Mind of a Serial Killer - SERIAL KILLER: The Scream Killer Pt. 1

Episode Date: October 20, 2025

Before he became the “Gainesville Ripper,” Danny Rolling was a broken child in a violent home, and the demons inside him were only just beginning to stir. In Part 1, we uncover the early life of the serial killer who inspired the horror movie "Scream," tracing the trauma, addiction, and dark fantasies that pushed him toward his first kill. Killer Minds is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. For ad-free listening and early access to episodes, subscribe to Crime House+ on Apple Podcasts. Don’t miss out on all things Killer Minds! Instagram: @Crimehouse TikTok: @Crimehouse Facebook: @crimehousestudios X: @crimehousemedia YouTube: @crimehousestudios To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Crime House has the perfect new show for spooky season, Twisted Tales, hosted by Heidi Wong. Each episode of Twisted Tales is perfect for late-night scares and daytime frights, revealing the disturbing real-life events that inspired the world's most terrifying blockbusters, and the ones too twisted to make it to screen. Twisted Tales is a crimehouse original, powered by Pave Studios. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. new episodes out every Monday. Parents set a lot of rules

about clothes, friends, and curfews. Kids might feel like these boundaries are restrictive. But once they get older, most people realize their parents just wanted to keep them safe. Unfortunately, that wasn't true for Danny rolling. Growing up in the 1950s, Danny's father was an abuser, not a protector. He destroyed Danny, leaving him with only shame, rage, and an insatiable loneliness. That emptiness stayed with Danny as an adult. Seeking to fill the void, he opened himself up to a higher power. But instead of seeing the light, Danny was dragged down a path of darkness.

The human mind is powerful. It shapes how we think, feel, love, and hate. But sometimes it drives people to commit the unthinkable. This is Killer Minds, a crimehouse original. I'm Vanessa Richardson. And I'm Dr. Tristan Engels. Every Monday and Thursday, we uncover the darkest minds in history, analyzing what makes a killer. Crime House is made possible by you.

Please rate, review, and follow Killer Minds. To enhance your listening experience with ad-free, early access to each two-part series and bonus content, subscribe to Crime House Plus on Apple Podcasts. Before we get started, be advised. This episode contains descriptions of sexual violence and violence. and dismemberment. Listener discretion is advised. Today we begin our deep dive on Danny Rolling,

aka the Gainesville Ripper. Danny's tormented childhood planted demons inside him that couldn't be tamed. And once he got his first taste for blood, Danny went on a terrifying murder spree. His crimes inspired one of the most gruesome horror movies of all time, scream. As Vanessa goes through the story,

I'll be talking about things like the link between childhood abuse and nightmares when someone can't distinguish those nightmares from reality and when they begin acting on violent fantasies. And as always, we'll be asking the question, what makes a killer? That's annoying. What? You're a muffler. You don't hear it? Oh, I don't even notice it.

I usually drown it out with the radio. How's this? Oh, yeah. Way better. Save on insurance by switching to Bel Air Direct and use the money to fix your car. Bel Air Direct, insurance simplified. Conditions apply. The kind of trauma that creates a monster doesn't happen overnight. For Danny Rowling, it started before he was even born.

Danny's father, James Rowling, grew up around numerous family members with severe mental illness, including schizophrenia. Many of them also dealt with drug addiction. His childhood was tumultuous and even. even violent. When James was a child, he reportedly witnessed a relative slit his own wife's throat. This might be why James never wanted children of his own. Maybe he knew he couldn't properly care for a child. But he never said this to Claudia Wilkinson, who he married in Georgia in 1953 when he was 22 and she was 19. So, two weeks after their wedding, when the young bride found out she was pregnant, James lashed out at her.

Claudia was completely taken aback. She thought her husband would be excited. But now, he was a completely different man. According to Claudia, James became prone to angry outbursts, including one incident when he threw her against a wall, then choked her until she almost passed out. That was Claudia's breaking point. She packed her bags and left their home in Georgia

to stay with her parents in Shreveport. Port Louisiana. Shortly after, on May 26, 1954, Claudia gave birth to a baby boy named Danny Harold Rowling. Once his son was in the world, James seemed to have a change of heart. He showed up at Claudia's parents' house and begged for her to take him back. He promised he would change and that he'd provide a good life for them. Claudia believed him, and the couple moved into a small garage-style apartment in Shreveport. James had a military background, which he used to get a job as a police officer. It seemed like the young family was happily putting down roots. But it didn't take long for James' old patterns to return. He was constantly set off by Danny's crying. His violent

urges soon came rushing back, and he directed them at his son. Claudia later said that when Danny was just a year old, James got frustrated with teaching him to crawl and kicked him down the hallway. All right. So it's important to recognize how sensitive the developing brain is at such a young age. The first years of life are a period of rapid neural growth. Billions of new connections are being formed. Physical abuse in infancy, such as being kicked like that or even shaken, can actually alter the structure of the brain. Aside from the physical trauma that can happen, which certainly can cause bleeding on the brain or cervical damage and even more. When an infant experiences pain, fear, or injury at that stage, the stress response systems

