Snapped
The blade of my knife
Faced away from your heart
Those last few nights
It turned and sliced you apart
This love that I tell
Now feels lonely as hell
From this padded prison cell…
“You’re All I Need”
From Girls, Girls, Girls by Motley Crüe. (Lyrics by Nikki Sixx)
For weeks before he sadistically murdered 20-year-old Abigail Vandiver, Richard E. Gellner III would listen to Motley Crüe’s “You’re All I Need” over and over. Then the 15-year-old honor student and former Boy Scout would grab a butcher knife and prowl his neighborhood looking for some place to break in and cause some mayhem.
“He never did, apparently because he was afraid of getting caught,” DeKalb County (Georgia) Assistant Prosecutor Steven Roberts told the press
Blaming Motley Crüe for Abigail’s murder makes as much sense as saying the Beatles were responsible for the Manson family’s crimes because Manson and his followers listened to “Helter Skelter” from the White Album. Those who believe violent media promote crime are mistaking correlation for causation. However, in the late 1980s, when Gellner committed his crime, music warning labels were a topic of popular discussion, and the media never failed to note that “You’re All I Need” was written by Nikki Sixx after he learned that his girlfriend was cheating on him. The narrator of the song proceeds to take his revenge by stabbing his lover to death.
“He said he listened to this on his earphones every night before he went to bed,” Roberts said. “It started dwelling on him.”
There was little else to blame for Gellner’s sadistic attack on Abigail.
The worst the court-appointed psychiatrists could say about Gellner was that he might have had Borderline Personality Disorder coupled with “low self-esteem and difficulties with his sexual identity.”
The prosecutor added that there was physical abuse present in the Gellner household.
In reality, there is little chance of anyone ever really knowing what made Richard Gellner III kill.
In July 1987, Abigail, who had been a competitive figure skater in upstate New York, was working part-time at an Italian restaurant in Dunwoody, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. Gellner was working as a dishwasher in the same restaurant.
In addition to knowing Abigail through work, Gellner was friends with a son of Hope Taratoot, Abigail’s older sister, with whom she lived. Gellner occasionally mowed Taratoot’s lawn.
The crime occurred in the early evening of July 18, 1987 (Girls, Girls, Girls was released in June of that year, clearly demonstrating the remarkable power rock music has to warp impressionable minds in a short period of time) on a Saturday when Gellner was mowing the Taratoot yard. He knocked on the door and Abigail answered. She had just taken a shower and was in her bathrobe, authorities said. She let Gellner in to use the phone and he followed her upstairs where he attacked her.
“It was one of the most vicious killings I’ve seen in the last eight years that I’ve been here,” Roberts said. “I think there have been only one or two that compare to this.”
Although Gellner later admitted that he attacked and murdered Abigail, he has never explained what prompted the crime. The best investigators and psychiatrists could do was make assumptions that Abigail’s rejection of his sexual advances prompted it.
“He said he knew he was going to do something when he went into the house,” Roberts told the press. “I think all of these things just came together at that moment.”
Gellner said before he attacked Abigail he removed his wristwatch so that it wouldn’t get bloody. Then he used a telephone cord to strangle her. Abigail fought back desperately; she bit off the tip of his right-hand little finger — an act that would help police nail her killer.
After she slipped into unconsciousness, Gellner went berserk and engaged in what criminalists call “overkill:” excessive trauma beyond that necessary to cause death. He stabbed Abigail 57 times with three different knives, hit her in the head with a drinking glass, and attempted to cut off her head using hedge trimmers.
Then he took a shower and went home, wearing his bloody clothes.
Exhibiting no remorse and apparently no fear of getting caught (or perhaps resigned to his fate) Gellner told his parents that the blood came from the fact that he lost part of his finger in the lawn mower. They rushed him to the emergency room, where doctors said the tip could be reattached if it could be located.
The Gellner family took him back to the Taratoot home to find the missing fingertip.
In the meantime, Hope Taratoot had returned home to find Abigail lying dead in a pool of blood on the kitchen floor. She summoned police.
About 15 minutes after police arrived, the Gellner family came by. Police asked what they were doing there. Gellner told authorities that he was “looking for his finger” and claimed that he had lost it in the garage. However, there was no blood in the garage.
Gellner’s fingertip was found about six feet from Abigail’s body, police said. He was taken into custody at that point.
