Imprisoned Killers

Damian Rzeszowski was convicted of six counts of manslaughter after killing his wife Izabela, their children Kinga and Kacper, his father-in-law Marek Garstka, and family friend Marta de la Haye and her daughter Julia in St Helier, Jersey, on August 14, 2011. Rzeszowski attacked the victims with kitchen knives during a violent episode following the breakdown of his marriage. His defence successfully argued diminished responsibility caused by severe depression and psychotic symptoms, and he was cleared of murder. He was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment for each victim, to run concurrently. Rzeszowski died by suicide in prison in 2018.

Daniel Charles "Dan" Howard, a former Idaho State Police trooper, murdered his wife Kendy Howard at their home in Athol, Idaho, on February 2, 2021, before staging the scene to make her death appear to be a suicide. Howard initially told police that Kendy had shot herself in the bathtub, but investigators found inconsistencies at the scene and later concluded that he had strangled her before placing her body in the bathtub and firing a gunshot into her mouth. After a two-year investigation, Howard was charged with murder and convicted of second-degree murder and domestic battery in March 2024. He was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole in May 2024.

Daniel Krug is an American man convicted of the 2020 murder of his wife in Topeka, Kansas. The case became widely known due to the elaborate and sustained deception he created to conceal the crime, including fabricating a false stalker narrative to mislead investigators. He was later arrested, convicted, and sentenced to a lengthy term of imprisonment.

Danny Johnson became one of Columbus, Ohio's most notorious domestic killers after murdering his girlfriend, 46-year-old Cathleen "Kit Kat" Howatt, at a homeless encampment near the Scioto River in April 2016. The killing followed a violent altercation witnessed by nearby residents who had become accustomed to Johnson's abuse of Howatt. Following a jury trial in 2017, Johnson was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 15 years.

Darren Vickers is a British man convicted of the 1997 murder of eight-year-old Jamie Lavis in Greater Manchester, England. At the time, he worked as a bus driver, a role that placed him in a position of routine contact with the public, including children. The case gained significant attention due to the abuse of that position and the circumstances of the child’s disappearance. Vickers was later arrested, convicted, and sentenced to life imprisonment.

David Berkowitz, known as the “Son of Sam,” is an American serial killer responsible for a series of shootings in New York City between 1976 and 1977. His crimes created widespread fear and led to one of the largest manhunts in the city’s history. Berkowitz gained notoriety for sending letters to police and media, claiming responsibility for the attacks. He was later arrested, confessed, and sentenced to multiple life terms.

David Eisenhauer is an American convicted murderer who killed 13-year-old Nicole Lovell in Blacksburg, Virginia, in January 2016. Eisenhauer was an 18-year-old freshman engineering student at Virginia Tech when he developed an online relationship with Lovell, a seventh-grade student. They communicated through social-media and messaging applications before meeting in person. On January 27, 2016, Eisenhauer lured Lovell from her family's apartment by arranging what he described as a secret date. He abducted her and took her to a wooded area in North Carolina, where she was stabbed to death. Lovell's body was discovered several days later near the Virginia-North Carolina border. A medical examiner determined that she had suffered 14 stab wounds, including a fatal wound to her neck. (cbsnews.com) Eisenhauer was arrested two days after Lovell disappeared. Investigators found evidence connecting him to the crime, including Lovell's blood in his vehicle and DNA evidence. (washingtonpost.com) During his 2018 trial, Eisenhauer unexpectedly pleaded no contest to first-degree murder, abduction and concealing a body. A no-contest plea does not formally admit guilt but has the same effect as a guilty plea for sentencing. He was sentenced to 50 years in prison, followed by 25 years of probation.

David Carl Kinney became known in true crime and financial crime reporting after being convicted of murdering his longtime friend Brad McGarry in a case prosecutors described as motivated by greed, deception, and financial manipulation. Investigators alleged Kinney killed McGarry to gain control over money, property, and personal assets while attempting to conceal the crime through elaborate fraud and identity-related schemes. The case attracted widespread attention because of the calculated nature of the killing and the extensive efforts allegedly used to cover up McGarry’s disappearance after the murder. Prosecutors argued Kinney continued exploiting the victim’s identity, finances, and personal accounts after the killing, turning the case into both a homicide investigation and a major fraud prosecution. The combination of betrayal, financial exploitation, and post-murder deception made the case particularly disturbing to investigators and the public.