of the brain are activated in ways that are overwhelming. Repeated or extreme abuse creates toxic stress. And toxic stress can flood the infant's developing nervous system with stress hormones like cortisol, which can impair the growth of neural pathways responsible for learning, memory, and emotional regulation. From a clinical standpoint, we often see long-term consequences of this, such as difficulty regulating emotions, problems with impulse control, heightened startle responses, and an increased risk for anxiety or even aggression later in life. The child's sense of safety and trust are the very things that form a secure attachment, and that becomes disrupted, which can

ultimately affect how the child views all future relationships. So, when James directed his violence toward Danny at such a young age, he was wiring Danny's brain to expect pain and danger in a place where he should expect comfort and safety. And that kind of early conditioning can influence behavior and attachment and even vulnerability to mental illness. So what happens to a baby's brain development if they don't get affection, comfort, and that security that they need? So there was a study done on children that were raised in severely deprived orphanages in the 1980s and 1990s. These infants often spent their early years with minimal physical touch, very little stimulation, and almost no consistent caregiver. When researchers later examined these children, some of whom were

thankfully adopted into nurturing homes, while some remained, they found striking differences in brain development. Neuroimaging showed reduced activity and even smaller overall brain volume in those children. Functionally, many struggled with attention, impulse control, and emotional regulation. Even years after adoption, some children carried lasting effects like difficulty forming attachments, heightened anxiety, and developmental delays. On the flip side, though, children who were adopted into nurturing environments at younger ages did show remarkable recovery, which really illustrates the brain's resilience. Early intervention matters, but the reality is affection and comfort are biological necessities for healthy and optimal growth. Well, James is

abuse only got worse as Danny got older. In August of 1955, when Danny was about a year old, James and Claudia had a second son named Kevin, which meant James's rage was multiplied by two. He seemed to be set off by his family's very presence, but Danny seemed to get under his skin more than anyone else. By the time Danny was five years old, in 1959, James began tying him up to keep him out of the way. Sometimes James seemed to feel guilty for the way he treated Danny. It was like he remembered what it felt like for him as a kid. One day in 1959, James brought home a puppy that he found while he was at work. Danny formed a special bond with his new pet.

And that might be why when James' anger reared its ugly head again, he directed it at the dog. James began regularly abusing the dog in front of Danny. One day, he hurt it so badly, it died. in Danny's arms. Danny was devastated and traumatized beyond imagination. Claudia couldn't even console him because James forbade her from ever hugging her sons.

There are actually two critical points here. First, there's antisocial traits that could be transgenerational here. James is showing a pattern of that. And second, now we know that Danny was being denied nurturance and comfort from his mother as well. Well, eventually Claudia actually tried to take the boys and leave for good.

But James stopped her by making his same old promises, which, just like before, he failed to live up to. Danny was stuck with his father for good. There was nowhere he felt safe. By the time he was about eight years old, Danny couldn't even escape his reality in his dreams. He started having vivid nightmares about monsters or the world ending violently. In children who are abused, especially in more ways than one like Danny was, nightmares are often the brain's way of replaying the threat. Now remember, the brain is wired for survival, and it's even more tuned into survival

when it's still developing. So when a child grows up in an unsafe, violent home, it's likely that his nervous system never really shut off. Even in sleep, his brain kept bracing for danger. Nightmares in this context are like trauma intrusions. It's the developing brain trying and failing to process overwhelming experiences. Danny is a child, and because he does not yet have the words or abstract thinking skills to articulate complex feelings like terror and betrayal, a, quote, monster became the stand-in, and over time chronic nightmares can disrupt sleep, and sleep is essential for brain development, information processing, and emotional regulation. Nightmares like this can keep trauma circuits active instead of allowing for healing, increasing a child's risk of PTSD, and in some cases dissociation or, or who.

hallucinations. And it can also shape their worldview as one that is chronically hostile and unpredictable. And that can carry into adulthood and it can influence personality development, relationships, and coping strategies. It becomes a vicious cycle. Fear in the day fuels fear at night, and fear at night leaves the child even less able to cope throughout the day. Do you think it's possible the nightmares were connected to the fact that his mom wasn't able to protect him? So we know that trauma isn't just about what happens to you, it's also about what doesn't happen. A monster chasing you isn't just about being hurt, it's also about being completely unprotected, with no rescuer coming for you. And that makes the tear even more overwhelming because it's paired with helplessness.

So yes, it's very possible that his nightmares were connected to the fact that his mother could not protect him. But I think it is also important to note that his mother was also a victim of James's abuse. She lived under the same climate of fear, intimidation, and control. In that context, her ability to protect her children was tragically limited. It's not necessarily because she didn't care, but rather she herself was surviving an abusive relationship. To leave something like that, especially with children involved, it means to plan for it safely, and it's much harder than people often realize. Danny's nightmares were so persistent. He started losing sleep, which apparently caused him to perform badly in school.

