Gerald Stano
Stano’s story begins in the early 70s, in the coastal regions of
Florida. A young man of 22 years, he was pudgy, short, and not what one would
categorize as a looker. In his mind, he most definantly felt the opposite,
referring to himself as a,”REAL ITALIAN STALLION”. Mr. Stano was anything but a
stallion, however, in fact , he was nothing but a cold blooded psychopath. AT
the time of his arrest, in March of 1981, he confessed to 33 gruesome murders.
The number has ascended to 41 at present day. Twenty-two bodies were found,
identified, and credited to this sick slasher. Listed below are a few of the
many brutal stories Mr. Stano offered the police in 1981. Please read carefully
and remember that these girls are not made-up, they were living, breathing
people just like me and you that laughed, cried, had kids, were kids, and had a
right to a life. This will help you to see the true evil that is Gerald Stano.
Mary Carol Maher, a good-looking, twenty year old hitchhiker, made a bad
decision one day in 1980, one that cost her dearly. After some time at a bar,
she walked out of the bar, looking for a ride. It wasn’t long until a man took
notice and pulled over. Mary Carol got in. They drove only a short distance
before she could realized she was in trouble. At a red light, the man put his
hand on her leg and said,”I want some right here”, where he was met with mocking
laughter. She did not laugh long. Her hysterics turned to terror in only moments
when he exposed the blade. She lunged for the door, but his grip was too strong.
Gerald began screaming repeatedly, ripping the knife into her chest. Her body
hung forward, limp, except for her right arm, which still attempted to open the
door. Stano abruptly pulled her back, and punched many new holes in her, until
she moved no more. Then he looked for a quick place of disposal before his
blood-stained upholstery was ruined. They found her decomposed remains
approximately two weeks later.
Toni Van Haddocks life was tough. She was a prostitute, forced to live this life
by a man she stayed with, she was ready for someone to love her. She would never
get the chance. One night, Toni was on the street, as she had been so many
times, when a car pulled up and a man offered her thirty bucks. She accepted
readily. He took her in and off they went. She only got worried when he kept
driving. She was used to doing her thing close to her neighborhood and jumping
back on the streets. He eventually turned down a dirt road. Her right arm was in
a cast, and he began hitting it and laughing at her pain. He then stopped and
forced her to go down on him. When she had finished, she reluctantly asked for
her fee. Without delay, he reached under the seat, grabbed the knife, stabbed
her twice in the car. Then he dragged her convulsing body from the car, and
commenced to ram his weapon into her head thirty-eight times. Then he pulled her
corpse out away from his car and threw tree branches on it. Then he went home,
cleaned the gore off his car seat, cleaned his knife, locked the stuff in his
trunk, and went to bed, as if it were another day at the office.
Had it not been for a victim of some thirty stab wounds who actually survived,
Stano might still be loose today. Donna Hensley, a drug-addict prostitute, was
attacked in a Florida hotel, beaten, stabbed repeatedly, but lived to finger
Stano as her assailant. Stano began telling his monstrous tales at this point.
He was tried, convicted, and sent to Death Row at Florida State Prison, where he
spent the rest of his life until he was executed in 1998
STANO’S
IDENTIFIED VICTIMS
ANN ARCENEAUX-17
JANINE MARIE LIGOTINO-19
BARBARA BAUER-17
NANCY HEARD-24
DIANA LYNN VALLECK-18
CATHY LEE SCHARF-17
SUSAN BASILE-12
SUSAN BICKREST-24
BONNIE HUGHES-34
LINDA ANN HAMILTON-16
MOLLY NEWELL-20
JOAN GAIL FOSTER-18
EMILY BRANCH-21
RAMONA NEAL-18
PHOEBE WINSTON-23
EMILY GRIEVE-38
MARY KATHLEEN MULDOON-23
SANDRA DuBOSE-34
DOROTHY WILLIAMS-17
CHRISTINE GOODSON-17
MARY CAROL MAHER-20
TONI VAN HADDOCKS-26