Gaffney Strangler

I first posted about the Gaffney SC strangler on my blog about a year a half ago.This is an update to that article.

For those of you who don't know, the gaffney strangler was a serial killer living in SC in the 1967 and 1968 who raped and murdered four women ending with a 14 year old girl. He was killed by a fellow inmate on May 31, 1972. It is said the places where Leroy Martin dumped the victims bodies are allegedly haunted. One such place is the Ford Rd bridge(called Leroy's bridge and also called Nancy's bridge as well)) where I visited. It is just off hwy 329. It is said on some nights a poor soul can be heard moaning and begging for help. Another is Chain Gang Rd near the Broad River. I tried finding this place but was unable. It is my guess the road has since been renamed. Another site is a side road off hwy 11. I read on the internet is near an old wind mill and you take Jerusulem Rd and turn left at the second ridge. Someone posted on the internet that it is in cherokee county off hwy 18. I can't say for sure if this is correct. I'm glad I found this information as I've tried to find all the dump sites but so far have only found one.

About a year a half ago I tried to find some of the allegedly haunted places associated with the Gaffney Strangler. Only recently did I read the transcripts from the reports from 1968. I was surprised to find that one husband served time for the murder of his wife when in reality he had not commited the crime. Of course police procedure wasn't what it is today. Things are much different and he certainly isn't the only person who has served time or is serving time for a crime he did not commit.

Apparently Lee Roy Martin only came forward to set the other man free. He didn't actually come forward and turn himself in he called a news reporter to give them information that led to where some of his victims were buried.

I tried to find chain gang road in Gaffney/Blacksburg to no avail. But after reading the news report I have a couple of new places to find.

There are two reports on the Gaffney Strangler, one that says he went to prison and was killed by another inmate there and another report from a woman with the Newberry Chronicle named Susan Caldor who says he was featured on America's Most Wanted and remains were found they believed to be Lee Roy Martin who was convicted of six murders but remained a fugitive. I believe the first story as there is more information surrounding it. But it makes me wonder who wrote that second story and why. Unless they simply got the names wrong and this person was someone else who killed several women. It makes no sense to me. Why didn't they get their facts straight before writing the story?

Interesting story. My reason for visiting the sites where the bodies were allegedly dumped, they are supposed to be haunted. Whether they are or not is a matter of speculation among anyone who chooses to visits the sites. Indeed it is interesting and worth a visit.