Adam Leroy Lane

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Adam Leroy Lane
Booking photo in 2003
Born (1964-08-07) August 7, 1964 (age 59)
Jonesville, North Carolina, United States
Other namesThe Highway Killer
Spouses
Miriam M. Benge
​
(div. 1993)​
  • Regina Lane
Children3
Conviction(s)
Criminal penalty
  • 25–30 years for assault in Massachusetts
  • 50 years for murder in New Jersey
  • 10–20 years for attempted murder
  • Life imprisonment for murder in Pennsylvania
Details
Victims2 killed, 3 survived
Span of crimes
July 13  –  July 30, 2007
CountryUnited States
State(s)Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts
Date apprehended
30 July 2007
Imprisoned atState Correctional Institution, Fayette County, Pennsylvania

Adam Leroy Lane (born August 7, 1964) is a convicted murderer and suspected serial killer who was dubbed the Highway Killer because his crimes took place near highways, which he frequently traveled due to his job as a truck driver.

Murders[edit]

Lane was born on August 7, 1964, in Jonesville, North Carolina. He dropped out of high school and later acquired a job as a truck driver and occasional chicken-plant worker.[1][2][3] He lived in a trailer with his wife and three daughters.[4]

Lane committed the murders while he made his way through the Northeastern United States during the summer of 2007. He had a DVD in his truck of the 2002 horror film Hunting Humans, about a serial killer who stalks his victims before killing them with a knife.[1] He also carried two large hunting knives, choke wire, and a leather mask with the eyes and mouth cut out.[5][1]

His first known victim was 42-year-old Darlene Ewalt, who lived in a suburban home in West Hanover Township, Dauphin County, near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.[4][6] She was stabbed and killed at around 2 a.m. on July 13, 2007.[7][8] At the time, she was talking on the telephone on her patio.[1] Lane slit her throat and stabbed her to death with a long knife[1] while her family was inside the house.[4]

Lane's second victim was a woman named Patricia Brooks, whom he stabbed on July 17, 2007 in Conewago Township, in rural York County, Pennsylvania, as she was sleeping on her couch.[1][8] She survived.[7][4]

His third victim was a 38-year-old woman in her duplex in Bloomsbury, New Jersey, by the name of Monica Massaro.[1] He cut her throat and stabbed her in the head, neck, and chest, and killed her in her bedroom a day before he committed his final crime.[7][8]

His final crime transpired when he made a stop on I-495 in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, broke into a house on July 30, 2007, and while clad in all-black with a mask and gloves, attacked 15-year-old Shea McDonough with a 15-inch hunting knife.[1][9][3] Her parents, Jeannie and Kevin McDonough, awoke at 4 a.m. to the sounds of her struggling.[9] 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 where the father was holding him in a headlock, and arrested him.[5][7][3]

While it has been speculated by law enforcement that he has been responsible for 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 the police or the general public about this speculation.

Investigation[edit]

Lane was linked to Ewalt by DNA on his knife. He was linked to Brooks similarly.[7][10] Police also discovered gloves with his DNA and one of his victim's blood.[11]

Trials and imprisonment[edit]

Lane received a 25–30 year sentence in Massachusetts for the attack on Shea McDonough.[7]

New Jersey sentenced him to 50 years for the murder of Monica Massaro.[12]

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.[12] He is serving his sentences in State Correctional Institution – Fayette.

In the media[edit]

The story has been presented in the Dateline NBC series (original air date August 3, 2009)[13] and the 48 Hours Mystery episode, "Live to Tell: Hunting Humans" (original air date February 26, 2011).[14] The case was also featured in episode 2, season 2, of Nightmare Next Door and episode 5, season 7, of Castle.

In 2013 Shea McDonough told her story in a documentary titled I Survived A Serial Killer.[15]

Also, it was featured in Reader's 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 July 25, 2016).

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Hunting Humans: Serial Killer Stalks Homes Along Highways". ABC News.
  2. ^ "Trucker sentenced in Chelmsford home invasion". December 11, 2007.
  3. ^ a b c BREED, ALLEN G. "N.C. trucker charged in attacks in Mass., N.J. facing scrutiny in other states along route". southcoasttoday.com.
  4. ^ a b c d CALL, Matt Birkbeck OF THE MORNING (23 August 2009). "FBI database links highway killings **Pennsylvania, New Jersey state police used information to charge trucker with two murders. He has admitted slaying one woman". mcall.com.
  5. ^ a b Tresniowski, Alex (3 March 2008). "How They Caught a Killer". People. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  6. ^ "Trucker who killed N.J. woman gets life sentence for Pennsylvania attacks". nj. Associated Press. June 29, 2010.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Hepp, Rick (6 August 2008). "Trucker charged in Hunterdon killing hated women, those who knew him say". nj.com. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  8. ^ a b c Hepp, Rick (August 6, 2008). "Trucker charged in Hunterdon killing hated women, those who knew him say". nj.
  9. ^ a b "Family's capture of serial killer Adam Leroy Lane chronicled in book". pennlive. March 1, 2011.
  10. ^ Ortega, Ralph R.; Hepp, Rick; Sapone, Patti (4 October 2008). "Trucker tells how he killed woman in Bloomsbury". nj.com. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  11. ^ "Adam Leroy Lane Case Update". Investigation Discovery. 10 September 2008. Archived from the original on 6 January 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  12. ^ a b "Life sentence for trucker in women's deaths in Pa". philly.com. Associated Press. 29 June 2010. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  13. ^ "A Stranger in the House". Dateline NBC. NBC. 3 August 2009. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  14. ^ "Family under attack stops serial killer". 48 Hours Mystery. CBS News. 3 December 2011. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  15. ^ "Breaking News - New E! Specials "I Survived a Serial Killer" & "Co-Ed Nightmares" Premiere Back-To-Back Thursday, August 22nd at 9:00pm ET/PT and 10:00pm ET/PT On E! | TheFutonCritic.com". www.thefutoncritic.com. Retrieved 2022-05-28.

Further reading[edit]

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