Offender Record · OFF-2026-101
John Joubert (photo from the Radford University biography)
John Joseph Joubert IV
Also known as Woodford Slasher, Nebraska Boy Snatcher
Sex
Male
Race
White
Height
5'7"
Born
1963
Custody
Deceased
States
MA, ME, NE
Distinguishing featuresHeight approximately 5'6 per Radford University biography
Custody
Executed by electrocution on July 17, 1996
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
John Joseph Joubert IV was convicted of murdering three boys in Maine and Nebraska between 1982 and 1983. He pleaded guilty in Nebraska to the murders of a 13-year-old and 12-year-old, was sentenced to death, and was later convicted by a Maine jury of murdering an 11-year-old. He was executed by electrocution at Nebraska State Penitentiary on July 17, 1996.
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 22, 1982, Portland, Maine
First-degree murder of Richard Stetson
Maine State Police · Maine Superior Court · Arrested Jan 12, 1984 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Life imprisonment without parole
Joubert murdered an 11-year-old boy in Portland, Maine on August 22, 1982, stabbing him in the chest, strangling him, and biting him on the leg. The victim's body was found near I-295 the next day. Hair samples and dental impressions linked Joubert to the crime. He was indicted on January 10, 1986, and later convicted by jury in Maine in late 1990.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Joubert, John; John Joubert (serial killer); John Joubert; John Joubert, Nebraska Boy Snatcher — A Reckoning
Offense date Sep 18, 1983, Bellevue, Nebraska
First-degree murder of Danny Joe Eberle
Sarpy County Sheriff's Office, Nebraska · Nebraska District Court · Arrested Jan 11, 1984 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Death by electric chair
Joubert murdered a 13-year-old boy on September 18, 1983, abducting him while delivering newspapers in Bellevue, Nebraska. The victim's bound body with stabbing and bite mark injuries was discovered two miles away. Joubert pleaded guilty on July 3, 1984, and was sentenced to death by a three-judge panel on October 9, 1984.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Joubert, John; John Joubert (serial killer); Child killer executed in Nebraska; John Joubert
Offense date Dec 02, 1983, Papillion, Nebraska
First-degree murder of Christopher Walden
Sarpy County Sheriff's Office, Nebraska · Nebraska District Court · Arrested Jan 11, 1984 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Death by electric chair
Joubert murdered a 12-year-old boy on December 2, 1983, abducting him while the victim was walking to school in Papillion, Nebraska. The victim was strangled and stabbed multiple times, with his throat cut deeply. His body was found five miles from abduction site. Joubert pleaded guilty on July 3, 1984, and was sentenced to death by a three-judge panel on October 9, 1984.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Joubert, John; John Joubert (serial killer); John Joubert
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.
3
Victims convicted
3
Victims confessed
0
Victims suspected
Active years
1982–1983
Stated motive
Sexual, Power or control
Range from home
regional
Confessed
Yes
Education
high school
Marital history
Never married
Children
0
Died
1996-07-17 · executed
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.
MA
Lawrence, Massachusetts
1963 – 1969
ME
Portland, Maine
approx. 1974 – 1982
Portland, Maine
approx. 1974 – 1982 · High school; received diploma; reportedly in band, track team, Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts
Portland, Maine
approx. 1976 – 1982 · Paperboy/newspaper delivery; assistant scoutmaster for Boy Scout troop
NE
Bellevue, Nebraska
1982 – 1984 · Offutt Air Force Base; enlisted radar technician; lived in barracks with roommate · air force
Nebraska
1984 – 1996 · Nebraska State Penitentiary, Lincoln
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.
1984 Unknown Unknown Citation – Rented vehicle traced to John Joubert at time of arrest in January 1984
approx. 1984 – 1984
Rental car from dealership used on January 11, 1984, when Joubert threatened preschool teacher
1984 Tan Chevrolet Nova – Tan Chevrolet Nova sedan, owned by Joubert, being repaired at dealership at time of arrest
approx. 1983 – 1984
His primary vehicle used in abductions; being repaired when he was arrested
Timeline
Jul 02, 1963
John Joseph Joubert IV born in Lawrence, Massachusetts.
1969
Joubert's parents divorced when he was six years old.
1974
Joubert moved with his mother to Portland, Maine.
Jan 24, 1980
Joubert attacked a 27-year-old University of Maine student, stabbing her in the stomach and critically injuring her.
Mar 24, 1980
Joubert attacked a 9-year-old boy, cutting his throat; the boy survived.
1982
Joubert enlisted in the Air Force and was stationed at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska.
Aug 22, 1982
Joubert murdered 11-year-old Richard Stetson in Portland, Maine, his first known murder.
Sep 18, 1983
Joubert murdered 13-year-old Danny Joe Eberle in Bellevue, Nebraska, abducting him while delivering newspapers.
Dec 02, 1983
Joubert murdered 12-year-old Christopher Walden in Papillion, Nebraska, abducting him while walking to school.
Jan 11, 1984
Joubert was arrested at Offutt Air Force Base barracks after threatening a preschool teacher whose license plate he noted.
Jan 12, 1984
Joubert was charged with two counts of homicide in Nebraska.
Jul 03, 1984
Joubert pleaded guilty to the murders of Danny Joe Eberle and Christopher Walden.
Oct 09, 1984
A panel of three judges sentenced Joubert to death by electric chair in Nebraska.
Jan 10, 1986
Joubert was indicted for the murder of Richard Stetson in Maine.
Oct 15, 1990
Joubert was convicted by a jury in Maine of murdering Richard Stetson and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.
Jul 17, 1996
Joubert was executed by electrocution at Nebraska State Penitentiary at 12:29 a.m. CDT.
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 ·
John Joubert (serial killer)“John Joseph Joubert IV was an American serial killer who was convicted of killing three boys in Maine and Nebraska between 1982 and 1983.”
News report · Murderpedia ·
John Joubert“Charged with two counts of homicide on January 12, Joubert was held in lieu of $10 million bond pending trial. He pled guilty to both counts on July 3, 1984, and a panel of three judges fixed his sentence at death.”
News report · Crime Library ·
John Joubert, Nebraska Boy Snatcher — A Reckoning“Joubert was finally convicted late in 1990, and sentenced in Maine to life without parole.”
Other · Radford University Department of Psychology ·
Radford University serial killer biography: Joubert, John“Information researched and summarized compilation of John Joubert's life events, crimes, and execution.”
News report · UPI ·
Child killer executed in Nebraska“John Joubert, 33, convicted of kidnapping and murdering two boys, died in the electric chair at 12:29 a.m. CDT.”
Court record · Justia ·
State v. Joubert“We believe that the record establishes beyond a reasonable doubt that, in addition to whatever other reasons Joubert may have had for murdering, Joubert murdered both Eberle and Walden to conceal his identity as the perpetrator of the crime of kidnaping.”
Discussion
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