I-70 vs. New Hampshire Serial Killer - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

MissFit29 · 10-10-2009, 03:14 PM

Call me crazy, but I've always thought the composites from both the I-70 killer and the NH killer cases were really similar. I wonder if they could be the same person.

So - what information is out there that would lend itself to prove or disprove this idea? What do y'all think?

kadrmas15 · 10-10-2009, 05:55 PM

Hmm interesting suggestion. I suppose it is possible but I consider it to be unlikely. Different M.O.'s for one, New Hampshire serial killer used a knife while I-70 killer used a gun. However there were certain similarities too, it seemed both killers target women. The I-70 killer did kill one man but the man had a ponytail and it was dark out and so he probably approached thinking it was a woman and then when he got closer realized a man but he had basically already decided he wanted to kill someone anyway, so he went ahead with it. The composites are somewhat similar but an interesting suggestion that the cases might be related. What else makes the cases similar in your opinion? I know that the I-70 killer, how they linked his cases was through the use of the same handgun. I believe they said he killed at least 9 people in at least 4 different states.

Mastermind · 10-10-2009, 06:09 PM

Quote:

So - what information is out there that would lend itself to prove or disprove this idea? What do y'all think?

The I-70 killer was a thrill killer. The NH killer is your basic serial killer.

I'm not sure if there is an example of one type morphing into the another type. Can anyone think of one?

The mindset of the thrill killer and serial killer are so radically different, I can't imagine them being the same prson.

Which case came first? I-70 killings or NH killings.

youngUMfan · 10-10-2009, 07:29 PM

so guys, was the I-70 killer ever definitively proven who he was? or was it just a speculation that he might be in jail now.

MissFit29 · 10-10-2009, 07:47 PM

I know there was a man they suspected in the NH murders. I don't think there was a strong suspect in the I 70 murders.

Was anyone else murdered in NH after Jane survived the attack?

I believe the NH murders were before the I 70 murders. I don't think the timing of the murders overlap.

Mastermind · 10-10-2009, 08:59 PM

Quote:

I believe the NH murders were before the I 70 murders. I don't think the timing of the murders overlap.

So he if they are the same person, he would be someone that started as a serial killer than he just decided to "hell with it, I'll quicken up the pace and kill whoever I find! Only this time I'll use a firearm instead of a knife.

I guess that's possible. But from what most criminal psychologists would say is that such a rapid change in MO would be unlikely.

Quote:

so guys, was the I-70 killer ever definitively proven who he was? or was it just a speculation that he might be in jail now

Most thrill killers are either caught, commit suicide, or killed after their spree. It's very possible that he was jailed for another crime or murder that was not connected to the 1-70 killings.

Personally I feel he committed suicide shortly after.

kadrmas15 · 10-10-2009, 10:22 PM

Well one has to remember, the NH serial killings went from 1978 to at least 1988. The I-70 killings I believe went on from the late 1980's to the early to mid 1990's.

MissFit29 · 10-10-2009, 11:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mastermind

So he if they are the same person, he would be someone that started as a serial killer than he just decided to "hell with it, I'll quicken up the pace and kill whoever I find! Only this time I'll use a firearm instead of a knife.

I guess that's possible. But from what most criminal psychologists would say is that such a rapid change in MO would be unlikely.

Most thrill killers are either caught, commit suicide, or killed after their spree. It's very possible that he was jailed for another crime or murder that was not connected to the 1-70 killings.

Personally I feel he committed suicide shortly after.

Here's a possible theory I've tossed around.
Perhaps Jane was the last victim of the NH killer. He knows he didn't finish the job because he saw her drive to her friend's house. The thought that a woman escaped alive infuriated him. He is determined not to let that happen again. He then proceeds to change his MO to ensure this will not happen again. The I 70 killer was a brisk, efficient killer.

It's just a thought. Really, the only thing that put the idea in my head in the first place was the similarities in composites. (That, and I've been watching waaaaaay too much Law and Order these days.) I wonder if someone could post all of them in this thread so we could compare them.

BTW Mastermind, I always appreciate your responses. You always make me think a little deeper about these cases and provide good information.

