In the summer of 2004 Kansas City
wasn’t in pursuit of just one serial killer. Lorenzo Gilyard was being tried
for the murder of 7 women, spanning both decades and racial lines. Though he
was tried for 7 murders he was suspected for at least 14. He eventually would
be convicted and sentenced to 6 consecutive life terms, one of the charges were
dropped due to lack of evidence. But, unlike the Prospect Corridor Killer,
Lorenzo had started years before in 1977, when he was just 27 years old.
Born in 1950, Lorenzo did not grow
up in an idyllic 50’s household. His father was convicted of rape in 1970, a
brother convicted of a drug related murder in 1989, and a sister spent 10 years
in prison for the murder of one of her johns. He himself was a convicted child
–molester having taken liberties with a 13 - year old daughter of a friend. He
seems to have stated his depravity as most serial killers due by pursuing victims
with the intention of unconsentual sex; he was also known for bullying and
assaulting women. Between the ages of 19 and 24 he was suspected of 5 rapes in
the area, but never convicted.
Gilyard was in an on –again –off
–again relationship with a woman for years, spending time with her in Missouri
and Los Angeles, eventually marrying her in 1991 when he seems to have put his
life straight and stopped killing. This is unusual for serial killers who often
do not stop killing until they are dead or incarcerated. Before the time he was
married he murdered at least 14 women, all prostitutes or living lives fueled
by drugs. All except one, who was a mentally ill woman who frequented the
streets and accepted rides from strangers. This is apparently how she met her
demise as it is thought that Gilyard drove his vehicle and picked up the woman
before killing them. All of the woman were strangled, many with things
obstructing their airways, such as paper towels and articles of clothing. The
10 grade educated trash collection supervisor left the bodies in secluded and unobstructed
places in Kansas City, much like the Prospect Corridor Killer, which begs the
question that if these men had grown up in an area that wasn’t overrun with
financial plight, thus producting many abandonded homes and places to hide they
may not have had the opportunity or inclination to carry out their crimes.
It is ironic that the Prospect
Corridor Killer referred to his victims as ‘scum’, as clearly his actions and
motives behind them make his the literal scum of the earth. Gilyard’s story is
rich with irony as well. As he collected trash for nearly 30 years, he never
made the connection between himself and the garbage that paid his bills. These
men are monsters, and black, white, or other their victims cannot be ignored or
forgotten.
Most think if serial killing as a ‘white
–thing’, something that middle aged men with decent jobs like Dennis Rader or
Gary Ridgeway. But the truth is that there are many black serial killers who
feed on the unwise and the vulnerable and often their stories get ignored.
Names like Ted Bundy and Jeffery Dahmer, and of course Charles Manson have
taken on celebrity status in the minds of most Americans. I can’t help but
think they are ‘famous’, or maybe more aptly put ‘interesting’ because they ARE
white and they were killing predominantly white victims. Though the Prospect Corridor
Killer and Lorenzo Gilyard aren’t any less guilty, any less sick, their stories
go unnoticed because their victims were not white. But again, black, white, or
purple they were people. Mothers, daughters, aunts, and friends. Someone cared about
these women and now they are gone forever
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