Gregory Teron

Serial Killer

Serial Killer Gregory John Teron Jr.

Overview

Gregory John Teron Jr. was an American serial killer convicted of three murders committed in California and Michigan between 1975 and 1977. His known victims included a motel guest whom he killed during a robbery, an elderly landlady whom he beat and hanged, and a fellow jail inmate whom he strangled. Teron also claimed responsibility for at least two additional killings, although those statements did not result in confirmed identifications or murder convictions. Teron used different methods of violence depending on the circumstances. He beat, strangled, smothered and hanged his victims, often attacking people who were isolated or unable to obtain immediate assistance. Robbery was a clear motive in at least two of the confirmed murders. His statements to investigators suggested that he viewed killing with extraordinary indifference and could not, or would not, provide a reliable total of how many people he had murdered.

The Murder of Earl Reed

On the evening of October 3, 1975, Earl Reed checked into room 227 at the Caravan Inn in Anaheim, California. Teron was staying nearby in room 229 on a weekly basis. According to Teron's later confession, he spoke with Reed in the motel parking lot and decided that he would rob him. Teron admitted that he also intended to kill Reed so that the victim could not identify him afterward. During the early morning hours of October 4, Reed invited Teron into his room for beer. Both men had been drinking, and Reed was intoxicated. Teron briefly lost consciousness while sitting in the bathroom. When he emerged, he demanded Reed's money. Reed refused, and Teron struck him repeatedly in the face, knocking him backward onto the bed. Reed resisted when Teron attempted to strangle him and began crying for help. A guest in the adjoining room heard a man shouting that he was being killed. The cries continued for several minutes, but no one entered the room or summoned immediate assistance. Teron pressed a pillow over Reed's face until he stopped struggling. A motel maid discovered Reed's body later that morning. He was lying facedown on the bed and had been wrapped in bedding. His face was severely bruised, several teeth had been dislodged, and blood was found on a pillowcase and towel. An autopsy determined that Reed died after aspirating blood produced by the extensive injuries to his mouth and nose. By holding the pillow over Reed's face, Teron prevented the blood from escaping and effectively caused him to suffocate in it. Teron ransacked the room and stole Reed's wallet, obtaining only $1.75 and several credit cards. Police questioned him the following day. He agreed to take a polygraph examination but fled to Colorado instead. He was not returned to California until after he had been convicted of two murders in Michigan. ...

Confirmed Victims: (3)

Earl Reed , Date of Death: 1975-10-04

Suspected Victims:

Unidentified Woman

Unidentified Man

gregory john teron - Michigan Department of Corrections