Offender Record · OFF-2026-111
Patrick Kearney (photo from the Radford University biography)
Patrick Wayne Kearney
Also known as The Trash Bag Killer, The Freeway Killer
Sex
Male
Race
White
Height
5'7"
Born
1939
Custody
Incarcerated
States
AZ, CA, TX
Distinguishing features5'7" tall; described by coworkers and acquaintances as quiet and unassuming with glasses; worked as engineer for Hughes Aircraft
Custody
Incarcerated at Mule Creek State Prison · #B88913
Custody record at the facility
Inmate B88913; serving 21 life sentences; serial killer who murdered at least 21 people from 1962–1977.
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Summary of the record
Patrick Wayne Kearney, born September 24, 1939, in East Los Angeles, California, sexually assaulted and murdered a minimum of twenty-eight young men and boys in southern California between 1962 and 1977. In 1978, Kearney pleaded guilty to twenty-one counts of murder and was sentenced to twenty-one consecutive life sentences. As of 2024, he is serving his sentence at Mule Creek State Prison in California.
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.
Necrophilia
California · Riverside County Superior Court / Los Angeles County Superior Court · Arrested Jul 01, 1977 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Included in life sentences
Kearney engaged in necrophilia with his victims' bodies before disemboweling and dismembering them. He frequently wrapped his victims' severed limbs in trash bags and scattered them in various locations, mainly along state highways.
SourcesPatrick Kearney
First-degree murder
Riverside County Sheriff's Department · Riverside County Superior Court · Arrested Jul 01, 1977 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Life imprisonment (21 consecutive life sentences)
On July 14, 1977, Patrick Kearney was formally indicted on murder charges. By July 15, Kearney had signed confessions to twenty-eight murders. On December 21, he pled guilty on three counts of first-degree murder, receiving a sentence of life imprisonment. Prosecutors launched the new year by charging Kearney with another eighteen counts of murder. Kearney eventually confessed and pleaded guilty to eighteen more killings, directing law to victims that were previously undiscovered.
SourcesPatrick Kearney; Radford University serial killer biography: Kearney, Patrick; Patrick Kearney
First-degree murder (18 additional counts)
Los Angeles County · Los Angeles County Superior Court · Arrested Jul 01, 1977 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Life imprisonment (18 additional life sentences)
Prosecutors charged Kearney with another eighteen counts of murder. Kearney eventually confessed and pleaded guilty to eighteen more killings, directing law to victims that were previously undiscovered. February 21, 1978: Kearney pleads guilty to the 18 counts of murder.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Kearney, Patrick; Patrick Kearney
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.
21
Victims convicted
28
Victims confessed
32
Victims suspected
Active years
1962–1977
Victim profile
Children, Teenagers, Men, Hitchhikers, Strangers
Stated motive
Sexual, Power or control, Thrill
Range from home
regional
Confessed
Yes
Cooperated with investigators
Yes
Education
some college
Marital history
Never married
Children
0
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.
AZ
Wilcox, Arizona
1953 – 1954 · Family residence
Arizona
May 1977 – Jul 1977 · Texas, New Mexico · Fled state with David Hill after warrants issued; both returned voluntarily
CA
Reseda, California
1950 – 1953 · Family residence
Reseda, California
1953 – 1953 · Diane St. Leichman Special Education Center
Redondo Beach, California
1954 – 1957 · Family residence
Torrance, California
1958 – 1958 · El Camino Community College
Long Beach, California
1961 – 1962 · Moved here with David Hill after Air Force discharge
Long Beach, California
1962 – 1963 · California State University at Long Beach, history classes
Long Beach, California
1962 – 1963 · Hughes Aircraft Company, engineer
Culver City, California
1963 – 1977 · Hughes Aircraft Company, Senior Research Assistant (promoted 1963); model worker according to supervisor
Culver City, California
1964 – 1969 · Lived with David Hill
Redondo Beach, California
1969 – 1977 · Purchased Robinson residence for $20,750 in December 1969; location where many murders occurred
Riverside, California
Jul 01, 1977 – present · Mule Creek State Prison, inmate B88913, serving 21 consecutive life sentences
Riverside, California
Jul 01, 1977 – Jul 01, 1977 · Turned himself in to Riverside County Sheriff's Department
TX
Houston, Texas
1957 – 1958 · Family residence
Texas
1958 – 1961 · U.S. Air Force; stationed in Texas following basic training; met David Hill here in 1960 · air force
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.
