Patrick Kearney

Patrick Wayne Kearney, a.k.a. "The Trash Bag Killer", is an American profilic necrophiliac serial killer and one of the three killers who were believed to be a single serial killer, "The Freeway Killer".

Background
Born in East Los Angeles, California. Patrick was the oldest of three sons and raised in a stable family. However, because of his appearance, he was a victim of bullying at young age. As a teenager, Patrick started to fantasize about killing people. Patrick lived in Texas for a short time and eventually moved back to California and worked as an engineer for the Hughes Aircraft Company. Patrick was also a skilled gay pickup artist and fluent in Spanish, attributes which helped him during the murders. After moving to Redondo Beach, he met with a man named David Hill and they eventually became lovers.

Murders, Arrest and Incarceration
His first known murder victim was an unnamed 19-years old man in 1962, he took him to a secluded area on his motorcycle and shoot him in the head befor engaging in acts of necrophilia with the man's corpse. On that same year, Kearney murdered two more men, including the cousin of his first victim. Three years later, he claimed his next victim, an unnamed hitchhiker he had picked up and murdered in Orange, California. He also murdered more people before his arrival to Redondo Beach. Kearney would go out for long solitary drives after having arguments with David. During these drives, he would pick up male hitchhikers or homosexual men from gay bars. On 1967, Kearney visited a close friend of Hill named George, Kearney shot in the head while he was sleeping and took his body to the bathroom, where he was sodomized with a X-Acto knife. Despite most of his victims being male young adults, Kearney also killed children and teenagers, his youngest victims being 5-years old Ronald Dean Smith who was abducted and killed by Kearney and 8-years old Merle Chance, whom he abducted on April 6, 1977 while Chance was riding his bicycle near Kearney's workplace. Chance was smothered by Kearney and his body was taken to Kearney's house and later disposed in the Angeles National Forest, Chance was also Kearney's last known victim. Another young victim was 13-years old juvenile delinquent and hitchhiker Michael McGhee, he was picked up by Kearney and befriended him, he was invited to a camping trip to Lake Elsinore but after boasting about his criminal acts, he was shot in the head by Kearney, McGhee's body was never found. On March 13, 1977, Kearney murdered 17-years old John LaMay, while he was watching TV with LaMay, Kearney shot in the head and dismembered his corpse before disposing of it in the desert, but unfortunately for Kearney, LaMay had told neighbors that he was going to Redondo Beach, with the intention of meeting with a man named Dave, this man was actually Kearney's boyfriend, David Hill. Days later, the remains of LaMay were found and police discovered that LaMay was seen with Kearney and Hill before his murder. Both fled to El Paso, Texas but were arrested after their families convinced them to turn themselves in. Hill was released for having no involvement in the death of John LaMay and his partner's murders. Kearney confessed of being responsable for 38 murders but police believe that he may be responsable for even more murders. Kearney pleaded guilty and avoided the death sentence. Kearney is now incarcerated at California State Prison, Mule Creek.

Modus Operandi
Kearney would mainly pick up male hitchhikers or homosexual men from gay barns and shoot them in the temple, above the ear, with a Derringer .22 pistol. After murdering them, he would take the bodies to a secluded place and engage in acts of necrophilia and then take them home, where they would be sodomized with X-Acto knives, they were then mutilated and dismembered with hacksaws. As a forensic contermeasure, he would sometimes extract the bullets from their heads and then dispose of the bodies in canyons, landfills and along the freeways, usually in trash bags, earning him his current nickname. Alternatively, Kearney would take the bodies to the desert to be eaten by animals. He would also drain his victims' blood to eliminate odor and sometimes would bathe the dismembered body parts to minimize the blood and eliminate fingerprint evidence. Kearney would sometimes beat his victims' bodies to get a sensation of power over them and also to suppress his anger. Additionally, some of his victims resembled bullies from his childhood and adolescence. As with his younger victims, if not counting McGhee, Kearney smother them to death and then dismember their bodies, just like he did with his older victims.

Known Victims

 * 1962
 * Unspecified date during Spring: Unnamed man, 19
 * Unspecified date: First victim's cousin
 * Unspecified date: Unnamed man
 * Unspecified date in 1965: Unnamed man
 * Unspecified date in 1967: George
 * August 24, 1974: Ronald Dean Smith, 5
 * June 16, 1976: Michael Craig McGhee, 13
 * 1977
 * March 13: John LaMay, 17
 * April 6: Merle Chance, 8
 * Note: During the course of the years, Kearney also murdered several unnamed men.

On Criminal Minds
Serial kiiller Paul Westin may have been partially inspired by Kearney. The scenario of Paul and Mitchell fleeing after Mitchell found out about Paul's murders is very familiar to how Kearney and Hall fled to El Paso after police found John LaMay's remains.