William Clyde Gibson

William Clyde Gibson III (born October 10, 1957) is an American serial killer and rapist who is currently on Indiana's death row for the sexually motivated murders of two women in 2002 and 2012, in addition to serving a 65-year sentence for a third murder committed in 2012. A habitual criminal noted for his increasingly violent streaks and his handlebar moustache, Gibson has claimed responsibility for upwards of 30 additional murders across multiple states, none of which have been confirmed.

Early life William Clyde Gibson III was born on October 10, 1957, in Raleigh, North Carolina, the youngest of four children born to William Jr., a foreman for a tree-trimming company, and Jeraline "Geri" Gibson, a cashier at a Sears store. When he was two years old, the family moved out of state and settled in New Albany, Indiana, where Gibson grew up. In later interviews, he claimed that he had never experienced any abuse or neglect from either of his parents. He said he was even spoiled but acknowledged that his father was an alcoholic who would become combative when drunk.

From an early age, Gibson displayed odd behavior, having trouble speaking to others, struggling at school, and preferring to stay home with his mother. Whenever he went to school, Gibson was bullied up until the sixth grade, when he became large enough to defend himself - however, he started bullying other children. He often got in trouble for fighting, talking in class, and not following directions. This continued outside of school, with a childhood friend, Melodie Schultz, claiming that Gibson had shot another child in the eye with a pellet gun. At age 13, he also started drinking and later that year, would be arrested for stealing a motorbike.

Crimes On January 26, 1991, Gibson hit another vehicle while backing up in his pickup truck, but sped off after seeing a nearby police officer attempt to inspect the damage. In an ensuing high-speed chase, he eventually crashed into another vehicle, from which the other driver had eight ribs broken, and Gibson suffered injuries that required numerous stitches on his head.

During his imprisonment, where he was ordered to attend a sex offender rehabilitation program, Gibson refused to admit responsibility for his crime and was thus deemed ineligible to participate. While he was considered an obedient inmate who rarely caused trouble, even earning an associate degree in art from the Lindsey Wilson College, several psychiatric assessments concluded that Gibson had poor judgment and often experienced conflicting feelings of loneliness and losing control. Hodella's badly decomposed body was found on January 7, 2003, and identified via dental records.

Three weeks after the murder, Gibson was arrested for driving a GMC truck while drunk. After going through a four-day withdrawal, he was examined by the prison's psychiatrist, Dr. Daniel Howerton. In his anger, Gibson proceeded to rape and strangle her, sexually assaulted her body, breaking her back in the process and then burying her body in his backyard. On April 18, he was visited by a 75-year-old friend of his late mother, Christine Whitis. The latter had always supported Gibson and even gave him money. He raped and strangled her before mutilating her corpse, cutting off one of her breasts. Then, he left the body on the garage floor, surrounded by garbage bags.

Arrest, trials and imprisonment On the following day, one of Gibson's sisters went to their mother's house to settle the division of the family estate, and after checking the garage and finding Whitis' body, she immediately notified the police. Later that day, Gibson was arrested for drunk driving in Whitis' car, and was charged with her murder five days later. A few days later, he confessed responsibility for Hodella's murder. He also willingly led them to the location where he had buried Kirk's body, and on April 27, authorities dug up her body from his backyard. On May 23, Gibson was officially charged with her murder as well, with prosecutors announcing that they would seek the death penalty for all three killings.

During his murder trial, prosecutors presented an interview Gibson had given to investigators upon his arrest, during which he claimed that an "evil" had overcome him and had made him commit the murder. On October 25, 2013, Gibson was found guilty in Whitis' murder at a jury trial, with the jurors taking less than 20 minutes to find him guilty on all charges. At his sentencing the following month, Gibson was subsequently handed a death sentence, to which he told the sentencing judge that it was "no big deal" and that he deserved what he was getting. In regards to his upcoming murder trials, he changed his plea and waived his right to a speedy trial, choosing to plead guilty to Hodella's murder instead. As part of the deal, it was decided that evidence presented at the Hodella trial would not be used as evidence or an aggravating factor in any follow-up trials. A substantial issue arose when Gibson had a tattoo done on the back of his shaved head, which said "Death Row X3". According to Justice Susan Orth, the tattoo could prejudice the jury and possibly prevent a fair trial, and because of this, prison authorities were forbidden from cutting Gibson's hair so the tattoo could be covered up. In spite of the guilty plea, prosecutors pushed for another death sentence, aiming to prove aggravating factors during the commission of Kirk's murder.

Aftermath Since his incarceration, Gibson has repeatedly appealed his death sentences, with his defense lawyer claiming that his confession to the Kirk murder was a mitigating circumstance. These appeals were rejected by the Indiana Supreme Court, which reaffirmed all of his convictions.

In 2018, he was amongst several death row inmates to be featured in the documentary Inside Death Row, hosted by British journalist Trevor McDonald. Gibson has also done several interviews on various podcasts, on which he has professed responsibility for an additional 30 murders committed across multiple states, additionally claiming that he has sexually abused and even cannibalized the victims' corpses. Among the murders he has confessed to is the 2000 murder of Elizabeth Banister, who was stabbed to death at her home in Evansville, but so far, he has not been charged with her murder. He was featured in a True Lives documentary in 2018, where he claimed the police only had discovered a tenth of whom he had killed.