Welcome to Season 2 of Murderland Chicago: A Deep Dish of Death! This is the first of a three part series on Larry Eyler, an often-overlooked serial killer who targeted gay men from the Indianapolis / Terre Haute, IN areas all the way to Chicagoland and beyond. We discuss the economic and cultural relationship between Chicago and Indiana, the leather community, and how Eyler's upbringing and young adulthood in Indiana set the stage for a years-long evasion of detectives in both Indiana and Illinois.
TW: Sexual assault, child abuse, torture, murder
Research sources include:
Kolarik, G., & Klatt, W. Freed to Kill: The True Story of Serial Murderer Larry Eyler . Garrett County Press, 2012.
“Eyler Dies in Prison; Had AIDS Lawyer to Talk on Confessions.” Chicago Tribune, https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1994-03-07-9403070026-story.html.
“The Eyler Legacy: 21 Deaths.” Chicago Tribune, https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1994-03-09-9403090089-story.html.
“Dead Inmate's Account of 21 Killings Told.” Los Angeles Times, https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-03-09-mn-31980-story.html.
“The Return of Larry Eyler.” The Reader, https://chicagoreader.com/news-politics/the-return-of-larry-eyler/.
“Indiana Unsolved: Identities sought for 2 victims of 'The Highway Killer' Larry Eyler.” IndyStar, https://www.indystar.com/story/news/crime/2013/10/22/indiana-unsolved-identities-sought-for-2-victims-of-the-highway-killer-larry-eyler/3149123/.
“New Push to ID 3 More Victims of Serial Killer.” CBS Chicago, https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/new-push-to-id-3-victims-of-notorious-serial-killer/.
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