Inside Crutchley’s home, police found syringes, tubing, bondage gear, and ID cards belonging to deceased women, per multiple outlets. FBI profiler Robert Ressler later said he was “very glad” to have been called to the case, remarking that it was “probable they had a serial killer in custody.”
A Suspect in Dozens of Deaths
Authorities across five states reopened unsolved murder cases potentially tied to Crutchley. According to the Tampa Bay Times, Florida investigators believed he could be linked to up to 24 killings, including three in Brevard County. However, the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office closed its investigation in August 1996 without filing additional homicide charges.
Alex Murdaugh Sentenced to 40 Years for Federal Financial Crimes in Ongoing Legal Saga – USA Herald
Crutchley eventually pleaded guilty to kidnapping and sexual battery in 1986. Released on parole in 1996, he was soon sent back to prison for a drug conviction two years later.
“When I did what I did, I was at a totally different place in my life,” Crutchley told reporters after his release, according to the Tampa Bay Times. “I feel exceptionally bad about that. I devastated my family. I have nothing but a devastated life in Florida.”
The Vampire Rapist Dies Behind Bars
On March 30, 2002, Crutchley was found dead in his cell at Hardee Correctional Institution with a plastic bag over his head. Investigators determined the cause to be an accidental act of autoerotic asphyxiation, according to the Deseret News and Orlando Sentinel.
