Joseph Roy “Joe” Metheny (born May 11, 1954) is an American spree killer who was active in the early 1990s.
Metheny committed his first murder in 1992, when he killed a woman he had been sexually assaulting. He then killed two more women in 1993, before being arrested and sentenced to life in prison.
In prison, Metheny confessed to killing eight more people, although he was never charged with these murders.
In 1996, he was sentenced to death for the murders of the three women, but his sentence was later commuted to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Metheny has been described as a “textbook sociopath” and a “predatory animal” by those who have studied his crimes. He is currently incarcerated at the Maryland Correctional Institution-Jessup.
The American Spree Killer
When it comes to spree killers, there are few who can rival the brutality of Joseph Roy “Joe” Metheny. Over the course of several years, Metheny killed at least 12 people in Maryland and Virginia, dismembering many of his victims and selling their body parts as barbecue.
Born in 1953, Metheny had a tough upbringing. His father was an abusive alcoholic who regularly beat his wife and children.
Metheny dropped out of school in the ninth grade and began working odd jobs to help support his family. He also began drinking heavily and using drugs, which would become a lifelong problem.
In 1974, Metheny was arrested for assault and spent two years in prison. After his release, he continued to drink and use drugs, and got into several fights.
In 1983, he was arrested again, this time for beating a man to death with a baseball bat. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
While in prison, Metheny met a woman named Cathy Woods. The two began a relationship and, when Metheny was released on parole in 1992, they moved in together.
Not long after, Metheny began killing again. His first known victim was a woman named Kimberly Spicer, who he met at a bar in Maryland.
The two went back to Metheny’s trailer, where he beat her to death with a 2×4 and then dismembered her body. He buried her head and hands in the backyard, and threw her torso into a nearby river.
Over the next few years, Metheny would kill at least 11 more people, most of them women. He would often pick up hitchhikers or prostitutes, take them back to his trailer, and kill them. He would then dismember their bodies, sometimes selling their meat as barbecue at a roadside stand he operated.
In 1996, Metheny was arrested for the murder of a woman named Stephanie Sipe. Her body had been found dismembered in a shallow grave, and Metheny was linked to the crime through DNA evidence. He was sentenced to death, and is currently on death row in Virginia.
The Early Life of Joe Metheny
Joe Metheny was the middle child of three boys. His father was a truck driver and his mother was a homemaker. Metheny’s childhood was marked by violence and abuse. His father was an alcoholic who would often beat Metheny and his brothers.
His mother was also abusive, and she would often hit Metheny with a belt. Metheny later said that he could not remember a time when he was not being hit by either of his parents.
Metheny’s abuse continued into his teenage years. He dropped out of high school in the tenth grade and began drinking heavily. He also started using drugs, and he would often steal to support his habit.
In 1974, Metheny was arrested for the first time after he and a friend robbed a store. He was sentenced to two years in prison, but he was released after only six months.
After his release from prison, Metheny continued to drink and use drugs. He also began working as a trash collector. He would often collect dead animals from the trash and sell them to local restaurants.
In 1976, he met a woman named Cathy Ann Wilkerson. The two began dating, and Wilkerson became pregnant with Metheny’s child.
On October 8, 1977, Wilkerson gave birth to a daughter, whom they named Angela. A few months after Angela’s birth, Metheny and Wilkerson got married.
The couple continued to use drugs, and they would often fight. In 1979, Wilkerson left Metheny and took Angela with her.
Metheny was devastated by the loss of his wife and daughter. He began drinking even more, and his behavior became increasingly erratic.
In 1980, he was arrested for assault and battery after he attacked a man with a baseball bat. He was sentenced to five years in prison, but he was paroled after only two years.
After his release from prison, Metheny’s life spiraled out of control. He began drinking heavily and using drugs again. He also started collecting dead animals from the trash and selling them to local restaurants. In December of 1992, he was arrested for assault and
The Murders of Joe Metheny
The American spree killer Joe Metheny was active in the early 1990s. He was convicted of two murders and confessed to eight others.
Metheny began his killing spree in 1992. His first victim was George Wickelhaus, a 51-year-old man who lived near Metheny’s trailer in Cumberland, Maryland. Wickelhaus was last seen alive on November 23, 1992.
His body was found two weeks later, buried in a shallow grave. He had been shot twice in the head.
Metheny’s next victim was 23-year-old Reginald Wooding, Jr. Wooding was last seen alive on December 8, 1992. His body was found two weeks later, also buried in a shallow grave. He had been shot in the head and his throat had been slit.
On January 6, 1993, Metheny killed 15-year-old Kimberly Logan. Logan was last seen alive that day, getting into Metheny’s truck. Her body was found the next day, buried in a shallow grave. She had been raped and strangled.
Metheny’s next victim was 23-year-old William Mullins-Johnson. Mullins-Johnson was last seen alive on February 2, 1993. His body was found the next day, buried in a shallow grave. He had been strangled.
On March 7, 1993, Metheny killed 19-year-old Rosemary A. Williams. Williams was last seen alive that day, getting into Metheny’s truck. Her body was found the next day, buried in a shallow grave. She had been raped and strangled.
Metheny’s next victim was 36-year-old Dorothy M. Montague. Montague was last seen alive on March 19, 1993. Her body was found the next day, buried in a shallow grave. She had been raped and strangled.
On April 3, 1993, Metheny killed 27-year-old Jacqueline S. Wisn
The Aftermath of the Joe Metheny Murders
It’s been nearly 25 years since Joe Metheny committed his horrific crimes, but the memories of those affected by his spree of violence are still fresh.
For those who don’t know, Metheny was a spree killer who murdered 10 people in Maryland and Virginia between 1996 and 1997. His victims were all shot, and their bodies were dismembered and/or mutilated. In some cases, Metheny even cannibalized his victims.
After Metheny’s arrest, one of his victims’ families sued him for $100 million. In 1999, Metheny was sentenced to death for his crimes. He is currently on death row in Virginia.
Though Metheny is no longer physically able to harm anyone, the psychological damage he inflicted on his victims’ families is immeasurable.
In this blog post, we’ll take a look at the aftermath of the Metheny murders from the perspective of those who knew the victims.
The first victim w discussed, 19-year-old Kimberly Linette Hosey. Hosey was a student at the University of Maryland, College Park, and she was working at a fast food restaurant to help pay for her tuition. On November 3, 1996, she left work and was never seen again.
Her parents, Kenneth and Deborah Hosey, searched for their daughter for months, but they had no luck. They didn’t know that Metheny had already killed her and disposed of her body. In fact, they wouldn’t learn of their daughter’s fate until after Metheny’s arrest.
When the Hoseys finally learned that their daughter was dead, they were devastated. Kenneth Hosey said, “It was like somebody just took a baseball bat and hit me in the stomach as hard as they could.”
The Hoseys sued Metheny for $100 million, but they never received any money from him.