In February 1988, just before his trial was set to begin, Gellner pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. He was sentenced to life in prison, and was eligible to apply for parole in 1995.
Prosecutor Roberts pointed out the most alarming aspect of the case: the unpredictability of the violent killer.
“It scares me to think that there are people out there like him,” he said after Gellner pleaded guilty. “He was a very good student, a school athlete, came from a good family and was about seven merit badges away from being an Eagle Scout.”
As of June 2007, Gellner remains in prison.
Shameless Self-Promotion
Thanks for writing up this crime. I live on the street where it happened and many of these details are new to me. We moved here in 1996 and when we were meeting new folks and would tell them where we lived they would get a funny look and ask about which house we had moved in to. It had remained on the market for a long time. Anyway, thanks for this info.
Comment by Steve Barton — 5/23/2007 @ 9:38 am
Like Steve said, I appreciate you writing about this crime. I was a 13 year old living in
Dunwoody at the time this happened. I did not know Gellner. For some reason, I have always been
fascinated about this. How does a “good kid” from a “good home” who never had any kind of run-in
with the law prior do a crime as heinous as this?!?!??! I know he is still incarcerated, but
wonder what he is like now? When will he get out? He is now in his mid 30’s…
Comment by former Dunwoody kid — 6/5/2007 @ 11:13 am
How can a cold-blooded killer like this be eligible for parole after only 7 years in prison?
Whatever happened to “life without parole”? This is a killer who should NEVER be released!
Comment by Jay Enterkin — 6/9/2007 @ 2:09 pm
Interesting, I went to vanderlyn elementary with him in dunwoody and remember well the murder, it was a huge story in atlanta at the time, I remember they always showed a picture of him wearing a dunwoody country club t-shirt. I do remember him as an introverted kid but nice and unassuming, a kid that just faded into the scene and was unremarkable but not in a bad way. The only thing that I remember different about the story was I think another neighborhood boy originally drove him to the hospital not the parents and yes the fingetip was the key to the whole deal. After 5th or 6th grade I didn’t see him much so I can’t say what he was like at the time of the murder. I do wonder about what made him do it and even more so the parents and how you ever move on from your son murdering someone. I remember her parents sued his alleging they knew he had problems and were therefore culpable in her death. They too alleged abuse in his home. The court found no evidence of abuse and ultimatly found in favor of his parents the court saying there was no evidence to show they could have known he was troubled. Obviously, he is best kept behind bars as I am not believer you can cure someone who commits a crime that horrific. I still feel most sorry of course for the poor girl, her family and her friends. Thanks for the update, where did you get your info?
Comment by dunwoody kid — 7/13/2007 @ 5:17 am
Mark-or anyone else for that matter-this case is of interest to me. I am know I saw a photo of the Crime Scene in this case but where I can’t seem to remember. If anyone knows would you please reply to this comment. Thanks. MGySgt Randy C Ford USMC [2/4 Marines] Retired.
Comment by BigIron1901 — 7/15/2007 @ 11:22 pm
I was his classmate in honor classes and at a special science magnet. I would also say he was a friend. I remember coming home the day he was arrested and being asked about him. To this day I still shake at the story and do not understand what happened. He wrote letters from prison to a mutual friend for a while — though I do not know what happened there. My sister knew his and she claimed not to have one. I also knew the Taratoots. I went into social work and understand personality disorders etc. but this one never made any sense.
Comment by another dunwoody kid — 7/16/2007 @ 11:58 am
Interestingly, I served time with Gellner.
Quiet, unassuming, too smart for his own good. He was attending college at the time.
Always had a crush on him, oddly enough.
He never spoke of his crime, and would immediately get defensive if anyone mentioned it.
Far from a violent man, I’m in disagreement with folks who say not to give him another chance.
Haven’t seen or heard from Gellner for over a decade, so I’ve really no idea what he’s like today, but I found him a likable fellow.
