The Sinister Journey of John Fautenberry

Early Life: A Troubled Beginning

John Joseph Fautenberry entered the world on July 4, 1963, in New London, Connecticut, into a life that would foreshadow a troubled path. His father, a former Marine and police officer, divorced John's mother shortly after the birth of his sister, leaving young John adrift in a sea of familial rejection. His father and grandparents turned their backs, placing him solely in the care of his mother. She, seeking companionship, remarried twice. Unfortunately, these new father figures brought no solace, only neglect and physical abuse. The smallest mistakes—like confusing a potato salad with tomato salad—invited harsh beatings.

In the midst of this turmoil, Fautenberry sought refuge in his imagination. He would pretend to nail his and his sister's blankets to their beds with an imaginary hammer, hoping to anchor them against the malevolent forces he feared. The family’s frequent relocations—from Ohio to Hawaii and eventually to North Kingstown, Rhode Island, in 1983—did little to stabilize his life. By then, he'd already brushed with the law for stealing a 1968 Chrysler in Atlanta, only to be apprehended in Heflin, Alabama, after a gas station incident.

The loss of his mother to cancer in 1985 further eroded his trust in the world, pushing him towards drugs and alcohol. He drifted through various short-term jobs as a long-haul trucker, crisscrossing the United States but often losing these positions due to poor performance. His criminal record grew with minor offenses, including carrying a concealed weapon in Ohio and causing a public disturbance in Ledyard, Connecticut.

In 1986, with his birth father's assistance, Fautenberry moved to Portland, Oregon. However, his father soon relocated to southern Oregon with John’s half-brothers, leaving John Jr. behind. It was during this period that Fautenberry began a scandalous affair with his stepmother, Olivia Herndon, which persisted for nearly 15 years despite his subsequent incarceration.

The Murders: A Trail of Death

John Fautenberry's descent into murder began in November 1990 at a truck stop in Troutdale, Oregon. There, he befriended 47-year-old Donald 'Don' Nutley from Waco, Texas. Learning of Nutley's plan to visit Mount Hood for target practice, Fautenberry offered to join him. Nutley vanished that day, his fate a mystery until April 21, 1991, when his skull and teeth, marked by a bullet hole, were discovered in a wooded area near Zigzag.

The killing spree continued on February 1, 1991, when Fautenberry encountered 27-year-old trucker Gary Farmer at the Pilot Truck Stop in Bloomsbury, New Jersey. Fautenberry claimed Farmer made unwelcome sexual advances, prompting him to retaliate by killing Farmer and stealing his knife, watch, and $40, leaving the body in the truck's sleeping compartment. Farmer's identity remained unknown for days until authorities, upon identification, released a sketch of a man wanted for questioning. At the time, Fautenberry was en route to Zion, Illinois, having stopped at the truck stop for breakfast.

Just sixteen days later, 45-year-old Joseph Daron Jr. disappeared from his home in Miami Township, Ohio, after dropping off his daughters. Despite a missing persons report filed by a colleague, Daron's whereabouts remained unknown. His white 1988 Subaru was spotted in Portland, Oregon, and Idaho, while his credit cards were used 25 times by Fautenberry. On March 20, a motorist discovered Daron's body near River Downs in Anderson Township. Fautenberry had posed as a hitchhiker, only to kill and rob the kind-hearted Daron afterward.

Fautenberry then drove Daron's car across several states, eventually arriving at a party in Portland on February 23. There, he met 32-year-old Christine Anne Guthrie, a bank teller who agreed to accompany him to the Silver Sands Motel in Rockaway Beach. Anna Modrell, the motel owner, remembered seeing them. Guthrie vanished, later found dead from gunshot wounds near Timber on April 1.

The journey took him next to the Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, where he abandoned Daron's car and flew to Juneau, Alaska, on March 2 or 3. Finding work on a fishing boat, he took residence in the downtown Bergman Hotel. After being fired, Fautenberry met 39-year-old miner Jefferson "Jeff" Diffee at a rural bar on March 14. Diffee, sympathetic to Fautenberry's plight, invited him to his condominium. There, Fautenberry brutally murdered him, stabbing him 17–18 times before stealing his wallet, ATM card, and handgun. The next day, he withdrew $400 from Diffee's account, a transaction that drew police attention. Diffee's absence from work prompted coworkers to file a missing persons report.

Arrest and Legal Proceedings

Fautenberry's luck ran out three days after Diffee's murder. Under surveillance due to his connection with Daron's stolen car, police arrested him in his Juneau hotel room, where they found Diffee's bank card. During interrogations, Fautenberry confessed to six murders, including the 1984 stabbing of 25-year-old homeless man Richard F. Combs in Roseburg, Oregon. Fautenberry claimed he murdered Combs in a drunken rage, but another man, Michael T. Collier, had already confessed to and been convicted for that crime, leaving Fautenberry's confession unpursued.

Law enforcement briefly considered Fautenberry a suspect in the Dr. No murders due to his trucking profession and questioned him about another trucker’s murder in New York, though he was cleared of these suspicions. In a recorded phone interview with WKRC-TV, Fautenberry confessed to four murders but later attempted suicide, slashing his wrist with a razor. He survived the attempt.

While incarcerated, authorities profiled Fautenberry as a serial killer, drawing comparisons to notorious figures like Ted Bundy. However, Fautenberry rejected this label, insisting he killed for monetary gain, not for sexual or personal satisfaction.

Initially held at the Lemon Creek Correctional Center on $1 million bail, later raised to $3 million, Fautenberry faced murder charges for Diffee, Farmer, and Daron. In Alaska, he pleaded guilty to Diffee's murder in exchange for the other charges being dropped, receiving a 99-year sentence. Extradited to Ohio, he was sentenced to death for Daron's murder. In New Jersey, he received a life sentence after pleading guilty to Farmer's murder.

Execution and Legacy

Following his death sentence in Ohio, Fautenberry pursued multiple appeals, all unsuccessful. By 2008, having exhausted all state and federal appeals, Prosecutor Joe Deters formally requested his execution. Family members of Fautenberry’s victims consistently opposed parole bids, reinforcing the severity of his crimes.

On July 14, 2009, at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility, John Joseph Fautenberry was executed by lethal injection. The Supreme Court denied a final request to delay the procedure just two hours before his execution, closing the chapter on his violent legacy.

Sources

For further reading, the original Wikipedia entry on John Fautenberry can be accessed here.