James, of course, was strict about his son's grades, and whenever Danny brought home a bad report card, his father was furious. James may have realized how much this frightened Danny and began toying with his mind. When he made Danny cut the grass, he forced him to use a knife to trim the edges. It was like James wanted Danny to see himself as a violent person, too.

For a while, Danny tried not to, and he was willing to go to great lengths to repress those instincts. In 1966, when he was just 12 years old, Danny turned to alcohol to cope with his emotions. But drinking had the opposite effect. It brought out the worst in Danny. One night when he was 14 years old, after he'd been drinking, he got caught spying on a neighbor while she undressed.

When James found out, he beat Danny. After this, Danny tried to get on a better path. He applied for a part-time job at the local Dairy Queen. James told him he could only work there if he kept his grades up, and Danny agreed. He was looking forward to having more independence and time away from James. But within a week of starting his new job, Danny got his report card, and his grades were not good. James made him quit immediately. Danny was devastated and enraged.

He and James got into a blowout argument. At one point, James pinned Danny against a shed in the backyard and hit him until he was covered in blood. Danny didn't fight back. Instead, he finally dodged one of the punches, then ran inside. He headed straight to the bathroom and locked the door. Claudia followed him, but when she knocked, Danny ignored her. Danny grabbed a razor blade, opened the bathroom window, and climbed out. He ran to a nearby drive-in theater and sat there,

all night contemplating taking his own life. He battled with himself for hours, but in the end, he decided not to go through with it. When someone becomes suicidal, they typically are experiencing an enormous amount of emotional pain. They often have a negative view of themselves, the world, and the future, meaning they don't value themselves. They think the world, a.k.a. everything, is working against them, and it's not going to get any better. And our thoughts directly affect how we feel and how we feel affects how we behave. And that negative triad of thinking is the recipe for hopelessness. And in a mindset like that, suicide can feel like the only way to end pain for some people. And when we consider the horrific environment that Danny has

grown up in with no sense of safety, no stable source of comfort, and no outlet for the emotions that come with that kind of upbringing, we can certainly see how he got to this point. But what's more significant here is that he decided against it. He's 14 years old, his brain is still developing, and his decision-making judgment and impulse control are not yet fully established. And despite this, he spent hours weighing the choice, which suggests that there was some part of him that was still clinging to hope. Why do you think he ultimately decided against ending his life? So in my experience, treating individuals in acute crisis like that, there are a number of reasons they ultimately decide against ending their life.

For starters, with suicide, there's often a feeling of ambivalence. Most people who contemplate suicide don't really want to do it, but they feel it's their only option, and that ambivalence causes hesitation. There's also instinctual self-preservation. The adolescent brain, even under trauma, is hardwired to avoid death. It's hardwired for survival, and we tend to fear the unknown. So we have a basic biological drive to survive. But what I have seen as most effective in deciding against it or helping someone change their mind in those acute moments, let's say if I'm doing crisis intervention, are identifying protective factors. And from that, ideally, they regain hope. And common protective factors are loved ones or even pets that they would leave behind. Danny has a younger brother that he would be leaving alone in that environment if he had decided to act on his thoughts. And maybe that revelation hit him in those moments. But ultimately, I think

it had to do with this change of environment. He spent hours away from home when he was contemplating this. That was hours of time that showed him that one day he would no longer be dependent upon or trapped in that abusive environment. He may have realized that there will come a time in the near future where he can be permanently free from his father's abuse, and that right there could be enough to instill hope, see a better future, and ultimately shift his perspective. Danny needed serious help, but he never got it. He went home and actually told Claudia what he'd done and everything that went through his mind.

But it didn't change anything. Danny's life went back to the way it always had been. He continued to numb the pain with alcohol and seemed to become even more reckless about his drinking. One night, James could tell he'd been drinking. Outraged, he tackled Danny to the kitchen floor and handcuffed him to a chair. Then he called his colleagues at the police station and had Danny sent to a juvenile detention center for about two weeks.

Danny felt completely betrayed. Not by James, but Claudia. He felt like she could have stopped him from being sent away but didn't. So when he got out, he decided he was better off alone. Danny packed a bag and set up camp in the woods near his parents' house. While he was out there all alone, dark thoughts started to be. to creep in. Danny fantasized about taking control over people as his victims and killing them. In his mind, these fantasies helped him cope with all the hurt and fear he'd been living with. There are two defense

mechanisms occurring here. That's projection of blame and displaced anger. And when it comes to projecting blame, instead of admitting uncomfortable feelings like helplessness, shame, or fear, a person points the finger at someone else. And for Danny, that became his mother. He felt betrayed by her inaction, but rather than confront his father for his abuse, he pointed a finger at her because it was safer. The second defense mechanism is displacement, which is redirecting negative emotions like anger away from the real source, his abusive father, and onto a more vulnerable and convenient target, which was once again his mother, whom he perceived as less threatening.

