If you are a fan of the hit Netflix show Mindhunter, you must have come across the character of Monte Rissell played by Sam Strike. Beyond being a character, Monte is a real individual who gained notoriety as a serial murderer and rapist.
Montie, as he is also known, began his killing spree in 1976 and by the time he was apprehended in 1977, he had already killed five people and raped 12.
While he may not be as deadly as Ted Bundy, as twisted as Nikko Jenkins, or as fearful as Christopher Wilder, Monte Rissell has also raised as much dust as one would expect of any serial killer. We take a look at 10 unsettling facts about him.
Dark and shocking things you don’t know about Monte Rissell
1. He grew up in a dysfunctional home
One of the things common with all stories of serial killers is that they were mostly raised in dysfunctional settings. The story of Monte Rissell is not any different. The dangerous killer was born Monte Ralph Rissell in 1959 and when he was still a young child, the marriage between his parents ended in a divorce when he was 7.
He would go on to live with his mother who would later be divorced for the second time before he was 12. After this, he moved to Washington DC together with his mother and sister and there he continued growing up without the supervision of an adult.
2. The family life of Monte Rissell
Monte was birthed to his parents, Roberta and William L. Rissell who worked as a postal service manager. As noted, the marriage between his parents came to an end before his mother went on to marry Milbert (Hank) Hindery.
Monte is the youngest of three siblings among whom are Harold and a sister whose name is not known.
3. Monte Rissell would have become a lawyer
Monte had believed that his life would not have taken the turn it took leading him to become a serial killer had things been a little different. He stated that he would have gone to law school if he was sent to live with his stepfather, Milbert Hindery in 1970 after his mother divorced him.
That said, he hated Hindery, but he still believed that living with him would have stopped him from becoming a serial killer.
4. He did not start out as a rapist or murderer
Monte began his life of crime at the very young age of 12. At that time, he first started out by breaking into an apartment where he stole items that were valued at $100.
The next time he would be arrested again was in 1971 when he was alleged to have stolen $27 from a community pool. Shortly after that, his path crossed again with the law, but this time around, it was for stealing a car.
5. His education
Rissell did not have the best of childhood, but he had the opportunity to be educated. He attended the T. C. Williams High School but did not graduate as he dropped out when he was 17. By this time, he had already started his life of crime.
While still in school, he was said to be an average student.
6. Montie becomes a rapist
While living alone without any adult supervision, Montie started having some rather dangerous fantasies that would lead him to commit his first rape at the age of 14 when he robbed a woman before raping her in 1973.
7. He was sent to a psychiatric hospital
After his first rape, Monte Rissell was incarcerated at a psychiatric hospital in Florida. One would think that this would put him on a better path. It did not; while he was still there, he continued raping, adding five more women to his numbers during this period.
8. Ressler’s first murder was caused by heartbreak
In 1976, Rissell got a letter from his girlfriend notifying him that the relationship was over. Heartbroken, he drove to her college where he watched her walk with her new lover. He drove back to his apartment where around 1:00 AM he met a prostitute who also lived in the same apartment complex named Aura Marina Gabor.
He made an attempt to rob her with a knife but somehow, they ended up having sex. By the time they were done, he would strangle her with her bra because he was angry that she enjoyed the sex which was consensual.
See Also: 10 Murder-suicide Stories That Will Chill You Down To The Bones
9. The other victims of Montie Rissell
In March 1977, Montie added another victim to his list of murders when he killed Ursula Miltenberger. 22 years old, Miltenberger had a height of 5 feet 9 inches and a bodyweight of 77 kilograms (170 lb) which could suggest that it would be hard for him to murder her.
However, the part-time management trainee with McDonald’s was found with both hands and feet bound and stabbed multiple times. More so, she was struck with a blunt object but was not sexually assaulted.
In April 1977, he raped 27-year-old Gladys Bradley before drowning her in a nearby creek. Bradley was an African American who worked in a post office in Virginia. She was also divorced and a mother of one.
By now, it seemed as though Montie Rissell was enjoying what he was doing as he seemed not to be scared of getting caught. Hence in May 1977, he went after a 24 years old aspiring journalist, Jeanette McClelland whom he raped before killing; Monte stabbed her a massive 24 times.
His last victim was Aletha Byrd who happened to be older than all the other victims; either 34 or 35 years old. She worked with a Woodward & Lothrop store in Virginia. Her body was found on May 17 with 14 stabbed wounds.
10. The one that got away
Not all those who crossed his path ended up losing their lives. He Rissell once let one of his victims walk away after she told him she had a father who was suffering from cancer. At the time, his older brother also had cancer and so it was thought that it might have been empathy as a result of his brother.
11. How he was arrested
In 1977 when he was picked up by the police, it was for something not relating to the murders of his five victims. However, he became a suspect when it was discovered that the victims either worked or lived in the same apartment complex as Rissell.
Even before his arrest, Alexandria police Det. John W. Turner had claimed that after the first murder in 1976, he had a gut feeling that the murderer was Monte.
He pleaded guilty to the murder charges on all the five victims and was handed 4 lifetimes but was eligible for probation after 20 years.
12. Where is Monte Rissell Today?
Previously held at Augusta Correctional Center, the serial killer has now been moved to Pocahontas State Correctional Center in Virginia. In 1995, he was eligible for parole but there was a heavy protest by the families of his victims. He has always been to parole hearing annually in November but has always been denied.
