Offender Record · OFF-2026-065
Larry Eyler (photo from the Radford University biography)
Larry William Eyler
Also known as The Highway Killer, The Interstate Killer
Sex
Male
Race
White
Height
6'1"
Born
1952
Custody
Deceased
States
IN, IL
Distinguishing features6 feet 1 inch tall
Custody
Died March 6, 1994 (aged 41) Pontiac Correctional Center, Pontiac, Illinois.
This record documents arrests, charges and convictions reported by courts, law enforcement agencies and news organizations. Every statement is tied to a cited source with an archived copy. A charge is an accusation, not proof of guilt; a person charged is presumed innocent unless convicted. Solve the Case does not allege that this person committed any offense beyond what the cited records state, and this record is not a suggestion that the person is connected to any unsolved case. How records are built, corrected and removed.
Summary of the record
Larry William Eyler (December 21, 1952 – March 6, 1994), also called the Interstate Killer and the Highway Killer, was an American serial killer who murdered a minimum of twenty-one teenage boys and young men across the Midwestern United States between 1982 and 1984. Eyler was convicted and sentenced to death by lethal injection for the 1984 kidnapping and murder of 16-year-old Daniel Bridges in Rogers Park, Illinois. He pleaded guilty in 1990 to participating in a 1982 killing in Terre Haute, Ind., and was sentenced to 60 years in prison. Eyler died of AIDS-related complications in 1994 while incarcerated on death row.
Documented Arrests, Charges and Convictions
Dispositions are shown exactly as the cited records report them. Pending charges are updated when a court acts; a record with no remaining conviction or pending charge is removed from the site.
Offense date Aug 03, 1978, Terre Haute, Indiana
Aggravated battery
Terre Haute Police Department, Indiana · Arrested Aug 04, 1978 · Charges dismissed Charges dismissed · Sentence: $43 fine
On August 3, 1978, Larry Eyler committed his first attempted murder. He picked up a 19-year-old hitchhiker named Craig Long in Terre Haute, Indiana. After Long entered the truck, Eyler tried to proposition him. When Long attempted to leave the vehicle, Eyler threatened him with a knife. Eyler drove to a rural area, forced Long to undress, and restrained him with handcuffs. Long tried to escape, but Eyler stabbed him in the chest. Long pretended to be dead, eventually managing to reach help and survived the attack. His lawyers paid Craig Long $2,500 to refuse to testify against Eyler.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Eyler, Larry; Larry Eyler; The Highway Killer: The Victims of Larry Eyler
Offense date Dec 28, 1982, Newport, Indiana
Murder of Steven Agan
Vermillion County State's Attorney, Indiana · Vermillion County Court · Indiana Criminal Code · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: 60 years imprisonment
On December 4, 1990, Eyler dictated a 17-page confession to the Agan murder. Eyler's account of the killing, as told in his confession and later in open court, was horrifying, sensational, and remarkable for its detail. Eyler pleaded guilty and was given a 60-year sentence. In return, he agreed to testify against Dr. Little.
SourcesThe Return of Larry Eyler; How Highway Killer Larry Eyler Was Caught
Offense date Aug 19, 1984, Rogers Park, Illinois
Murder and aggravated kidnapping of Daniel Bridges
Cook County State's Attorney, Illinois · Cook County Circuit Court · Illinois Criminal Code · Arrested Aug 21, 1984 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Death by lethal injection
On August 21, 1984, the dismembered body of Danny Bridges was found in eight garbage bags in a dumpster in Chicago. Following a jury trial in the circuit court of Cook County, the defendant, Larry Eyler, was convicted of murder, kidnapping, aggravated kidnapping, unlawful restraint, and concealment of a homicidal death. A Cook County Circuit Court jury deliberated about three hours Wednesday night before finding Eyler, 33, guilty in the torture-slaying and dismemberment of 15-year-old Daniel Bridges. Sentencing was set for July 24. On October 3, 1986, Judge Urso sentenced Eyler to die for killing Bridges; Eyler was also sentenced to fifteen years in prison for aggravated kidnapping and five years for attempting to conceal his victim's death.
SourcesPeople v. Eyler :: 1989 :: Supreme Court of Illinois Decisions; Eyler convicted in homosexual slaying; Guilty — Larry Eyler, the Highway Murderer
Pattern and Background
Victim counts and the pattern of the offenses as stated by courts, agencies and the cited reporting. Suspected counts are what officials have said publicly, not a finding of this site.
2
Victims convicted
21
Victims confessed
21
Victims suspected
Active years
1978–1984
Victim profile
Teenagers, Men, Hitchhikers, Sex workers, Strangers
Stated motive
Sexual
Range from home
interstate
Accomplice
Yes
Confessed
Yes
Cooperated with investigators
Yes
Education
high school
Marital history
Never married
Children
0
Died
1994-03-06 · natural
Places Lived, Worked and Frequented
Each place and date range comes from a cited record. Dates marked approximate are as reported. Know a place that is missing? Use Edit record under the photo; a moderator reviews it before it appears.
IL
Chicago, Illinois
approx. 1983 – Aug 1984 · Lived with lover John Dobrovolskis and his wife and children; apartments at Rogers Park
Pontiac, Illinois
Aug 1984 – Mar 06, 1994 · Pontiac Correctional Center; incarcerated on death row
Chicago, Illinois
Aug 21, 1984 – Aug 21, 1984 · Arrested at apartment in Rogers Park for murder of Daniel Bridges
IN
Terre Haute, Indiana
approx. Aug 1978 – 1982 · Moved to Terre Haute and lived in apartment
Greencastle, Indiana
approx. 1982 – 1984 · Part-time liquor store clerk
Indianapolis, Indiana
approx. 1983 – 1984 · Part-time at government agency Equal Employment Opportunities Commission office
Known Vehicles
Vehicles and approximate dates of ownership or use, as reported in the cited records. A photo next to a vehicle is the vehicle itself as published.
