‘Truck Stop Serial Killer’ Convicted of Third Death amid 'Chilling Murder Spree,' Say Prosecutors
Mar. 15, 2025Bruce Mendenhall.Photo:WTHR/Youtube
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WTHR/Youtube
A man dubbed the “Truck Stop Serial Killer” has been convicted of a third murder.
“Mendenhall has been convicted of Murder for the 2007 murder of Carma Purpura,” the release stated.
“Mendenhall, a former truck driver, has now been convicted of three murders following allegations of a chilling murder spree involving victims at long-haul truck stops in Tennessee and Indiana,” the statement added.
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Trucks parked in Nashville.Larry McCormack/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Larry McCormack/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
According to NBC affiliateWTHR, 31-year-old Purpura was last seen at an Indianapolis truck stop. Mendenhall was arrested the following day in Nashville, Tenn. after police investigating another murder stopped his truck and found her bloody clothes, phone and ATM card in a plastic bag in his cab.
It wasn’t until four years later that her body was found along a highway in Kentucky, the outlet added.
On Wednesday, the Prosecutor’s Office said that Mendenhall is also accused of murder in Birmingham, Alabama and “a suspect in several homicides across the country.”
“It is my hope, that today’s verdict brings resolution to Carma’s family and others who have waited years for answers and accountability after losing their loved ones,” prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a statement.
“This case broke due to a hardworking detective who was dedicated to working across state lines to ensure that justice was achieved for the victims and their families,” he added.
Carma J. Purpura.Hampton Gentry Funeral Home
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Hampton Gentry Funeral Home
NBC News reported that Mendenhall’s arrest in 2007 was for the murder of Sara Nicole Hulbert after she was found fatally shot at a truck stop in Nashville.
He was later convicted of her first-degree murder in Tennessee in 2010 and sentenced to life.
In 2018, Mendenhall went on to be convicted of the murder of Symantha Winters, whose body was found inside a trash can at a truck stop in Lebanon, Tennessee, on June 6, 2007. The case resulted in him being sentenced to a second life sentence.
Mendenhall’s sentencing for Purpura’s murder will reportedly take place on Feb. 13.
source: people.com
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