Maury Travis
filed in 2000's, Lesser Known Serial Killers, Missouri on May.12, 2009
I had a request to try and put a post together about Maury Travis. He’s an African-American serial killer who targeted prostitutes between 2000 and 2002 in Missouri. He killed atleast 12 but has claimed 17. Travis, a 36-year-old hotel waiter, hanged himself in jail before admitting to any of the murders.
He was known to videotape his victims as he tortured them in his home. He even called one tape “Your Wedding Day.” The tapes were so graphic that the Police Chief ordered psychological counseling for the officers who viewed them.
It was hard to find information on him for some reason. I did manage to find a few websites though. You can find more information at francesfarmersrevenge.com and SerialKillerDataBase.Net.
Sometimes I wonder why some killers have pages and pages of information while others have barely a page at all. Does it have to do with race? Does it have to do with location? Is it because he killed himself before he confessed? There aren’t many black serial killers, that we know of anyway, so you’d think that when one is caught, there’d be all kinds of information on them. It’s almost the opposite.
Why do you think that some serial killers are more well known or have more information available then others?
May 14th, 2009 on 1:08 am
Hey this is good stuff. So glad you posted. I like reading blogs like this. Sandy
May 14th, 2009 on 1:36 am
Cool blog, like what I read. Will be back to read more. Adding to RSS feeder. Bob
July 31st, 2009 on 8:45 pm
“there aren’t many black serial killers….”
you sure about that? Negro males commit more violent acts than any other group in our society; I’m pretty darn sure that more than a few of them were serial killers
August 25th, 2009 on 6:24 am
think a third time ….. “violent acts” covers a wide spectrum! with serial murder being the most extreme form of repeated violent behaviour. i’m not sure your claim that “negro males commit more violent acts than any other group in our society” is true - there is a BIG difference between perception and fact! just as there is a big difference between mugging some one in the street (an example of a violent act) and serial murder!!!!!
in the case of Maury Troy Travis - there are probably several reasons why this case did not seem to attract much publicity - there was no trial as Travis committed suicide in prison, he had been in prison before - so could not be portrayed as a “fine upstanding member of the community - what a shock!” in the media. It is awful to say but the fact that his victims were drug addicted prostitutes also plays a part - the media like to have victims that are attractive (preferably with available photos) and can be portrayed as being “innocent” and easy for the general public to identify and sympathise with.
However it is true that for some reason black american SK’s attract (in general) less publicity than their white counterparts - possible exceptions being Wayne Williams (Atlanta, convicted child killer), George Russell (Seattle, murdered 3 “respectable” women in Bellevue) and more recently Derek Todd Lee (Baton Rouge,again murdered “respectable” photo-genic women). when it comes to publicity - it may be more about who victims are than who the killer is.
December 14th, 2009 on 10:16 pm
I think the reason there is more info is because the white serial killers like to brag and boast about thier crimes and if the black ones would brag like the white ones then maybe there would be more info
January 29th, 2010 on 1:05 am
Do you think being a waiter and also being so ugly have anything to do with developing this complex of hatred and revenge in him…anyway he was hungry for power and controlling people and to be famous…and the same forced him to taunt the authorities and send them letters …so thanks God his own sickness caused his own downfall and capture…the moment he found out , he cussed the computer in front of the investigators…God bless those smart investigators