| Roderick J. Ferrell | |
|---|---|
Mug shot of Roderick Ferrell. |
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| Born | March 28, 1980 Murray, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Conviction(s) | Felony Murder, Burglary, Armed Robbery, |
| Penalty | Life sentence without parole |
| Status | Incarcerated in FSP West Unit |
| Occupation | Unemployed |
Roderick Justin Ferrell (born March 28, 1980) was a member of a loose-knit gang of teenagers from Murray, Kentucky, known as the "Vampire Clan". In 1998, Ferrell pled guilty to the double slaying of a couple from Eustis, Florida, becoming the youngest person in the United States on Death Row. Originally sentenced to death, Ferrell's penalty has since been reduced to life without parole. Ferrell told people that he was a 500-year-old vampire named Vesago.
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On November 25, 1996 (the week of Thanksgiving), Naoma Ruth and Richard Wendorf were found by their daughter Jeni Wendorf, beaten to death in their Eustis home. While 49-year-old Richard Wendorf was asleep on his couch and Ruth was in the shower, Ferrell and accomplice Scott Anderson had entered the home through the unlocked garage, picking up the murder weapon. Before Richard had even awakened, Ferrell beat him multiple times with a crowbar, fracturing both his skull and ribs, almost instantly knocking him out, and killing him shortly thereafter. When Ruth had found Ferrell and Anderson in the home moments later, Ferrell bludgeoned her to death, bashing her head with the crowbar. He claimed in his confession, however, that in his original plan, he was going to allow Naoma Ruth to live, but she first attacked him by lunging at him and throwing a very hot cup of coffee on him, which angered him and made him change his mind and kill her also. Richard was found bearing burn marks in the shape of a V. It was said that the V was Rod's symbol, which he accompanied with a dot for each person he considered to be in his vampire cult.
The victims were the father and step-mother of Heather Wendorf, a long-time friend of Rod's whom he was helping run away from a home that she described as "hell." Heather and the other girls that were with Ferrell and Anderson were not at the Wendorf home when the murders took place, Charity and her friend Dana had driven Heather to her boyfriend's apartment so Heather could say good bye before leaving for New Orleans.
After four days of driving through four states, the group was found in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is believed that Ferrell liked a video arcade in New Orleans, and they were headed there. One of the girls placed a call to her mother in South Dakota. The group needed money, and Charity Keesee thought her mother could help them. However, Keesee's mother informed the police about her whereabouts and helped police trick Ferrell, Wendorf, and the rest of the teens into going to a local Howard Johnson's hotel, where they were arrested by waiting law enforcement. The four were held at a Baton Rouge jail for a week before being extradited back to Florida, where they were initially booked at the Lake County Jail. They were later moved to a juvenile facility in Ocala.
On February 12, 1998, then-seventeen-year-old Ferrell pled guilty to the murders, claiming that the others traveling with him were innocent except Scott Anderson, who was simply an accessory. Ferrell pled guilty to two counts of felony murder and was sentenced to death (later reduced to a life sentence). Charity Keesee was convicted of two counts of third degree murder, robbery with a gun or deadly weapon and burglary armed with weapon or explosives. She was sentenced to 10.5 years in state prison. Dana Cooper was convicted of those charges as well, but was given a 17.5 year prison sentence. Anderson was convicted of the same charges as Ferrell and was sentenced to life in prison.
For two years, Ferrell held the record as the youngest inmate on death row until September 1999, when the Florida Supreme Court reduced his sentence to life in prison. Because Florida had long abolished parole, the sentence is without it.
In 2002, director John Webb made the movie Vampire Clan, in which the murders and the events leading up to them were shown. The cast included:
The song "Blood on the Bluegrass" by the Th' Legendary Shack Shakers is about the killings and mentions both Ferrell and Wendorf by name.
The song "Rod Ferrell" by Fiasco loosely describes the events of the murder through the perspective of Rod Ferrell.
The song "Asphixia (Wasted)" by Velvet Acid Christ has numerous sound bites taken from interviews of Heather Wendorf & Rod Ferrell that have aired on television. This includes Rod Ferrell describing how Ruth threw hot coffee on him upon discovering him in her home.