MUSKEGON, Mich.(WZZM)-Muskegon County investigators want to know more about the man suspected of being a serial killer out West.
"He's a horrific guy, a monster", says Muskegon County Sheriff Dean Roesler referring to 66-year old Rodney Halbower. He can't help but wonder what other crimes Halbower committed while he was living in Muskegon Heights. On Wednesday, Rodney's brother John, said Rodney was a bully. "Everybody in the neighborhood was terrorized by him. We all got together, tied him up, laid him in the road, and he got away, chased us with a butcher knife", says John Halbower.
Muskegon County Records show Rodney committed crimes ranging from Breaking and Entering to Larceny in the sixties and seventies. He also escaped from jail.
"Several times, including Muskegon in the 60's. Nevada a couple of times. There were also indications he escaped in Hawaii and California."
Halbower is now in prison in Oregon for attempted murder. But, the FBI says he's also a "person of interest" in the Gypsy Hill murders. Six women were killed in 1976.
"Those were his targets. Young females. Once we determined that, we started to review some of our cases", says Roesler.
One of the cold cases involves 18-year old Barbara Brott and 19-year old Mary Ann Hicks. In 1972, the women were last seen leaving the Canopy bar in Grand Rapids, which has since been torn down. Their bodies were found a month later, near Muskegon. "Some of the evidence that was recovered, we hope would render DNA, if and when it comes to that point, of making that comparison."
So, far, the investigation is in its early stages. Detectives have to figure out if Halbower was even in the West Michigan area, at the time. "But he certainly has piqued our interest."
The families of both Brott and Hicks say they have never forgotten about the women. They hold out hope that someday the cases will be solved.
Wednesday:
RENO, Nevada (WZZM) -- A former West Michigan man is a person of interest in a series of murders in California. The serial killings took place in the 1970s and were known as the Gypsy Hills Murders.
Family members in the Muskegon area say Rodney Halbower, 66, has been in and out of trouble since he was a boy; he's now in an Oregon prison and the FBI says he's now linked to the murders of several young women in California.
Rodney Halbower has spent most of his life in jail, locked up for over 50 years. His brother and four siblings, including Rodney, grew up in Muskegon Heights.
"What do you remember of him as a kid?" "Just mean. Not a very nice person," John Halbower said.
Muskegon County Court records show from 1966 to 1979, Rodney committed crimes, ranging from breaking and entering to larceny. In 1966, he escaped from the Muskegon County Jail.
"Everybody was terrorized by him. We all got together, tied him up, laid him in the road. He got loose and chased us around with a butcher knife," John Halbower recalled.
Rodney is now serving time in Oregon for attempted murder. Just last week, the FBI announced he was a person of interest in the Gypsy Hill Murders, where six young women were murdered between January and April of 1976. Five of the victims were in California, the other in Nevada.
In the Reno case, DNA from a cigarette linked Halbower to the scene.
"We keep evidence from every murder and we keep it forever," said deputy chief Mac Venzon of the Reno Police Department. "To take a case that's as old as this one from 1976 and tear it apart and piece it back together, they did a phenomenal job."
Back in Michigan, investigators are also interested in the latest developments; there are unsolved murders, involving young women and they will take another look at the cases.
For Rodney's brother, it's news he doesn't like to hear.
"I can't believe it. Just unbelievable," John Halbower said.
Rodney Halbower is only considered a person of interest in the Gypsy Hill serial killings, but considering the DNA evidence, he will likely be charged soon. As a result, a Reno woman who was already in prison for one of the murders, will get a new trial.