Comment by AnonyMouse — 8/10/2007 @ 9:41 am
I went to school with Richard Gellner for 7 years. He was quiet, polite, smart, handsome and kind. I know he was involved in track, and I think tennis too?! I remember his parents and I thought they were a little strange. I have read the allegations of abuse in that house and it would not surprise me. I remember the day this happened and all the fear that it brought into our beautiful community. I have been fascinated with the case since the day I learned it was Richard Gellner. It’s still so hard to comprehend! I have thought of him and his little sister and his family and Abigail’s family so many times over the years. Unlike some of the other opinions expressed here; I actually would like to see Richard get a chance on parol. He has been behind bars for 20 years–since he was 15 years old. I know there are kids who do things this stupid and go to Juvenile Detention and get out much sooner than 20 years. Look at the 2 boys in England that tortured and killed a 2 year old boy (James Bulger) and were released on parol after serving 8 years of their life sentences. Not only that–they were given new identities so that they would not be harmed/bothered by the public at large. If THEY can get a second chance, then I feel that Richard should too.
Comment by Classmate — 8/29/2007 @ 9:32 pm
I grew up in Dunwoody and remember this vividly. He was active in sports, but not good. His parents, particularly his father, pushed him to excel but he was just not a very athletic kid. My parents were members of DCC at the time too and our fathers were on the same tennis team, and I remember my parents talking to me about how he was expected to excel. He sat right behind me in Mrs. Goolsby’s German class and Taratoot also was in that class. I was a grade above him so the only class I had with him was German. I do remember him as smart and quiet, a pretty unassuming kid. I also remember being freaked out the night it happened, and driving by the crime scene a few times. Also, a few days or a week later I remember looking into the windows of the house and there was a lot of blood on the kitchen floor. Strange and fascinating, I don’t know why I just searched the net for this but, here it is. I guess it was just so close to home…
Comment by classmate — 9/5/2007 @ 2:15 pm
I was in 8th grade when he was in 9th. I was on the wrestling team and happened to be in the same weight class(Incidentally, I never beat him on the mat which makes me an even worse athlete!). I still have a copy of the team picture with him in it. I remember him being smart and quiet and always nice to me. About 3 years later I was working at the Eckerd Drug store on Chamblee Dunwoody when a woman came it to make some purchases. She paid with a check that had “Gellner” at the top. I did a double take and then saw a picture of Richard in her wallet. I have to admit, it freaked me out.
Comment by Another Classmate — 9/14/2007 @ 1:59 pm
Wow! I have often wondered if this crime would ever get mention on the web. I appreciate the reporter being as thorough as he was. His facts are amazing accurate. I’m sure some of the crime was left out as to avoid tainting case. One tidbit: The fact that Richard Took His Shoes Off ( a rules that HAD to be Followed in the Taratoot House) Before he took his shower is amazing! He had just slaughtered this poor girl that then remembers to take his shoes off before he goes upstairs.
I grew up with both Richard and Taratoot (I will leave his first name out for confidentiality purposes). The three of us spent countless hours fishing together at Zaban Park, playing games in the Dunwoody HS computer lab, and just hanging out at the Bowling Alley .. We knew each others houses as well as we knew our own. Frighteningly, my sister was the same age as Abby (as we all knew here).
Prior to his becoming a vicious killer, I had on many occasions called him my closest friend and the three of us thick as thieves.
The part about the physical abuse from his father was quite accurate. I personally witnessed it on at least 3 separate occasions. I remember Richard in tears (and afraid to go home after school) after he received a score of 98 on an exam. He told me that his father would kick his ass for not receiving a perfect score. A couple days later I went to Richards’s house to discover him badly bruised and beaten. He mother always seemed to be one of those soft spoken quite housewives who just shrugged her shoulder and looked the other way.
To say this was a shock would be an understatement. Richard has a mischievous nature and the 3 of us fed off of this. Execution of this ideas never happened because he was too timid for execution. The worse thing we ever did was throw water-baloons at passing cars..
I considered Richard to be a very close friend and NEVER once saw a sign that he was capable of this. He was drug free so clearly something inside his brain snapped.
The posting that he was confused about his sexuality was a shocker. We all talked about girls as much as possible. If he was deep down gay, I never saw it. Although I’m sure that after 20 years of prison has sorted out any questions he has had about this topic.
Taratoot and I had both gone off to summer camps when this happened. : I arrived the day after only to discover that Richard as been arrested for murder.. I was so shocked that I left a voice message on the Taratoos home line sating that I couldn’t believe Richard had killed someone. Of COURSE – noone bothered to tell me that the victim was Ben’s aunt.
After we learned what had happened: Being like 15-16 yr old boys were , my friends and I immediately grabbed Taratoot and took to drinking beers and running the crime-scene lookers off with baseball bats. We did our best console him in this time of sorrow. On a side note: I was very impressed that his father put aside his bitter divorce with Hope to help here through this crisis.
