John Joseph Joubert American serial killer. Date of Birth: 02.06.1963 Country: USA

Biography of John Joseph Joubert

John Joseph Joubert, an American serial killer, was convicted of murdering three boys in the states of Maine and Nebraska, where he was ultimately executed. Joubert was born on July 2, 1963. His parents divorced when he was six years old, and John stayed with his mother in Lawrence, Massachusetts. His mother did not allow him to see his father, and John eventually grew to resent her. In 1974, she moved with the family to Portland, Maine.

At the age of 13, Joubert brutally struck a girl with a pencil, mimicking a knife, and experienced sexual pleasure from her screams of pain. The next day, the sadistic teenager hopped on his bike, armed with a razor, and attacked another passing girl. In another incident, he beat and nearly strangled another boy. He derived pleasure from terrorizing the neighborhood children and soon began using a knife to carry out his violent actions.

On August 22, 1982, 11-year-old Richard 'Ricky' Stetson went for a run in Portland, Maine. As darkness fell, the boy did not return, prompting his parents to call the police. The next day, a motorist discovered Stetson's lifeless body off Interstate I-295. The evidence suggested that the killer had assaulted the boy, attempted to undress him, and then stabbed and strangled him. The investigation identified a suspect, but his dental records did not match the bite marks found on the victim's body. Without further evidence, the suspect, who had spent a year and a half behind bars, was released.

On Sunday, September 18, 1983, Danny Joe Eberle, a newspaper delivery boy for the 'Omaha World-Herald' in Bellevue, Nebraska, disappeared without a trace. His brother, also a newspaper carrier, recalled seeing a white man driving aimlessly in a yellow-brown car in the area a few days prior. It was discovered that the missing boy had only delivered newspapers to three out of seventy addresses on his route. His bicycle, along with the remaining newspapers, was found at the fourth delivery spot. Joubert later confessed to approaching Eberle, pulling out a knife, and covering his mouth with his hand. He commanded the boy to follow him and get into a truck, then drove him out of town on a gravel road.

After three days of searching, Eberle's body was found approximately 6 kilometers from where his bicycle was discovered. He had been stripped down to his underwear, his hands and feet were bound, and his mouth was taped shut. Joubert had stabbed the victim nine times. The case was classified as a kidnapping, and the FBI was brought in to assist with the investigation.

During the investigation, a young man who had made advances towards two boys about a week after Eberle's murder was arrested. The new suspect underwent a polygraph test, provided a false alibi, but did not match the FBI's profile of the killer. Due to a lack of evidence, he was released. Known pedophiles in the area were also interrogated, but the case remained stagnant due to a lack of conclusive evidence.

On December 2, in Papillion, Nebraska, approximately 5 kilometers from where Eberle's body was found, Christopher Walden went missing. Witnesses once again reported seeing a white man driving aimlessly in a yellow-brown car in their neighborhood. Joubert stated that he approached Walden, threatened him with a knife, and forced him into the car. The perpetrator then drove out of town and made the boy undress to his underwear, which he complied with. However, Walden refused to lie down on the ground, leading Joubert to beat and stab him. The killer plunged the knife so deeply into Walden's throat that it nearly decapitated him. The boy's body was found two days later, 8 kilometers from the town. Although the crime resembled the previous ones, this time the victim was not bound, hidden more securely, and was believed to have been killed immediately after the abduction.

On January 11, 1984, a woman who worked with preschoolers in the area where the murders occurred called the police after spotting a suspicious young man behind the wheel of a car. She recorded the license plate number, although it did not match the yellow-brown color she observed. Despite being threatened by the suspect in her presence, she remained unafraid and provided the police with crucial information. It was discovered that his yellow-brown 'Nova' sedan was undergoing repairs. A search warrant was issued for Joubert's apartment, where an unusual rope made for the United States military in South Korea was found. This was the same type of rope used by the killer to restrain Danny Joe Eberle. During questioning, Joubert admitted to obtaining the rope from his leadership position in a Boy Scout troop.

Robert K. Ressler, the head of the FBI's profiling unit, had been working on a hypothetical description of the boy killer, which matched Joubert in every aspect. Furthermore, bite mark impressions from Joubert's teeth matched those found on Richard 'Ricky' Stetson's body. Further investigation in Maine revealed a connection between a 1979 assault on a 9-year-old girl, who was struck with a pencil, and Stetson's murder in 1982.

During the trial, several psychiatric evaluations of Joubert were conducted. One attributed him to having Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and sadistic tendencies, as well as Schizoid Personality Disorder. However, it was determined that Joubert was fully aware of his actions at the time of the crimes. A panel of three judges sentenced him to death, in addition to a life sentence in Maine, where the death penalty was not practiced.

On July 17, 1996, Joubert was executed by the electric chair in Nebraska. Following his execution, the Nebraska Supreme Court received a motion to review the use of the electric chair as a "cruel and unconstitutional" method. During the current's passage through Joubert's body, a 10 cm brain blister formed on his head, and blisters appeared on the skin above his ears.