Developmentally, when children do this, it's because they lack the emotional vocabulary and cognitive control to sit with complex feelings. Another psychological mechanism here is identification with the aggressor, his father. When this happens, a person or child unconsciously starts to adopt traits of their aggressor, including their attitudes, behaviors, even justifications, because it feels safer to be like the source of danger than to remain powerless and vulnerable. It's a way of coping with an overwhelming threat and to regain a sense of control, Except over time, that can become an over-correction, one that causes emotional blunting, a justification of cruelty, and a reliance on aggressiveness for security.

And we can already see that happening because he's now rehearsing that trauma through violent fantasies. This is another attempt to feel in control. Now, to be clear, many trauma survivors do have intrusive thoughts, even violent ones. And it does not mean that they will go on to harm someone. Risk of future violence increases, however, if the fantasies are more systemic, rehearsed with detail, begin to escalate, and are reenacted. And that is where Danny appears to be headed. Danny's pain was growing into a monster of its own. He decided then that he would find a way to leave home for good, all on his own. For now, though, he had no money and no way to eat, so he went back.

We don't know how his family reacted when he came back, but Dan, Danny running away likely didn't change the way James treated him. One Sunday, while they were getting ready for church, James took issue with the outfit Danny had picked out. When they got home, James threw all of Danny's clothes out on the driveway. It was his way of telling his son he was no longer welcome under his roof. This time, Claudia wouldn't stand for it. She packed up the rest of Danny's belongings as well as hers and Kevin's

and moved the three of them into a nearby apartment. Danny and Kevin were glad to get away from their father for good. But it didn't last. After a couple of months, Claudia couldn't afford the bills. There was no way she could support all of them on just her paycheck. They were forced to move back in with James. Danny lost all faith in his mother at this point. In his eyes, even when she was willing to help him, she couldn't do it.

Danny refused to live with James longer than he had to, so in 1971, when he was 17 years old, he dropped out of school, took the GED, and enlisted in the Air Force. James was actually proud of him. He thought the military would set Danny on a better path. Instead, Danny let his monsters come out in full force. In 1971, 17-year-old Danny Rowling dropped out of school, earned his GED and enlisted in the Air Force. He was stationed in Florida, where he started out working in security before moving up to Strategic Air Command,

a critical role responsible for managing bomber airplanes and ballistic missiles. Danny was finally gaining some structure and responsibility in his life, but it was short-lived because feelings of emptiness and depression still consumed him. No matter how far away he was from his abusive father, the scars were always there. To cope, Danny turned to drugs, and even in the military, there was no shortage of hallucinogens to go around. Danny started regularly taking LSD. Pretty soon, Danny couldn't stay. stop. He had no control over his drug use. According to reports, he dropped acid more than 100 times during his time in the Air Force.

Whenever someone uses an illicit substance, it hijacks the brain's reward pathway and it floods it with your own neurotransmitters, which is what produces the drug effects. Long-term and heavy use over time can lead to addiction, but also it depletes the body's supply of neurotransmitters, which can ultimately lead to mental health conditions. as well. Each classification of drugs affects different neurotransmitters. Danny is using hallucinogens, specifically LSD, like you said, and that is a mind-altering drug that specifically affects serotonin in the brain. Serotonin helps control behavior, mood, perception, and thinking. Heavy use of LSD, particularly uncontrolled use like this, can lower inhibition and impulse control, which increases the chance that Danny's violent fantasies will escalate from thought to action. Substance misuse is highly correlated with an increased risk of violence for those reasons.

It can also worsen reality testing and increase perceptual disturbances like hallucinations. So people who abuse hallucinogens also experience delusions or hallucinations even after the effects of the drug have worn off. It can induce psychosis, which can become settled if it isn't resolved over time. The substance can also destabilize mood long term, subsequently exacerbating depression, suicidal thinking, and chronic dissociation. And polysubstance use, like alcohol and hallucinogens, multiplies those risks. Ultimately, his abuse or dependency on LSD

can effectively lower his threshold for dangerous behavior. Is someone like Danny more susceptible to addiction? Yes, he is certainly more susceptible to addiction. His history of early and chronic trauma alone elevates his risk. He's been seeking emotional relief for some time and has been in a state of toxic stress. Substances provide a relief to that, especially when you consider he has no healthy attachments,

no effective coping skills or support as alternatives. Clinically, we see faster progression, higher relapse rates, and more comorbidity like PTSD, depression, and impulsivity in people with a similar history and profile. Just because someone is more susceptible to addiction does not mean that this will be their destiny, with the right integration of support systems

like trauma-informed care, housing, social support, and therapeutic interventions, they can and often do change their trajectory. Danny was just asking for trouble. And he got it. He was eventually caught using. The Air Force jailed him for possession and disobeying orders. From there, they began the discharge process. Part of that process involved seeing a military psychiatrist.

