20/20 Special on Shreveport’s Serial Killer is a Must Watch
I did it. I caved. I watched what a friend of mine described as the most "disturbing 20/20 episode I've ever seen". Friday night the nation eagerly anticipated ABC's 20/20's "The Devil in Gainseville" documentary focusing on famous serial killer Danny Rolling who is a Shreveport native.
Rolling was nationally known as the Gainseville Ripper, he caused havoc all over the college town of Gainseville committing gruesome murders and murdered 5 people in Florida in 1990. The terror and panic that Danny Rolling brought to the college town caused several students to withdraw from college in Gainesville, wouldn't you have done the same if a serial killer was on the loose?
Many people don't know that we have a Shreveport resident to thank for ending the Gainesville Rippers reign of terror. Cindy Juracich of Shreveport was the one who called Crime Stoppers and reported Danny Rolling, she was a smart one, she was convinced that Rolling was capable of causing all the atrocious crimes and disturbing murders in both cities
After our Shreveport hero Cindy Juracich called Crime Stoppers, Louisiana police made the call to Florida authorities and informed them of an unsolved murder case in Shreveport that left a family dead. The murder was committed on November 4th, 1989, several months before Rolling made it to Florida. There were many similarities in the cases that convinced the Lousiana police that Rolling was the monster to blame.
The Shreveport residents murdered were William Grissom, 55 his daughter Julie Grissom, 24, and his grandson visiting for the week Sean Grissom, 8.
20/20 focuses on Shreveport in the documentary, they didn't gloss over it and several Shreveport residents go on to share their stories. If you can handle it, I highly encourage you to watch the show, and how Shreveport residents played a pivotal role in bringing this monster to justice.