The Freeway Killer & The Trash Bag Murderer By Michael Broyles

Patrick W. Kearney, typically known as “The Freeway Killer”, was born on September 24th 1939. 1 The time of his killings took place from 1975 to 1977. Kearney killed 35 in total, though he’s suspected to have killed more than 40. 1 He shares his nick-name with both William Bonin (FWK) and Randy Steven Kraft (TBM).

Early life Kearney grew up in a stable family of five, with two older brothers.2 The only trouble he experienced in his early life would be school bullying.2 Other trauma may have resulted from a brief but unhappy heterosexual marriage, later resulting in divorce.2

Targets Kearney targeted homosexual teenage boys, who ran away from home to California. Most of those teenagers became male prostitutes, making it more difficult to determine the number of kills.

Profile: Male1 White1 26 at the time of the first murder1 180 IQ 1 But Homosexual?

Phases Trolling: Kearney prayed on homosexual male, teenage, prostitutes, who are said to have looked like the people who bullied him at school.1 Wooing: Picked up victims on the interstate highway or at gay bars. 1 Capture: Offered rides to hitch hikers and prostitutes, gaining control once they stepped in his car. 1

Phases Murder: Kearney used a .22 caliber pistol, to shoot his victims. Typically in the back of the head or at the temple. 1 He would then rape the bodies, only to later cut them to pieces, to be carried out in multiple trash bags.1 Totem: He took nothing from the bodies, other than sexual pleasure.

Transient Vs. Stable Kearney is defiantly stable. He hunted in California. Murdered in California. Cut up the bodies in California. The only time he left California was to dispose of the bodies. 1

Organized Vs. Disorganized Using an X-acto knife to slice apart his victims, he separated the parts into to bags. Where upon then he would separate the bags in different locations.1 The murders were planned and tidy – just one small shot to the back of the head and he was done.1 The victims were planned out as well – always people who had no attachments.1

Convicted Kearney and his lover, David Hill, go on the run for about a month, but are later persuaded by constant media coverage to turn themselves in. 1 Pleading Guilty to avoid the death penalty, Kearney is charged with only 21 accounts of murder, while Hill is cleared of all suspected charges. 1 He still lives today.

Bibliography Engstrom, Elizabeth. "Patrick W. Kearney: The Trash Bag Murderers." Available Young Prey — Patrick Kearney Killed & Mutilated Gay Men. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 May 2014.1 "Patrick Kearney." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 05 Apr. 2014. Web. 04 May 2014.2