"Clay the Serial Killer" On the morning of 13 August 1997, a mysterious man called into the syndicated radio program of popular shock-jock Howard Stern. One year later, on August 26, 1996, Gant was fired from the police force as result of the four internal investigations opened against him, with his beating of Sharon Robinson in the months before her murder being a major contributing cause. After his disciplinary hearing, Gant complained to the press, saying, A lot of other people who have been charged worse than that are still on the job. When Sharons sister, Teri, and a group of supporters arrived at the scene to confront Gant, he spit tobacco juice at them before walking off. Ultimately found guiltyof the murder of Cheryl Lewis, Ellwood was thought to be responsible for as many as 15 murders in the New Orleans area, and many believe responsible for many more. This subject matter may be disturbing to some readers. V C. Facebook 0 Twitter Pinterest 0 0 Likes. On September 22, 1991, the killer claimed his third victim, twenty-eight-year-old Charlene Price. Sharons boyfriend33-year-old Victor Gantwas a known user of chewing tobacco. 30-year-old Karen Ivester had been strangled and her nude body was left in a swamp under I-55. Robinson was almost immediately identified due to her body being found still wearing Sharons Hurrahs Hotel & Casino uniform, complete with her identification badge. [2] The results were inconclusive and no charges were filed against Gant, who was dismissed from the force in August 1996.[2]. Russell Elwood, a convicted killer in Louisiana, seems to fits the pattern perfectly. This action would lead to his arrest because, in 1997, two years after the New Orleans murder task force was set up, Ellwood was named as a suspect. Clay quickly, and almost with a sense of pride, callously answers "Twelve". Instead of firing Turner, Collins allowed him to quietly resign. [2] Her name has never been disclosed, and she is referred to as "Brenda" in case files. Although this definition is widely accepted, the crime is not formally recognized in any legal code, including that of the United States. [8] This request was denied, whereupon Ellwood confessed to killing Lewis and Mack, but refused to be audiotaped and soon after began denying that he had confessed. During the interrogations, he admitted to frequenting black prostitutes throughout his life, claiming that he knew more than 100 girls, in addition to frequently taking drugs such as heroin, crack cocaine and LSD over the years. In another blow to Gants credibility, the serial murders of female prostitutes in the Treme and Algiers came to an abrupt stop in the wake of his questioning by police. Again, the Macdonald triad rears its head. The video, posted by true911calls, replays the call between host Howard Stern, co-host Robin Quivers, and the caller, so-called 'Clay.'. He was one of the two main suspects in a series of murders of women in New Orleans, Louisiana. Howard asked Lee what he used to cut the head off. Obviously,one of the biggest questions here iscould this actually be real, or is "Clay" playing some sort of very sick joke? By August 1995, word had leaked to the press that Gant was a suspect in the murders of Sharon Robinson and Karen Ivester, and possibly as many as 22 other murders in the area. This caller, who identified himself as "Clay," claimed to be an unidentified serial killer from the New Orleans area Price was a drug addict, but had no history of prostitution. Ellwood's trial took place here in Lafayette, and the jury unanimously found him guilty of 2nd-degree murder. In the wake of incidents like these, its no surprise that Chief R.J. Collins seemingly had little issue with hiring a potential serial killer who ran a prostitution ring like Victor Gant to the Carver College Police Force. The autopsy established the remains belonged to a young black girl, who at the time was in her early twenties and approximately 1,57cm tall. FBI agent John Fleming told the press in November 1995, "A common thread in the victims was their membership of prostitution rings that seem to have been connected with a group of NOPD officers. More on that after we finish listening to the call. I'll look it up later. was thought to be a serial killer. Ellwood later claimed that a mental illness had caused him to boast, demanding that the interrogations cease and he be allowed to return to New Orleans to see his attorney and be provided with treatment. First, youll notice Stern is continuing his line of questioning by leading the conversation with suggestions in the hopes that Clay will impulsively give in to correcting him with accurate information due to his narcissistic desire to control the narrative. Weill had also photographed The Beatles final live performance before a paying audiencetheir famous August 1966 Candlestick Park concertand was now apparently obsessed with the Zodiac Killer, along with lawyer to the stars, attorney Melvin Belli, who was working with the Rolling Stones at the time. How A Serial Killer Was Caught By A Plumber's Gruesome Discovery | Memories of a Murderer 26,602 views Aug 18, 2021 Dennis Nilsen's crimes were first exposed by a clogged drain. 