he put them in

side a dumpster. Disposing of Danny's body at his own residence while he was a suspect in multiple murders was an incomprehensibly risky move. It's possible that Eiler was hoping the garbage would be taken to a landfill before anyone noticed its contents. If that was the case, he didn't get his wish. It didn't take long for someone to make the horrific discovery. On the morning of August 21st, Janitor Joseph Bala was starting work at the building. He noticed that the dumpster was full of heavy-duty trash bags, which weren't the type as tenants normally used. Bala cursed quietly to himself. Some passers-by must have illegally ditched their trash, and now it was his problem to deal with. But as Bala pulled the first bag out, it ripped open.

A human thigh fell out onto the ground. Bala couldn't believe what he was seeing. He couldn't bring himself to look at the rest of the bags. He didn't need to. He knew what they would contain. the call came into the Chicago police. They knew Eiler had to be responsible. Another janitor from a nearby building confirmed they'd seen a man who fit Eiler's description, dispose of the bags the previous afternoon. Later that morning, authorities burst into Eiler's apartment, where he and his boyfriend, 23-year-old John Doebovalskies, were sleeping. They arrested both men. John was held overnight and questioned, before being released without charge. Up to this point, John had vigorously defended Eiler against the police, he'd always maintained that they were unfairly blaming him for the murders.

But when he heard about the mountain of evidence against Eiler, doubts started to creep in. Over the next few weeks, those questions snowballed into horrific certainty. When a forensic team examined Eiler's apartment, they turned up even more clues. A large amount of blood had been cleaned from various areas, blood which was soon confirmed to be Dany's. The severed leg and other body parts in the dumpster were also identified, and Eiler's fingerprints were all over the hefty bags. On August 22nd, just a day after his arrest, 31-year-old Larry Eiler was charged with Danny Bridges' murder. He maintained his innocence and insisted that the bags only had his fingerprints on them because he had moved them to make room for his own trash. But after years of getting away with murder, Eiler had finally run up against a situation.

situation he couldn't talk or pay his way out of. What's more, when his trial began in July of 1986, the 33-year-old felt the sting of betrayal. Two of the prosecution's key witnesses were none other than John Dobrovolski's and Robert Little. They were supposed to be Eiler's closest confidants. Now they would help put him away for good. Both of their testimonies placed Eiler at the apartment on the night of the murder. Extraordinarily, even as he was testifying against his longtime friend and roommate,

Little paid all of Eiler's legal costs. After several weeks, Eiler was found guilty and sentenced to death. But Eiler's legal battles were far from over. In 1990, while Eiler was on death row, Indiana was preparing to charge him with Stephen Eagin's murder. Eiler's lawyer encouraged him to take a plea deal and cooperate fully with the investigation. But that's not all, likely growing desperate for a way out. He claimed he hadn't acted alone. He told his lawyer that Little had been his accomplice in murdering Egan,

and he was prepared to testify against him. That December, Eiler dictated a 17-page confession to Egan's murder. He stated that he and Little had been driving around Terre Haute that night, looking for somebody to pick up. Eiler claimed that it was Little's idea to kidnap someone and to play out a violent bondage scenario ending in murder. In his version of events, Little had a, quote, Manson-like influence over him. It's not clear how Little reacted to this turn of events.

Having known Eiler for as long as he had, maybe the sudden reversal didn't come as a surprise. Based on what we know, Little and Eiler's mysterious relationship seems to have been highly transactional, at least on Eiler's side. He got a free place to stay, and seemingly unlimited money whenever he needed it. Now Eiler hoped to use him as a scapegoat.

Even in court, he continued to exploit him. After his confession, Eiler pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 60 years behind bars. In exchange, he agreed to take the stand at Little's upcoming trial, which began in 1991. During the trial, Little's mother testified that he'd been in Florida visiting her at the time of Egan's murder, and with no physical evidence to tie little to any of the other attacks, Eiler's version of events was flimsy at best. The jury found Little not guilty. Eilers' attempt to turn the tables on his longtime benefactor had backfired,

and now he had nobody left in his corner, but he wasn't ready to give up. Still on death row for the kidnapping and murder of Danny Bridges and determined to avoid execution, Eiler offered to confess to as many as 20 additional murders. In return, he wanted his sentence reduced to life without parole. Though they knew Eiler was probably good for at least that many killings, the authorities refused to strike a deal. In any case, it soon became a moot point. In March of 1994, Eiler died from complications relating to AIDS.

In a posthumous statement made through his lawyer, he confessed to an additional 20 murders. After a lifetime of keeping secrets, Eiler chose to unburden himself in his final days, but it's unlikely he had any interest in giving closure to his victim's families. Eiler took great pleasure in watching innocent people suffer. He projected his self-loathing onto vulnerable young men who made the mistake of trusting him.

He ended countless lives, just to fulfill his own twisted need for control, snuffing his victims out like they were nothing. This final act might have been one last twist. of the knife, a reminder of the pain he'd caused, the control he still clung to, even as he died alone. Thanks again for tuning into serial killers. We'll be back soon with another episode.

For more information on Larry Eiler, amongst the many sources we used, we found the book Freed to Kill, the True Story of Serial Murderer Larry Eiler by Gerald Lind Kolarick and Wayne Clatt, extremely helpful in 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. Have a killer week. Serial Killers is a Spotify original from Parcast. Executive producers include Max and Ron Cutler, sound design by Russell Nash,

with production assistants by Ron Shapiro, Trent Williamson, Carly Madden, and Joshua Kern. This episode of Serial Killers was written by Emma Dibdin, with writing us as a assistant, by Jane O., Natalie Pertsovsky and Joel Callan, fact-checking by Bennett Logan, and research by Brian Petrus and Chelsea Wood, serial killers stars Greg Poulson and Vanessa Richardson. You aren't supposed to know about them, unless they want you to.

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