Serial killer who slayed SEVEN people in a van he dubbed the 'murder mobile' is sentenced to life in prison

  • William Devin Howell was sentenced to 360 years in Connecticut prison Friday
  • Howell, 47, pled guilty to six murders, was convicted of another manslaughter 
  • Sexually assaulted three of the women and kept one body for weeks, cops say
  • Killer allegedly slept next to the dead woman in his van and called her his 'baby'

By Keith Griffith and Mary Kekatos For Dailymail.com and Associated Press

Published: | Updated:

An East Coast drifter, who authorities say killed seven people in Connecticut in 2003 while driving a van he called the 'murder mobile', has been sentenced to life in prison.

William Devin Howell, 47, was sentenced to 360 years in prison by a New Britain, Connecticut superior court judge on Friday, after pleading guilty to six of the murders in September. 

The Hampton, Virginia, native was previously convicted of manslaughter in the death of one victim, Nilsa Arizmendi, and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Victims' relatives who spoke during the emotional hearing on Friday had angry words for Howell and described how the killings devastated their lives. 

The killer, a native of Hampton, Virginia, apologized in court, saying his acts were 'monstrous, cowardly and selfish'.

Howell is believed to be the most prolific serial killer in Connecticut history - not counting mass shootings like the Newtown school massacre.  

William Devin Howell, 47 (pictured), who killed seven people in Connecticut in 2003, was sentenced to 360 years in prison on Friday

William Devin Howell, 47 (pictured), who killed seven people in Connecticut in 2003, was sentenced to 360 years in prison on Friday

Howell is the most prolific serial killer in Connecticut history (Pictured, victim Nilsa Arizmendi, 33)
The victims' bodies were found behind a strip mall in New Britain (Pictured, victim Marilyn Gonzalez, 26)

Howell is the most prolific serial killer in Connecticut history. The victims' bodies were found behind a strip mall. Pictured: Victims Nilsa Arizmendi, 33, (left) and Marilyn Gonzalez, 26

Howell committed the killings while driving a van he called the 'murder mobile' (above)

Howell committed the killings while driving a van he called the 'murder mobile' (above)

The strip mall at 539 Hartford Road where the bodies of the seven victims were found

The strip mall at 539 Hartford Road where the bodies of the seven victims were found

The bodies of his victims, six women and a man, were found buried in a wooded area behind a strip mall at 539 Hartford Road in New Britain. Three bodies were found in 2007, and the other remains were discovered in 2015 when authorities went back to the site.

All seven victims disappeared in 2003, when Howell was mowing lawns and working other odd jobs in central Connecticut. 

They were identified as: Joyvaline Martinez, 24; Diane Cusack, 53; Mary Jane Menard, 40; Melanie Ruth Camilini, 29; Marilyn Gonzalez, 26; Danny Lee Whistnant, 44; and Arizmendi, 33.

Howell sexually assaulted three of the women and kept one of the bodies in his van for two weeks, sleeping next to the body and calling the victim his 'baby', according to an arrest warrant affidavit. 

Howell also told a cellmate 'there was a monster inside of him that just came out', described himself as a 'sick ripper' and called his van the 'murder mobile', according to the warrant. 

All seven victims disappeared in 2003, when Howell was mowing lawns and working other odd jobs in central Connecticut (Pictured, victim Mary Jane Menard, 40)
He allegedly sexually assaulted three of the women and kept one of the bodies in his van for two weeks, sleeping next to the body and calling the victim his 'baby' (Pictured, victim Joyvaline Martinez, 24)

All seven victims disappeared in 2003, when Howell was mowing lawns and working other odd jobs in central Connecticut. He allegedly sexually assaulted three of the women and kept one of the bodies in his van for two weeks, sleeping next to the body and calling the victim his 'baby' (From left to right: victims Mary Jane Menard, 40, and Joyvaline Martinez, 24)

The affidavit says Howell also told a cellmate 'there was a monster inside of him that just came out' (Pictured, victim Diane Cusack, 53)
Howell described himself as a 'sick ripper' and called his van the 'murder mobile', according to the warrant (Pictured, victim Danny Lee Whistnant, 44)
When authorities searched Howell's prison cell in 2015, they found notes referencing a serial killer memorabilia website (Pictured, victim Melanie Ruth Camilini, 29)

Howell also told a cellmate 'there was a monster inside of him that just came out', described himself as a 'sick ripper' and called his van the 'murder mobile', according to the warrant. When authorities searched Howell's prison cell in 2015, they found notes referencing a serial killer memorabilia website (From left to right: Diane Cusack, 53; Danny Lee Whistnant, 44; Melanie Ruth Camilini, 29)

When authorities searched Howell's prison cell in 2015, they found notes referencing a serial killer memorabilia website and a newspaper article about Florida's death penalty, court records show.

The seven killings topped the Connecticut body count of serial killer Michael Ross, who killed six women in eastern Connecticut and two in New York. He was executed in Connecticut in 2005. The state no longer employs the death penalty.

In September, New Britain State's Attorney Brian Preleski praised a task force of local, state and federal authorities that investigated the killings.

'We express our sincere thanks to all who have worked so long and so hard on this difficult investigation, and we again express our deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of these innocent victims,' Preleski said. 

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