Bernard Eugene Giles

Serial Killer

Bernard Eugene Giles: The 1973 Titusville Serial Murders

Bernard Eugene Giles is an American serial killer and convicted murderer responsible for killing five girls and young women in and around Titusville, Florida, during a concentrated period of violence in the fall of 1973. Giles was only 20 years old when the murders occurred. His victims ranged in age from 14 to 22, and several were teenagers who disappeared while traveling in the Titusville and northern Brevard County area. The murders created fear throughout Brevard County as young women disappeared within weeks of one another. Several victims were later discovered in remote wooded areas, palmetto thickets, and orange groves. Giles used both shooting and strangulation to kill his victims. The investigation finally broke open in December 1973 after two teenage girls survived an encounter with him and provided police with enough information to identify their attacker.

Early Life of Bernard Eugene Giles

Bernard Eugene Giles was born on April 9, 1953, in Titusville, Florida. He grew up in the area with three siblings. Accounts of his childhood described his family as outwardly ordinary, and people who knew Giles when he was young did not necessarily see the extreme violence that would later define his life. Giles attended Titusville High School and showed an interest in art, but his academic performance declined. He frequently missed school and eventually left at approximately 16 years old. After leaving school, Giles learned electrical work and found employment as an electrician. In 1972, Giles married a 17-year-old woman named Leslie Jo Ann. Their daughter was born in July 1973. This meant that when Giles began his known series of murders only a few months later, he was a married 20-year-old father with a job. His apparently conventional home life provided little indication of the violence taking place away from his family.

The Beginning of the 1973 Murder Spree

Giles's confirmed murders occurred between September and November 1973. He preyed primarily on teenage girls and young women, particularly those who were hitchhiking or otherwise vulnerable while traveling alone. Giles could approach victims in his vehicle without immediately appearing threatening, allowing him to get them into the car before taking control of the situation. After picking up a victim, Giles drove into isolated portions of Brevard County. Wooded areas, orange groves, and undeveloped land around Titusville provided locations where crimes could be committed with little chance of being observed. Some victims were sexually assaulted. Giles killed his confirmed victims by shooting or strangulation and left their bodies in secluded locations. The short interval between the murders is particularly notable. After the September disappearance of Nancy Gerry, four more confirmed victims disappeared during a period of less than two weeks in November 1973. ...

Confirmed Victims: (5)

Nancy Gerry Age: (18), Date of Death: September 26, 1973

The Monster You Never Knew: Bernard Eugene Giles Day 5