The Story Of The Gainesville Ripper, A Serial Killer Who Terrorized A Small Florida Town Is Truly Frightening
By Marisa Roman|Published October 14, 2021
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Marisa Roman
Author
A New Jersey native with over 15 years of writing experience, Marisa has studied at both New York University and Florida International University. She has lived all over the country, including a decade stint in South Florida. Marisa is well-versed in exploration as she travels a good majority of the year in her self-converted Sprinter van. Her articles have been featured in various notable publications over the years, she has a published collection of short stories, and three completed screenplays under her belt.
Many horror fans or film fanatics have seen the franchise-favorite Scream, right? For those who have, did you know that this hit horror classic was actually inspired by a gruesome serial killing spree in Gainesville, Florida back in 1990? This especially creepy case to come out of Florida planted the seed for the hit 1996 slasher film. A serial killer dubbed the Gainesville Ripper tore through the college town, murdering five students, and terrorizing the town for days.
The idyllic town of Gainesville, Florida was rocked to the core back in August 1990, when a series of random killings took place on the nearby college campus.
Danny Rolling, dubbed the Gainesville Ripper, brutally murdered five college students over the span of a few days, after setting up a campsite in a wooded area behind the University of Florida.
Rolling, who had a troubled past beginning with abuse suffered at the hands of his father, was said to have developed multiples personalities early on in life.
In and out of jail for over two decades, Rolling went on a murder spree at the end of the 1980s in Louisiana after being fired from his restaurant job.
However, it took authorities almost two years to find and charge Rolling with the murders. Authorities were laser-focused on a different suspect, a student who lived in the same complex as two victims and exhibited extreme erratic behavior.
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Rolling landed himself in jail not long after the killings, robbing a Winn-Dixie at gunpoint in Ocala, Florida, and then crashing his getaway car. Authorities used DNA evidence to connect Rolling to the college murders.
Rolling eventually confessed to a fellow inmate Bobby Lewis, claiming that he has an alternate personality named "Gemini" who was responsible for the heinous murders. Rolling was found guilty by a jury and sentenced to death.
Before his death for the murders of the Gainesville students, Rolling took responsibility for three murders in Shreveport as well and issued an apology.
In 2006, after exhausting all his appeals, Rolling was executed by lethal injection. But not before singing a gospel hymn for two minutes strapped to the gurney.
Did you know about the serial killing spree in Gainesville, Florida? Did you know the Gainesville Ripper inspired the slasher classic Scream? Share with us your thoughts in the comments section. Or if you want to take a deep dive on some more creepy Florida crimes, then check out the story about a serial killer confessing to nine murders in Florida after decades.
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