The Ranes Brothers: A Tale of Independent Yet Intertwined Evil

In the small city of Kalamazoo, Michigan, two brothers, Larry Lee Ranes and Danny Arthur Ranes, embarked on separate yet equally chilling paths of violence. Their lives unfolded in a series of grim chapters, each marked by a trail of victims, a web of criminal acts, and a shared yet solitary journey into the darkness of serial murder. This narrative explores the lives and crimes of these notorious siblings, delving into their backgrounds, their independent yet eerily parallel killing sprees, and the aftermath of their actions.

Early Lives and Familial Influences

Larry and Danny Ranes were born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, on March 22, 1945, and October 20, 1943, respectively. Raised in a tumultuous household under the authoritarian rule of their father, the brothers were thrust into an environment of constant competition. Their early years were marred by fights over trivial matters and an introduction to alcohol at a young age. The departure of their father in 1954, who moved to Florida to work as a gas station attendant, left a lasting impact on the family. This abandonment perhaps set the stage for the violence that would later define their lives.

In 1958, a 13-year-old Larry met Sue, a 23-year-old neighbor and mother of three. Larry soon became a fixture in her life, assisting with her children and eventually entering into a romantic relationship. Meanwhile, both brothers courted a high school girl named Kathy. Larry’s academic performance suffered, leading to his eventual dropout in the tenth grade. In 1962, a brush with the law saw Larry arrested for car theft, but a deal with the district attorney allowed him to evade punishment by enlisting in the United States Army.

Larry's military stint was short-lived and fraught with disciplinary issues due to misconduct and alcoholism. He returned to Kalamazoo after being dismissed following a drunken assault on a colleague. His personal life was in shambles, and repeated marriage proposals to Sue were rejected, driving him to a suicide attempt on December 23, 1963. He was saved by a police officer and spent ten days in a psychiatric hospital.

The Murder of Gary Smock and Larry's Crime Spree

The summer of 1964 marked the beginning of Larry Ranes' descent into murder. On May 30, Larry, masquerading as a hitchhiker, was picked up by Gary Albert Smock, a 30-year-old schoolteacher from Plymouth. During the journey, Larry forced Smock into the car's trunk at gunpoint. When Smock attempted an escape, Larry stopped the car, restrained him, and shot him twice in the head, stealing $3 and valuables before abandoning the vehicle. The car was discovered by the police shortly thereafter.

Larry's boastfulness about the murder led to his arrest on June 5, 1964. He was apprehended without resistance and immediately confessed not only to Smock's murder but also to four additional killings during gas station hold-ups across various states, including Indiana, Nevada, and Kentucky. Although he could not name all his victims, investigators speculated that one was Vernon La Benne, a serviceman killed near Battle Creek on April 6.

A psychiatric evaluation deemed Larry insane, citing childhood trauma as a catalyst for his subconscious hatred toward gas stations, reminiscent of his father's occupation. Despite this, Larry stood trial on September 29, 1964, and was found guilty of Gary Smock's murder on October 8. He received a life sentence without parole on October 23.

Danny's Descent into Violence

While Larry faced justice, Danny's life spiraled into chaos. Following his brother's conviction, Danny's marriage to Kathy deteriorated, exacerbating his erratic behavior. In November 1968, he attacked Dorothy King, an 18-year-old in Battle Creek, attempting to abduct and rape her. Fortunately, King escaped, leading to Danny's arrest. Convicted of felonious assault in February 1969, he served three to four years in prison, during which his wife divorced him.

Upon his release on parole in 1972, Danny returned to Kalamazoo and found work at a gas station, where he encountered Brent Eugene Koster, a troubled 15-year-old. Koster, influenced by Danny, soon became his accomplice in a series of heinous crimes.

The Killing Spree of Danny Ranes and Brent Koster

On July 5, 1972, Danny and Koster committed their first known murders together. They raped and killed 19-year-olds Linda Clark and Claudia Bidstrup at a gas station near I-94. The duo disposed of the bodies by setting their car on fire in a wooded area near Galesburg. Their remains were discovered two weeks later.

A month later, on August 5, they picked up hitchhiker Pamela Fearnow near Western Michigan University. The pair raped her before Danny strangled her with a plastic bag in the woods surrounding Morrow Lake.

Koster's loose tongue led to their undoing. He confessed to street workers, one of whom was an informant, resulting in his arrest on September 5. Under interrogation, Koster implicated Danny in the murders and revealed Danny's previous crime: the March 19 abduction, rape, and murder of Patricia Howk. Charged with four murders in October 1972, Danny faced trial with Koster as a key witness for the prosecution.

Danny was convicted of first-degree murder for Fearnow's killing and received a life sentence without parole on August 9, 1973. He also pleaded no contest to second-degree murder for the deaths of Clark and Bidstrup, receiving two additional life terms. Koster, taking a plea deal, was sentenced to life with parole for second-degree murder in Clark's case on July 21, 1975.

The Aftermath and Final Chapters

Following their convictions, the Ranes brothers were incarcerated in separate Michigan facilities. Larry, adopting the name Monk Steppenwolf after a character in a Hermann Hesse novel, continued to live a troubled prison life until his death on November 12, 2023, at Saginaw Correctional Facility. Danny, his crimes leaving a stain on the family name, died of natural causes in Lakeland Correctional Facility on January 29, 2022.

Brent Koster, after decades of incarceration, undertook rehabilitation and achieved a law degree. In 2020, considering his remorse and age at the time of the crimes, he was granted parole, with his release on January 21, 2021. He is set for full discharge in 2025, expressing a desire to contribute positively to society.

The tale of the Ranes brothers stands as a haunting reminder of the darkness that can exist within familial bonds. Despite their independent operations, the parallels in their paths underscore the complex interplay of upbringing, personal choices, and the capacity for evil.

Sources

Wikipedia: Larry and Danny Ranes