Sentos News - Gary Muehlberg, also known as the "Package Killer," has admitted to the murders of two more women in St. Louis, Missouri, bringing the total death toll from his killing spree to at least five. The 74-year-old man has already pleaded guilty to the killing of three other women, and is set to enter the same plea for a fourth victim in a hearing next week.
| This March 20, 2020, photo provided by the Missouri Department of Corrections shows Gary Muehlberg. (Missouri Department of Corrections via AP, File) |
Muehlberg was dubbed the "Package Killer" because of his method of disposing of the bodies of his victims, whose remains were found around the St. Louis area between 1990 and 1991. He disposed of the bodies in containers such as garbage cans and wooden boxes, and one victim's Body was found stuffed between two mattresses.
The killer was already serving a life sentence for the 1993 murder of Kenneth Atchison when new DNA evidence linked him to the murders of four additional victims. Atchison's body was found in a makeshift coffin in Muehlberg's basement.
On Tuesday, Muehlberg pleaded guilty to murdering Brenda Pruitt and Donna Reitmeyer, and was given two life sentences to run concurrently with two other life sentences he is currently serving. Pruitt, 27 years old at the time of her disappearance, was reported missing by family in May 1990, with her body found in a trash can on the side of the road in October 1991. Reitmeyer, who was 40 at the time of her disappearance, was found in June 1990 inside a sidewalk trashcan.
Earlier this month, Muehlberg admitted to murdering 21-year-old Sandy Little, whose body was found inside a dresser on the side of a highway. Muehlberg has also admitted to killing a fifth woman at his home and said he disposed of her body in a metal barrel near a car wash, but those remains were never found.
Despite Muehlberg's admissions, a motive for the murders has never been disclosed. The killings occurred over three decades ago, and the families of the victims have been waiting for justice for many years. The case highlights the importance of DNA evidence in solving cold cases and bringing closure to families affected by violent crimes.
