Robert Frederick Carr III (December 22, 1943 – July 6, 2006) was an American

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 ...

and

pedophile Pedophilia ( alternatively spelled paedophilia) is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children. Although girls typically begin the process of puber ...

who killed three children and one woman in the states of

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

and

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

between 1972 and 1976. Carr, a former television repairman, additionally admitted to molesting more than a dozen children until his apprehension. Following his arrest, he was sentenced to

life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence (law), sentence of imprisonment under which the convicted individual is to remain incarcerated for the rest of their natural life (or until pardoned or commuted to a fixed term). Crimes that result in life impr ...

, which he served until his death in 2006.

Early life

Robert Frederick Carr III was born on December 22, 1943, in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. According to his confession, he had a troubled childhood, reportedly being forced into

prostitution Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, no ...

at 11 years old and stealing cars as a teen. As an adult, he moved to Connecticut, where he would ultimately start a relationship and get married, as well as getting a job fixing TVs. Carr would later admit that when having sex he would fantasize about committing rape and murder.

Murders

Tammy Ruth Huntley, 16, vanished while waiting for her mother to pick her up. Carr drove her from Miami to Mississippi. On April 7, 1972, after raping her over the 10 days he kept her captive in the woods, he strangled her, saying, "I killed her because she looked like she was getting despondent." In late 1972, Carr visited Florida and on November 13, 1972, he picked up 11-year-old friends Todd Payton and Mark Wilson, who were hitchhiking from North Miami Beach. The inside back doors in the car were disabled and the trunk was filled with food, jars of petroleum jelly, and a shovel. Carr raped the boys and strangled Payton. Four days later, he strangled Wilson, for which he would receive an additional 20 years in prison when he was eventually sentenced. After the murders, he drove to

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

and

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

, burying one boy in each state. Both boys were subsequently reported missing by their parents when they did not return home. In 1973, Carr was convicted of rape in Connecticut and sentenced to four to eight years in prison, but was paroled in 1976, after serving less than three years. Upon his release in Connecticut, he would kill his fourth and final victim, 21-year-old Rhonda Holloway, before burying her body in a rural area.

Trial and imprisonment

On May 30, 1976, Carr raped a hitchhiker at knifepoint. During the attack, a Metro police officer stumbled upon the car and witnessed the rape, arresting Carr. Once in interrogation, Carr surprised detectives by confessing to four murders, explaining the crimes in detail. Carr, along with detectives David Simmons, Charles Zatrepalek and deputy medical examiner Ronald Wright, went on a long mission to find the bodies. Carr confessed that after Huntley's murder he raped an additional four girls and two boys. Only four were reported, for which he was charged and pleaded guilty. Carr pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison. He served part of his sentence at a state mental hospital, but was kicked out after it was found he was hoarding wire cutters and pliers. Afterwards he began mailing letters to prosecutor Ed O'Donnell, who had previously worked on the case.

Death

On July 6, 2006, Carr died at the

Union Correctional Institution The Union Correctional Institution, formerly referred to as Florida State Prison, and also commonly known as Raiford Prison is a Florida Department of Corrections state prison located in unincorporated Union County, Florida, near Raiford. Si ...

from unspecified causes. In an interview with CNN, his daughter stated that he died of

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is the neoplasm, uncontrolled growth of cells in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system below the bladder. Abnormal growth of the prostate tissue is usually detected through Screening (medicine), screening tests, ...

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