Danny Rolling
Danny Rolling
Birth name:	Danny Harold Rolling
Alias(es):	The Gainesville Ripper
Born:	May 26, 1954
Location:	Shrevesport, Louisiana
Died:	October 25, 2006
Cause of death:	Lethal injection
Number of victims:	8
Country where killings occurred:	USA
States where killings occurred:	Florida
Span of killings:	November 4, 1989 through August, 1990
Date apprehended:	November, 1991
Penalty:	Death

Danny Harold Rolling (May 26, 1954 – October 25, 2006), "the Gainesville Ripper", was a convicted U.S. serial killer. After confessing to the murder and mutilation of five students in Gainesville, Florida, in August 1990, he was ultimately executed. He also confessed to raping several of his victims, committing an additional 1989 triple homicide in Shreveport, Louisiana,^[1] and attempting to murder his father in May 1990. In all, Rolling confessed to killing eight people, although there may have been more. Image File history File links Danny-Rolling. ... is the 146th day of the year (147th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Official language(s) de jure: none de facto: English & French Capital Baton Rouge Largest city New Orleans [1] Area  Ranked 31st  - Total 51,885 sq mi (134,382 km²)  - Width 130 miles (210 km)  - Length 379 miles (610 km)  - % water 16  - Latitude 29°N to 33°N  - Longitude 89°W... Image File history File links Flag_of_Louisiana. ... October 25 is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the execution and euthanasia method. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Largest metro area Miami Area  Ranked 22nd  - Total 65,795[1] sq mi (170,304[1] km²)  - Width 361 miles (582 km)  - Length 447 miles (721 km)  - % water 17. ... is the 308th day of the year (309th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... Look up November in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is the execution of a convicted criminal by the state as punishment for crimes known as capital crimes or capital offences. ... is the 146th day of the year (147th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 25 is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Motto: (traditional) In God We Trust (official, 1956–present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at the federal level; English de facto Government Federal Republic  - President George W. Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence - Declared - Recognized... Serial killers are individuals who have a history of multiple slayings of victims who were usually unknown to them beforehand. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Disfigurement. ... Location of Gainesville, Florida Coordinates: , Country United States State Florida County Alachua Incorporated (city) 15 April 1869 Government  - Type Mayor-Council  - Mayor Pegeen Hanrahan  - City Manager Russ Blackburn Area [1]  - City  49. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... , : Port City , River City , Rachet City : The Next Great City of the South United States Louisiana Caddo 117. ...

Early years

Danny Rolling was born to James and Claudia Rolling. His father, a police officer, was abusive to both him and his mother, and later his brother, Kevin. Claudia Rolling made repeated attempts to leave her husband, but always returned. Abuser redirects here. ...

After several incarcerations as a teen and young adult for a string of robberies in Georgia, Rolling had trouble trying to assimilate into society and hold down a steady job. At one point, he worked as a waiter at Pancho's restaurant in his hometown of Shreveport. In 1990, Rolling attempted to kill his father during an argument. Panchos Mexican Buffet is a chain of Tex-Mex restaurants (28 as of January 2007) in the United States. ...

"The Gainesville Ripper"

He later fled to the state of Florida where he began his burglary and robbery spree, which culminated in the murders of five people in Gainesville. His signature was to arrange the bodies in such a way as to highlight the carnage in the rooms — this even included setting up several mirrors and decapitating and/or posing his victims.

Although law enforcement authorities initially had very few leads, in November 1991 Rolling was charged with several counts of murder, and Alachua County State Attorney Rod Smith oversaw the prosecution. Rolling pleaded guilty in court, nearly four years after the murders occurred. He was subsequently convicted and sentenced to the death penalty on each count. Alachua County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. ... State Senator Rod Smith Rod Smith (born November 15, 1949) is an American politician from the U.S. state of Florida. ... A plea bargain is an agreement in a criminal case in which a prosecutor and a defendant arrange to settle the case against the defendant. ... Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is the execution of a convicted criminal by the state as punishment for crimes known as capital crimes or capital offences. ...

A second man, Edward Humphrey of Indialantic, Florida, was considered an initial suspect in the Gainesville murders; authorities cleared him of all charges after Rolling's arrest. Police also considered Brandon Curry. Indialantic is a town located in Brevard County, Florida. ...