1975 unknown truck – Truck
approx. 1975 – 1977
Used for solo drives to pick up and murder victims
1970 Volkswagen Beetle – Volkswagen Beetle
approx. 1970 – 1977
Used for solo drives to pick up and murder victims
1960 unknown motorcycle – Motorcycle used to transport early victims
approx. 1962 – 1964
Used to lure victims in Indio, California area
Timeline
Sep 24, 1939
Born in East Los Angeles, California, to George and Eunice Kearney.
1950
Kearney's father moved them to Reseda, CA.
1958
Kearney joins the U.S. Air Force and is stationed in Texas following basic training.
1960
Kearney meets David Hill while stationed in Texas.
1961
Kearney received an honorable discharge from the military and convinced Hill to move in with him in Long Beach, California.
Mar 1962
Kearney kills his first victim, a 19-year old who agreed to take a ride on Kearney's motorcycle in Indio, California.
Aug 1962
Kearney was finally able to find a steady job working as an engineer for Hughes Aircraft.
Dec 1969
Kearney purchased the Robinson residence for $20,750 from Reid Wilson Reality; this is the location in Redondo Beach where many of the murders occurred.
Jun 26, 1971
Killings begin and last until 1977.
Mar 13, 1977
The body of the final victim, John Otis LaMay, is found; evidence leads investigators to Kearney.
Jun 03, 1977
Warrants are issued for the arrest of Kearney and Hill.
Jul 01, 1977
Patrick Kearney and David Hill turn themselves into the Riverside County Sheriff's dept.
Jul 14, 1977
Patrick Kearney was formally indicted on murder charges.
Jul 15, 1977
Kearney had signed confessions to twenty-eight murders.
Dec 21, 1977
Kearney pled guilty on three counts of first-degree murder, receiving a sentence of life imprisonment.
Feb 21, 1978
Kearney pleads guilty to the 18 counts of murder.
Nov 27, 1981
Confessed 'Trashbag Killer' Patrick Kearney, who pleaded guilty four years ago to the gruesome murders of 21 young men and boys, recants his confession in a letter to a newspaper.
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 · Murderpedia ·
Patrick Kearney“On July 1, 1977, Patrick Kearney turned himself in to authorities in Riverside, California and confessed to 28 murders.”
News report · Wikipedia ·
Patrick Kearney“In 1978, Kearney pleaded guilty to twenty-one counts of murder and was sentenced to twenty-one consecutive life sentences.”
Other government record · Wikipedia ·
Mule Creek State Prison“Patrick Kearney B88913 Serving 21 life sentences. Serial killer who murdered at least 21 people from 1962–1977.”
News report · Grokipedia ·
Patrick Kearney“He received an honorable discharge in 1961. Post-discharge, Kearney returned to California, where he later pursued a career in engineering.”
News report · Crime and Investigation ·
Patrick Kearney: The Trash Bag Killer“As of 2024 – is serving his sentence at Mule Creek State Prison in California.”
News report · Factual America ·
Patrick Kearney: The 'Trash Bag Killer' Who Murdered 21+ Men in California (1965-1977)“On July 1, 1977, Patrick Kearney turned himself in to authorities in Riverside, California.”
Other · Radford University Department of Psychology ·
Radford University serial killer biography: Kearney, Patrick“Patrick Kearney born September 24, 1939 in East Los Angeles; 21 counts of first-degree murder; sentenced to life in prison December 21, 1977; pleaded guilty to 18 additional counts February 21, 1978”
News report · United Press International ·
'Trashbag Killer' recants confession“Confessed 'Trashbag Killer' Patrick Kearney, who pleaded guilty four years ago to the gruesome murders of 21 young men and boys, has recanted his confession in a letter to a newspaper.”
News report · Orange Coast Pilot ·
Orange Coast Pilot“Kearney was described as a brilliant electronics engineer with unusually high IQ who worked for Hughes Aircraft in Los Angeles County.”
Discussion
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