Robert Frederick Carr III (December 22, 1943 – July 6, 2007) was an American

serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

and

pedophile Pedophilia ( alternatively spelt paedophilia) is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children. Although girls typically begin the process of puberty a ...

who killed three children and one woman in the states of

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

and

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

between 1972 and 1976. Carr, a former television repairman, additionally admitted to molesting more than a dozen children until his apprehension. Following his arrest, he was sentenced to

life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes for ...

, which he served until his death in 2007.

Early life

Robert Frederick Carr III was born on December 22, 1943, in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. According to his confession, he had a troubled childhood, reportedly being forced into

prostitution Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, n ...

at 11 years old and stealing cars as a teen. As an adult, he moved to Connecticut, where he would ultimately start a relationship and get married, as well as getting a job fixing TVs. Carr would later admit that when having sex he would fantasize about committing rape and murder.

Murders

Tammy Ruth Huntley, 16, vanished while waiting for her mother to pick her up. Carr drove her from Miami to Mississippi. On April 7, 1972, after raping her over the 10 days he kept her captive in the woods, he strangled her, saying, "I killed her because she looked like she was getting despondent." In late 1972, Carr visited Florida and on November 13, 1972, he picked up 11-year-old friends Todd Payton and Mark Wilson, who were hitchhiking from North Miami Beach. The inside back doors in the car were disabled and the trunk was filled with food, jars of petroleum jelly, and a shovel. Carr raped the boys and strangled Payton. Four days later, he strangled Wilson, for which he would receive an additional 20 years in prison when he was eventually sentenced. After the murders, he drove to

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

and

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

, burying one boy in each state. Both boys were subsequently reported missing by their parents when they did not return home. In 1973, Carr was convicted of rape in Connecticut, but was paroled in 1976. Upon his release in Connecticut, he would kill his fourth known victim, 21-year-old Rhonda Holloway, before burying her body in a rural area.

Trial and imprisonment

On May 30, 1976, Carr raped a hitchhiker at knifepoint. During the attack, a Metro police officer stumbled upon the car and witnessed the rape, arresting Carr. Once in interrogation, Carr surprised detectives by confessing to four murders, explaining the crimes in detail. Carr, along with detectives David Simmons, Charles Zatrepalek and deputy medical examiner Ronald Wright, went on a long mission to find the bodies. Carr confessed that after Huntley's murder he raped an additional four girls and two boys. Only four were reported, for which he was charged and pleaded guilty. Carr received a

life sentence Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes for ...

after pleading guilty, meaning he would be spared the death penalty. He served part of his sentence at a state mental hospital, but was kicked out after it was found he was hoarding wire cutters and pliers. Afterwards he began mailing letters to prosecutor Ed O'Donnell, who had previously worked on the case.

Death

On July 6, 2007, Carr died at the Union Correctional Institution from unspecified causes. In an interview with CNN, his daughter states he died of

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that sur ...

.https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/07/us/hitchhiker-serial-killer-daughter-podcast-cec/index.html

Bibliography

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