Hunting The Ultimate Kill: The Horrifying Story of the Speed Freak Killers (The Serial Killer Books Book 2) Read online

  Hunting the

  Ultimate Kill

  The Horrifying Story of the Speed Freak Killers

  The Serial Killer Books

  Volume 2

  By

  Jack Rosewood

  Copyright © 2017 by LAK Publishing

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

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  150 interesting trivia about serial killers and the story of serial killer Herbert Mullin.

  Contents

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  Introduction

  Chapter 1: Notorious Serial Killer Duos

  The Background of Killer Duos and Groups

  Some Notable Serial Killer Pairs and Groups from History

  Shermantine and Herzog Take Their Place among the Other Tandem Killers

  Chapter 2: Two of a Kind

  The Central Valley

  The Early Lives of Loren Herzog and Wesley Shermantine

  Learning Violence at Home

  Hanging Out around Town

  Earning Their Moniker

  Chapter 3: The Killings Begin

  A Random Highway Murder

  Several More Murders

  Killing Closer to Home

  Chapter 4: Domestic Life and More Murders

  Presenting a Picture of Normalcy

  The Cooling Off Period Ends

  The Abduction of Michaela Garecht

  The 1990s

  Cyndi Vanderheiden

  “Let It Go Naturally”

  Chapter 5: The Authorities Close In

  Two Cases Converge

  Herzog’s Marathon Confession

  Sitting in Jail

  The Trials

  Chapter 6: Later Developments

  The Appeals Process

  The Release of a Serial Killer

  Problems Finding Housing

  Opting Out

  Chapter 7: Loose Ends

  Leonard Padilla

  Finding the Bodies

  Wesley Shermantine and Leonard Padilla

  More Burial Sites

  Chapter 8: The End of the Road

  Life on Death Row

  Questions of Improprieties in the San Joaquin Sherriff’s Department

  Conclusion

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  A Note From The Author

  Introduction

  In the criminal world, which is full of sociopathic and sadistic predators, the serial killer is considered by many to be the “apex” predator. The apex predator sits at the top of the predatory killing chain. The serial killer assesses when the situation is right to strike and take its prey. Anyone—no matter the age, race, or gender—is subject to the whims of a serial killer, and unfortunately, anyone can become a victim at any time.

  And that is what makes serial killers so frightening in modern times—despite the protection that modern civilization affords us, we can still become victims of crimes, and although rare, we can become the victim of a serial killer.

  And what happens when the apex predator is multiplied?

  What happens when a serial killer decides to bring a friend along for the fun of the kill?

  Generally speaking, the mayhem and misery is exponentially increased.

  For nearly twenty years, from the mid-1980s until the late 1990s, the Central Valley region of California was ravaged by a pair of serial killers known as the “Speed Freak Killers” who dished out their own brand of misery for kicks and thrills. The two killers, Loren Herzog and Wesley Shermantine, were childhood friends who shared many of the same hobbies, including hiking, fishing, hunting, and killing people.

  In many ways, the case of the Speed Freak Killers is not unlike that of other serial killer pairings and groups. Shermantine and Herzog definitely had their share of individual problems, but probably neither would have become a serial killer if it were not for the other. The two men fed off of each other’s negative energies which led to a long series of murders. Most experts believe their sprees resulted in the deaths of at least twenty people, possibly as many as seventy.

  But that is not the entire story.

  Shermantine and Herzog differed from other serial killer pairs and groups, because they murdered over such a long period of time, thereby amassing a kill count much greater than most of their predecessors. The story of the Speed Freak Killers is truly frightening, not just for the despicable and deplorable acts that Loren Herzog and Wesley Shermantine inflicted on scores of innocent people, but also because there was nothing spectacular about either man that stood out and warned others that they were “serial killers.”

  This book chronicles the case of the Speed Freak Killers as completely as possible. Since there are still aspects of their cases being litigated, the final chapter may not be written for several more years. With that said, this book presents most of the information from their cases—interviews with those involved including the killers, their victims’ families, and the law enforcement personnel who brought them to justice, as well as court reports and other legal information—in a concise, chronological manner that is easy to follow.

  In order to understand the psychology that drove Herzog and Shermantine to kill so many people, other pairs and groups of killers need to be compared with them. The Speed Freak Killers shared similar qualities with other paired serial killers, but they were also unique in many ways which made catching them more difficult.

  Since most serial killers show signs of their future propensity to kill from an early age, the lives and backgrounds of Wesley Shermantine and Loren Herzog will be discussed Although both men grew up in a region of the United States that was, and still is generally poorer than the rest of the country, this area was particularly hit hard by the scourge of meth amphetamine.

  Neither of the two men had particularly difficult childhoods. In fact, by all accounts, Wesley Shermantine was spoiled and always had the latest toys and gadgets when he was a child.

