Offender Record · OFF-2026-149
Robert Ben Rhodes (photo from the Radford University biography)
Robert Ben Rhoades
Also known as The Truck Stop Killer
Sex
Male
Race
White
Height
5'11"
Weight
175 lbs
Born
1945
Custody
Incarcerated
States
KY, IL, TX, IA, AZ, IN
Distinguishing featuresAs of 2023, in eighties; known by alias 'Truck Stop Killer'; operated custom-modified sleeper-cab truck as torture chamber.
Custody
Incarcerated at Menard Correctional Center, Chester, Illinois · #B24683
Custody record at the facility
Serving life without parole; pleaded guilty September 11, 1992 (Illinois conviction), sentenced to life; received second life sentence March 29, 2012 (Texas conviction); waived all rights to appeals and parole.
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. Where a record says named by police, no charge was ever filed: the record rests on a law enforcement agency's public identification of the deceased person, cited below. Not guilty by reason of insanity means the court found the act proven but the person not criminally responsible. 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
Robert Ben Rhoades is a serial killer convicted of three murders committed in 1989 and 1990. He pleaded guilty in Illinois on September 11, 1992, to first-degree murder of 14-year-old Regina Kay Walters of Pasadena, Texas, and pleaded guilty in Texas on March 29, 2012, to two counts of capital murder of newlyweds Patricia Walsh and Douglas Scott Zyskowski. Rhoades was arrested on April 1, 1990, in Casa Grande, Arizona, after an Arizona Highway Patrol trooper discovered a nude, handcuffed woman held captive in his truck cab. He is currently serving life sentences without parole at Menard Correctional Center in Chester, Illinois.
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 Feb 1990, Arizona
Aggravated assault, sexual assault, unlawful imprisonment
State of Arizona, Pinal County · Arizona courts · Arizona aggravated assault, sexual assault, unlawful imprisonment statutes · Arrested Apr 01, 1990 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Convicted; reduced sentence via plea deal in exchange for guilty plea to kidnapping and sexual assault
Adult female victim held captive for approximately two weeks in truck cab equipped with torture devices. Victim subjected to repeated rape and torture; head forcibly shaved. Victim escaped when Rhoades failed to fasten handcuffs correctly. Victim reported to Houston Police Department. Later, another woman reported escape after approximately two weeks captivity; she was found by Arizona Highway Patrol trooper on April 1, 1990, at I-10 near Casa Grande, Arizona, handcuffed and with horse bridle in mouth. Victim declined to press charges. Rhoades arrested with .25 caliber handgun on person. FBI search of Houston apartment located torture devices, handcuffs, chains, whips, sadomasochistic bondage material, and photographs of teenage girl.
SourcesThe Truck Stop Killer: Robert Ben Rhodes; Radford University serial killer biography: Rhodes, Robert Ben
Offense date Mar 1990, Illinois
First-degree murder
State of Illinois · Appellate Court of Illinois, Fifth District · Docket 5-98-0821 · Illinois homicide statute · Arrested Apr 01, 1990 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Life imprisonment without parole
14-year-old victim abducted February 3, 1990, near Pasadena, Texas, while hitchhiking with boyfriend Ricky Lee Jones. Victim held captive for approximately one month in modified truck sleeper cab equipped as torture chamber. Victim strangled with wire ligature; photographs of victim during torture recovered from Rhoades' residence. Remains found September 29, 1990, in abandoned barn near Greenville, Illinois; autopsy revealed death by strangulation in early March 1990.
SourcesPeople v. Rhoades; Radford University serial killer biography: Rhodes, Robert Ben; Robert Ben Rhoades Victims: Solved Serial Murders (1989)
Capital murder (2 counts)
State of Texas, Sutton County · District Court · Texas capital murder statute · Arrested Apr 01, 1990 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Two consecutive life sentences without parole
Two victims: Douglas Scott Zyskowski, 28, and Patricia Walsh, 24, newlyweds from Seattle. Couple left Seattle November 1989 intending to hitchhike to Georgia to preach gospel. Accepted ride from Rhoades near El Paso, Texas. Zyskowski shot in head; body found January 1990 along Interstate 10 east of Ozona, Texas. Walsh held captive approximately one week, tortured and assaulted, then killed. Walsh's body found October 1990 near Fillmore, Utah (dumped in Millard County); body remained unidentified for 13 years until 2003 dental identification. Rhoades pleaded guilty March 29, 2012, in exchange for prosecutors dropping death penalty; received two additional life sentences to run consecutive to Illinois sentence.
