Gerald Stano

Stano was born as Paul Zeininger in Schenectady, New York.[1][2] His biological mother neglected him to such an extent that when she gave him up for adoption at six months old, county doctors declared that he could not be adopted. They said Zeininger was functioning at "an animalistic level", even eating his own faeces to survive. Zeininger had four biological siblings who were given up for adoption. A nurse named Norma Stano eventually adopted Zeininger, giving him his present identity.

Despite his foster parents being described as loving, Stano continued to have behavioral problems. He was a bed wetter until the age of 10.[2] In school, he earned Cs and Ds in all subjects except music (at which he excelled). He lied compulsively, and was once caught stealing money from his father's wallet to pay members of the track and field team to finish behind him, so he would not be viewed as a complete failure. During his youth, Stano was often bullied. At the age of 14 or 15, he was arrested for a false fire alarm and later for throwing rocks at cars from a highway bridge.

Stano did not graduate high school until he was 21. After receiving his diploma, he enrolled in a computer school, graduated and began working in a local hospital. Soon after, he was fired for stealing co-workers' money. After moving with his parents to Ormond Beach, Florida he could not hold down a job and was continuously fired from one after another. The reasons most often given were that Stano stealing money or being late.[2]

Officially, Stano admitted that he began killing in the early 1970s, when he was in his 20s but also claimed to have begun killing in the late 1960s, at the age of 18. Several girls had gone missing in Stano's area of residence at that time, but since insufficient physical evidence was found when these claims were investigated almost 20 years later, Stano was never charged. He was most active in Florida and New Jersey. He was arrested after a woman named Donna Hensley had come to the police station bleeding and had accused Stano of having "sliced" her.[3]

Stano admitted his first murder was committed in New Jersey in 1969. He also confessed to having killed six other women in Pennsylvania. After his moving to Florida he may have murdered up to 30 or more women. One gruesome killing was the 1973 stabbing of 17-year-old hitchhiker Cathy Lee Scharf.

He also confessed to killing a young woman in 1978 or 1979, claiming she was a prostitute. Her remains were located in Daytona Beach in 1980. The confession was confirmed by his memory of her clothing.[4]

By his 29th birthday, Stano was in prison for allegedly murdering 41 women. His victims were killed by different methods, such as gunshots, strangulation, and stabbing, but none of them were ever raped. He was also housed with fellow serial killer Ted Bundy until the latter's execution in 1989.

Stano was found guilty of nine murders and received eight life sentences and one death sentence, the latter of which was carried out by electric chair on March 23, 1998 in Florida State Prison. For his final meal, Stano requested Delmonico steak, a baked potato with sour cream and bacon bits, salad with blue cheese dressing, lima beans, a half gallon of mint chocolate-chip ice cream, and 2 litres of Pepsi.[5] Stano's final statement proclaimed innocence and directed blame for his false confessions at the lead investigator, Paul Crow. He stated: “I am innocent. I am frightened. I was threatened and I was held month after month without any real legal representation. I confessed to crimes I did not commit.”

• List of serial killers in the United States
• List of serial killers by number of victims

• Flowers, Anna (1993). Blind Fury. Pinnacle Books. ISBN 978-1558177192.
• Kelly, Kathy; Montane, Diana (2011). I Would Find a Girl Walking. Berkley. ISBN 978-0425231869.