Adam Leroy Lane (born August 7, 1964) is a convicted murderer and suspected

serial killer A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone: * * * * * (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...

who was dubbed the Highway Killer because his crimes took place near highways, which he frequently traveled due to his job as a truck driver.

Murders

Lane was born on August 7, 1964, in

Jonesville, North Carolina Jonesville, originally called Allen's Settlement, founded in 1811 under the name of Martinsborough, is the oldest town in Yadkin County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,308 at the 2020 census. The town grew by nearly 800 resid ...

. He dropped out of high school and later acquired a job as a truck driver and occasional chicken-plant worker. He lived in a trailer with his wife and three daughters. Lane committed the murders while he made his way through the

Northeastern United States The Northeastern United States (also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast) is List of regions of the United States, census regions United States Census Bureau. Located on the East Coast of the United States, ...

during the summer of 2007. He had a DVD in his truck of the 2002 horror film ''

Hunting Humans ''Hunting Humans'' is a 2002 horror film written and directed by Kevin Kangas. The film gained notoriety when a copy of it was found among the possessions of murderer Adam Leroy Lane. Plot In Maryland, Aric Blue, a mortgage broker, leads a doub ...

'', about a serial killer who stalks his victims before killing them with a knife. He also carried two large hunting knives, choke wire, and a leather mask with the eyes and mouth cut out. His first known victim was 42-year-old Darlene Ewalt, who was attacked in her home in suburban West Hanover Township,

Dauphin County Dauphin County (; Pennsylvania Dutch: Daffin Kaundi) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 286,401. The county seat is Harrisburg, Pennsylvania's state capital and ninth-most populous city. ...

, near

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg ( ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,099 as of 2020, Harrisburg is the ninth-most populous city in Pennsylvania. It is the larger of the two pr ...

. She was stabbed and killed at around 2 a.m. on July 13, 2007. At the time, she was on her patio talking on the telephone. Lane slit her throat and stabbed her to death with a long knife while her family was inside the house. Lane's second victim was a woman named Patricia Brooks, whom he stabbed on July 17, 2007, in Conewago Township, in rural

York County, Pennsylvania York County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 456,438. Its county seat is York, Pennsylvania, ...

, as she was sleeping on her couch. She survived. His third victim, 38-year-old Monica Massaro, was killed in the bedroom of her duplex in

Bloomsbury, New Jersey Bloomsbury is a borough in Hunterdon County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 792, a decrease of 78 (−9.0%) from the 2010 census count of 870, which in turn reflected a declin ...

. Lane cut her throat and stabbed her in the head, neck, and chest, one day before he was to commit his final crime. His final crime transpired on July 30, 2007, when he made a stop on I-495 in

Chelmsford, Massachusetts Chelmsford () is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Chelmsford was incorporated in May 1655 by an act of the Massachusetts General Court. When Chelmsford was incorporated, its local economy was fueled by lumber mills, ...

. Clad entirely in black and wearing a mask and gloves, Lane broke into a house and attacked 15-year-old Shea McDonough with a 15-inch hunting knife. Her parents, Jeannie and Kevin McDonough, awoke at 4 a.m. to the sounds of her struggling. Her 135-pound mother and 160-pound father were able to subdue the 245-pound Lane and get ahold of the knife, though the mother suffered knife cuts. Chelmsford Police were summoned and arrested Lane at the scene, where he was being held in a wrestling headlock by Kevin McDonough. While Lane's extensive trucking routes led some in law enforcement to speculate that he was responsible for additional murders in other parts of the country, this has not been proven. He has refused to comment on such speculation either publicly or to authorities.

Investigation

Lane was linked to the Ewalt murder by

DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid (; DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of al ...

on his knife. He was linked to the Brooks murder similarly. Police also discovered gloves with his DNA and one of his victim's blood.

Trials and imprisonment

Lane received a 25–30-year sentence in Massachusetts for the attack on Shea McDonough. New Jersey sentenced him to 50 years for the murder of Monica Massaro. In Pennsylvania, Lane pleaded guilty in order to avoid the

death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in s ...

. He was sentenced to 10–20 years for the attempted murder of the woman in York County, and to life for the murder of Darlene Ewalt. He is serving his sentences in

State Correctional Institution – Fayette The State Correctional Institution at Fayette is a 2,000 bed maximum-security prison located in a remote section of Fayette County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The prison is located southeast of Pittsburgh and was built to replace two ins ...

In the media

The story has been presented in the ''

Dateline NBC ''Dateline NBC'' (also known simply as ''Dateline'') is a weekly American television news magazine reality legal show that is broadcast on NBC. It was previously the network's flagship general interest news magazine, but now focuses mainly on ...

'' series (original air date August 3, 2009) and the '' 48 Hours Mystery'' episode, "Live to Tell: Hunting Humans" (original air date February 26, 2011). The case was also featured in episode 2, season 2, of '' Nightmare Next Door'' and episode 5, season 7, of ''

Castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

''. In 2013 Shea McDonough told her story in a documentary titled ''I Survived A Serial Killer.'' Also, it was featured in ''

Reader's Digest ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wi ...

'' July 2011 in an article entitled "Caught in the Act." Also in season 1 of ''The Coroner: I Speak for the Dead'', episode 2 titled "Call the Coroner" (original air date July 25, 2016).

Murders

Investigation

Trials and imprisonment

In the media

References

Further reading