345:, where she would share custody with her former husband, Tim Polly. Most details regarding her murder are kept secret, it is known that she was beaten, stabbed and sexually assaulted, with her body then dumped and covered with leaves in Modesto's Dry Creek in December 2000. Witnesses claimed that they had seen Polly accompanied by Ward sometime before her murder.
329:, after a period of being homeless. It is thought they knew each other from a local homeless shelter. Less than a month later, Travis was found beaten, raped, strangled, carved on, burnt, stabbed and sexually assaulted in her apartment, which Ward allegedly frequented, on December 7, in an eerily similar fashion to the Arkansas and Modesto killings.
373:, the famous FBI profiler, dismissed Ward's claim of being a nonviolent person, pointing out that serial killers often blamed things like drug abuse for their actions, while secretly treasuring their crimes in their minds. He and Det. Ray Sterling pointed out that these most likely weren't Ward's only murders, as he had travelled cross-country.
276:, so she could splash some water on her face and let her two dogs run down to a nearby pond and play. The following day, truckers found one of Laurite's dogs running loose and called the number on the dog tag, which got them in contact with Laurite's mother, Lynn DiBenedetto. The dogs later led authorities from the
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According to Ward, after a night of bingedrinking in the trailer, Petrich had assaulted Baker. After returning the next morning, the enraged Ward grabbed a gun, which he had acquired from a friend in
Hamilton, and shot Petrich on the spot. However, authorities had a different version of events: it's
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Married life didn't suit either Ronald or Donna, with the added trouble that Ronald was also doing heavy drugs at the time. She eventually moved away to
Arkansas, with Ward losing all contact with his stepchildren. His drug habits eventually cost him the ability to hold a regular job, as he hurt his
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After fleeing
Montana, Ward was arrested three months later in Merced in connection with Polly's murder. He was extradited back to Montana, where he was tried for the Petrich murder, to which he readily confessed. Ward would not be conclusively connected to the other murders until 2007, when he was
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likely that Ward and
Petrich had left the RV park together in the afternoon, heading out to the Sapphire Mountains. There, the two men got into a fight, with Ward managing to beat Petrich with a rock before shooting him thrice in the chest. After that, he hid his body in a rock crevice.
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On April 11, 2014, Ronald James Ward was found unresponsive in his high-security cell. He was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Medical personnel did not report the exact cause of death, but said that no foul play was involved in his death.
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to the murder, when he initially planned to plead guilty. He explained that he had no recollection of killing
Laurite, but still believed that he was guilty, citing the DNA evidence as conclusive proof. He was given another life sentence for this murder.
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A short while before the killing, Ward had found his girlfriend with another man. Shocked, he quickly stormed off to his garbage truck, claiming that he would drive to
Montana so he could find his mother. He brought with him five jugs with
305:. There Ward met 43-year-old Craig Sheldon Petrich, who was selling his motor home. Shortly after that, in October, Petrich disappeared suddenly. Two weeks later, his bullet-riddled body was found in the Soft Rock recreational area in the
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He was a kind father to his adoptive children, taking them out on family walks and other activities he himself hadn't partaken in with his own father. At some point, he held a job as a football coach for the 7th and 8th grades in
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to
Laurite's body, which was dumped behind the rest stop. Her sundress had been tossed aside, and it was evident that Laurite had been sexually assaulted before suffering at least 10 stab wounds to the neck.
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linked by DNA to the
Laurite killing. Until then, her family had searched for answers, putting up a billboard on the highway with Laurite's image with the plea "Do you know who murdered me?".
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289:, cocaine and heroin, and while en route to Montana, the highly intoxicated Ward simply chanced upon Laurite, whom he proceeded to beat, strangle, rape and finally stab to death.
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head during a fight in Oregon. To make ends meet, Ward began working odd jobs as a truck driver, homebuilder and a commercial fisherman, which he enjoyed doing.
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who murdered at least three women and one man in the span of several months in 2000. Initially convicted for the murder of Craig
Petrich in
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Not long after, that same DNA evidence connected him with the Polly and Travis murders in
California, which also fit his
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325:, Jackie Travis, who had a prosthetic leg as a result from a car accident, had just recently moved to
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so Baker could be with relatives, and Ward started driving a garbage truck.
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427:"California builds murder case against Montana killer Ronald James Ward"
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to become a nursing assistant. She had planned to return to her home in
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452:"Man convicted of killing Scotch Plains woman dies in Montana prison"
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Eventually, Ward and Baker moved to Montana, settling in an
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for fishing season, Ronald met Hattie Ann Baker at the
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in 2014, but the cause of his death was not disclosed.
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Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Arkansas
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Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Montana
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357:Ward was extradited to Arkansas, where he pleaded
548:American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment
478:"Man pleads no contest in 2000 rest-stop slaying"
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613:Violence against women in the United States
387:List of serial killers in the United States
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608:Serial killers who died in prison custody
568:People convicted of murder by California
184:. Ward died serving his sentence in the
168:(1966 – April 11, 2014) was an American
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543:American people convicted of murder
16:American serial killer (1966–2014)
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425:Chandra Johnson (July 29, 2007).
200:, but was raised in the areas of
533:21st-century American criminals
117:August – December 2000
598:Serial killers from California
578:People from Hood River, Oregon
476:Jon Gambrell (June 12, 2007).
349:Investigation, trial and death
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593:Serial killers from Arkansas
603:Serial killers from Montana
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482:Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
258:Scotch Plains, New Jersey
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538:American male criminals
278:Arkansas Highway Patrol
33:Ronald James Ward, Jr.
558:Criminals from Oregon
272:rest stop outside of
268:van along a secluded
166:Ronald James Ward Jr.
260:, left her home for
186:Montana State Prison
59:Montana State Prison
499:"Ronald James Ward"
343:Modesto, California
323:Jonesboro, Arkansas
321:A 49-year-old from
274:Morrilton, Arkansas
113:Span of crimes
63:Deer Lodge, Montana
327:Merced, California
307:Sapphire Mountains
262:Eureka, California
198:Hood River, Oregon
40:Hood River, Oregon
505:. March 18, 2016.
458:. April 11, 2014.
237:Missoula, Montana
196:Ward was born in
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93:Life imprisonment
55:(aged 47–48)
23:Ronald James Ward
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125:United States
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155:January 2001
53:(2014-04-11)
528:2014 deaths
523:1966 births
333:Shela Polly
206:Springfield
517:Categories
431:Missoulian
393:References
266:Volkswagen
192:Early life
182:California
144:California
339:Las Vegas
287:moonshine
381:See also
303:Hamilton
218:Coos Bay
210:syphilis
178:Arkansas
136:Arkansas
131:State(s)
299:RV park
247:Murders
174:Montana
140:Montana
122:Country
104:Victims
99:Details
229:Alaska
202:Eugene
83:Murder
65:, U.S.
42:, U.S.
204:and
180:and
48:Died
36:1966
29:Born
301:in
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