He was facing the death penalty. Police found Paules on their living room floor. Hoyt's stepmother, Dianna Hoyt, said she and her husband, Gary Hoyt, had a "very hard time" processing what happened to their daughter. But Friday, a grand jury declared there was no "So I pressed this button to find out what was going on. Sonja Larson and Christina "Christi" Powell were new students at the University of Florida in 1990. Now, sitting on the beach, a breeze mussing his blond hair, having just let Eric borrow his surfboard, Ed says Eric was just trying to grab the spotlight, to make himself look good. There is still a court order not to discuss evidence m the case. "I guess I kind of pushed her because she fell and hit her head on that mantle there. His premonition came true the next day. However, Rolling was "unwelcome" at his parents' house, Juracich said, especially if his father was there. No indictment was issued against Edward Lewis Humphrey, a former University of Florida freshman who was considered a secondary suspect. Hewitt said they learned that Rolling had returned to the crime scene after killing Christa Hoyt because he thought he might've left his wallet there. And it got worse as more people came forward. Many panicked. "It's a place for all of us families to go and see their children's names still living there," Dianna Hoyt said. He's jaded, you know.". I knew little more about Humphrey than what I knew before this day. I was not there for surf or sun, but in search of a man who had eluded journalists for nearly three decades. Scott Grissom said he didn't know Rolling but he learned that Rolling had lived with his parents about a half-mile away from his father's house. Leave him there.'". Brevard sheriffs officials also released reports showing the agency responded to at least 14 emergency calls of Humphrey allegedly attacking his grandmother or mother. The old woman's face, Deputy Doug Hammack saw, was wet with her own blood. "I feel 100 percent that the media is the main reason our country is the way it is," Ed says afterward, disgusted. He talks about politics (he's a Perot man) and his reawakening social life (he just had his first date in two years). "Danny committed these crimes for one reason only -- he loved it.". Christa Hoyt was an aspiring police officer who'd been working part-time at the Alachua County Sheriff's Office while going to school, according to Gail Barber, the first officer on the scene of her murder. Family members had asked that the media not disrupt their privacy during the grand jury proceedings, but a reporter persisted in interviewing Mrs. Hlavaty. Instead, more than a year later, the grand jury indicted Danny Rolling, a Louisiana drifter also charged in the attempted murder of his father. A suspect in the slayings of five college students has been convicted of beat ing up his grandmother, despite her testimony that her injuries came from a fall. The task force searched his Indialantic home and Gainesville apartment. I thought they'd already filled her in on who I was and it just kind of slipped. She was quite shocked.". Doherty said authorities later tried to show a connection between Humphrey and Danny Rolling, the Louisiana drifter who was indicted Friday in the Gainesville killings. I had deliberately chosen 9 a.m. on a Saturday morning so that the chances of him being home would be greater. How could this possibly happen? It worked, but it also made him dull, sluggish, overweight. You could see [she was] in a bad position, and I just turned around and walked out," Curnutt said. "So there will always be an association between him and the killer," Doherty said, and some people will say investigators just couldn't dig up the proof. Hospitals run by the Universities of Florida, Miami and South Florida refused to accept Humphrey for private commitment because of his notoriety, Russo said. "I kept saying to myself, it's the last thing I can do for her. Soon across the country, on network news, CNN and in papers from Seattle to New York, Edward Humphrey, this big, pudgy kid with unkempt hair and scars on his face and a glazed look in his eyes. "Your honor, I've been running from first one thing and then another all my life," Rolling said. Who is Ed Humphrey? Ed's bail, originally set at $10,250 was increased to $1 million - 100 to 200 times the scheduled rate for aggravated assault. As they investigated the case, police grew convinced that Ed Humphrey might be their most likely suspect. ", "If we had played the tape before, we would've had this guy three months ago," Maines said. TITUSVILLE, Fla. (AP) _ Gainesville murder suspect Edward Lewis Humphrey was sentenced today to the maximum 22 months for beating his grandmother after his lawyer said no private psychiatric hospital could be found for him. Aug. 25,1990, approximately 0100 hours: At a party, Humphrey threatens two Pi Lambda Phi fraternity brothers with what they say is a straight razor. He'll never change his name, but some day, he says, when he's done with school, he might move somewhere far away. On Nov. 15, 1991, Rolling was charged with five counts of first-degree murder in connection to the college students' deaths in Gainesville. ", He refused to carry the phone, but then he rarely left the house without George. Investigators and prosecutors race for justice in an effort that still affects them 30 years later. Lawn placed Humphrey on probation for 14 months after his prison term with the condition that he continue psychiatric treatment. But months passed and Humphrey was never charged with the crimes, the Alachua County grand jury deciding that there was no case against him. WebLived In Palm Bay FL, Indialantic FL, Houston TX, Lyons IL. He was sent to Florida State Prison, where he met another inmate named Bobby Lewis, who was on death row for killing a drug dealer in the 1970s. ED HUMPHREY HAS NO REASON to trust a photographer or a reporter - or the