Joseph Roy Metheny was born on March 2, 1954, he was a notorious American serial killer and rapist who operated in the Baltimore, Maryland area.
The Beginning
Joe Metheny’s childhood was marked by neglect, with an absent, alcoholic father and a mother who had to work extra shifts to support their family of six. They resided in Essex, a town near Baltimore. Although there is little information available about his early life, it is known that he joined the Army in 1973 at the age of 19, according to his mother. However, they lost touch after that and further details about his military service are unknown.
After his discharge from the Army, Metheny took up various blue-collar jobs, including working in lumberyards and as a truck driver. It was during this time that an incident occurred that triggered his desire for revenge.
By 1994, Joe Metheny was residing in South Baltimore with his girlfriend and their six-year-old son. As a truck driver, he spent long periods of time on the road. One day, upon returning home, he discovered that his girlfriend and son had vanished. It was later revealed that she had a drug addiction, and Metheny suspected that she had left with another man and was now living on the streets with him.
This realization triggered Metheny’s anger, and he spent several days searching for them, even checking halfway houses and known drug hotspots, such as under a particular bridge where he knew his girlfriend used to purchase and consume drugs.
Under the bridge, Metheny did not find his girlfriend, but instead encountered two homeless men whom he believed could lead him to her. When they denied any knowledge of her whereabouts, Metheny flew into a rage and murdered them both with an ax that he had brought along.
Moments later, he spotted a fisherman who might have seen the gruesome act, and in order to eliminate any witnesses, he killed him as well. Some experts have labeled these initial three killings as crimes of passion, although Metheny would later develop a proclivity for murder.
After committing the murders, Metheny became overwhelmed with panic and fear. In order to conceal the evidence, he disposed of the bodies by tossing them into the river.
Metheny eventually learned what had happened to his son, stating that he discovered his girlfriend had moved to another area of town with a man who forced her to sell her body for drugs. The couple was eventually arrested for drug-related offenses, and Metheny’s son was taken away from them due to neglect and abuse.
Following the murders of the two homeless men, Metheny was arrested by the police and spent eighteen months in county jail awaiting trial. However, he was eventually acquitted of any charges since he had disposed of the bodies in the nearby river, making it impossible for investigators to locate them.
He Makes Hamburger With Human Meat
Despite the lack of physical evidence connecting him to the murders, Metheny was able to walk free. He resumed his search for his missing girlfriend and child, but with a newfound, more sinister approach.
After spending eighteen months in jail, Metheny’s violent tendencies only seemed to have intensified. He wasted no time in killing two sex workers who failed to provide him with information about his missing girlfriend. However, this time he had a more effective method for disposing of their bodies.
Metheny lived in a small trailer in this place
In a departure from his previous modus operandi, Metheny chose to bring the bodies of the two sex workers to his home instead of disposing of them in the river. Once there, he dismembered them and stored their remains in Tupperware containers. He then buried the parts that he couldn’t fit in his freezer in a truck lot owned by the pallet company where he worked.
Metheny’s motive for murder seemed to have shifted from seeking revenge to a twisted form of entertainment. In the weeks that followed, he took the dismembered remains of the sex workers, mixed their flesh with beef and pork, and shaped the mixture into patties. He then opened a small roadside barbecue stand and began selling these human meat patties to unsuspecting customers.
As a result, the customers unknowingly became accomplices in his crimes, with their purchases serving as a means to conceal the bodies of Metheny’s victims.
Metheny continued to acquire more “special meat” by targeting sex workers and vagabonds whenever he needed to replenish his supply. Remarkably, he claimed that none of his customers ever complained about the taste of the meat, and no one seemed to notice that his burgers contained human flesh.
Metheny infamously claimed that the taste of human flesh is similar to that of pork, and when mixed with beef and pork, it becomes virtually indistinguishable from regular meat. He went on to warn people that they should be cautious when eating meat from unfamiliar sources, particularly at roadside stands, and urged them to consider his story before taking a bite of their sandwich.
The End of Metheny
Metheny’s criminal spree finally came to an end in 1996 when a woman named Rita Kemper managed to escape from his grasp and promptly reported him to the police.
Metheny arrested
During his interrogation, Metheny confessed to his crimes without any hesitation. He provided the authorities with details about each of his murders, including the killing of the fisherman several years prior. According to his confession, he had killed a total of 10 people, and investigators believe that he would have continued to kill had he not been apprehended.
During his trial, Metheny showed no remorse for his heinous crimes, stating that the words “I’m sorry” would be a lie. He even expressed a willingness to sacrifice his life for his actions and to face eternal damnation.
In a display of his twisted nature, Metheny went on to say that he took pleasure in his murders, and the only thing he regretted was not being able to kill his ex-girlfriend and her new partner, who he held responsible for the disappearance of his son.
Metheny was eventually found guilty by a jury and sentenced to death. However, in 2000, a judge overturned the verdict and instead sentenced him to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. Metheny remained in prison until his death in 2017.
In 2017, Metheny’s disturbing story came to an end when he was found unresponsive in his cell at the Western Correctional Institution in Cumberland. Guards attempted to revive him, but he was ultimately pronounced dead.