Robert Ben Rhoades

Last updated
Robert Ben Rhoades
Born (1945-11-22) November 22, 1945 (age 79)
Other namesThe Truck Stop Killer
Convictions Illinois
First degree murder [a]
Texas
Capital murder (2 counts)
Criminal penalty Life imprisonment without parole
Details
Victims4–50+
Span of crimes
1975–1990
Country United States
States
Date apprehended
April 1, 1990
Imprisoned at Menard Correctional Center

Robert Ben Rhoades (born November 22, 1945), also known as the Truck Stop Killer, is an American serial killer and rapist. He is confirmed to have tortured and killed at least two couples in Illinois and Texas in 1989 and 1990, and is additionally suspected of torturing, raping, and killing more than fifty women between 1975 and 1990, based on data about his truck routes and women who went missing during those years and who met the profile of his preferred victims. At the time he was caught, Rhoades claimed to have engaged in these activities for fifteen years. [1] [2]

Contents

Early life

Rhoades was raised by his mother in his formative years, as his father was a soldier in the United States Army and was stationed in West Germany. Rhoades was attending elementary school when his father returned from duty overseas. After his father was discharged from the military, he found work as a firefighter. Rhoades was active in his schools' extracurricular activities and involved himself with various sports and other programs, including football, wrestling, choir and French club. Rhoades' criminal involvement during his high school years consisted of an arrest in 1961 at age 16 for tampering with a vehicle, and an arrest for public fighting in 1962 at age 17.

After graduating from Thomas Jefferson High School in Council Bluffs in 1964, he joined the Marine Corps. During the same year, his father was arrested for molesting a 12-year-old girl, and subsequently committed suicide while awaiting trial. Rhoades was dishonorably discharged from the military for his involvement in a robbery. After his dishonorable discharge from the Marines, he attended college but dropped out. He later attempted to join a law enforcement agency, but was rejected for his dishonorable discharge from the Marine Corps. Rhoades married three times, having a son with his first wife. Subsequently, he found work in stores, supermarkets, warehouses and restaurants. Eventually, he became a long haul trucker. During the 1980s, Rhoades developed interests including involving himself in the BDSM scene. It was during this time he allegedly verbally, physically and sexually abused his third wife, Deborah Rhoades. [1]

Crimes

Conviction

In 1994, Rhoades was convicted of the first degree murder of Regina Kay Walters [12] and sentenced to life without parole at Menard Correctional Center in Chester, Illinois. He was extradited to Utah in 2005 to be tried for the deaths of Candace Walsh and Douglas Zyskowski; however, in accordance with the victims' families' requests, the charges were dropped in 2006, so that they would not be required to testify more than once (for both states) and he was returned to prison. Rhoades later was extradited to Texas for the murder of Walters and Jones, where Rhoades, in exchange for avoiding a death sentence, pleaded guilty to their deaths and received a second life sentence. [11] Rhoades continues serving his sentence of life without parole at the maximum-security Menard Correctional Center in Chester, Illinois.

Books and films

Books

Films

See also

Notes

  1. One count of first-degree murder in Illinois and one count of capital murder of multiple persons in Texas.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The Truck Stop Killer". GQ. November 2012. Archived from the original on 2016-11-08. Retrieved 2017-09-10.
  2. 1 2 Cooper, Greg (2007). "Murder-One Jurisdiction at a Time: The Case of Robert Ben Rhoades". Forensic Examiner. 16 (4): 66–68.
  3. 1 2 Mark Havnes (June 28, 2003). "Police solve old mystery". The Salt Lake Tribune via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Trucker Admits to More Murders". ABC News. 30 March 2012. Archived from the original on 9 October 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  5. Reavy, Pat (June 25, 2008). "Texas town to try case involving Utah body". Deseret News. Archived from the original on July 9, 2015. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  6. Brassard, John. "The Truck Stop Killer: Robert Ben Rhodes". The Kitchen Table Historian.
  7. "Link Suspected In The Killings Of 10 Women (2/2)". St. Louis Post-Dispatch . February 10, 1991. p. 5. Retrieved December 17, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Illinois Asks For Help In Murder Case". St. Louis Post-Dispatch . January 29, 1991. p. 22. Retrieved December 17, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Sex-Torture Photo Linked To Killing". St. Louis Post-Dispatch . February 14, 1992. p. 12. Retrieved December 17, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Skeleton found in 1990 may be victim of killer". The Marshall News Messenger . August 12, 1992. p. 1. Retrieved December 17, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  11. 1 2 "'Torture chamber' trucker sentence to life in prison". The Telegraph. March 30, 2012. Archived from the original on December 24, 2017. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  12. The People of the State of Illinois v. Robert Ben Rhoades,259Ill(1994).