Frank R. Davis: The LaPorte County Predator
Overview
Frank R. Davis was an American serial killer who terrorized communities in northern Indiana across two decades. His crimes, separated by a lengthy prison sentence for unrelated offenses, involved the abduction, sexual assault, and murder of teenage boys. Between 1971 and 1983, Davis killed at least three boys and subjected two others to brutal, near-fatal attacks. His predatory campaign was brought to an end in 1983 when his two surviving victims identified him to police, leading to his arrest and a full confession. Davis initially received a death sentence, which was later commuted to a 220-year prison term. He died behind bars in 2008.
Early Life and Criminal History
Frank R. Davis was born on January 29, 1953, in Indiana. Little is publicly known about his childhood and upbringing. Court records later noted that while Davis was held in a juvenile detention center as a youth, he was sexually abused by an attendant and at least one other inmate. Legal documents would later draw a parallel between the nature of the abuse Davis suffered and the methods he used in his own attacks.
Davis’s adult criminal history began long before his murderous spree in 1983. Shortly after committing his first known murder in 1971, he was convicted of burglary and sentenced to one to ten years in prison. Three months after his release, he was arrested for robbing a grocery store of forty dollars and again received a sentence with a ten-year maximum. He briefly escaped from prison in 1975 but was quickly recaptured. Davis was eventually granted parole and released in 1982, returning to the streets of Indiana.
The First Murder: Duane Bush
On June 3, 1971, 13-year-old Duane Bush disappeared from his home in Union Mills, Indiana. Because he had recently had minor run-ins with juvenile authorities, he was initially suspected of being a runaway. The tragic truth was far worse. Davis later confessed that he had kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and strangled the boy. Three months after Duane's disappearance, his scattered skeletal remains were discovered by a hunter in a wooded area five miles from town. He was identified through dental records. Davis was not a suspect at the time and was soon after incarcerated for burglary, putting a temporary halt to his violent crimes.
A Spree of Terror in 1983
After being paroled in 1982, Davis resumed his predatory behavior within months. On January 10, 1983, in a cornfield in LaPorte, he confronted a 15-year-old boy who was walking home. At gunpoint, Davis wrapped a wire around the boy's neck, sexually assaulted him, and then pistol-whipped him into unconsciousness. Miraculously, the teenager survived and was able to make his way to a police station to report the brutal attack. He would later identify Davis as his assailant.
The violence escalated dramatically in June of that year. On June 16, 14-year-old Darrin Reed vanished while walking to his girlfriend's house in LaPorte. Davis had approached him and shared a beer before brandishing a knife. He tied a wire around Darrin’s neck, sexually assaulted him, and then manually strangled him to death. The boy's body was discovered three days later.
Just two days after killing Darrin Reed, on the afternoon of June 18, Davis targeted two more boys who were camping at the Kingsbury Fish and Wildlife Park. Jeff Lopez, 15, and his friend Erik Fuller, 16, were from nearby Kingsford Heights. Davis approached their campsite on a motorcycle, introduced himself by his real name, and befriended them, sharing marijuana and even letting them ride his motorcycle. After leaving, he circled back, hid in the woods, and watched the boys’ campsite, waiting for them to fall asleep.
In the early morning hours, Davis crept into their tent and woke Jeff Lopez at knifepoint. He led him into the woods, tied him up with wire, sexually assaulted him, and then strangled him to death with the wire. Davis then returned to the tent for Erik Fuller. He woke the second boy, tied him with wire, and sexually assaulted him as well. To eliminate his witness, Davis struck him in the head with an axe he had taken from the boys' own campsite and left him for dead.
The Victims
- Duane Bush, 13 — Disappeared on June 3, 1971, from Union Mills. His remains were found three months later, and his murder went unsolved for over a decade until Davis’s confession.
- Darrin Reed, 14 — Murdered on June 16, 1983, in LaPorte. He was walking to his girlfriend's house when he was attacked and killed.
- Jeff Lopez, 15 — Murdered on June 18, 1983, at Kingsbury Fish and Wildlife Park. He was on a camping trip with a friend when they were befriended and later attacked by Davis.
Investigation and Capture
The end of Frank Davis's reign of terror came swiftly after his final attack. On Monday, June 20, utility workers found a severely injured Erik Fuller crawling out from some bushes near the campsite. He was rushed to the hospital and, despite his grave injuries, was able to tell police exactly what had happened and, crucially, the name of the attacker: Frank Davis.
The body of Jeff Lopez was found on Tuesday, June 21. That same day, based on the positive identification from Fuller and the survivor of the January attack, police arrested Frank R. Davis. Once in custody, he provided a full confession to the murders of Darrin Reed and Jeff Lopez, the two attempted murders, and the long-unsolved 1971 murder of Duane Bush.
Trial and Sentence
Facing overwhelming evidence, including his own detailed confession and the testimony of his two surviving victims, Frank Davis opted for a plea agreement. On January 12, 1984, he pleaded guilty to two counts of murder for the deaths of Reed and Lopez and two counts of attempted murder. In exchange, the state agreed to drop several other charges, including criminal deviate conduct and felony murder, but reserved the right to seek the death penalty for the two murder convictions.
A sentencing hearing was held, and on January 25, 1984, the court imposed two death sentences for the murders, along with two consecutive 50-year sentences for the attempted murders.
Davis's legal battles continued for years. In 1993, his death sentences were vacated. Following a new sentencing hearing, on December 8, 1993, a judge resentenced him to two 60-year terms for the murders, to be served consecutively with the two 50-year sentences for the attempted murders. This resulted in a total sentence of 220 years in prison, ensuring he would never be eligible for parole.
Death in Prison
Frank R. Davis spent the remainder of his life incarcerated. He died in prison of what were reported as natural causes on January 22, 2008, one week before his 55th birthday. He served nearly 25 years for his crimes.
