Adam Leroy Lane
Adam Leroy Lane (born August 6, 1964) is a convicted murderer and serial killer who was dubbed the Highway Killer because his crimes took place near the highway, which he frequently traveled due to his job as a trucker.
Adam Leroy Lane | |
|---|---|
.png) Booking photo c. 2008 | |
| Born | Adam Leroy Lane August 7, 1964 |
| Other names | Highway Killer |
| Spouse(s) | Miriam M. Benge ( div. 1993)Regina Lane |
| Conviction(s) | |
| Criminal penalty |
|
| Details | |
| Victims | 2+ |
Span of crimes | 2007– |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts |
Date apprehended | 30 July 2007 |
| Imprisoned at | State Correctional Institution, Fayette County, Pennsylvania |
Murders
Lane committed the murders while he made his way through the Northeast during the summer of 2007. He had a DVD in his truck of the 2002 horror film Hunting Humans, about a serial murderer who stalks his victims before killing them. He also carried two knives and choke wire.[1]
His first known victim was Darlene Ewalt, who lived near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. She was stabbed and killed on 13 July 2007.[2] At the time, she was talking on the telephone in the backyard. Lane stabbed her to death while her family was inside the house.
Lane's second victim was a woman named Patricia Brooks, whom he stabbed on 17 July 2007 in York County, Pennsylvania. She survived.[2]
His third victim was a woman in New Jersey by the name of Monica Massaro. He stabbed and killed her a day before he committed his final crime.[2]
His final crime transpired when he made a stop on I-495 in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, broke into a house on 30 July 2007, and attacked a 15-year-old girl with a knife. Her parents awoke to the sounds of her struggling. Her 135-pound mother and 160-pound father were able to subdue the 245-pound Lane and wrestle the knife he was carrying away from him, though the mother suffered knife cuts. Chelmsford Police were contacted, arrived at the scene, and arrested him.[1][2]
While it has been speculated by law enforcement authorities that he has been involved with other murders in other parts of the country due to his extensive trucking routes, this has not been proven. He has refused to comment to police or the general public about this speculation.
Investigation
Lane was linked to Ewalt by DNA on his knife. He was linked to Brooks similarly.[2][3] Police also discovered gloves with his DNA and one of his victim's blood.[4]
Trials and imprisonment
Lane received a 25–30 year sentence in Massachusetts for the attack on the teenage girl.[2]
New Jersey sentenced him to 50 years for the murder of Monica Massaro.[5]
In Pennsylvania, Lane pleaded guilty in order to avoid the death penalty. He was sentenced to 10–20 years for the attempted murder of the woman in York County, and to life for the murder of Darlene Ewalt.[5] He is serving his sentences in State Correctional Institution – Fayette.
In the media
The story has been presented in the Dateline NBC series (original air date 3 August 2009)[6] and 48 Hours Mystery episode, "Live to Tell: Hunting Humans" (original air date 26 February 2011),[7] and episode 2, season 1, of Nightmare Next Door and the episode 5, season 7, of Castle. Also, it was featured in Readers Digest July 2011 in an article entitled "Caught in the Act." Also in Season 1 of The Coroner: I Speak for the Dead, episode 2 titled "Call the Coroner" (original air date 25 July 2016).
References
- Tresniowski, Alex (3 March 2008). "How They Caught a Killer". People. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
- Hepp, Rick. "Trucker charged in Hunterdon killing hated women, those who knew him say". nj.com. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
- Ortega, Ralph R.; Rick Hepp; Patti Sapone (4 October 2008). "Trucker tells how he killed woman in Bloomsbury". nj.com. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
- "Adam Leroy Lane Case Update". Investigation Discovery. 10 September 2008. Archived from the original on 6 January 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
- "Life sentence for trucker in women's deaths in Pa". philly.com. Associated Press. 29 June 2010. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
- "A Stranger in the House". Dateline NBC. NBC. 3 August 2009. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
- "Family under attack stops serial killer". 48 Hours Mystery. CBS News. 3 December 2011. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
Further reading
- McDonough, Jeannie; Paul Lonardo (2011). Caught in the Act: A Courageous Family's Fight to Save Their Daughter from a Serial Killer (Mass Market Paperback ed.). Berkley. ISBN 978-0425235430.