SageSlowdive · 02-08-2011, 07:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MissFit29

Here's a possible theory I've tossed around.
Perhaps Jane was the last victim of the NH killer. He knows he didn't finish the job because he saw her drive to her friend's house. The thought that a woman escaped alive infuriated him. He is determined not to let that happen again. He then proceeds to change his MO to ensure this will not happen again. The I 70 killer was a brisk, efficient killer.

It's just a thought. Really, the only thing that put the idea in my head in the first place was the similarities in composites. (That, and I've been watching waaaaaay too much Law and Order these days.) I wonder if someone could post all of them in this thread so we could compare them.

BTW Mastermind, I always appreciate your responses. You always make me think a little deeper about these cases and provide good information.

I don't think there is a connection at all - two different areas, two different times, and two different motives of killing.

sdb4884 · 02-08-2011, 08:51 AM

I thought these two might be connected but yes they are from different areas.

XCalibur · 02-08-2011, 09:08 AM

Unless there is a timeline issue, I wouldn't rule it out. The human brain is complicated, I don't think its impossible at all for a killer to change his MO. I've always thought it was naive to think otherwise.

Unlikely? Yes. Impossible? Few things are impossible in my experience. It goes back to the old adage truth is often stranger than fiction.

Thiussat · 02-08-2011, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mastermind

The I-70 killer was a thrill killer. The NH killer is your basic serial killer.

Agreed. It's hard in some ways to think of the I-70 killer as being a "serial killer." I think he falls more under the definition of a spree killer. There seemed to be no sexual motive to his crimes and the fact that he killed both sexes. Most "serial killers" have sexual/torture motives and kill only one sex. Bundy and Ridgeway killed only women while Gacey and Dahmer (both gay) killed only men.

dynoguy88 · 02-08-2011, 06:56 PM

The Connecticut River Valley Killer (New Hampshire/Vermont killer) used a knife to kill his victims which were all women. They were all stabbed over 20 times and almost all of their bodies were dumped off a dirt road in remote areas. It was easy for this killer to get away because he kidnapped his victims at night for the most part. The rest of the victims were hitchhiking and he picked them up.

Like others have pointed out, the I-70 killer was a thrill killer. He used a gun and killed in broad daylight with many witnesses nearby that could easily spot him. He was quick. He'd walk in a store, kill his victims and walk away in a matter of minutes. The Connecticut River Valley killer liked to see his victims suffer a longer and more painful death with all the stabbing. Then there was the process of driving off and dumping the body. There was a ton of more "work" that had to go into his style of killing.

I don't think they're the same guy. Their styles are just too different.

mwcarolina · 02-08-2011, 11:16 PM

I respect your opinion on creating the post, BUT i do NOT see a connection. the New Hampshire serial killer used a knife on his victims and tried to kidnap them too. The I70 Killer just walked in a store, took them to the back room, shot them and walked out as if nothing happened. Two different guys in my book, one of them is trigger happy while the other is knife happy.

MegtheEgg86 · 02-09-2011, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thiussat

Agreed. It's hard in some ways to think of the I-70 killer as being a "serial killer." I think he falls more under the definition of a spree killer. There seemed to be no sexual motive to his crimes and the fact that he killed both sexes. Most "serial killers" have sexual/torture motives and kill only one sex. Bundy and Ridgeway killed only women while Gacey and Dahmer (both gay) killed only men.

While I totally agree that the I-70 Killer wasn't motivated by abnormal sexual urges, it is assumed that he mistook Michael McCown, his only male victim, for a woman because he wore long hair and at least one earring at the time. I could accept a theory that perhaps I-70 was acting on grossly misogynistic feelings. He seemed to prefer establishments at which only a single woman was working (or at least thought there was). Perhaps like some killers of women (and many rapists), he felt they were "asking for it" by being alone and vulnerable--which is, at its core, a misogynistic sentiment. It may also explain why he let his male eyewitness go unharmed in Wichita.

The aspects of the crimes do have many indicators that they may have been the work of a thrill killer, however. I'm still ultimately unsure on what to think in this case, but I definitely think the murders attributed to the Connecticut River Valley Killer were sexually motivated.