The doctor ended up discovering something about Danny. Apparently, he suffered from a personality disorder. We don't know the exact diagnosis. Regardless, he didn't seek further treatment. Being kicked out of the military made Danny feel like a failure. At age 19, he moved back to Shreveport. Fortunately, one positive thing came of this. Danny's grandfather invited him to move in.

He'd stayed with his grandparents for brief periods before. This time, they wanted to help him get back on his feet. Danny was grateful for the offer and took his grandpa up on it but then he didn't seem to actually make an effort to improve his life instead he sort of drifted along until one day when a new door opened itself to him

Danny was out for a walk when a man in a car pulled up alongside him and offered a ride at first Danny was surprised strangers never paid special attention to him but once he was in the car the man said that when he spotted Danny he got a feeling about him, a godly feeling.

The man explained that he was a member of the local Pentecostal church and invited Danny to attend a service. Danny had never felt particularly connected to religion, but something about the way the man spoke made him think the Pentecostal church was exactly what he needed. He went to a service where he was immediately swept up in the music and spiritual fervor. For the first time in his life, Danny felt like he could let go of his thoughts.

thoughts and inner demons, and simply enjoy the moment. He got so into it, he reportedly began speaking in tongues. To the members of the church, this was a sign that Danny had the Holy Spirit within. So Danny's interest in religion seemingly out of nowhere was partly happenstance, but also not uncommon. After years of abuse, being unhoused, substance use, and stressful life events like the discharge from the military, a church does offer immediately. social connection, predictable routine, and people who notice you. All things his early caregivers

did not reliably provide. Religion also supplies stories that explains suffering, like sin and trial and redemption, and it gives a person a role. You're loved by God, or you're saved, or you're special. And for someone who felt powerless, being told that you're touched by the Holy Spirit or that God has a plan can effectively convert all prior chaos in life into purpose for some people. Danny also was just discharged from the military because of his substance use while religion can offer an identity other than quote addict or quote victim and that would be very comforting for him at a time like this spiritualism can be protective it can reduce substance use provide structure and promote pro-social bonds but in someone with trauma linked dissociation or a vulnerability to violence or psychosis religious content can also become the form that hallucinations or grandiosity take. And Laurie Valo-Daybel, whom we talked about in earlier episodes, is an example of this. From that point on, Danny threw himself into the church.

He joined the choir and drove elderly members around in the church van. For the first time in his life, he was surrounded by people who cared about him. It was enough to convince him to stop using drugs and alcohol for good. It's also where he met a 19-year-old woman, named Omeather Halco. Omeather bore a resemblance to Danny's mother, Claudia. They were both brunette with fair skin and almond-shaped eyes. We don't know if this was part of what drew him to her,

but we do know that he believed God had brought Omeather into his life. And she believed the same. Omeather thought Danny was polite, kind, and God-fearing. They quickly started dating, and less than a year later, Omeather became pregnant. Danny was over the moon. He was determined to be the kind of father he never had. He got a job with the water department, and he and O'Meather got married.

When their daughter Kylie was born in 1975, Danny embraced the role of loving husband and father. But then the pressures of domestic life started to weigh on him, and Danny's old demons crept back in. Soon he started drinking and using drugs again. Over the next year, Danny's behavior became erratic. He would lose his temper at O'Meather and threatened to hurt her. He was becoming more like James every day. It was like Danny couldn't escape the hold his father had on him.

Around the same time, Danny also started disappearing for days on end. He was roaming the streets at night, peering into people's windows and watching women undress. Most likely he was camping out in the woods. He had reverted right back into his troubling, teenage behavior. So this is indicative of voyeurism, especially if he's getting some kind of sexual gratification from this, and this is significant because if his voyeurism was accompanied by sexual arousal to coercion or violence, his detailed rehearsal of fantasies, a history

of aggression, substance misuse, then clinically he would be a higher risk for future sexual violence. Then, in 1976, about a year after becoming a father, Danny got caught spying on people. The police apprehended him, brought him home, and told O'Mather what he'd done. When she asked Danny why, he said that demons living inside of him made him do it. So when Danny says demons made me do it, that line can meet a lot of different things. Of course, it's easy to assume that this is psychosis or symptoms of a psychotic spectrum disorder. Auditory hallucinations, command voices, and fixed persecutory or spiritual beliefs are common presentations in psychotic disorders or severe substance-induced states. But simply because someone is endorsing an

experience that on the surface appears to be psychosis does not mean that it truly is. For example, given the context and the possible shame or embarrassment that he may have been feeling in relation to what he was caught doing, this could be a form of dissociation. He has years of extreme trauma and abuse, and that can cause someone to become fragmented, which would explain why he wanted this experience to be something that was happening to him, not committed by him. Similarly, externalizing the blame would allow Danny to offload this onto something else to avoid accepting that this is something he wanted to do. Danny also started using again, and recent use of stimulants, psychedelics, or heavy alcohol can produce perceptual disturbances

