'Serial killer' called The Howard Stern Show to say he murdered 12 prostitutes for the 'sense of power'

If you thought talk shows nowadays are controversial, you need to listen to this 1997 call into the Howard Stern Show.

The creepy caller, who identified himself as Clay, told the popular radio host that he had killed 12 women, detailing why exactly he killed so many people.

A recording of the disturbing phone call has been shared on TikTok, and in light of the recent surge in serial killer documentaries, it's safe to say it's left people feeling disturbed since it aired back in 1997.

The question is - was this caller telling the truth?

First, let’s look at the conversation - Clay said that he chose to murder the women because of a 'sense of power' he gained from it.

He went on to claim that he had planned on leaving clues for detectives at the crime scenes, but there was no need.

"I wanted to baffle people, but it turned out that no one noticed for a long time," he told Stern. 

"I never sent the clues, I never left anything, you know, I wanted to add my little signature."

Moviestore Collection Ltd/Alamy Stock Photo

When asked about the timeline of his alleged murders, Clay told the host and his producer, Robin, that he hadn't killed in almost a year.

When the host asked if he planned on taking his own life, Clay said: "If I killed myself, I'd miss the next Batman movie."

Chillingly, he then went on to explain why he hadn't murdered another woman in almost 12 months.

"I really don't know, Howard. Part of it had to do with my car broke down," he said. "Well, that was the reason for a month, but after that, I guess it was all self-control."

Howard then asked him if he still wanted to kill women, to which Clay replied: “Sure.”

The caller was probed about his background, saying he had not been abused as a child and that he now had a ‘couple of kids’ but was not married to the mother. 

The very dark conversation continued with Howard and Robin asking Clay whether he enjoyed watching the women struggle, and how he did it.

“Actually none of them really struggle,” he said before Howard interjects to ask why he uses a hammer. 

Vadim Rodnev/Alamy Stock Photo

That didn’t stop people from theorising, with some suspecting convicted killer Russell Ellwood was the culprit. 

According to Criminal Minds, the former taxi driver was charged with the murder of 30-year-old Cheryl Lewis, one of 26 women, many of them sex workers, who had been found dead in areas around New Orleans between 1991 to 1996. 

Ellwood was sentenced to life in prison, and while this was for the one murder authorities could pin him on, at the time of his arrest in 1997, he was suspected of being responsible for up to 15 of the killings. 

Although some people speculated that he was Clay, this has never been confirmed or commented on by authorities.

As for who Clay is and whether he really did murder anyone, it remains a mystery.

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