SourcesTexas trucker pleads guilty to 2 more murders; Trucker With Traveling Torture Chamber Admits to More Murders; Serial killer with Utah ties gets 2 more life sentences in Texas
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
0
Victims confessed
50
Victims suspected
Active years
1975–1990
Victim profile
Young women, Teenagers, Couples, Hitchhikers, Travelers or motorists
Stated motive
Sexual, Power or control, Thrill
Range from home
interstate
Education
high school
Marital history
Married, Divorced
Children
1
Military discharge
dishonorable
Agencies
Law enforcement, prosecutors and corrections agencies the records show dealing with this person. An investigator working a case with a possible connection can start here.
Federal Bureau of Investigation · FE
FBI task forces reviewed cold cases and ongoing investigations involving Rhoades
Pinal County Sheriff's Office · AZ
Held Rhoades at Pinal County Jail following Arizona arrest
Sutton County District Attorney's Office · TX
Prosecuted capital murder charges for Patricia Walsh and Douglas Zyskowski murders
Menard Correctional Center · IL
Agency case B24683
Currently serving life sentences; maximum-security facility in Chester, Illinois
Utah District Attorney's Office (general) · UT
Initially filed capital murder charge in 2005; dismissed charges in 2006 in favor of Texas prosecution
Arizona Highway Patrol · AZ
Trooper Mike Miller arrested Rhoades on I-10 near Casa Grande on April 1, 1990
Arizona Department of Public Safety · AZ
State law enforcement investigating initial kidnapping, assault and sexual assault charges
Illinois State Police · IL
Investigated Regina Walters murder and connected case evidence across states
Texas Rangers · TX
Investigated murders and coordinated with Utah State Police after victim identification
Casa Grande Police Department · AZ
Rhoades and victim taken to Casa Grande Police Department after arrest
Pinal County District Attorney's Office · AZ
Prosecuted aggravated assault, sexual assault, and unlawful imprisonment convictions
Cook County State's Attorney's Office · IL
Prosecuted first-degree murder of Regina Kay Walters; negotiated guilty plea
Utah State Police Department · UT
Investigated Walsh murder; coordinated with Texas Rangers; initially charged Rhoades with capital murder in 2005
Houston Police Department · TX
Investigated initial kidnapping case and searched Rhoades' Houston apartment
Millard County Sheriff's Office · UT
Held Patricia Walsh remains unidentified for 13 years in basement; assisted investigation
Illinois Appellate Court, Fifth District · IL
Agency case 5-98-0821
Appellate review of Rhoades' conviction; rendered decision July 13, 2001
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
Casa Grande, Arizona
approx. Apr 1990 – Sep 1990 · Casa Grande Jail, Pinal County, Arizona; held on Arizona charges
Casa Grande, Arizona
Apr 01, 1990 – Apr 01, 1990 · Arrested by Arizona Highway Patrol trooper Mike Miller on I-10 near Casa Grande; trooper discovered nude, handcuffed female victim in truck cab; Rhoades had .25 caliber handgun on person
IA
Council Bluffs, Iowa
approx. 1945 – 1964 · Birthplace; raised by mother, then by mother and father after father returned from overseas military service
Council Bluffs, Iowa
approx. 1950 – 1963 · Attended high school in Council Bluffs area; arrested for tampering with motor vehicle in 1963 during sophomore year; participated in football, wrestling, boy's glee club, choir, French club
Council Bluffs, Iowa
approx. 1968 – 1972 · Returned after Marine discharge; attended college briefly but dropped out; applied for police officer position but rejected; first marriage and one son born
Council Bluffs, Iowa
approx. 1968 – 1975 · Worked in stores, supermarkets, warehouses, and restaurants
IL
Crest Hill, Illinois
approx. Sep 15, 1992 – 2005 · Stateville Correctional Center, Illinois Department of Corrections; serving life sentence from Illinois conviction
Chester, Illinois
2006 – present · Menard Correctional Center, Illinois Department of Corrections; maximum-security facility; serving two life sentences without parole (Illinois and Texas convictions); IDOC inmate number B24683
IN
Unknown, Madhya Pradesh, India
approx. 1964 – 1968 · Enlisted in Marine Corps after high school graduation 1964; received dishonorable discharge 1967-1968 for robbery · marines
KY
Highway, Kentucky
approx. 1975 – 1990 · Long-haul truck driver; traveled extensively across multiple states (Texas, Oklahoma, Illinois, Utah, Arizona); operated modified truck with sleeper cab converted into torture chamber
TX
Houston, Texas
approx. 1975 – 1990 · Established residence in Houston as long-haul truck driver; apartment searched by FBI April 6, 1990
Texas
approx. 2005 – 2006 · Extradited to Texas for trial on Walsh and Zyskowski murders; spent years in Texas facility during pre-trial period
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.
