Robert Ben Rhoades

Robert Ben Rhoades a.k.a. "The Truck Stop Killer", is an american serial killer and rapist.

Background
Born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, he was raised alone by his mother, his father eventually returned to live with them. During high school, Rhoades was arrested for tampering with a vehicle and was arrested again years later, but this time for theft. He also joined the military but like many serial killers, he was dishonorably discharged. On the same year, his father committed suicide shortly after being arrested for molesting a young girl. Rhoades became a truck driver after getting married three times and having a son with one of his wives.

Killings, Arrest and Incarceration
His first know victims were two hitchhikers, Douglas Scott Zysknowski and Patricia Candace Walsh. Shortly after entering his truck, Douglas was shot and killed while Candace was brutally raped and torture for one week before she died inside his truck, which was his own torture chamber. He dumped Douglas' body in Texas and Candace's body was dumped in Utah.

One month later, using the same modus operandi, he killed a teenager named Ricky Lee Jones and his girlfriend, Regina Kay Walters. She was kept by Rhoades for an unknown amount of time but most likely more than Candace.

Months later, a state trooper named Mike Miller investigated Rhoades' truck and found a handcuffed woman, the truck driver was later identified as Robert Ben Rhoades, who was arrested shortly after and is currently being held at Menard Correctional Center. Photos of Candace and Regina were found at Rhoades' house during a search warrant.

Modus Operandi
All of victims were young couples and hitchhikers, he would fatally shoot the male and keep the famale locked in his "torture chamber" for a long time period. During that time, the female victim was raped and tortured until Robert was finally satisfied, he would then kill them by strangulation and dispose of their bodies at different locations.

Confirmed

 * 1990:
 * January: Douglas Scott Zysknowski and Patricia Candace Walsh
 * February: Ricky Lee Jones Regina Kay Walters

Attempted

 * 1990
 * April: Unnamed female

Possible

 * 1989
 * November: Unnamed victim

On Criminal Minds
The habit of torturing and killing people inside a truck which served as a torture chamber is very similiar to the modus operandi of profiliac serial killer Frank Breitkopf, though Frank was a much more organized individual during his killings.