that could explain this as well. There are also neurological and even cultural explanations for this. Regardless, without an assessment and treatment, these experiences can worsen. They can become more frequent, more commanding, and more intense, especially of drug use, sleep deprivation, and social isolation continue. Danny was diagnosed with a personality disorder. Would that explain the symptoms he's having? So a personality disorder certainly explains some of the behaviors you've described,

but not all of what he's experiencing. Personality disorders describe enduring ways of thinking, feeling, and relating. They cause problems with emotional regulation, impulsivity, mistrust and identity and stability. Those traits fit a lot of Danny's behavior, like anger toward caregivers, difficulty forming attachments, substance misuse, defense mechanisms, and acting out. So it does plausibly explain chronic patterns of interpersonal dysfunction and maladaptive coping, but a personality disorder usually does not produce primary psychotic symptoms like persistent verbal auditory command hallucinations. When you hear hallucinations, experience acute

paranoia or sudden fixed religious delusions, we have to widen the differential and consider things like substance-induced psychosis, trauma-related dissociation, a primary psychotic disorder, or a neurological problem. And right now, it's really hard to tell for Danny what's really going on. So what causes someone to act on the voices they're hearing or feel like literal inner demons are controlling them? It's never just one singular thing, but rather a combination. So in my experience, individuals who have genuine command auditory hallucinations tend to act on them because they believed it would provide relief. People experiencing psychotic disorders feel like prisoners in their own minds, and it can feel very helpless. Identifying ways to regain control over their minds is essential

for them, and unfortunately many, especially those without access to resources and treatment, believe that giving into the voices will do that. And for others, it's trying to self-medicate with substances. If reality monitoring is impaired, whether it's organic or substance-induced or related to a head injury, it can become harder to differentiate between an external voice and an internal thought. And of course, if they're struggling with cognitive control as it is, impulse control deficits are likely to follow. Well, there was no way of knowing what was really going on in Danny's head, but things were only going to get worse. For starters, O'Meather no longer recognized the man she married. Not knowing what else to do, she called his parents. O'Meather had met Claudia and

James before, but she had no idea how much abuse Danny had suffered. In her eyes, they were a normal family. However, when James came over that night, she saw a different side to him. At the time, Danny was asleep in bed. James barged into the house, jumped on top of his son, and put a knife to his throat. He threatened to kill him if he didn't get his act together. Danny didn't fight back, but he also didn't take his father's threats seriously. After the incident, he continued drinking and staying out for long stretches of time. Eventually, O'Meather couldn't take it anymore. In 1977, she told Danny she wanted a divorce. In response, Danny pulled out a gun and threatened to kill her if she ever left. But as soon as Omeather had an opportunity, she took their daughter and fled. Once she knew

she was safe, she filed for divorce. Omeather was able to keep their house, which meant Danny had to find somewhere else to go, and his only option this time was his parents' house. Being back in his childhood home, where all the terrible memories haunted him, the heartbreak and devastation set in. But instead of getting help, Danny led his emotions. consume him. Soon, the voices in his head became louder. Danny believed there were three individual demons living inside him and that they were responsible for certain things he did. He believed they took control of him from within. And he probably believed they were behind his most unthinkable act yet. While he was out one night, he spotted a woman who looked a lot

like O'Meather, Petit and Brunette with fair skin. We don't know the details of what happened, but Danny approached this woman, attacked her, and violently raped her. So there's two quick clinical observations here that we need to touch on. First is marrying a woman who looked like his mother. Danny probably chose a partner who looked like his mother because he was trying without knowing it to get the things he missed as a kid like nurturance, love, safety and control, or even a chance to, quote, fix the past. At least at this point in his life, familiar faces feel predictable, and predictability can feel like safety, even if it's unhealthy. This is usually unconscious, not a conscious decision to repeat pain, and it's about meeting

unmet needs. Clinically, breaking that cycle means meeting those needs in healthier ways, like through therapy, stable supports, and learning new relationship patterns, but that clearly did not happen for Danny. Second, the timing of his first violent attack and his target are clinically meaningful. Abandonment is a core wound for many abused children. It can trigger rage, humiliation, and a need to punish the source of pain, obviously not in all abused children, but in isolated cases like Danny's. When that rage is projected outward, it often lands on someone who symbolically represents the original source of pain or the betrayal. And this is an established pattern of Danny's since childhood when he started blaming his mother for his father's actions

and displacing his anger onto her. His wife leaving him was him losing control and that likely reactivated feelings of betrayal and once again produced displaced violence against a similar and less threatening target. Psychodynamically, this is again externalization and enactment. So instead of processing grief or loss, the person enacts revenge to regain control. And practically, it suggests a pattern of devaluation, entitlement, and possibly seeing women as objects to control. What does this attack say about Danny's burgeoning sense of power, something he never felt like he had before? He lost a sense of power when his wife left, despite his very aggressive and violent attempts to coerce her into staying. That loss of power likely triggered feelings

of shame, humiliation, and helplessness that he couldn't tolerate. Because he was unable to contain or process those feelings, he displaced them outward, targeting someone who symbolically represented the original wound, and used violence as a brutal, distorted way to feel powerful again. And if you add substance use into that and sleep loss as well as impulsivity, then the threshold for acting on those impulses thins really quickly. This attack marked the beginning of another dark chapter in Danny's life, especially since he got away with it. At the time, he didn't get caught. Now, Danny was emboldened. He suddenly felt like he could go anywhere and do anything. And the demons inside him seemed to agree. One of the

voices told him to embark on life as an outlaw. And pretty soon, Danny's demons set their sights on innocent victims. Okay, flights on Air Canada. Oh, Wow, Mallorca, that's new. Oh, nice. But Vienna is a classic Mozart, palaces and schnitzel. Now you're cooking. If you're hungry, deli brings the heat.

