Rudy Bladel

Serial Killer

Rudy Bladel – The Railway Killer

Overview

Rudy Bladel was an American serial killer and former railroad worker whose violent grudge against the railroad industry was linked to the shooting deaths of seven railroad employees between 1963 and 1978. Often called the "Railway Killer" or "Railway Sniper," Bladel carried a deep resentment toward railroad employees from Michigan whom he believed had taken jobs and seniority from Indiana workers. Over a period of approximately fifteen years, railroad yards and locomotive cabs became the scenes of a series of carefully timed shootings in Indiana and Michigan. Bladel was ultimately convicted only of the final three murders, committed at the Jackson, Michigan, railroad station on December 31, 1978. Authorities also considered him the principal suspect in four earlier unsolved railroad-worker murders in Indiana. His connection to the pattern became particularly compelling after a fifth intended victim survived a 1971 shooting, fought back, and positively identified Bladel as his attacker.

Early Life and Railroad Career

Rudy Bladel was born on December 8, 1932, in Chicago, Illinois. Railroading was part of his life from childhood. His father worked for the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, and Bladel eventually followed him into the industry. After graduating from vocational school in Chicago, Bladel worked as a railroad fireman before serving in the United States Army during the Korean War, where he continued working around locomotives as a military engineer. After returning from military service, Bladel resumed his railroad career. He had also suffered injuries in a motorcycle accident that reportedly left him with an unusual posture and distinctive walking gait. That physical characteristic would later become significant because witnesses to at least one railroad-yard murder remembered the gunman walking away from the scene in an unusual manner. ...

Confirmed Victims: (7)

Roy Bottorf Age: (60), Date of Death: 1963-08-03

Survivors:

Louis John Sayne Age: (38), Date of Attack: 1971-03-30

Rudy Bladel - Wikipedia