True Crime Friday: Joseph Roy Metheny, the Human Hamburger Serial Killer
The Early Childhood of Joseph Roy Metheny
Not much is know about his childhood other than what Metheny told reporters. Metheny said he was neglected as a child. His father died in a car accident when he was six years old, leaving his mother to take care of six children alone. Jean Metheny worked two jobs to keep food on the table and the kids clothed. Joseph Roy Metheny claimed to reporters that his mother was dead but the reporters found out that she was alive. When reporters reached out his mother she said that Metheny was a very intelligent child, nice and polite. She said that once he left home to join the Army he stopped contacting the family. Jean Metheny also said he was not neglected, she provided for him the best she could once his father died. Metheny joined the United States Army in 1973, he served in Germany.The Victims of Joseph Roy Metheny
- Cathy Ann Magaziner, 39
- Kimberly Spicer, 23
- Tony Lynn Ingrassia, 28
- Randall Brewer
- Randy Piker
The Survivors of Joseph Roy Metheny
- Rita Kemper, 26
- Customers of his weekend burger stand
In 1995, Joseph Roy Metheny was a truck driver and living with his girlfriend and their six year old son. One day he came home after a long haul stint to find his girlfriend had cleaned out the house and left with their child and a new man. Metheny and his girlfriend were both heavy drug users so he knew where to start looking for her. He was furious and went looking for her at an unhoused “tent city” area in Baltimore.
This locations is where the unhoused and drug users lived when they were upon hard times. Methney saw Randall Brewer and Randy Pike arguing when he decided to take an axe and kill them. He wanted to kill his girlfriend and her new man but felt Brewer and Pike would do because of his rage. Their bodies were discovered on August 2 1995. Joseph Roy Metheny only served a year and a half for the murders of Pike and Brewer. A jury decided, in July of 1996 that there was not enough evidence to convict Metheny of murdering Brewer and Pike. Metheny later admitted that he was guilty of those murders. Metheny nickname was “Tiny” even though he was over six feet tall and weighed over 400 pounds. He was on crack cocaine and heroin but was able to hold down a steady job as a forklift driver and was described as intelligent, well-spoken and nice with manners by his peers.
Joseph Roy Metheny kidnapped Rita Kemper on December 8, 1996, intending to rape her. He tried to kill her but somehow she was able to run away from him. He chased after her and caught her. He dragged her back to the work trailer he was living in on the job site where he was employed. He told her. “I’m going to kill you and bury you in the woods with the other girls.” He raped her and then fell asleep. Somehow, Kemper was able to flee again through a window. She was able to climb a fence at the property and flag down a pickup truck. The driver took her to the police. Once the police arrived to arrest Metheny, he began confessing about many other murders. He also said he once killed five people in seven hours. He described it as a very busy night.