Subsequently, Rolling confessed via letter from his spiritual advisor to the Shreveport, Louisiana police, to the killings of 55-year-old William T. Grissom, his 24-year-old daughter Julie and 8-year-old grandson Sean as they got ready for dinner on November 4, 1989, in Grissom's home. Shreveport police alerted Gainesville police to the similarity of the murder scenes, which is what prompted Gainesville Police's interest in Rolling. Shreveport police, though holding an open warrant for his arrest, never pursued extradition, supposing Florida would sentence him to death more easily than Louisiana would. is the 308th day of the year (309th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ...

Aftermath

Rolling aided the writing career of Sondra London, who met him in prison while working with Gerard John Schaefer and other serial killers. Sondra London is an American true crime author who calls herself the queen of serial killer journalism. ... Gerard John Schaefer (March 25, 1946 - December 3, 1995) was a serial killer from Florida, USA. He was imprisoned in 1973 for murders he committed as a policeman. ...

Rolling and the Gainesville murders are the subject of the book Beyond Murder by John Philpin and John Donnelly.

Rolling was the subject of an episode of "Body of Evidence: From the Case Files of Dayle Hinman", a Court TV show. During Rolling's trial, Court TV ran an interview with his mother from her home, during which someone shouting and complaining (presumably Rolling's father) off-camera can be heard. Dayle Hinman is a retired FBI-trained criminal profiler. ... For the Canadian channel, see CourtTV Canada The Courtroom Television Network, more commonly known as Court TV, is an American cable television network owned by Time Warner that launched on July 1, 1991. ... For the Canadian channel, see CourtTV Canada The Courtroom Television Network, more commonly known as Court TV, is an American cable television network owned by Time Warner that launched on July 1, 1991. ...

Also, it is worth mentioning that the killer and story of the film Scream is lightly based on the Gainesville Ripper case. American Justice with Bill Kurtis did an episode on him. American Justice is an hour-long criminal justice program on the cable channel A&E Network, hosted by Bill Kurtis. ... Bill Kurtis (born September 21, 1940) is a television journalist and producer best known as the host of numerous A&E crime and news documentary shows, including Investigative Reports, American Justice, and Cold Case Files. ...

Execution

As a result of his murder convictions, Rolling was executed by lethal injection on October 25, 2006, and pronounced dead at 6:13 p.m. EDT after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Rolling's last-ditch appeal.^[2] He showed no remorse and refused to make any comments or offer any apology to the relatives of his victims, several of whom were present at his execution as witnesses. Instead he chose to sing a song he wrote himself. His last meal consisted of lobster tail, butterfly shrimp, baked potato, strawberry cheesecake and sweet tea. Shortly before his execution, Rolling confessed to three other murders, those of the Grissom family in Shreveport.^[3] This article is about the execution and euthanasia method. ... October 25 is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... EDT can stand for: Eastern Daylight Time - observed in the North American Eastern Time Zone during daylight saving time (UTC - 4) Eau de toilette -- see perfume Electrical Discharge Texturing Electrodynamic tether Electronic Design Technology. ... The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C., (large image) The Supreme Court of the United States, located in Washington, D.C., is the highest court (see supreme court) in the United States; that is, it has ultimate judicial authority within the United States... The last meal is a traditional part of a condemned prisoners last day. ... A baked potato with butter. ... Polish Cheesecake A slice of Jewish-style baked Lemon Cheesecake Japanese white chocolate cheesecake Green tea flavored cheescake served with green tea ice cream A cheesecake is a sweet, cheese-based pie. ... A glass of sweet tea Sweet tea is a form of iced tea in which sugar or some other form of sweetener is added to the hot water before brewing, while brewing the tea, or post-brewing, but before the beverage is chilled and served. ...

References

1. ^ "The Killer Confesses" Crime Library (accessed October 26, 2006)
2. ^ "Danny Rolling executed, state says" South Florida Sun-Sentinel (accessed October 25, 2006)
3. ^ "Rolling confessed to 3 other murders before execution"

is the 299th day of the year (300th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 25 is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Danny Rolling - the Gainesville Ripper on CrimeLibrary
• Florida Serial Killer Died Singing a Hymn