In the quiet town of LaPlace, Louisiana, the community was shaken by the brutal murders of 69-year-old Louella Arcuri and her 76-year-old husband, Sam Arcuri. On May 9, 1997, the couple was found bludgeoned to death in their home, a crime that marked the beginning of a series of violent acts that would terrorize the region.
The investigation into the Arcuris' deaths led law enforcement on a multi-parish manhunt for a killer who seemed to prey on the well-off and elderly.
The community lived in fear as more victims were discovered. Just days after the Arcuris were killed, 55-year-old Joan Brock was beaten to death in her LaPlace backyard on May 14. Investigators eventually linked these murders to a string of other violent crimes in the area.
A major break in the case came with the arrest of Daniel J. Blank, a 35-year-old auto mechanic who had recently moved to Onalaska, Texas, telling his new neighbors he was escaping the crime in Louisiana. After his arrest on November 14, 1997, Blank confessed to the murders of the Arcuris and Joan Brock, as well as the killings of Victor Rossi, Barbara Bourgeois, and Lillian Phillipe. He also admitted to the attempted murder of another couple. Blank's motive, according to his confession, was to steal from his victims to support a gambling habit. His girlfriend, Cynthia Bellard, was also arrested and accused of being his accomplice, driving him to and from the crime scenes. Blank was subsequently charged with six counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder.