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[12] A deputy who worked in the department later attempted to sue them for allegedly firing him for revealing that Rushing had destroyed crucial evidence, but his appeal was rejected due to lack of evidence. Users on the Websleuths message board began compiling data on these killings in November 2016, which Stern fans took notice of three years later. I never said my name was Ed" almost as if to say "How dare you get my name wrong". [9] Ellwood was eventually convicted and ordered to spend 120 days behind bars. Click here to subscribe to Be. On the next day, the body of 42-year-old Delores Mack was found in the waters of a canal near a highway, not far from the Lewis crime scene. The penalty couldn't be upheld though, since Sowell died in prison in February 2021. The caller, who went by the name Clay, phoned into the comedian's radio show back in 1997 and claimed that he was responsible for killing a dozen women in New Orleans. It should be noted that a sketch of the killer was drawn in 1992 after the first six murders; the sketch depicted a large, muscular African-American man in his 30's, which matched Gant's physical description. [2] Her estimated age was between 25 and 35. It is unclear where she was employed, but nothing indicated that she engaged in prostitution or used drugs. 1. they rattled off to him. [10] Diane Gilliam, a former prostitute, told the court that she had known Ellwood since the early 1990s and had dated him periodically. Antoinette Rainey, who worked as a drug dealer in New Orleans, also appeared as a witness for the prosecution, testifying that Ellwood was a regular customer. Ellwood was known for keeping extensive amounts of documents that indicate his whereabouts, but the receipts regarding his supposed presence in Ohio for February 1993 had mysteriously disappeared. Many people believe that Russell Ellwood is "Clay the Serial Killer," the man who contacted The Howard Stern Show in 1997 and confessed to killing women in a call that was broadcast on the show. Ellwood was questioned regarding the murders and later booked as a suspect. Almost immediately, the FBI became aware of a dirty open secret within the New Orleans Police Departmentseveral officers were involved with or straight-up leading prostitution rings while on duty. Russell Ellwood went on trial in 1998 for the murders that he committed in 1993 of Cheryl Lewis, age 30, from Bridge City, and Deloras Mack, age 40, from Metairie. None of the dozens of New Orleans prostitute victims in question were killed in this manner. Several of Russell Ellwood's other potential victims were clients of a black Nola cop who was a suspect in their disappearance. Serial murder is distinguished from mass murder, in which several victims are . When reporters called Carver College President Robert Crummie for comment on the situation, Crummie defended Chief Collins, telling them Nobodys broken a law or committed a sinpeople are just uncomfortable about talking to strangers. When confronted with the information about Gant, Crummie finally said that he was no longer working for the Carver College Police and that he had no obligation to discuss it further. A mother of three, she had a criminal record for drug possession. Ed?". Ellwood worked for a while as a freelance photographer in New Orleans and eventually worked as a cab driver. He ultimately got a job as a freelance photographer, but he left for an undisclosed reason. One of the people Collins gave a second chance to was Steven Wayne Turner, a Georgia police officer who had been fired for exposing his penis to a woman he had pulled over while working for the Lithonia Police Department. [2], On February 20, 1993, the skeletal remains of 30-year-old Cheryl Lewis were discovered in the waters of a canal near Hahnville. [1] Through the course of the investigation, two separate suspects were considered, one of whom was convicted of one murder, leading investigators to believe that multiple killers are responsible. In addition to Gant, another resident of New Orleans, Russell Ellwood, soon came under police suspicion. He said it was a knife from what he was told. [2] Most of them were strangled to death, while a number of others were beaten and drowned in canals and rivers, and then dumped in swamps, rivers or canals near highways bordering the western shores of Lake Pontchartrain. Ellwood was eventually charged with one murder and received life imprisonment in 1999. He was exonerated of all charges, nevertheless. Photo Credit: Myotus / Wikimedia Commons. He was a cab driver in Nola that raped & killed prostitutes. Russell Ellwoodis the man many believe to be "Clay the Serial Killer", the man who called The Howard Stern Show in 1997 and confessed to killing 12 women.