Great, I have a serial killer loose in my neighborhood

[Aiptasia]

I'm dead serious. His name is Stephen Stanko and his face is currently being plastered all over America's Most Wanted and all over the Grand Strand. He's a former inmate that killed three people in Socastee and Conway (both border Myrtle Beach) over the weekend.

Two more bodies were discovered this morning on Highway 90 and Highway 22 in the Wampee area (just west of Myrtle Beach) and police are patrolling heavily in my neighborhood (Little River) as we speak due to tips he's in my neighborhood.

I'm glad i'm at work!! The schools are under lockdown thank god. Apparently, this guy has written a book about prison life while he was incarcerated a few years back, and after a search of his house, police have found an abundance of files, clippings and articles about serial killers.

WOOP!!! Everyone here is paranoid, as you can expect. Last night, I got a little edgy when a strange black vehicle pulled into my driveway. Guess i'm going to be taking my marine magnum pump action 12 gauge out of it's case and loading it for the first time tonight.

Don't worry, safety will be on, but... Anyone have any advice on how to deal with serial killers loose in your neighborhood?

FYI: http://www.amw.com/

[kick-ass-bob]

1. ask his name.

if he says Stephen, shoot him.

[Aiptasia]

3. I have an uncle named Steve

Guess uncle Steve better not come over tonight, un-announced.

[ret5hd]

2. **sneak**sneak**sneak**

BOO! Gotcha!

[Aiptasia]

4. Aieeee!!!

BANG... cha-chik


BANG... cha-chik


Did I get him? Everyone here at the office is in full paranoia mode. We haven't had a serial killer around these parts since Pee Wee Gaskins. People are seriously freaked.

I lived in Los Angeles during the whole Richard Ramirez freeway killing spree back in the 80's (aka the Night Stalker) and he preferred to break into yellow one story homes near a freeway.

I lived in a one story yellow home just off the 57 freeway at the time. Do serial killers just follow my migration patterns? I'm sure there's a town somewhere that has never had a serial killer move in, ever. Tell me where that is. I want to move there.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

11. My friends and I used to put "Have nightstalker be caught"

on our to-do lists everyday until he was nabbed.

[nini]

35. That was freaky

He was spotted in my sister's neighborhood one night but got away.

Too bad the folks in east L.A. didn't have a few more minutes.

:evilgrin:

[purr]

5. Stay safe...

I wouldnt sleep until that sicko is caught.. ugh.. Hope he gets caught soon. Until then, keep that gun right by you at all times when at home.

btw.. your name is Aiptasia? Is that the same pest anenome that I cant get rid of in my salt water tank? :)

[Aiptasia]

8. I will, thanks...

I have a 12 gauge. I'm a big guy. I worry more for my parents and aunts/uncles that live in the area than for myself, but i'll be o.k..

And yes, i'm in your fish tank right now, lurking under some live rock. I picked that s/n because of how tenacious those buggers are. :)

[purr]

14. They're worse than over staying their welcome guests...

Kill it.. it comes back bigger and meaner than ever.. ARG!!

[Arugula Latte]

6. Those pesky serial killers.

Whenever I have an infestation, I use Serial-Killer-B-Gone by Ortho.

No, really, that is scary. Please stay safe and make sure those windows and doors are locked and have wooden thingees put in the tracks so they can't slide.

[Heddi]

7. My husband was born in Conway & grew up in Myrtle Beach

we just went back to MB a few weeks ago to visit his family and my family down in Charleston.

Man, MB is growing so fast....I remember when it was a strip with a few ratty hotels and a pavillion---I hear they're getting ready to tear down the pavillion---what a shame.

[Aiptasia]

10. Yep, this is the last year to enjoy the pavillion as it is...

Progress. The pavillion area is to be moved over to where the Myrtle Square Mall property currently sits, so we'll still have a mini-theme park, but the oceanfront is just too valuable not to competely dig up and turn into condos, apparently.

Yep, I can remember this area when restaurant row only had one restaurant on it (Cluey's Golden Ox) way back in the 60's. Now, it's reminding me more and more of Virginia Beach. High rise after high rise.

Anyway, I guess we're getting our share of big city problems vis a vie serial killers.