criminal justice system or, especially, the people who recognize him on the street and point and whisper. He had no reason to trust one. The world is destroying us," said George Humphrey in a statement issued after the death. That Saturday, later in the afternoon as Humphrey had requested, I rang his doorbell for the second time. The reports painted an eerie picture. They were sexually assaulted and some were mutilated. I felt bad for him. These days Ed Humphrey lives at home with his mom in Indialantic. He may have more plastic surgery. He'll never change his name, but some day, he says, when he's done with school, he might move somewhere far away. "The main thing is, I'm just like anybody else," he says. Genetic tests conducted on pubic hairs were similar to Ed's - and about 8,000 other people in Alachua County. He was, at one time, considered the prime suspect. There's many people that have abusive parents. It was kind of funny really that it hadn't clicked before. "I didn't buy it," said forensic psychologist Harry Krop. Ray Barber, called for backup and with more investigators on the scene, they found Powell dead on the first floor of the apartment. Crime lab experts had damning evidence that semen found at the murder scene came from Rolling. Humphrey also faces an assault charge in Gainesville and a 1988 attempted rape and burglary case in Indian River County. Acquaintances claimed he went on late-night "missions" through the Alachua County woods. In late August of 1990, five Gainesville college students were murdered and their bodies sexually assaulted. When she saw Rolling, she ran back to her bedroom, where she tried to lock her door. "So I wanted to have the last word.". Her right eye was swollen shut. This is the first extensive interview Ed Humphrey has ever granted. Humphrey could not have possibly understood at the time how high the stakes were or the consequences of the suspicion cast on him. Her funeral is today. "I've never been told nothing in reality, I've never read nothing in a Stephen King novel that comes close to what the reality is of what this man did," Lewis said. Although they had a confession for the Gainesville murders, investigators were not able to get Rolling to admit to the Shreveport murders during their questioning. But I thought about the few words that Humphrey uttered in our brief conversation. Smith said Rolling also talked about the best way to kill a deer. But just as the fall semester was beginning, five students were killed in macabre fashion. The investigators didn't have to search far for Rolling; he had already been detained 40 miles south of Gainesville, in Marion County Jail, where he was being held for another robbery he'd committed at a supermarket 10 days after Paules' and Manny Taboada's bodies were found. It was upon revisiting the scene that he decided to decapitate her. That man, Danny Rolling, had told her that one day he was going to leave Shreveport, where they lived. "Some fiber, some hairs. I understand why it went in the direction it did, didnt agree with it.. He told investigators about two of his darker personalities. jim martin death couples massage class san diego beaver falls football ed humphrey gainesville wiki 25 Feb/23 ed humphrey gainesville wiki ed humphrey gainesville wiki He drove to Orlando on a blustery fall day in a black 1978 Cadillac that gets 10 miles to the gallon. Humphrey, who was released from state prison in September after serving 10 months for beating his grandmother, had no comment Friday on the grand jury's action. He had used the word happy three times. Journalist John Donnelly, who covered the story for the Miami Herald, said the officers noticed the unusual way in which Sonja Larson's body was posed. Scott Grissom, the son of William Grissom, brother of Julie Grissom and father to Sean, said they were killed just a week after his wedding, on his first day back at work from his honeymoon. "It was a small-caliber gun, and the father survives it, but not without permanent damage," Smith said. "It showed a picture of him, and he seemed trustworthy but kind of crestfallen. I walked to my car, trying not to look back, trying not to think about those scars Id seen on his face. Suddenly, Humphreys tabby snuck out the door. ), "I screamed," Ada Larson said about discovering her daughter had been killed. WebEdward Lewis Humphrey, age 50s, lives in Palm Bay, FL. At the time, Humphrey was manic-depressive who was off his medication. Edward Lewis Humphrey, a former honors student and an Eagle Scout from Brevard County, began classes at the University of Florida in the summer of 1990. For Ed's 21st birthday, he sent $221.21. And residents there had seen the scar-faced youth wandering around at odd times carrying long knives. Kelly McClory, 24, had joined the kennel staff last October. Tell me she did not suffer.' He was supposed to take lithium to temper his mood swings. On Nov. 4, 1989, William Grissom, 55, his 24-year-old daughter Julie Grissom and his 8-year-old grandson Sean Grissom were killed in his home in the Louisiana city. It was too painful for them to remain here. The grand jury considered evidence against Humphrey but declined to indict him. Humphrey has been jailed on $1 million bond since the beating Aug. 30. They returned to the evidence locker, where the gun, screwdriver, bag of money and cassette player had been stored. "My mouth dropped open when he told me," she says. As a base police officer approaches him, he starts chewing on a tin can. Before moving to Edward's current city of Palm Bay, FL, Edward lived in Melbourne FL and Indialantic FL. Maines said Rolling fled the home after police issued a warrant for his arrest. His grandmother, now passed away, forgave him. I mean, why don't the girls tell me that? I thought, 'Here's a guy who's sort of down and I think I'll cheer him up.". The optics were not good for Humphrey. GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Cindy