Alleged Serial Killer William Devin Howell Makes Grisly Confessions To Fellow Inmates, Faces New Murder Charges

Alleged serial killer William Devin Howell was already in prison following a 15-year sentence for a manslaughter conviction, stemming from his “connection” with a 2005 death.

But in new charges, Howell’s manslaughter conviction is now joined by six other murder charges that also involved multiple rapes, torture, and brutal deaths, detailed by William Devin Howell to four fellow inmates, reports the Hartford Courant.

The grisly new murder charges faced by Howell were detailed in an affidavit during an arraignment before Connecticut’s New Britain Superior Court on Friday. Following the new murder charges, William Devin Howell was also tagged with a $10 million bond.

The six most recent murders William Devin Howell was charged with Friday include five women and one man. Howell is believed to have killed his victims in his 1985 Ford Econoline van, which he called the “murder mobile,” and inside which much forensic evidence has been gathered, including blood from his victims.

Howell dumped their bodies behind a New Britain strip mall in a vacant area he called his “garden.”

Along with having three names, William Devin Howell also fits the description of a stereotypical serial killer by being a long time Virginia area drifter and one who has found himself on the wrong side of the law, and in jail, on multiple occasions.

While serving his most recent manslaughter sentence, William Devin Howell shared the stories of his murders with the four fellow inmates, who in turn shared with detectives in extensive detail, even providing maps of where Devin Howell said he left the bodies of those he murdered.

Along with the help of Howell’s inmates, detectives were also able to tie the murders to Howell through DNA samples they were able to procure from the “murder mobile” Ford van, according to the affidavit presented in court.

The Daily Mail reports that among Howell’s horrific confessions to the inmates was that the first person he killed was a woman that he raped in the van before strangling and striking her with a hammer. Howell then explained that it was too cold to bury the victim, so he had to keep the body “wrapped up in his van” where he then proceeded to sleep next to the body and call it his “baby.”

Several relatives of the victims were present as Devin Howell was herded into the courtroom with both his wrists and ankles cuffed and wearing an orange prison jumpsuit.

Among those relatives was the sister of one of the victim’s, Sandra Martinez, who told WFSB-TV, among other things, she hoped Howell never got out of jail.

“Today we had to face a monster. I didn’t think this day would ever come, but thanks to all the hard work that was put into it they were able to catch him, and I hope he never gets out of jail and he rots.”

“Let’s remember each of these victims and their families,” said New Britain police Chief James Wardwell following the hearing. “Each victim was loved and cherished. They were people from our communities and in no way deserved the violence that ended their lives.”

Howell’s defense attorney, meanwhile, made sure to remind the public that Howell is innocent until proven guilty.

For his part, William Devin Howell neither said a word nor made a plea. The case is scheduled to resume on October 28.

[Image by New Britain Police Department]