Beneath the Smile: How Patrick Kearney Became the Trash Bag Killer
Patrick Kearney lived a quiet life. He worked as an engineer, had a steady partner, and kept a low profile. But behind closed doors, he was one of the most brutal serial killers in American history.
Known as the “Trash Bag Killer,” he confessed to killing 28 young men and boys over 15 years. His crimes involved kidnapping, necrophilia, and dismemberment.
This article follows Kearney’s life—from his childhood struggles to his arrest—and looks at how someone so ordinary could hide such darkness. His story matters because it illustrates the danger of quiet evil—and how society overlooked the signs for years.
A Troubled Boy Hiding in Plain Sight
Patrick Wayne Kearney was born on September 24, 1939, in East Los Angeles. He was small, shy, and often sick. His classmates picked on him, and he was beaten and called names. His father was a police officer. When Patrick turned 13, his dad taught him how to shoot animals. Many believe this violent lesson shaped how he saw life and death.
Patrick never felt like he belonged. He didn’t connect with others and spent most of his time alone. These lonely years planted the seed of violence deep inside him. He started having dark thoughts. Later, those thoughts became real.
He joined the U.S. Air Force, but that didn’t last. He left early and drifted for a while. He studied engineering and secured a job with Hughes Aircraft, where he remained for several years. Those who knew him at work described him as bright, polite, and quiet. No one suspected he had a secret life.
A Double Life Begins
Kearney lived in California with his longtime partner, David Hill. On the outside, they appeared to be a normal couple. They went to work, kept to themselves, and avoided trouble. But Kearney was living a lie. Behind closed doors, he was planning how to kill.
He picked up young men, often hitchhikers or people he met at gay bars. He used charm to gain their trust. Once they were alone, he would shoot them in the head with a small pistol. Then the horror would begin.
Kearney sexually assaulted their bodies after death. He then dismembered the victims with surgical precision. He placed the remains in trash bags and left them on highways, hillsides, or near roads. That’s how he got his nickname: “The Trash Bag Killer.”
This went on for more than 10 years. Police found the bags, but they couldn’t find the person inside. Kearney stayed careful. He had rules. He chose strangers, avoided patterns, and didn’t leave clues.
The Victims: Lost, Forgotten, Remembered
Most of Kearney’s victims were young—some just children. They were runaways, street kids, or simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. One boy was just 5 years old. Others were in their 20s.
They had names, dreams, and families. But Kearney saw them only as objects. He later said he killed to get rid of stress or anger. He talked about his crimes without emotion. No sorrow. No regret.
“Sometimes I just needed to let off steam,” he once explained during an interview. “I didn’t think about their families.”
That line still haunts the families of his victims.
Many of the young men he killed were never identified. Their families waited for news that never came. Forensic science wasn’t advanced back then, and Kearney cut the bodies into pieces, making it harder for police to find answers.
Cracks in the Mask: The Investigation
In 1977, the police finally got a lead. A 17-year-old boy named John LaMay went missing after visiting Kearney’s home. LaMay had told a friend where he was going. When his body was found, dismembered and wrapped in plastic, suspicion fell on Kearney.
The police questioned him and David Hill. Both denied everything—but then vanished.
It took weeks, but the pair turned themselves in. The truth spilled out. Kearney confessed to 28 murders. He told the police everything—how he picked victims, how he killed them, and where he left the bodies.
He wanted to avoid the death penalty. So he made a deal. He pleaded guilty to 21 murders. In exchange, he got life in prison, not death.
Inside a Killer’s Mind
People were stunned. How could someone so quiet, so polite, be a killer? Kearney had a genius-level IQ, near 180. He worked with machines all day. His skills helped him hide his crimes. He left no mess. He cleaned up everything.
But inside, he was empty. He felt no love, no guilt. He treated his crimes like chores—something to do, something to finish.
Experts studied him. His case helped shape how law enforcement builds psychological profiles today. He wasn’t like other killers. He didn’t torture his victims. He didn’t act out of hate. He just wanted control.
He once said, “I didn’t hate them. I didn’t care.”
That sentence explains a lot—and nothing at all.
Prison and Life After Arrest
Patrick Kearney has been in prison for nearly five decades. He is now in his 80s, serving 21 life terms at Mule Creek State Prison in California. He has never asked for parole. He never tried to get out.
His partner, David Hill, was cleared of wrongdoing and released. Hill said he didn’t know what Kearney had been doing. Some still wonder if that’s true.
Kearney spends his days in silence. No visitors. No interviews. He doesn’t write letters or talk to the press. He is, as one guard said, “a ghost walking.”
His case is often used in FBI training. It reminds officers that evil doesn’t always take the form of a monster. Sometimes, it seems like a man in a clean shirt with a steady job.
Final Words: A Haunting Legacy
Patrick Kearney’s life presents us with something difficult to accept. Evil can wear a friendly face. It can smile, say hello, and still be hiding horrors inside. Kearney didn’t act like a madman. He didn’t scream or fight. He was quiet, thoughtful, and deadly.
His crimes took away dozens of lives. Families were left with grief, questions, and no justice. Some bodies were never found. Some names were never known.
Kearney reminds us that silence isn’t always safe. Those monsters don’t always roar. Sometimes, they whisper. And when they do, we need to be listening.
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