On May 30, 1964, the life of Gary Albert Smock, a 30-year-old male schoolteacher from Plymouth, Michigan, was tragically cut short in Kalamazoo. Smock, a married father, had been in the area for a Church of God youth convention. While driving his Chevrolet, he offered a ride to a young hitchhiker, an act of kindness that would have fatal consequences.
The hitchhiker was 19-year-old Larry Lee Ranes. Not long into the ride, Ranes brandished a.
22 caliber weapon and forced Smock into the trunk of his own car. When Smock attempted to escape, Ranes stopped the vehicle, tied him up, and shot him twice in the back of the head. Ranes then stole $3 and other personal items from Smock before abandoning the car on the side of the road. A few hours later, a police officer on patrol discovered the vehicle and Smock's body.
In the days that followed, Ranes couldn't resist bragging about committing what he thought was the perfect murder to his acquaintances. His boasting led to his arrest on June 5, 1964. He offered no resistance and readily confessed to the murder of Gary Smock. During questioning, Ranes shocked investigators by confessing to four additional murders committed during robberies at gas stations in Michigan, Indiana, and Nevada.
Larry Ranes's trial for the murder of Gary Smock began in September 1964. His defense team argued that he was not guilty by reason of insanity, claiming that a traumatic childhood and abuse at the hands of his father led to his violent actions. However, the jury found him guilty of first-degree murder, and on October 23, 1964, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Ranes's older brother, Danny Ranes, would also go on to commit a series of murders in Kalamazoo eight years later. Larry Ranes, who later changed his name to Monk Steppenwolf, died in prison on November 12, 2023.
