David Edward Maust
Known as "Crazy Dave" to neighborhood kids. While in the U.S. Army, apparently killed a boy in Germany. Killed another boy in Illinois, and then stabbed one in Texas. The legal system knew this guy was a psychopath who liked to kill boys -- comparing him even to John Wayne Gacy -- yet somehow he was released after only a few years. And, surprise, Crazy Dave gets a job at a trophy shop where he has contact with young boys, and can't resist the delicious temptations.
Timeline
| 5 Apr 1954 |
David Edward Maust born. |
| 9 Aug 1981 |
Stabs and drowns boy Donald Jones, age 15, in a quarry near Elgin IL. |
| 10 Dec 1981 |
Stabs a child, Galveston County TX. Sentenced to five years. |
| 1982 |
Charged with the murder of Donald Jones. |
| 17 Jan 1983 |
Extradition paperwork refers to Maust as a "Gacey type" (sic.) |
| 22 Jul 1986 |
Date of the deposition made by detectives Behrens and Bettiker, to whom Maust confessed. Maust refused to sign a confession, and later tried to have the statements to Behrens and Bettiker suppressed from evidence, but a judge refused. |
| Jun 1985 |
Maust declared mentally unfit to stand trial. |
| 15 Aug 1986 |
"[V]ery long and significant mental history with multiple suicide attempts and homicidal activities... He has a pathological preoccupation with death, mutilation, dying and other bizarre ideations. He is currently unstable and unpredictable and runs a high suicidal, homicidal risk." Cook County psychiatrist Dr. Matthew Marcos. |
| 30 Mar 1987 |
Maust declared mentally fit to stand trial. |
| 1994 |
Pleads guilty to the murder of Donald Jones. |
| 6 May 1994 |
Sentenced to 35 years prison, with 11 years credit for time already served. |
| 25 Jun 1999 |
Paroled. Yikes! |
| 27 Jun 2002 |
Supervised release ends. |
| 2 May 2003 |
A boy who works at the Trophys Are Us -- the same place Maust does -- Nick James, age 19, reported missing. |
| 10 Sep 2003 |
Michael Dennis and James Raganyi last seen. |
| 5 Dec 2003 |
Police begin excavating beneath concrete in Maust's rented house at 4333 Ash Ave, Hammond IL. |
| 9 Dec 2003 |
Two bodies recovered beneath the concrete. |
| 10 Dec 2003 |
A third body recovered beneath the concrete. The bodies are identified as: Michael Dennis, age 13; James Raganyi, age 16; and Nick James, age 19. |
| 11 Dec 2003 |
David Edward Maust charged with one count of murder. |
| 20 Jan 2006 |
Serial killer David Edward Maust dies at St. Anthony Medical Center in Crown Point, Indiana, 27 hours after hanging himself in a botched though successful jail-cell suicide attempt. |
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