John Joseph Fautenberry (July 4, 1963 – July 14, 2009) was an American serial killer. A long-haul trucker, Fautenberry befriended and subsequently murdered five people across four states between 1990 and 1991, and after his arrest, confessed to an additional 1984 murder for which another man was convicted. He was sentenced to death for one of his killings, and subsequently executed at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in 2009. Early life Born on July 4, 1963 in New London, Connecticut, Fautenberry was the illegitimate son of a Navy seaman. Rejected by his father and grandparents, young John was placed in the care of his mother, who went on to marry twice more. He was ignored by his stepfathers, suffering beatings for the smallest of mistakes, once for confusing a potato salad with tomato salad. According to Fautenberry, he would use an imaginary hammer to nail his and his sister's blankets to the beds, in an effort to not get taken away by malicious forces. The family often changed residences, shifting between Ohio and Hawaii before moving to North Kingstown, Rhode Island in 1983. By that time, Fautenberry had already had run-ins with the law: he had stolen a 1968 Chrysler in Atlanta, but was later captured in Heflin, Alabama after leaving a gas station without paying for gas. In 1985, his mother died of cancer, leading Fautenberry to become even more disillusioned and untrustworthy of people, with him developing a growing addiction to drugs and alcohol. In order to support himself, he held several short-term jobs as a long-haul trucker, travelling all across the United States, but was often fired for poor performance and negligence. By the time his murders began, he acquired several more convictions for minor offenses, including carrying a concealed weapon in Ohio and a public disturbance charge in Ledyard, Connecticut. Murders Fautenberry's first confirmed victim was 47-year-old Donald 'Don' Nutley, from Waco, Texas. The pair crossed paths in November 1990 at a truck stop in Troutdale, Oregon, and upon learning that Nutley was going to Mount Hood for target practice, Fautenberry offered to accompany him. Don agreed, and the two men traveled to the area, where Nutley promptly vanished. His disappearance remained a mystery until April 21, 1991, when his teeth and skull, complete with a bullet hole, were found in a wooded area northeast of rural Zigzag. On February 1, 1991, Fautenberry encountered 27-year-old fellow