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48 hours is back for a new season, and so is the official after show podcast, Postmortem. Every Monday, listen to a new episode of 48 hours and then join me, 48 hours correspondent Anne-Marie Green, on Tuesday for a new episode of post-mortem, where we bring you a closer look at each case. This case was eye-opening on so many different levels. Follow and listen to 48 hours on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. In 1978, 24-year-old Danny Rowling was divorced and living with his parents. He believed there were three demons living inside him, telling him to do unspeakable things. And Danny listened.

He began sneaking out of his parents' house at night and burglarizing other people's homes. He would find ways to quietly break in and steal money and sometimes guns. Eventually, Danny had enough money to get out of his parents' house, but rather than get a place of his own, let alone a real job, he began drifting around the south. In May of 1979, he arrived in Montgomery, Alabama, almost 500 miles east of Shreveport. Once there, Danny leveled up his robberies.

He walked into a Winddixie supermarket and committed armed robbery, walking away with about $800 in cash. After that, he traveled another 80 miles east to Columbus, Georgia and robbed a store there. This time, Danny got caught. Authorities soon identified him as the assailant in the Montgomery robbery, and in July 1979, he was sentenced to two concurrent six-year prison terms. While behind bars, Danny tried to escape a couple of times, but it never worked. Finally, in June of 1984, 30-year-old Danny was released and returned to Shreveport. By now, he'd lost touch with his ex-wife O'Meather and their daughter.

He moved back in with his parents and tried working a few different jobs, but could never hold one down. That may have been because he was barely sleeping at night. Instead, he was prowling the streets, spying on women. There was one that Danny was especially fixated on. Eventually, he got sick of watching her through a window and broke into her house. Once inside, he attempted to rape her. But when she began crying, Danny felt guilty and stopped.

It was like one personality had pushed Danny into the house and another took over when he saw the woman's tears. But Danny didn't leave. Instead, he and the girl apparently talked for a while, sang songs to each other, and had sex. Afterward, Danny says the woman took him home. So Danny likely stopped in this moment because of potentially unmet needs of his own. Tears are a powerful social signal.

For many people, seeing someone show clear vulnerability triggers an automatic caregiving response. Mirror neurons and basic empathy can all kick in, even in someone otherwise primed for violence like Danny. But in Danny's case, he may have responded to hurt tears because he was starving for nurturance himself. So instead of fleeing, he stayed, tried to repair, and sought the closeness he never had. That doesn't mean he's capable of empathy. It just means he was still thinking about himself. in this moment. Can we even consider the sex that Danny had with this woman consensual? No, this encounter cannot reasonably be considered consensual. He broke into her home and attempted

to rape her, which instantly creates a coercive, threatening context. When someone freezes, appeases, or appears cooperative in a moment like this one, those are often survival strategies. They're not signs of true consent. She likely feared that saying no would make the situation more dangerous. So compliance can be the only way a person feels that they can protect themselves in a moment like this one. And if you add the power imbalance, possible intoxication, and how this all started non-consensually with the forced entry, and the capacity for voluntary, ongoing consent is just truly compromised. Behaviorally and ethically, consent requires freedom from coercion, and those circumstances are not there. Danny was at least somewhat aware that what he did was wrong, because after this encounter, he fled.

fled town, fearing that the woman would tell police what he did. Pretty soon, he was back on the road. Over the next year, Danny drifted from place to place. He spent time in California, Florida, Colorado, and South Dakota. He couldn't seem to make a lie for him anywhere, or maybe he just didn't want to. Then, just one year after getting out of prison, Danny robbed another supermarket and stole a car. Less than 24 hours later, he was in handcuffs. This time, he was sentenced to four years behind bars.

By now, Danny had gotten acclimated to his freewheeling lifestyle. He couldn't bear the thought of spending the next few years locked up. So less than a month into his sentence, he tried to escape again. And this time, it worked. It wasn't even hard. All he had to do was walk outside and swim across a river. But authorities quickly found him and brought him back. For the next two and a half years, Danny stewed in his prison cell.