Although we shouldn’t have, We looked into the kitchen window and it was quite obvious as to what happened. Blood pools, sheet rock cut out (apparently he left a bloody -palm print on the sheetrock.> I had nightmares for years about looking in that window.
The music didn’t change Richard, Richard changed himself. If you live in enough pain and suffering anyone can go crazy.
Comment by Childhood Friend — 10/19/2007 @ 11:09 pm
I had a really hard time excepting the fact that this skinny little kid could commit such a brutal crime. My younger brother was pretty good friends with Richard and would get letters from him from Jail. The letters were very interesting because he would talk about computor topics and never mentioned anything about being in jail. He would call the house every now in then & would complain about how some of the other prisoner would call him names. The last day we heard from Richard was the day he plead guilty to murder. He called the house that evening & I answered the phone. I had just watched video of Richard leaving the court room crying on the evening news & here was this little kid who commited such a terrible crime on the phone. I remember my brother telling him he was sorry to hear about his day in court, and Richard changed the topic immediatly.
The night before the murder, I took Richard & my brother to Perimeter Mall so they could hang out. I will never forget looking in my rear view mirror & seeing Richard sitting in the back seat of my car & he just had this look of this Geeky little high school kid. I could never get that look out of my mind when I thought about what a terrible crime he commited. I really had a hard believing this kid could commit murder because he seemed like such a nice kid. I really felt bad for Richard because I knew that Prison was going to be brutal on him. Richard was Dunwoody’s version of Norman Bates, years ago I wished that the kid would get a second chance, but today I feel diffently.
Comment by Dunwoody Guy — 11/8/2007 @ 7:38 pm
Comment number 8 comes from a former classmate: “Unlike some of the other opinions expressed here; I actually would like to see Richard get a chance on parol.”
I hope Richard stays in prison until he dies. He took a young woman’s life in a cruel way. He tortured her. Who cares if he made good grades and was a former Boy Scout? What happens if they let him out and he goes crazy and kills another women?
Comment by tapdancer — 11/15/2007 @ 6:28 pm
Richard deserves to rot forever for what he did. Sadistic, cruel. I hope his years in prison have been terrible for him. Abs was a sweet girl with ambitions like the rest of us. He carved her up like a piece of meat and had is reported to have had sex with her dead body. A complete piece of crap that should never see the light of day if you ask me!
Can you believe that this happened so long ago that she actually never even learned what the internet is? May her memory live on through the web, and may his horrible crime continue to do so!
Comment by Dunwoody Kid — 11/23/2007 @ 12:52 am
I can’t believe there are actually people that think this violent animal should ever be let out of prison. This pile of shit chased her through the house, kicked his way into the storage room she had barricaded herself into, and then when she managed to make it to the street screaming for her life, he drug her back into the house and eventually killed her in the kitchen. She fought him for her life with everything she had and lost. In the process she cut (or bit) his finger off. But alas this was not enough to stop him.
After he violently took her life by repeatedly stabbing her, attempting to cut her head off, he then raped her bloody, lifeless body! Not only did he have her life, he apparently felt he should take her dignity as well.
The Nerdy kid we all remember had a demon inside him that he let loose on this poor girl! That sort of Evil never goes away.
What he did is NOT forgivable. How can anyone say that such a violent crime doesn’t mandate lifetime imprisonment?
I hope he has been sodomized every day and that his years in prison have been cruel and intolerable. I hope that the life has been slowly choked out of him. I pray that he lives to be an old man. I wish that after an eternity in prison he dies only to burn for an eternity in Hell!
Comment by Another Dunwoody Kid — 12/13/2007 @ 9:05 pm
I am writing to ask for your support in keeping Richard Gellner II in prison as he is now up for parole 2 years earlier then previously expected. (5/08) There is a great possibility that the parole board may seiously consider this due to over-crowding and his “good behavior”. He was given a Life sentence and as Abby has no chance of walking out of her grave after a set # of years to start over then why allow him that freedom? Please send your letter requesting parole be denied to: State Board of Pardons and Paroles
2 Martin Luther King,Jr. Drive, SE
Balcony Level, East Tower
Atlanta, Georgia 30334
RE: Richard Gellner II EG 220624
Comment by Burkett — 4/4/2008 @ 6:09 pm
Is it true? Are they letting him out?