Juracich was on a trip through the Florida Panhandle in August 1990 when she heard a news report about a grisly string of murders. . Hes not capable of it., Hes gonna come back home, George Humphrey insisted. TITUSVILLE, Fla. (AP) _ Gainesville murder suspect Edward Lewis Humphrey was sentenced today to the maximum 22 months for beating his grandmother after his But at the trial, she testified she had fallen and hurt herself in the dark. "It's hard to say what was inside my head. Christopher Slobogin, a professor at the University of Florida Law School, said suspicions about Mr. Humphrey's possible connection with the Gainesville murders increased the likelihood that he would be prosecuted on assault charges that otherwise would probably have been dropped. Good Student and Boy Scout Ed said. There was enormous pressure on Gainesville police, on state investigators, on prosecutors, to find the killer and put him behind bars. His grandmother had asked to drop all charges. It was a nasty, turbulent, protracted parting that left Ed's mother--a devout Catholic--devastated. He tried repeatedly to find work, but kept being turned away, often with no explanation. "They're gone but their memory has to always endure," Mario Taboada said. Most of my friends got 1200 or something. He had a promising future ahead of him. "We made a mistake.". WebDescription Muster roll for Humphrey Lewis' Company from Madison County, ca. "No offense." She is a savvy and persistent woman who tenaciously guards Humphrey's contact with the media. Even though three decades had passed, I knew it wasnt going to be easy for Humphrey to talk about his darkest days; a time when his name was linked to grisly crimes. Louisiana drifter Danny Harold Rolling was indicted Friday in the grisly killings of five college students stabbed in their off-campus apartments in August 1990. This argument, Smith claims, was purely based on a character in the film "Exorcist III," which Danny Rolling had admitted to watching on the week he murdered in Gainesville. Marker Address Rent ? That setting seemed to fit what investigators and the media had made of Ed Humphrey, said his brother George, a 1991 University of Florida graduate who was his biggest defender. (Nineteen-year-old Christa Hoyt was among the victims of the so-called Gainesville Ripper, Danny Rolling, in Gainesville, Florida in 1990. Especially around his mouth, she says, the skin is much smoother and more elastic and natural-looking. He was under surveillance for reports of odd behaviors, like wearing camouflage, and he had an obsession with knives. That's who you are?! Kennedy even sent money. That was the start of it all. The killer always managed to avoid being spottedby potential witnesses. (Manuel Taboada, left, and Tracy Paules, right, are seen in undated photos. As Ed talks about it now, his voice is small and his eyes diverted. Anyone else--they would have dropped the charges or maybe given him one year's probation. He enrolled at University of Central Florida in 1995, taking classes around part-time jobs ranging from cleaning dog kennels and swimming pools to assembling tanning beds and working in factories, according to the Orlando Sentinel. In the aftermath of the murders, investigators discovered some highly unusual details at the scene. ", A police officer told state investigators that 10 days before the killings Ed claimed he was going to Gainesville to "cut up some women.". Both parents drank too much. I'm not able to make. A task force of police agencies in Gainesville, searching for the killer who had It wasn't long after Maines' trip to Shreveport that Juracich called Crime Stoppers to report Danny Rolling. So I got in my car and drove to Palm Bay to meet Ed Humphrey in person. And I hated looking in the mirror every time, seeing scars on my face. ", He pauses. He returned gasping for breath, and asked me to come back later in the day. Maines said they found out that the suspect had broken in by wedging a screwdriver into the door jamb. They say Humphrey made a "sawing motion" across his throat with the knife and threatened to get a gun and shoot them. On Aug. 26, 1990, Emery said Powell's parents arrived at the apartment and banged on the door. Witnesses testified to the abuse they'd seen. Her family said she collapsed after arguing with a relative about talking to a reporter. Late last summer, an 18-year-old mental patient named Edward Lewis Humphrey became a suspect in the stabbing deaths of five students at the University of Florida, a grisly series of He was tall, good-looking, athletic, polite. The rest of the time he sat in his cell, building card houses, reading books his mother sent, or sleeping. The lack of indictment is the result that he and I both expected.". Donvan said. Danny Harold Rolling pleaded guilty to their murders and three other people in Gainesville in August 1990.). Legran Hewitt said they dispatched Barber and another officer to Christa Hoyt's home. Authorities believe Taboada was the first to be attacked after the killer broke into their home, and that they fought for some time before Taboada was killed by multiple stab wounds. And he paid his dues--both in time and torment. He called the match to the evidence in Gainesville a "revelation" in the case. They immediately made her think about a man from her Louisiana hometown church who used to spend time with her and her family. After his arrest, Humphrey lived in a 10-foot-by-10-foot concrete cell at the Brevard County Jail. They had softened with time, but they told his story. After a bank robbery, police found the tape along with stolen money, a gun and a screwdriver. They think, 'Well, there's a good chance he did it because he's on TV.' For months Edward Lewis Humphrey was the key suspect in the horrific slayings of five Gainesville students. All of Gainesville shuddered. 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