All the while, the voices in his head grew louder. And when he finally got out, they convinced him that if he wanted to stay out of prison, he'd have to lay low for a while. So when Danny's parole officer informed him that he had to return to Shreveport, he didn't put up a fight. He moved back in with his parents and got a job at a local Mexican restaurant. soon, though, someone caught Danny's eye that he couldn't look away from. Her name was Julie Grissom. Julie was 24 years old. She was a marketing student at Louisiana State University,

and she worked at a department store in the local mall in Shreveport. Danny first noticed her one day in November of 1984 while he was running errands at the mall. From that moment on, he was obsessed with Julie. He started going to the mall all the time just to look at her. His fixation got so bad he missed three days of work. But Julie was in a happy relationship and never noticed him. Danny started to get frustrated. Soon, his feelings reached a boiling point. That same month, he was fired from his job for all the days he missed.

When his boss delivered the news, Danny threatened to kill him. But his demons urged him not to. There were other people around, so there was no way he'd get away with it. Instead, Danny's demons told him to wait until later that night and take his rage out on someone else. True auditory hallucinations, the kind we see in primary psychosis, are usually experienced as perceptually real, like someone's speaking into your ear, and they repeat or persist across contexts. Command hallucinations can be dangerous, but they're typically bizarre or fragmented. Danny's demons, by contrast, are oddly sensible and goal-directed.

Now, I've never met nor evaluated him, but it seems like this is more of his internal rationalization than genuine auditory hallucinations. Stop leaving savings behind at the pump. Get up to 7 cents per liter in value every time you fill up at Petro Canada. That's 3 cents per liter in instant savings plus 20% more points when you link an eligible RBC card to your Petro points. Find out more at RBC.com slash Petro-Dash Canada. Conditions apply. Danny Rowling drove to the mall, waited for Julie to get off work, then followed her home. After she went inside, Danny began scoping out entry points.

Soon, he found one and went in. Once inside, Danny was met with a surprise. He assumed Julie was home alone, but she was sitting down to dinner with her father, Tom, and her eight-year-old nephew, Sean. The voices in his head told him the most important thing was not. not to get caught. So Danny grabbed Tom, pulled out a knife, and stabbed him to death. Then he did the same thing to Sean. Julie didn't have time to get away. Danny grabbed her next, bound her wrists with duct tape, and sexually assaulted her. When he was done, he killed her with the same knife. Before leaving, he removed the duct tape from her wrists and posed her body in a sexually suggestive

way. Danny's path went from violent fantasy to voyeurism, then assaults and stalking, and finally to planned lethal violence. And that tragically fits a very well-documented escalation pattern. And that is rehearsal of increasingly detailed violent scripts and tactical problem-solving that turns fantasy into actionable plans. And when someone is also abusing disinhibitors like alcohol, and they have sleep loss and dissociation, and whatever self-control they may, have had breaks down entirely. Also, the posing of the victim is not an incidental detail. It's a signature and it's an emotionally meaningful ritual beyond the crime itself. In common motivations tied to sexual staging are control, humiliation, and the literal fulfillment of sexual or

violent fantasy. That ritualized behavior signals a dehumanization of victims and it raises concern for paraphylic or sadistic features, factors that increase the likelihood of repeat, and escalating offending. Why would Danny kill Julie's family instead of just running away? So several practical factors could explain this, like removing witnesses, panicking, or substance-related disinhibition. I mean, the surprise of extra people could also have enraged him. When you think about it, when someone has obsessively fantasized and even stalked their victim

until this moment, they build a very rigid expectation for how the moment will unfold. and when that is disrupted, it can trigger intense frustration and humiliation, and also rage. But more important, though, is the symbolism. A family sitting down to dinner represents ritual, safety, belonging, and love. And given Danny's childhood, that image would have likely reopened old wounds and enraged him on site. Rather than run, he chose to destroy the very institution of family. Clinically, this signals deep attachment injury, severe dehumanization of victims yet again, and a high risk of escalation.

That's exactly why early intervention around fantasy escalation, substance use and trauma is so critical. It was like Danny's demons had fully taken over, and he wanted the world to know what kind of evil lived inside him. Neighbors found the family's bodies two days later and called 911. When police entered the home, they discovered the gruesome, bloody scene. While they didn't find the murder weapon or any signs of breaking, they did notice adhesive from duct tape on Julie's wrists.

They also discovered a bite mark on her body, which they believed came from the murderer. The bite mark allowed them to obtain a saliva sample and hopefully get the killer's DNA. On top of that, officers collected blood samples from the scene, including one they thought was the killers. In order for them to get any hits on the samples, authorities would have to find a match in their database. For now, all they knew was that a killer was on the loose in Shreveport, and more than likely he would strike again. Little did they know. The man they

were looking for was living at his parents' house just a half mile down the road. And now that Danny had a taste for killing, he wanted more. If there was any part of Danny that wanted to fight his demons, it was dead now. All he wanted was to keep doing what he had done to Julie. But before he sought out more young women, Danny set his sights on the man that gave him his demons to begin with. His father, James. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next time as we discuss Danny Rowling's transition from petty criminal to one of Florida's most grotesque serial killers in history. Killer Minds is a crimehouse original powered by Pave Studios.

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