Comment by Stunned Dunwoodian — 5/19/2008 @ 10:08 am
Thank you so much Mr. Gribben for writing this Story and posting it on the internet. Thank you Dunwoody Kids for all your remarks. It has helped me a great deal to know people still care. Although this case is 20+ years ago, my sister remains with me. Not gone or forgotten, but her memory lives on through people who care. Most of you care because it hit your neighborhood HARD. I feel everything you feel. When I received the phone call that Abby was murdered, I vommitted, then I smashed in a glass table with my fist. I went to my sister Hope’s house days later and no one would let me look in the kitchen, the smell of blood was overwhelming. Even years later when spending the night in the house the smell never went away.
Comment by A Vandiver Best (sister) — 7/31/2008 @ 10:06 am
I didn’t find out about the Story on the web until a few months ago. I have been ever protected by my famil because Abby was so close to me. I had one sister die in her early 20’s by hit and run. She was married and pregnant. Abby and I attended her funeral together and now Abby is buried next to her. Mr. Gellner will be on work release for 9 months to see if he is “capable” of living in society. Please re-examine Mr. Steve Roberts (assistant DA of Dekalb CO) comments in the story. Especially his comment “the unpredictability of the violent killer”. And as for those people who feel that he deserves a second chance, would they let him come into their home and live - keeping in their mind how unpredictable he could be. A. Vandiver Best (Abby’s Sister)
Comment by A Vandiver Best (sister) — 7/31/2008 @ 10:17 am
I remember this story as I went to High School with him. I didn’t know him. However, a crime like this…he should NEVER be released. If he does I hope the public is aware that a killer was released from prison. i’d be scared of my daughters’ lives!
Comment by Anonymous — 10/16/2008 @ 2:27 pm
The legal system frightens me. I can’t believe they let him out. I knew him fairly well in Elementary school.
Given his voilent murder of Abby, I certainly wouldn’t want Gellner anywhere near me. Perhaps he will come to work with the people that have champinoed for his release.
Anyways: Here’s hoping he get’s hit by a bus.
Mrs. Best- Thank you for sharing your experiences and memories here. People often forget that the family is also a victim. Our prayers are with you.
Comment by Dunwoody guy — 11/7/2008 @ 3:11 pm
Just wanted to correct #21. As of December 9th, 2008, Richard Gellner’s ass is still in prison. He has not (yet) been released.
Comment by correction man — 12/9/2008 @ 10:16 pm
I am glad to hear he is still in prison. Here is hoping he rots there
Comment by glad to hear it — 12/16/2008 @ 6:12 pm
wow - I knew the gossip about this crime as I lived in the area but was a good bit younger. I knew his sister pretty well although she never mentioned him. I never met their dad - but met their mom after the murder. I don’t know if it was because of the murder or not, but she seemed very odd. Quiet, meek and very loopy like she was always on a LOT of Vallium (Not saying she was - just liked she acted like it.) His sis never mentioned any abuse - but we weren’t very close or anything. If he was abused and thats what made him crack - I feel bad for him - but not enough to let him out. If he cracked and did something so crazy violent who knows what would set him off again. This crime had a lot of victims as do most crimes, and its sad he basically lost his life too. I guess thats the thing though - he “basically” lost his life but his victim did lose her life. Prison is for 2 reasons, rehab and punishment, and I don’t think he should get to get out and fall in love, get married,have kids, etc when his victim never will. (AND you can’t guarantee he wouldn’t do it again.) My thoughts and prayers are with both families though. I just remember what a shock this was- in safe boring Dunwoody.
Comment by dunwoody student — 1/24/2009 @ 12:26 am
I was yet another kid at Dunwoody at the same. When the murder occurred, it was shocking to the community. Dunwoody was always thought to be such a safe, peaceful community. It was the type of place where you never expected anything like that to happen. The high school was a school of excellence (whatever that means), nearly every kid who left went to college and turned out alright.
I was not friends with Richard, but certainly remember him. He was introverted and sort of quiet, kind of nerdy. He was very close with the Taratoot kid. I don’t think he had a whole lot of friends outside of the Taratoot kid. I certainly don’t remember him dating or involved with any girls. I would always see them together. They would always hang out in the library together.