1989 Peterbilt semi-tractor – Long-haul tractor-trailer rig; sleeper cab modified and equipped as torture chamber with handcuffs affixed to ceiling, chains, whips, leather restraints, torture devices, briefcase with torture items; interior designed for victim captivity and abuse
approx. 1975 – 1990
Vehicle operated as long-haul trucker on interstate highways; used for abduction, torture, and murder of victims; sleeper compartment equipped with bondage and torture equipment; photographs of victims found inside after arrest
Timeline
Nov 22, 1945
Robert Ben Rhoades born in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
1963
Arrested at age 16 for tampering with motor vehicle during high school sophomore year.
1964
Arrested for public fighting at age 17; enrolled in Marine Corps after high school graduation.
1964
Father arrested for performing lascivious acts on a 12-year-old girl; committed suicide shortly after.
1972
First marriage divorced; total of three marriages by this period.
1975
Began employment as long-haul truck driver based in Houston, Texas; began suspected serial killing spree.
Nov 1989
Patricia Walsh and Douglas Zyskowski, newlyweds from Seattle, accepted ride from Rhoades near El Paso, Texas while hitchhiking.
Jan 1990
Douglas Scott Zyskowski's partial remains found along Interstate 10 near Ozona, Texas (shot in head); victim identity not established until 1992.
Feb 1990
Rhoades held adult female victim captive for approximately two weeks in truck; victim later reported torture to Houston Police Department.
Feb 03, 1990
14-year-old Regina Kay Walters and 18-year-old Ricky Lee Jones ran away from Pasadena, Texas; accepted ride from Rhoades while hitchhiking toward Mexico.
Mar 1990
Regina Kay Walters strangled to death in modified truck sleeper cab; body dumped in abandoned barn.
Mar 1990
Ricky Lee Jones, boyfriend of Regina Walters, killed by Rhoades (shot in head); remains later found in Texas.
Apr 01, 1990
Arizona Highway Patrol trooper Mike Miller discovered nude, handcuffed female victim in Rhoades' truck cab on I-10 near Casa Grande, Arizona; Rhoades arrested with .25 caliber handgun; charged with aggravated assault, sexual assault, and unlawful imprisonment.
Apr 06, 1990
FBI acquired search warrant for Rhoades' Houston apartment; discovered torture devices, handcuffs, chains, whips, sadomasochistic bondage material, and photographs of teenage girl victim.
May 26, 1990
Partial skeleton of Ricky Lee Jones found near Harleton, Texas; autopsy confirmed gunshot death.
Sep 29, 1990
Remains of Regina Kay Walters discovered in loft of abandoned barn near Greenville, Illinois; body nude and badly decomposed; autopsy revealed death by strangulation with wire ligature in early March.
Oct 1990
Body of Patricia Walsh discovered by deer hunters near Fillmore, Utah in Millard County (body remained unidentified until 2003).