[Heddi]

34. My Father-In-Law took us around the golf course where he works

---Grande Dunes I think---anyways, they're building all these multi (I mean MULTI) million dollar houses on multi (and I do mean multi) million dollar lots. He's driving us around this fugging golf course for like TWO HOURS showing us that this lot cost 3 million, the house an additional $20M, that lot is a double lot and the house is 11 gazillion square feet blah blah blah...

And the houses were...well, they were houses. Very close together (we're talking less than 10 feet apart). So some of them had 3 car garages--big deal....my bathroom was bigger than their front AND back yards combined (and my bathroom is TINY)---and I thought "what fucking gluttony!" Dad is very materialistic and believes that a person's value in life is directly correlated to the material possessions they have (and even more correlated to how much they spend on worthless property). I thought "Why would ANYONE pay $23 MILLION for a house that's 4 miles from the beach, on a crummy golf course, no privacy, no NOTHING, and backs up to a fucking FREEWAY?"

aye.

Sadder is that SC has Federal Min. Wage ($5.15/hr)--here in Washington, min wage is state-set and I believe it's $7.50 an hour. Who BUYS these houses there? Certainly no one that works in Food/Beverage in MB---I know those poor grunts don't make ANYWHERE NEAR $7 an hour....who can afford a $450k house?

Poor Husband--grew up in MB, worked at the SpeedBoats (which is now gone) and had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO from Labour Day through Memorial Day because (back then) there WAS nothing to do in MB in the 'off season'. It seems now that there IS no 'off season', and they're catering to the RICH GOLFERS who buy 2nd and 3rd homes in MB, but have absolutely NO concern for the locals (those from Conway, Georgetown, Surfside, Myrtle Beach proper).

Sad.

It's pretty much the same in Charleston---you can't afford to live South of North Charleston if you're not a lawyer or a Doctor. It's a shame that the locals, the ones who BUILD the economy (aside from the tourists, of course), are totally priced out of their own town.

That's why we left the SOuth. Of course housing isn't cheap in Seattle or Portland, but at least you get a higher wage and much more worker-friendly companies than you do in the South.

Oh yeah. ANd no confederate flags up here either :)

:hi:

[MrScorpio]

9. They just flashed his face on Headline News

He should be caught soon

[Aiptasia]

13. Hope so..

The news reported that "He's probably long gone by now" on last night's news reports, as he has family in Fayetteville, NC and someplace else (somewhere in VA).

Then, two more bodies turn up this morning.

We'll all be none too happy when this guy is behind bars. If you're in my area, keep a watch out for a black Mazda B-2300 pickup with the plates 709 PYJ and call [phone].

[MrScorpio]

18. Virginia?!? Fuck

If he's on I-95, I hope he stays there

May the VA State Troopers have their way with his ass

[Redstone]

12. People here know how I feel about firearms, but

in this case the 12-gauge is warranted.

Just don't shoot anyone else by mistake, no matter how nervous you get.

Redstone

[Aiptasia]

16. I agree..

And that's the reason i've never loaded it. I kinda live out in the country a little bit out of town anyway. I haven't done any shooting since I was a kid, but I bought the gun for home defense about six months ago. It holds four shots in the barrel and one in the chamber, and i'm going to be loading it for the first time tonight.

[Wcross]

36. Wouldn't be a bad idea to stop somewhere and practice.

You need to shoot that shotgun a couple of times to get a feel for it. You would be suprised, it isn't as easy as it looks to be on target. I would also recommend OO buck for the most effective self defense shell. Deer slugs take some skill to hit at any amount of range. Don't use bird shot- it might not take him down.

BTW- I am a democrat, I keep a shotgun loaded at all times in a cabinet by the front door. I keep my two 45 1911's loaded at all times, one at my desk and the other in my nightstand. I keep an AR15 and a M1a in my gun safe with loaded magazines. I hope being anti-gun isn't a requirement for approval of my fellow dems.

Now you know how I feel about guns.

[Technowitch]

15. Just remember: The cops ARE there, looking for this lunatic

*hugs*

For what it's worth, I'd get my Mossberg 12ga and have it loaded, too, though.