  Whatever caused their future troubles, by the time the two men graduated from high school during the mid-1980s, they were well on their way to becoming drug addicted thugs who enjoyed intimidating and bullying people in San Joaquin County, California.

  The thrills that Shermantine and Herzog got from snorting meth and beating people were not enough for them, though. The two men began an odyssey of murder and mayhem across California’s Central Valley that lasted for two decades.

  Over the course of their long murder sprees, the two men experimented with different methods of killing. Sometimes, they killed their victims and left them at the murder scenes. In other instances, usually involving young women or girls, they abducted their victims for sadistic torture sessions before murdering them and dumping them down wells and mine shafts.

  While Herzog and Shermantine brutally murdered people in the Central Valley, they both attempted to maintain normal façades of being responsible family men. Their facades, though, were typical of many psychopaths and sociopaths who are able to put on one mask for society, while slipping behind another as they carry out their antisocial acts.

  Shermantine’s and Herzog’s family lives may have slowed down their murde
rous activities and even led to “cooling off” periods at times, but their families were not enough to stop their homicidal impulses. Nor did their families lead to their arrests by giving clues to their activities.

  The Speed Freak Killers’ arrests were the result of their own arrogance.

  They broke the serial killer cardinal rule by killing someone close to them.

  The arrests, trials, and convictions of the Speed Freak Killers are not the end of the story; in fact, they mark the beginning of a new chapter in the demented saga.

  After sitting in prison for several years, through a combination of mistakes by the prosecutor and the sympathetic Appeals Court, one of the Speed Freak Killers was released. The release of a serial killer from prison is nearly unheard of in the United States, and it set off a maelstrom of anger and protests by the public.

  In the events that followed, one of the Speed Freak Killers would die while his surviving partner would place all of the blame for the murders on his dead cohort.

  All this drama brought to the surface problems within the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Department and the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office─ problems that have festered for years.

  So open the pages of this book and follow along at breakneck speed with the case of two of the most notorious serial killers in recent American history.

  Chapter 1:

  Notorious Serial Killer Duos

  When one thinks of a serial killer, an image of a crazed killer who stalks his prey in the middle of the night often comes to mind. With this version of the serial killer, the killer is often a loner who eschews most aspects of society, including friends, family, and neighbors. The serial killer usually has extremely poor social skills and lashes out at a society that he can never be part of. The urge to kill is either driven by, or is the result of, the serial killer’s inability to make meaningful connections.

  Undoubtedly, this image has largely resulted from fictional books, movies, and television shows that are made for popular consumption. For example, in the popular movie and book Red Dragon, which features Hannibal Lecter, the serial killer everyone loves to hate, is dubbed “The Tooth Fairy,” because he murdered innocent families while they slept. The Tooth Fairy was an antisocial loner who hated society due to his speech impediment caused by a cleft palate. His rage was induced by his lack of confidence and inability to be part of the larger society. The Tooth Fairy wanted to fit in, but because he believed he could not, he chose instead to murder what he believed were “perfect families.”

  The reality of serial killers is often quite different.

  A quick survey of the most notorious serial killers in history reveals that many of them were actually quite gregarious, at least outwardly, and they were able to amass significant social networks by the time they were captured or killed. Ted Bundy is perhaps the best example of this. Bundy was an aspiring law student and an active member of the Washington Republican Party. Bundy did well in his coursework and he was respected by his fellow students and professors.

  In his role as a political activist, Bundy attended the Republican National Convention in Miami, Florida as a delegate, for then Presidential Candidate Nelson Rockefeller in 1968.

  Perhaps the most interesting example of his social skills was Bundy’s volunteer work for a suicide prevention hotline, which took place during the height of his murderous rampages. True crime writer and fellow hotline worker, Ann Rule, described Bundy as “kind” and “empathetic.”

  Clearly, to the outside world, Ted Bundy had everything put together—he was intelligent, articulate, attractive, and successful. He also demonstrated caring for others as evidenced by his work with the suicide hotline.

  But Bundy’s empathy was not genuine. It was part of the well-constructed façade he used to fool his peers and to lure his potential victims. The ability to feign empathy is a trademark of all sociopaths, not just serial killers. However, serial killers use pretense to claim their victims and to avoid arrest.

  Jeffrey Dahmer was also described by those who knew him as an articulate and often engaging individual. Experts point out that the social aspects of his personality were what made Dahmer such a successful serial killer—after sharing a few drinks, Dahmer engaged his victims in harmless conversations, and then invited them back to his apartment where he killed them.

  The entire time that Dahmer killed young men in the Milwaukee area, he maintained a good relationship with most of his family members who were oblivious to his diabolical depredations. No one suspected he was a murderer until it was too late.