10-10-2009, 03:14 PM	#1
MissFit29 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Mar 09, 2009 Location: Minnesota Posts: 526	I-70 vs. New Hampshire Serial Killer Call me crazy, but I've always thought the composites from both the I-70 killer and the NH killer cases were really similar. I wonder if they could be the same person. So - what information is out there that would lend itself to prove or disprove this idea? What do y'all think?

02-08-2011, 08:51 AM	#10
sdb4884 UM Meme Guy Senior Member Join Date: Sep 01, 2008 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 1,235	I thought these two might be connected but yes they are from different areas.
	Last edited by sdb4884; 02-08-2011 at 10:13 AM.

10-10-2009, 05:55 PM	#2
kadrmas15 Retired from Board 03/03/11 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 11, 2006 Location: Minnesota Posts: 1,910	Hmm interesting suggestion. I suppose it is possible but I consider it to be unlikely. Different M.O.'s for one, New Hampshire serial killer used a knife while I-70 killer used a gun. However there were certain similarities too, it seemed both killers target women. The I-70 killer did kill one man but the man had a ponytail and it was dark out and so he probably approached thinking it was a woman and then when he got closer realized a man but he had basically already decided he wanted to kill someone anyway, so he went ahead with it. The composites are somewhat similar but an interesting suggestion that the cases might be related. What else makes the cases similar in your opinion? I know that the I-70 killer, how they linked his cases was through the use of the same handgun. I believe they said he killed at least 9 people in at least 4 different states.

10-10-2009, 07:29 PM	#4
youngUMfan Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Jun 12, 2009 Posts: 81	so guys, was the I-70 killer ever definitively proven who he was? or was it just a speculation that he might be in jail now.

10-10-2009, 07:47 PM	#5
MissFit29 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Mar 09, 2009 Location: Minnesota Posts: 526	I know there was a man they suspected in the NH murders. I don't think there was a strong suspect in the I 70 murders. Was anyone else murdered in NH after Jane survived the attack? I believe the NH murders were before the I 70 murders. I don't think the timing of the murders overlap.

10-10-2009, 10:22 PM	#7
kadrmas15 Retired from Board 03/03/11 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 11, 2006 Location: Minnesota Posts: 1,910	Well one has to remember, the NH serial killings went from 1978 to at least 1988. The I-70 killings I believe went on from the late 1980's to the early to mid 1990's.

02-08-2011, 09:08 AM	#11
XCalibur Member Forum Regular Join Date: May 16, 2010 Location: Belfast, Va Posts: 987	Unless there is a timeline issue, I wouldn't rule it out. The human brain is complicated, I don't think its impossible at all for a killer to change his MO. I've always thought it was naive to think otherwise. Unlikely? Yes. Impossible? Few things are impossible in my experience. It goes back to the old adage truth is often stranger than fiction.

02-08-2011, 06:56 PM	#13
dynoguy88 Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 01, 2000 Location: Michigan, USA Posts: 3,675	The Connecticut River Valley Killer (New Hampshire/Vermont killer) used a knife to kill his victims which were all women. They were all stabbed over 20 times and almost all of their bodies were dumped off a dirt road in remote areas. It was easy for this killer to get away because he kidnapped his victims at night for the most part. The rest of the victims were hitchhiking and he picked them up. Like others have pointed out, the I-70 killer was a thrill killer. He used a gun and killed in broad daylight with many witnesses nearby that could easily spot him. He was quick. He'd walk in a store, kill his victims and walk away in a matter of minutes. The Connecticut River Valley killer liked to see his victims suffer a longer and more painful death with all the stabbing. Then there was the process of driving off and dumping the body. There was a ton of more "work" that had to go into his style of killing. I don't think they're the same guy. Their styles are just too different.

02-08-2011, 11:16 PM	#14
mwcarolina Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Feb 01, 2010 Location: nc Posts: 466	I respect your opinion on creating the post, BUT i do NOT see a connection. the New Hampshire serial killer used a knife on his victims and tried to kidnap them too. The I70 Killer just walked in a store, took them to the back room, shot them and walked out as if nothing happened. Two different guys in my book, one of them is trigger happy while the other is knife happy.