Who in the world knows what happened to cause him to snap. I remember when it happened, the finger tip was indeed the key to making the arrest. Initially Richard denied involvement until his finger tip was found close to the body. At that time he confessed. I remember it being on the news and how the report tried to tie in the involvement of Motley Crue and saying that he used to listen to Motley Crue every night and the lyrics got him to fantasize about killing a girl.
Well the good news is that Richard is still incarcerated. I just checked the Georgia department of corrections web site. It list all currently incarcerated felons. It is hard to believe anyone would think someone who committed such a horrific act would deserve a second chance. It would be very scary to think what could happen if he ever did get out.
Comment by Dunwoody Wildcat — 2/13/2009 @ 10:49 am
Richard was my lab partner the school year before the murder. It was our 9th grade year and I appreciated his intelligence, kindness and humor. I remember hearing about the murder that summer while in the car with my parents and when his name was mentioned I immediately came to his defense. Although we weren’t “friends”, from what I knew I would have probably put him 500 or lower on the list of my 550+ classmates if you asked who was most likely to commit a murder. Even all these years later, I question my image of him (and even my memory) because I really just don’t understand how he could have committed such a violent crime. I always thought of him as a “geek” or “nerd’, but certainly nowhere near the bottom of the DHS social ladder. At 15 I never thought he was having sex, but 90% (plus or minus) of our classmates probably weren’t either. My hazy recollection is that the news insinuated this murder was somehow related to Richard wanting to have or having sex with Abigail.
Anyway, my heart breaks for Abigail’s family, and it breaks for Richard and his family too. How terrible his life must have secretly been for murder to be a possibility in the world where we were ALL expected to make good grades, behave and excel? I too was raised in an “abusive” home (emotional not physical) with extremely high expectations and no tolerance for failure, but could not even imagine an outcome like this for ANYONE I knew. His life leading up to this must have been a secret hell. How terrible that instead of SOMEONE discovering this and helping him he was left with his own demons to enact such a life altering act of violence? Further, I know that while I am similar to my 15 year old self, I am certainly not the same person at 37. God bless Abigail’s family. Hopefully Richard will share some reasoning with us all that will shed life on this monstrosity.
Comment by lab partner — 3/21/2009 @ 8:34 pm
I grew up in Dunwoody, and reading through the stories about Annie Le (and trying to make sense of her violent murder) got me thinking of Richard Gellner and his senseless, violent actions. I’m amazed by how many people have commented on this page, and I see that this murder has left an indelible memory for anyone growing up in Dunwoody in 1987. My recollection of Richard was as a baseball teammate at Murphey Candler. Richard’s dad, Dick, was our manager. Richard wore thick glasses and wasn’t very good at baseball. He always batted first, and whenever he struck out, he returned to the bench crying. I usually batted third and I remember feeling rattled when I went to bat, hearing Richard sobbing. I once asked Richard why he cried since baseball is just a game, and he said it kept his dad from yelling at him more. Dick screamed at all of the players (ages 9 to 12) and took much of the fun out of the game (I can still remember some of Dick’s abusive rants). I always felt badly for Richard, and when I heard after the murder case that he’d been physically abused, I was not surprised. His dad had verbally abused all of us. The comments above about his mother’s demeanor are spot-on. She allowed the abuse to happen in her home, but she may have been abused herself. It always freaked me out to see Mrs. Gellner years after the murder shopping at Kroger or Eckerd Drugs. I was one grade behind Richard at Dunwoody HS and never interacted with him after that baseball season. I was leaving for Isle of Palms, SC, the morning I heard that a 15 year old whom I knew had been accused of murder. For me, when I think of Richard and what happened to him and what he did, I am reminded in a personal, first-hand way of why we should never, ever abuse our children. My heart goes out to Abby’s family for their loss. It’s hard to believe 22 years have passed already.