[Bunny]

17. Wow! Stay safe.

Keep that gun loaded and ready. :scared:

[johnnie]

19. I'll do my part

...Calling all cars, calling all cars. Be on the lookout for this guy:



Please stay safe and stay alert. I'm sure they will get this guy soon.

[Aiptasia]

20. lol..

I'm sitting here in my office, talking about this serial killer nut with a fellow real estate agent here, and I told him I just had some bird shot for the 12 gauge.

He just handed me four 2 & 3/4" buckshot shells from out of his glove box in his truck. Welcome to the south!!!

[johnnie]

21. Note to self:

Don't do your serial killin' in the south Johnnie.
Lol.
No, I'm not a serial killer... don't go turning my name in to the feds please.

[Zuni]

26. LOL

"I got some cop killer bullets and a .45 in my desk you can borrow!"
"Here, here is some C-4 I just had lying around."

[FuzzySlippers]

29. Oh crap.

That's the guy I have a date with tonight. You think I should cancel?

[johnnie]

32. A date is a date

Just have him pay for dinner and THEN turn him in.

[Aiptasia]

22. A snippet from the paper about Stephen Stanko

-snip- (The sun news, america's most wanted)

Lost Job, Strange Interests
On Monday, Stanko was fired from his job after one month as a salesman for Stucco Supply in Myrtle Beach, said Jeff Kendall, Stucco Supply's general manager.

Kendall said Stanko was unreliable but a smooth talker who was always well dressed and upfront about his time in prison and about several convictions in the Charleston area.

Stanko was released from a Ridgeville prison in July after serving 8½ years of a 10-year sentence for kidnapping in Berkeley County. Stanko co-wrote "Living in Prison: A History of the Correctional System" while in prison with the help of two professors. -AP

Sheriff Lane Cribb said a search of Stanko's residence pointed to a troubling interest.

"We found a lot of information about serial killers," Cribb said. "He just seems to be real interested in serial killers, and he started out heading that way," Cribb said, referring to the crime spree.

-snip-

[Zuni]

23. It seems he raped a little girl

After he lost his job that he got after he got out of prison for kidnapping, he raped a girl. Then the girl told the cops, and he killed his girlfriend and some other guy.

Sounds like he is a spree killer who snapped after losing his job

[Mutley]

24. i would

check into a hotel very very far away (but close enough to get to work, school, etc) until he is caught.

[Zuni]

25. We are all praying for you

keep the shotgun close by, and the phone handy by your bed. Please make sure all of your windows are secured---an unlocked window that people forget about is often the way they get in your home.

I trust you know how to handle a firearm, so I am not going to lecture you about gun safety.

Hopefully this POS will be caught by the time you go home from work. I read that he raped a young girl, and that event is what triggered this killing spree after she told the cops. Sounds like a real nasty SOB down there

[Aiptasia]

30. Thanks! i'll keep you posted..

Yep, he raped a girl from the Socastee/Murrells Inlet area before going on this berzerk killing spree. I guess, after he was fired, he just figured he'd commit to his plans of being a serial killer/rapist.

My father is a Korean war vet, and he taught me how to shoot. It's been about 15 years since i've shot a firearm but it's like falling off a log. Four in the stock, one in the chamber, safety is on and the 12 gauge has a trigger lock on it. I'll try not to shoot my toes off. :)

I'll just keep it handy until they catch this guy.

[Aiptasia]

27. Two more dead...

From what i've been able to find out, the dead bodies they found this morning were actually a couple, victims of a home invasion. The local newspaper is saying "Police are hesitant to speculate whether these recent killings are related (To Stephen Stanko)."

I think they're putting on a false front to avoid overly-panicking the people in our area, but..

Our office manager is married to an investegator with the N. Myrtle Beach police department, and she is saying they're pretty much convinced it's Stephen's handiwork.

[Aiptasia]

39. I'll just sic my psycho cat on him instead..

Actually, Jesco.. my 14 lb. redneck cat, would run and hide. Where's rambo kitty when you need him?

[Danmel]

28. I was 17 during the "Summer of Son of Sam"

When he was shooting 17 year old girls and their boyfriends. None of us went anywhere at night- we were SO seriously freaked out, He killed a girl not too far from where I lived- her name was Stacey Moskowitz. I was working in Manhattan that summer, living in Brooklyn and we all were looking over our shoulders constant;y- it was awful!

