Joseph Roy Metheny

Serial Killer

Joseph Roy Metheny: The Baltimore Serial Killer

Overview

Joseph Roy Metheny was an American murderer, rapist and suspected serial killer whose crimes centered on Baltimore, Maryland, during the 1990s. Born on March 2, 1955, Metheny spent much of his adult life drifting between unstable living arrangements, heavy substance abuse and criminal activity. By the time police arrested him in December 1996, he had become a physically imposing figure who lived in a trailer on the grounds of a pallet-manufacturing company in southwest Baltimore. Metheny confessed to numerous killings and sometimes claimed that he had murdered as many as thirteen people. Investigators, however, could substantiate only a small portion of his statements. He was ultimately convicted of murdering Cathy Ann Magaziner and Kimberly Lynn Spicer. He was acquitted in the killings of two homeless men, while a separate murder charge involving Toni Lynn Ingrassia was dismissed because prosecutors lacked sufficient evidence. Many of Metheny's later stories were deliberately shocking and may have been exaggerated to increase his notoriety. His most infamous claim was that he dismembered some victims, mixed their flesh with pork and beef, and sold the meat in sandwiches from a roadside food stand. No physical evidence established that unsuspecting customers were actually served human remains. That allegation should therefore be treated as an unverified confession rather than a proven part of his crimes.

Background and Descent into Violence

Metheny was raised in the Baltimore area and joined the United States Army in 1973. He later claimed that he served in Vietnam and became addicted to heroin while in the military, but his family disputed that account, and reports of his Vietnam service were never verified. After leaving the Army, he developed serious problems involving alcohol, heroin, cocaine and other drugs. During the 1990s, Metheny associated with people living in homeless encampments beneath and around the bridges and industrial areas of South Baltimore. Despite his unstable personal life, he maintained employment, including work as a forklift operator at a pallet company. Coworkers sometimes described him as polite, intelligent and humorous. That outwardly sociable personality concealed a violent man who targeted people living under extremely vulnerable circumstances. Metheny's victims and alleged victims included women affected by addiction and homelessness, as well as men living in makeshift camps. His crimes were committed in neglected industrial locations where victims could disappear without attracting immediate attention. He hid bodies on or near the grounds of his workplace and later relied on the isolation of those areas to avoid detection. ...

Confirmed Victims: (2)

Cathy Ann Magaziner Age: (39), Date of Death: 1994

Suspected Victims:

Toni Lynn Ingrassia Age: (28), Date of Death: 1988-02-22

Randall Brewer , Date of Death: 1995-08-02

Randy Piker , Date of Death: 1995-08-02

Joe Metheny - Wikipedia