Comment by Baseball teammate — 9/19/2009 @ 5:25 am
Whatever anybody thinks… NEVER LET HIM OUT!! I say this as the step mom to a child whose mom and sister were murdered in 1987. There were bloody fingerprints on photos he took of his victims that tied the murderer to the crime in our case. This man left the tip of his finger at his crime. INDISPUTABLE proof that he committed this crime. The reason I say NEVER LET HIM OUT is this, killers are killers and don’t change…. EVER!! The man who killed my stepsons mom and sister, also killed his grandma, great grandma and aunt 20 yrs before he killed them. He got life for the first killings and got out in 20 yrs. He then tried to strangle his landlord and got put back in prison. After both of those crimes Alabama paroled him and he killed again. These people were totally innocent, and if he had not been paroled they would be alive today. Murderers who have been found guilty because of indisputable proof, whether its bloody fingerprints on photos they took of their victims or leaving the tip of his finger at a crime scene should never step foot out of prison. Preferably they should be put to death so there is no chance of them ever killing again. WAKE UP AMERICA!! Stop keeping the people who smoke a joint in jail for 30 yrs while allowing murderers with multiple victims out on parole after 20 yrs. If they would let the nonviolent stoners out of jail they would have plenty of room for animals like this. And maybe lives would be saved. (This is just an example of the stupid decisions our lawmakers and judicial systems make, I am in no way glorifying stoners.) I hope that the Georgia parole board (my birth state) makes a better decision then the Alabama parole board did. The people have a right to make their opinions known when it comes to letting killers out.
Comment by Aaron's Step-Mama — 2/7/2010 @ 4:44 pm
If you would like to read about the murder that happened to our family, you don’t have to look far. We found out that Rayond Eugene Brown died of natural causes on November 24, 2008 right here on this site. A story was written here on 5/18/2006 about the murders of Aaron’s mom and sister, Linda & Sheila. The story was called “Killing for the pleasure of it” category 1960s-1980s. One of the comments stated at the end of the story that he died of natural causes after 21 yrs on death row. He was 14 when he killed in 1961, add 12 years he served of a life sentence, paroled in 1973 and spent 7 yrs free, in 1980 he was sent back to prison for attempting to strangle his landlord and let out again in 1986. On August 9,1987 he killed Linda & Sheila in what was called one of the bloodiest “ritual” murders in Alabama history. He then spent 21 yrs on “Death Row” (what a joke). He died at the ripe old age of 61 in prison of NATURAL CAUSES!!! How is this Justice? Please don’t let Richard E. Gelner III out or it damn sure can happen again.
No explanation as to why he didn’t kill Aaron also. I just thank God that he didn’t.
Comment by Aaron's Step-Mama — 2/8/2010 @ 2:50 am
I have gone back and found the few mistakes I made in the orriginal posts I made corrections to the time line. Sorry for the errors. Thank you for your time to everyone who reads my posts.
Comment by Aaron's Step-Mama — 2/8/2010 @ 2:53 am
i am so sorry to hear the story from Aaron’s step mama i have tears in my eyes i’m scared that richard will get out and do it again iwould feel somewhat responsible, that’s why the last he came up for parole friends and family got over 1000 signaures against his release i was also told thatt one of the original da’s had an impact on no release.it takes time and effort to keep him in prison.every letter every response that ga. dept.of paroles gets counts thats why i keep in touch with them so he doesn’t get out. it’s sad it happened once please not again.richard is fine where he is.he can see his family.my sister however is not here,and her family misses her deeply.
Comment by amy best — 3/26/2010 @ 10:13 am
everyone should be concerned about release of any murderer or felon.we have enough loose on the streets already just waiting for an opportunity to kill or victimize some innocent person.from what richard said himself he was sneaking around looking in peoples windows for someone to kill.there are a lot of details people don’t know about because its not all in this story.this was overkill as stated in the investigators report.he also tried to cut her head off with hedge trimmers. i cannot believe the things he did .next parole dateis aug. 2011 i’ll be praying AGAIN for no release. from amy vandiver best
Comment by amy best — 3/26/2010 @ 10:49 am
those wishing to write a letter write to: ga state board of pardons and parolesaddress:2 martin luther king jrdr s.e. suite 148 balcony level east tower atl,ga 30334-4909 re:case#220624 richard gellner II NO RELEASE
Comment by amy best — 3/30/2010 @ 11:46 am
remember abby during victims rights week .search causes victims rights re:abby vandiver
Comment by amy best — 4/15/2010 @ 2:14 pm
I went to high school with Abby and just now learned of her fate. God bless you Abby! It came as no surprise that she bit off his finger. She was full of spice and life and wouldn’t have gone down without a fight. May this man child, richard gellner, rot in prison and forever be haunted by her til he spends eternity rotting in hell! Sincerely, Kevin Reid Murray I put my full name so the little prick can come to my house if he ever gets out. I got something for him.
Comment by Kevin R. Murray — 5/2/2010 @ 11:05 pm