1978Pickup truck used for abductions and transport of victims
approx. 1978 – 1984
When the officer searched the truck, he found surgical tape, clothesline, and a hunting knife stained with blood.
Timeline
Dec 21, 1952
Larry William Eyler born December 21, 1952 in Crawfordsville, Indiana.
Aug 03, 1978
On August 3, 1978, Larry Eyler committed his first attempted murder. He picked up a 19-year-old hitchhiker named Craig Long in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Aug 04, 1978
Eyler is arrested for stabbing Craig Long. Long was hospitalized but lived.
Nov 13, 1978
On November 13, 1978, Eyler pleaded guilty to the charge, receiving a $43 fine and a sentence of probation.
Oct 23, 1982
Span of crimes: October 23, 1982 – August 19, 1984 - first confirmed victim murder begins series.
Aug 19, 1984
Murder of 16-year-old Daniel Bridges, dismembered and disposed in garbage bags.
Aug 21, 1984
On August 22nd, 1984, Larry Eyler was arrested for the murder of Daniel Bridges.
Jul 01, 1986
The proceedings opened in Cook County Criminal Court on July 1, 1986, before Judge Joseph Urso.
Jul 09, 1986
Jurors convicted Eyler of all counts on July 9.
Oct 03, 1986
On October 3, 1986, Judge Urso sentenced Eyler to die for killing Bridges; Eyler was also sentenced to fifteen years in prison for aggravated kidnapping and five years for attempting to conceal his victim's death.
Dec 13, 1990
On December 4, 1990, Eyler dictated a 17-page confession to the Agan murder. Eyler pleaded guilty and was given a 60-year sentence.
Mar 06, 1994
Died March 6, 1994 (aged 41) Pontiac Correctional Center, Pontiac, Illinois.
Mar 08, 1994
Eyler's attorney, Kathleen Zellner, holds a news conference to announce that Eyler signed a written confession that he killed 21 people.
Sources
Solve the Case is never the original source. Each item below is the public record a statement on this page rests on, with an archived copy where one exists.
News report · Wikipedia ·
Larry Eyler“Larry William Eyler (December 21, 1952 – March 6, 1994), also called the Interstate Killer and the Highway Killer, was an American serial killer who murdered a minimum of twenty-one teenage boys and young men across the Midwestern United States between 1982 and 1984.”
News report · Midwest Crime File ·
The Highway Killer: The Victims of Larry Eyler“On August 3rd, 1978, a young man named Craig Long was stabbed in the chest. Eyler admitted to stabbing Long, but claimed it happened by accident.”
News report · Oxygen ·
How Highway Killer Larry Eyler Was Caught“In December 1990, Eyler confessed to Agan's murder. He was sentenced to 60 years.”
Other · Radford University Department of Psychology ·
Radford University serial killer biography: Eyler, Larry“Larry Eyler was born December 21, 1952 in Crawfordsville, Indiana, the youngest of four siblings.”
News report · Crime Library ·
Guilty — Larry Eyler, the Highway Murderer“Jurors convicted Eyler of all counts on July 9, but his fate would be decided in the trial's penalty phase, beginning on September 30. On October 3, 1986, Judge Urso sentenced Eyler to die for killing Bridges; Eyler was also sentenced to fifteen years in prison for aggravated kidnapping and five years for attempting to conceal his victim's death.”
News report · Murderpedia ·
Larry Eyler“In December 1990, Eyler confessed to Agan's murder. Based on his confession, Eyler received a 60-year prison sentence.”
News report · Seattle Times ·
Before Dying, Killer Confesses To 21 Murders“Eyler died while on death row for a murder he never admitted to. He also was serving a 60-year sentence for one of the 21 killings. Kathleen Zellner, the lawyer who handled his appeals, said Eyler had told her over the past three years of the slayings.”
News report · Chicago Reader ·
The Return of Larry Eyler“Larry Eyler was convicted of murder and aggravated kidnapping, and on October 3, 1986, Judge Joseph Urso pronounced sentence. He pleaded guilty and was given a 60-year sentence.”
Court record · Illinois Supreme Court ·
People v. Eyler :: 1989 :: Supreme Court of Illinois Decisions“On August 21, 1984, the dismembered body of Danny Bridges was found in eight garbage bags in a dumpster in Chicago. Following a jury trial in the circuit court of Cook County, the defendant, Larry Eyler, was convicted of murder, kidnapping, aggravated kidnapping, unlawful restraint, and concealment of a homicidal death.”
News report · UPI Archives ·
Eyler convicted in homosexual slaying“A Cook County Circuit Court jury deliberated about three hours Wednesday night before finding Eyler, 33, guilty in the torture-slaying and dismemberment of 15-year-old Daniel Bridges.”
Discussion
Casual discussion about this record on the community forum. The facts live on this page: to add a place, a vehicle or a source, use the Edit record button under the photo so a moderator can review it. Please name no one else, never name a victim, and do not connect the person to any case not listed here.Open the topic on the forum
Corrections and removal. If a charge on this page has been dismissed, acquitted, overturned, pardoned or expunged, or any fact is wrong, tell us through the correction form. Corrections are free, reviewed within five business days, and a record with no remaining conviction or pending charge is removed. Information here may not be used for decisions about employment, housing, credit, insurance or any purpose covered by the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and never to harass, threaten or harm anyone. Where a source is an offender registry, that information is reproduced as of the date shown and is subject to the conditions of use of that registry.