Convicted murderer and suspected serial killer Daniel Conahan Jr. has been executed in Florida. The 72-year-old was arrested in 1996 and had been on death row since his conviction in 1999.
Although investigators suspected Conahan may have been responsible for at least 15 murders, he was only tried and convicted for the April 1996 rape, murder, and mutilation of 21-year-old Richard Allen Montgomery.
Between 1994 and 1996, the bodies of several men were discovered in Florida, leading police to believe a serial offender may have been operating in the area. Additional remains were later found, and the cases collectively became known as the Hog Trail Murders. For several victims, identification took decades, while some remain unidentified.
Investigators found evidence of rope bindings, genital injuries, and extensive post-mortem mutilation. The first severely decomposed body was discovered by hunters in 1994. In 2021, modern DNA testing identified the victim as Gerald “Jerry” Lombard, whose family described him as a drifter.
In January 1996, a family’s dog repeatedly brought home unusual bones in the North Port area, leading authorities to discover another body. The victim remains unidentified, although forensic examiners determined that severe genital mutilation had occurred.
In March 1996, another disfigured body was discovered by a motorist who had stopped beside a road. The victim remained unidentified until 1999, when he was identified as 35-year-old William Melaragno. The following month, a skull was found in Charlotte County. A search of the surrounding woods uncovered the remainder of the body, later identified as 25-year-old Kenneth Lee Smith. During that search, investigators also discovered the body of Richard Allen Montgomery, who had been raped, mutilated, and killed one day earlier.
The investigation led authorities to Conahan after Montgomery’s mother identified him as a recent acquaintance of her son. While Conahan was being held in custody, police discovered another skeleton. Ten months later, the remains were identified as 24-year-old William Charles Patten, who had been reported missing in 1993.
Conahan was tried only for Montgomery’s murder. He was convicted and sentenced to death. However, investigators continued to discover additional bodies after the trial and suspected that some may also have been linked to the same offender, although no further convictions were secured.
In 2008, a burial site containing the remains of eight men was discovered in the Fort Myers area. Authorities eventually identified John Blevins, Erik David Kohler, Jonathan James Tihay, and Robert Ronald Soden. Four victims remain unidentified. Many of the victims were identified as gay men or individuals living transient lifestyles.
Conahan was born in North Carolina and moved to Florida with his family as a child. As a teenager, his parents sent him to psychiatrists after learning he was gay. After graduating from high school, he joined the US Navy in 1977 and was stationed in Illinois.
Military records indicate he was nearly court-martialled after being accused of taking a fellow sailor off base for sexual activity. He was later discharged following an altercation with a man he allegedly attempted to force into performing oral sex.
Conahan lived in Chicago for 13 years before returning to Florida in 1993 to care for his ageing parents. He later told investigators that he frequently visited gay bars and learned that some hitchhikers travelling between North Port and Fort Myers would engage in sexual activity in exchange for money. All of his suspected victims who have been identified were either gay, homeless, or indigent.
Over the decades following his conviction, Conahan challenged his death sentence through multiple appeals. After exhausting his legal options, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed his death warrant. Last-minute appeals to both the Florida Supreme Court and the United States Supreme Court were unsuccessful.
Conahan is the 15th person to be executed in Florida in 2026, and the 24th across the USA. Under DeSantis, Florida carried out 19 executions in 2025, setting a state record since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.