  The ability to lure potential victims into homicidal traps is the trait that most serial killers share, rather than a tendency to be loners. Most successful serial killers employ a number of methods to claim their victims. The ability to charm and appear empathetic is among the most common of them. With that said, most serial killers operate alone and keep their nefarious exploits to themselves, that is, until they are caught.

  But then there are the serial killers who work in pairs or groups.

  The Background of Killer Duos and Groups

  Perhaps owing to the persisting perception that nearly all serial killers are consummate loners, most people never consider the fact that serial killers often work in pairs or groups. Although lone serial killers are by far more common, studies show that up to twenty-five percent of all serial killings are done in pairs or groups.

  These numbers are a bit misleading, and somewhat difficult to track, because many who kill in pairs or groups often also kill alone. Some serial killers begin as loners and then, through incredible circumstances, meet a partner who shares their same blood- thirsty desires. Killers pairing up are the rarest of serial killers, but there are enough examples to cause academics to write articles about the phenomenon.

  Still, others begin killing in pairs and then work on their own once they learn the fundamentals of serial killing. This is the most common situation and seems to derive from basic human nature. Breaking a social taboo, especially the greatest taboo—murder—is much easier to do if one has an accomplice who affirms the validity of the act.

  But in order to understand why duos, such as the Speed Freak Killers embark on their disastrous campaigns of death, one must first understand the psychology of paired killers.

  Many psychiatrists, psychologists, and criminologists point out that serial killer pairs compose an entirely different psychological dynamic than the traditional lone serial killer. Some experts argue that members of serial killer pairs or groups might have never killed if they remained on their own. For evidence, they point to the fact that most never killed before meeting up with their partner(s).

  The psychological phenomenon known as “groupthink” provides a partial explanation for the phenomenon of serial killer duos and groups. According to the groupthink theory, members of the group will go along with any decision—no matter how self-destructive, unethical, or immoral—in order to preserve the integrity of the group. A stronger individual usually takes control of the group and steers it in the desired direction.

  The dynamic of pair and group serial killers usually works the same way. One of the members of the group takes control early and plans out most of the activities, including the choice of victims and when the killings will take place. Although the leader of the pair or group may not seem to exhibit traditional leadership qualities in greater society, within the group he or she possesses leadership traits more than the others. The leader of a serial killer duo or group is usually smarter, physically stronger, or more street- smart than the others. If however, the dynamics within the group come up equal, then the leader is usually the older or the more aggressive one.

  This pattern is surprisingly consistent when one considers notable examples—the stronger individual usually plans the killings and may be the one to end the killing sprees, but it is usually the weakest of the group who cracks under pressure from the authorities.

  Of course, groupthink does little to explain
about those who have already killed before they met their partners, and about those who are already predisposed to commit murder. In cases where an active serial killer meets up with another serial killer, both parties are already involved in breaking the social taboo which makes them outliers in society. Many sociologists argue that even societal outliers, or outsiders, want to be part of society or some type of group, so when two active serial killers work together, the pair in effect, creates their own society.

  The act of serial killing validates their existence in the new group.

  Some Notable Serial Killer Pairs and Groups from History

  Although serial killer pairs and groups kill for different reasons and their methods of operations range widely, the psychology behind the pairings is often very similar. The case of the Speed Freak Killers can easily be compared with others, in order to identify key characteristics of their sprees.

  Most known serial killer pairs have been comprised of men, but one notable exception was the so-called Sunset Strip Killers.

  During the early 1980s, Douglas Daniel Clark and his girlfriend, Carol M. Bundy, raped and murdered at least seven people in the Los Angeles, California area. Most of their victims were young women who Clark was able to lure with his articulate speech and clean-cut appearance. Clark grew up in a wealthy family, traveling the world due to his father’s work, so he was able to impress potential victims with his tales of adventures. He presented as an attractive, cultured persona to others. Bundy played her role by psychologically disarming the victims; the young females usually never suspected foul play when they saw her. When Clark brought the young victims back to the apartment he shared with Bundy, the victims let their guards down thinking that no way would a deranged person have a girlfriend.

  Clark and Bundy subjected their victims to hours, and even days, of unimaginable sexual torture before discarding their bodies.

  Clark, who was worldly and fairly intelligent, was the clear leader of the pair. Bundy, on the other hand, was seen by many as lacking in confidence and extremely desperate to be in a relationship. In terms of physical looks, Clark was considered to be the much more attractive of the two, an awareness he used as leverage to keep Bundy in line. He constantly berated Bundy and warned her that if she did not play along, he would leave her. Clark also reminded Bundy that he was much better looking and intelligent than she was, and she could never hope to find another man of his quality if he were to dump her.