Gary Duane Rardon

Serial Killer

Gary Duane Rardon: A Four-Victim Serial and Spree Killer

Background and Early Life

Gary Duane Rardon was born on September 4, 1943, in Wayne County, North Carolina. His father, William Harley Rardon, was a master sergeant in the United States Air Force, and the family moved as required by his military service. Rardon later attended Maconaquah High School in Bunker Hill, Indiana. Rardon described his childhood as stable and disciplined. He claimed that his parents treated him well but said he frequently felt unable to meet their expectations. As a young man, he reportedly dreamed of becoming an FBI agent. Instead, while still in his teens, he entered the United States Navy and eventually went absent without leave. His first known killing occurred during this period and began a criminal history that would extend across several states.

The 1962 Killing of James Homer Smith

On July 7, 1962, 23-year-old James Homer Smith, a former United States Marine, entered a railroad station in Indianapolis, Indiana. Smith was preparing to drive east and asked whether anyone needed transportation. Rardon, then an AWOL sailor, accepted his offer. During the journey, Rardon shot Smith twice in the head with a pistol. He placed the victim's body inside Smith's automobile and continued traveling in the stolen vehicle. Smith's body was discovered 12 days later in Washington, Pennsylvania. Rardon was arrested in December 1962 and charged with first-degree murder. He maintained that Smith had made an unwanted sexual advance and claimed that the shooting had been committed in self-defense. On April 19, 1963, Rardon pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter. He received a sentence of two to 21 years in an Indiana prison. A psychiatrist who examined Rardon during his incarceration described him in 1965 as near psychotic and extremely dangerous. Approximately two years later, however, the same psychiatrist concluded that the possibility of Rardon becoming violent again was minimal. Rardon was paroled on May 8, 1967, after serving only a portion of his sentence. ...

Confirmed Victims: (4)

James Homer Smith Age: (23), Date of Death: 1962-07-07

Gary Rardon - Wikipedia