1992
Remains of Douglas Scott Zyskowski identified.
Sep 11, 1992
Rhoades pleaded guilty to first-degree murder of Regina Kay Walters in Illinois court; sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.
Sep 15, 1992
Admitted to Stateville Correctional Center, Illinois Department of Corrections.
2003
Patricia Walsh's remains identified through dental records after 13 years in Millard County Sheriff's Office basement.
2005
Rhoades extradited to Utah to be tried for murders of Patricia Walsh and Douglas Zyskowski; charges later dropped in accordance with victims' families' requests to avoid multiple testimony.
2006
Rhoades returned to Illinois prison after Utah charges dropped.
Mar 29, 2012
Rhoades pleaded guilty to two counts of capital murder in Sutton County, Texas for deaths of Patricia Walsh and Douglas Zyskowski; received two additional life sentences without parole in exchange for prosecutors dropping death penalty; waived all rights to appeals and parole.
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 · Cold Case Index ·
Robert Ben Rhoades Victims: Solved Serial Murders (1989)“Regina Kay Walters 14 last seen alive at mother's apartment February 3 1990 Pasadena Texas; remains found September 29 1990 barn along Interstate 70 Illinois; strangled with wire ligature; pleaded guilty September 11 1992 sentenced to natural life.”
News report · The Cinema Holic ·
Where is Robert Ben Rhoades now?“Prison records indicate that Robert remains incarcerated at the Menard Correctional Center in Randolph County, Illinois.”
News report · Wikipedia ·
Robert Ben Rhoades“Born November 22, 1945; arrested April 1, 1990 near Casa Grande, Arizona; confirmed to have tortured and killed at least two couples in Illinois and Texas in 1989 and 1990; additionally suspected of torturing, raping, and killing more than fifty women between 1975 and 1990.”
News report · Unidentified Awareness Wiki ·
Regina Walters“Regina Kay Walters (May 5, 1975 - March 1990) murdered by serial killer Robert Ben Rhoades in 1990; ran away February 3, 1990 with 18-year-old boyfriend Ricky Jones; Jones died at hands of Rhoades shortly after pair disappeared.”
News report · John Brassard Jr. ·
The Truck Stop Killer: Robert Ben Rhodes“Rhodes was charged with unlawful imprisonment, aggravated assault, and sexual assault and was incarcerated at the Casa Grande Jail; Later in 1990, Rhodes was offered a reduced sentence through a plea deal if he pled guilty to kidnap and sexual assault charges.”
News report · ABC News ·
Trucker With Traveling Torture Chamber Admits to More Murders“Robert Ben Rhoades, 66, is already serving a life sentence without parole for the 1990 murder of 14-year-old runaway Regina Walters in Illinois; pleaded guilty Monday to two counts of capital murder in Sutton County, Texas.”
News report · Deseret News ·
Serial killer with Utah ties gets 2 more life sentences in Texas“Patricia Candace Walsh's body was dumped in Millard County Utah; pleaded guilty in Sutton County, Texas, to two counts of capital murder for deaths of Patricia Walsh and Douglas Zyskowski in 1990.”
News report · Corrections1 ·
Texas trucker pleads guilty to 2 more murders“Robert Ben Rhoades pleaded guilty to two counts of capital murder March 29, 2012; charged with 1990 abductions and slayings of newlyweds Douglas Scott Zyskowski, 28, and Patricia Walsh, 24; avoided death penalty by pleading guilty; received life prison sentences.”
Other · Radford University ·
Radford University serial killer biography: Rhodes, Robert Ben“Date of birth November 22, 1945 in Council Bluffs, Iowa; Arrested April 1, 1990 for aggravated assault, sexual assault, unlawful imprisonment; Pleaded guilty September 1992 to first-degree murder; Convicted September 11, 1992 and sentenced to life without parole; Admitted to Stateville Correctional Center September 15, 1992.”
Court record · Appellate Court of Illinois, Fifth District ·
People v. Rhoades“Robert Ben Rhoades, pursuant to negotiations with the State, on September 11, 1992, pled guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to imprisonment for natural life.”
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