Be careful out there!

[MadHound]

31. A couple of suggestions

Put something noisy, windchimes, bells, near or on your door, so that if he comes through it while you are elsewhere in the house you'll hear him come in.

Go and get some 2X4s, and cut them to a length that fits snugly between the window frame and sill, so that he can't open the window from the outside(trust me, window locks only keep out the amateurs). Thus, he'll have to break a window(more noise)to get in.

Look in your car thoroughly before you get in it.

If you don't have a dog, see if you can borrow a big one from a friend for a few days.

Stay safe, be vigalante, be careful

[DrGonzoLives]

33. Get a gun

I would. First freak that comes after me suddenly is going to get painful new additions to his legs.

[Aiptasia]

37. got one

and it's a good one, too.. makes big holes in things.

[supernova]

38. Eek! Think I'll call and check up on my aunt

She lives in Cherry Grove. :scared:

Perhaps she went to visit her son in Concord.

I don't know what to say, other than be aware of your surroundings. Take care of yourself.

[Aiptasia]

41. Give her a call...

and make sure she's safe.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

40. I once scared off a prowler with a pump action...

I simply cocked it when he tried to get into the back door. I swear the screen door slammed and he ran off. We called the sheriff's office anyway, but he was gone. Damn, that was scary. You may not even need to worry about loading it. The sad thing is, a lot of people will have loaded guns. And someone is going to get shot by a loved one. It happened during the Night Stalker hysteria in California. Just make sure before you pull the trigger you've fully identified whoever it was that just came it. Don't be too worried. The odds that he'll strike your house are slim. Good luck.
Duckie

[Aiptasia]

42. except all of the searches and manhunts are in my neighborhood right now

and I live alone, and home invasion does appear to be in his vocabulary.

I don't intend to take the trigger lock or the safety off, just take the gun out of it's case and load it. Hopefully, i'll be unloading it in just the same way sometime within the next 48 hours, and not unloading it into this guy's chest.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

43. When someone picks a house to invade...

There are criteria. They go for places with unlocked windows and dark yards. Unless that's you and you're totally apathetic about security, you'll be ok. Do you have an alarm? I'm sure your local alarm company is having a boom. We have one, and it's great. Even if you just get a sticker, that detours them a ton too.
Duckie

[Aiptasia]

45. brand new neighborhood

So parts are dark, parts are well lit. It's a brand new neighborhood, so there are dark places to hang out and woods/bramble to take cover in. An alarm company would be useless as I live alone. I'm capable of dialing 911, and if i'm not home, I won't care. Insurance can cover any material losses although robbery isn't this guy's motive.

At this point, he's on the run looking for homes to hide out in, i'm quite sure. The pattern so far is: invade homes, kill/rape occupants, hide out till dark, swap cars and move on.

Like I said, i'm more worried for my folks and aunt/uncle that live in the area. They're all getting up in years.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

46. I see...

Good luck.
Duckie

[Maddy McCall]

44. Since you live alone, take the lock off, load it, keep safety on...

and keep it nearby. You've seen Stanko's photo. You know what he looks like.

[Aiptasia]

47. The gun lock

It's a simple twist lock and I can unlock it in two seconds if I keep the key in it. I'm probably just going to leave the "J" key in it until they catch this guy.

[Heddi]

48. **MSNBC REPORTS HE WAS CAUGHT***

Just now...1pm PST---Stanko was caught in Augusta GA by...someone....but he's caught. You can sleep safely now!

[ret5hd]

49. YOU CAN RELAX NOW!

looks like they caught him.

[Aiptasia]

50. YAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!!!!

They got em...

Now I don't have to load the shotgun.

-snip-
Ex-convict Stephen Stanko, suspected of slaying two local people and sexually assaulting another, was captured Tuesday in Augusta, Ga., said U.S. Marshal Deputy Tim Stec.

Stec said 37-year-old Stanko was taken into custody about 3:30 p.m., but he did not have any more information about his arrest.

Stanko was captured without incident, Horry County police said. A news conference is set for 5 p.m. today at the M.L. Brown Public Safety Building in Conway.

-snip-