Lewis Stephen Lent

Serial Killer

Lewis Stephen Lent Jr.: Child Abductor and Serial Killer

Background

Lewis Stephen Lent Jr. is an American child murderer and sexual predator convicted of killing two 12-year-old children in crimes committed across Massachusetts and New York. He was also identified by authorities as the likely killer of a missing 16-year-old Massachusetts boy after giving investigators a detailed confession years later. Lent targeted children who were alone, using ordinary public places, bicycles and offers of help or money to place himself close to his victims. His crimes remained hidden until an intended victim escaped from him in January 1994. Lent was born in 1950 and spent portions of his life in Massachusetts and New York. During the period surrounding his confirmed murders, he worked as a janitor at the Pittsfield Plaza Cinema Center in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. His employment gave him access to secluded areas inside the theater and allowed him to observe young patrons without immediately attracting suspicion. He also knew rural sections of New York where a victim or evidence could be concealed far from the original abduction scene.

The Murder of James "Jimmy" Bernardo

On October 22, 1990, 12-year-old James Joseph "Jimmy" Bernardo disappeared from the area of the Pittsfield Plaza Cinema Center in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Lent later admitted that he encountered Jimmy outside the theater and offered him money to help move or clean chairs. Once Jimmy entered the building, Lent threatened him with a knife, restrained him and forced him to accompany him. Lent took Jimmy to his residence, where he bound the child to a bed and sexually assaulted him. According to Lent's confession, Jimmy remained restrained overnight. Lent said he drove the boy to a wooded location near Newfield, New York, the following morning and strangled him with a rope. This account places the killing on or about October 23, 1990, although medical evidence could only estimate that Jimmy died sometime between October 22 and October 30. Hunters found Jimmy's body in the woods near Newfield on November 21, 1990, approximately a month after his disappearance. A rope was around his neck, duct tape covered portions of his face, and investigators found indications that his wrists and ankles had been bound. The recovery site was roughly 200 miles from Pittsfield but was close to an area familiar to Lent through his family connections in New York. Jimmy's disappearance initially produced no decisive lead against Lent, even though Lent worked at the theater where the child had last been seen. The murder remained unsolved until Lent's arrest in 1994. During questioning, he described the kidnapping, assault, transportation and killing in detail. Physical evidence and Lent's knowledge of circumstances that had not been widely publicized strengthened the case against him. ...

Confirmed Victims: (2)

Jimmy Bernardo Age: (12), Date of Death: October 22, 1990

Suspected Victims:

Jamie Lusher Age: (16), Date of Death: November 6, 1992

Survivors:

Rebecca Becky Savarese Age: (12), Date of Attack: January 7, 1994

Child Serial Killer Lewis Lent Linked To Cold Case - WAMC