Michael Scott Magliolo

Serial Killer

Michael Scott Magliolo: The Transient Killer Who Traveled America's Highways

Overview

Michael Scott Magliolo was an American serial killer, rapist and robber whose crimes were connected to several states during the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s. Born on July 8, 1960, Magliolo lived a transient lifestyle and frequently traveled by hitchhiking or accepting rides from long-distance truck drivers. This constant movement allowed him to pass through unfamiliar communities without establishing the permanent ties that might have made him easier for police to track. Magliolo was ultimately convicted of murders committed in Tennessee and Ohio. Investigators suspected that his known crimes represented only part of a much larger series of attacks. Some accounts have attributed as many as ten or more deaths to him, potentially spanning Tennessee, Ohio, Texas, Pennsylvania, Louisiana and Arkansas. However, the identities and exact circumstances of many of those possible victims have not been publicly confirmed, and Magliolo was never convicted of ten murders.

A Predator on the Road

Magliolo's mobility became one of the most disturbing elements of his criminal history. Rather than remaining in a single city, he traveled across state lines and moved among truck stops, roadside businesses, bars and temporary residences. He sometimes used false names when introducing himself, making it difficult for witnesses to provide authorities with accurate identifying information. Young women were his primary targets. His crimes reportedly involved sexual violence, robbery and murder. The distances separating the suspected offenses created serious problems for investigators at a time when police departments did not have today's computerized databases or rapid methods of sharing information. A killing in Tennessee might not immediately be compared with a similar crime in Ohio, Texas or another state hundreds of miles away. His transient lifestyle also meant that he could disappear shortly after an attack. By the time a victim was found and detectives began gathering evidence, Magliolo could already be traveling with a truck driver toward another state. Investigators later examined unsolved murders along highways and in communities he was believed to have visited, but many possible connections could not be conclusively proven. ...

Confirmed Victims: (3)

Jimmie Lee Pemberton Age: (74), Date of Death: November 23, 1988

Michael Scott Magliolo | Murderpedia