Package Killer

Gary Randall Muehlberg (born February 27, 1949), known as The Package Killer, is an American serial killer who killed at least four women and one man in and around St. Louis, Missouri, from 1990 to 1993. Originally convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a man in 1993, he was linked to the murders of four prostitutes via DNA in 2022, to which he pleaded guilty and received additional life terms.

Early life Gary Randall Muehlberg was born on February 27, 1949, in St. Louis, Missouri, one of three children born to William and Christina Muehlberg. He grew up in a prosperous environment, as both parents took good care of their children and his father, a WWII veteran, served on the Board of Governors in several districts from 1955 to 1957. In 1966, William Muehlberg accepted a high-paid position at Gulf Oil, after which the family moved to Salina, Kansas.

First crimes In February 1972, Muehlberg was arrested for allegedly robbing and raping an 18-year-old girl in Salina. Shortly after his arrest, Muehlberg was ordered to undergo a forensic psychiatric examination, where he was found to be insane. He built a fake wall in the basement of his house with bricks, behind which he set up a cache where he stored dozens of kilos of marijuana. He spent most of his free time at one of the fast-food restaurants near his home, where he soon made many acquaintances. During this period of time, Muehlberg started frequently using the services of prostitutes, which he invited to his home. He was known as a manipulator and a liar, and was generally disliked by the local community. According to Mihan's brother, on the day of her disappearance she disregarded those rules due to her addiction and got into a car that was out of Sparks' view. Under questioning, Muehlberg stated that after kidnapping Mihan, he attacked, beat and stabbed her several times, including in the head. He then drove back to his house and locked her in his basement for the next several days, where he sexually assaulted and tortured her in various ways before strangling her. Four days later, Muehlberg dumped her corpse along a highway northwest of St. Louis, in Silex. The body was found tied between two mattresses.

On October 4, 1990, the body of a woman was found wrapped in a plastic trash can in Maryland Heights. To support his claims, Muehlberg indicated that he later successfully sold the car to Nichols and that the murder weapon had been hidden at the home of Nichols' brother, Wilton. When Wilton Nichols' home was searched, officers located a .22 caliber handgun that was confirmed to be the murder weapon, additionally revealing that Muehlberg's car was being driven by Nichols' daughter.

Suspicion against the Nichols brothers increased after it was established that they were involved in drug trafficking, for which they were eventually tried and convicted.

In exchange for his cooperation and the fact that he's suffering from kidney failure, prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty. Over the next several months, Muehlberg pleaded guilty to each individual murder, receiving four additional life terms without parole.

As of March 2025, he remains incarcerated at the Potosi Correctional Center in Potosi.