Matthew John Pierro, a 21-year-old white male, was found dead on April 10, 1982, in Lake Mary, Florida. His body bore signs of a violent attack, including a stab wound to the heart and extensive lacerations. According to reports, he was last seen leaving a gay bar in Orlando, Florida, on the night of his death. The circumstances surrounding his murder suggested a targeted and brutal assault, and the case remained unsolved for many years.
Although no one was immediately arrested in
connection with the killing of the 21-year-old white male, investigators later linked the homicide to Richard Westall Rogers Jr., a former surgical nurse who would eventually become known as the "Last Call Killer." Rogers, who was in Florida at the time of Pierro’s death to attend a college reunion, became a suspect due to similarities between Pierro’s murder and other killings Rogers was later convicted of. These included the dismemberment and disposal of gay and bisexual men in plastic bags along highways in New Jersey and New York during the early 1990s.
Rogers was not charged with the murder of Matthew John Pierro, but prosecutors in a later trial sought to introduce evidence of Pierro’s death to establish Rogers’ modus operandi. The 21-year-old white male’s murder shared key characteristics with Rogers’ confirmed victims, including the targeting of gay men, the use of sharp force trauma, and the disposal of bodies in remote or public areas. Despite these connections, the court had not ruled on whether the evidence related to Pierro’s death would be admissible in Rogers’ trial at the time of reporting.
The case of Matthew John Pierro remains officially unsolved, though it is widely believed by investigators and prosecutors that Rogers may have been responsible. Rogers was ultimately convicted in 2005 for the murders of two other men and is serving life sentences in New Jersey. He has never publicly commented on Pierro’s death or acknowledged involvement. The murder of the 21-year-old white male continues to be a haunting chapter in a broader pattern of violence against LGBTQ+ individuals during that era.
