Description

The Freeway Killer Saga - Part 1 

Patrick Kearney " The Trash Bag Killer "

Southern California in the 1970s was a sun-drenched paradise, but its massive, sprawling freeway system became the ultimate hunting ground for a terrifying killer. 

In Part 1 of our exclusive 3-part Freeway Killer Saga, Matt dives deep into the chilling mind and methodical crimes of Patrick Kearney the pioneer of the California highway panic. 

​Known as the "Trash Bag Killer," 

Kearney used his genius-level IQ, his unassuming appearance, and his background as an aerospace engineer to turn the interstates into an assembly line of death. 

We explore Kearney’s early life, his psychological profile as an "inadequate psychopath," his double life with partner David Hill, and the fatal mistake in 1977 that finally brought his horrific twelve-year reign to an end. 

​Listen now to understand how the golden era of hitchhiking became a delivery system for a nightmare.

 ​Known Victims of Patrick Kearney
​Patrick Kearney officially pled guilty to 21 counts of murder to avoid the death penalty, though he confessed to 28 and later claimed his victim count was as high as 43. Below are the names of his known, identified victims. We speak their names to ensure they are remembered as more than just a statistic.

• ​Spring 1962: "Unknown" 1 (Age 19)
• ​1962: "Unknown" 2 (Cousin of "Unknown" 1, Age 16)
• ​Unknown Date: "Mike" (Age 18)
• ​December 1968: "George"
• ​June 26, 1971: John Demchik (Age 13)
• ​September 22, 1973: James Fletcher Barwick (Age 17)
• ​August 24, 1974: Ronald Dean Smith Jr. (Age 5)
• ​April 13, 1975: Albert Rivera (Age 21)
• ​October 31, 1975: Larry Gene Walters (Age 20)
• ​March 1, 1976: Kenneth Eugene Buchanan (Age 17)
• ​March 21, 1976: Oliver Peter Molitor (Age 13)
• ​April 18, 1976: Larry Armendariz (Age 15)
• ​June 11, 1976: Michael Craig McGhee (Age 13)
• ​June 20, 1976: John Woods (Age 23)
• ​August 1976: Larry Espy (Age 17)
• ​August 1976: Wilfrid Lawrence Faherty (Age 20)
• ​August 1976: Randall Lawrence Moore (Age 16)
• ​September 15, 1976: Timothy Brian Ingham (Age 19)
• ​Fall 1976: Robert William Benniefiel (Age 17)
• ​Fall 1976: David Allen (Age 27)
• ​October 5, 1976: Mark Andrew Orach (Age 20)
• ​January 1977: Nicolas Hernandez-Jimenez (Age 28)
• ​February 26, 1977: Arturo Ramos Marquez (Age 24)
• ​March 13, 1977: John Otis LaMay (Age 17)
• ​April 6, 1977: Merle "Hondo" Chance (Age 8)

 • ​(Multiple victims remain unidentified)
 

​Sources & Research
• ​Los Angeles Times Archival Articles (1977–1978): Coverage of the "Trash Bag Murders," the multi-county task force, and Patrick Kearney's eventual surrender in Riverside County.
• ​Riverside County Superior Court Records: The confession and plea deal of Patrick Wayne Kearney.
• ​The Trash Bag Murderer by Rose G. Mandelsberg.
• ​Serial Killers: The Method and Madness of Monsters by Peter Vronsky (Analysis of the "inadequate psychopath" profile).
• ​FBI Behavioral Science Unit: Historical analysis of M.O., necrophilia, and geographic profiling related to the California highway murders.
​

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