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Accused Serial Killer Linked To Other Crimes

Posted at 6:08 PM, Mar 20, 2018
and last updated 2018-03-20 19:28:16-04

A jury convicted accused serial killer Bruce Mendenhall in Wilson County of another murder, and investigators are certain there are others.

Metro police caught Mendenhall at a Nashville truck stop eleven years ago. The cab of Mendenhall's big rig was splattered with his victims' blood. 

Mendenhall has since been serving life for the murder of Sara Hulbert in Nashville. Just last month he was found guilty in Wilson County for the murder of Samantha Winters.

Police suspected Mendenhall was a serial killer since his arrest in 2007.

"There's been several cases we've looked at several different people we've looked at," said Detective Jimmy Barnet at time.

After this most recent conviction, Newschannel 5 learned Mendenhall will soon be back in court. Next up, the murder of Carma Purpura at an Indianapolis truck stop.

Mendenhall sent Newschannel 5 a letter after learning of that case writing: "I didn't know her body had been found. I'm glad for her family."

There are also pending murder cases in Alabama, Georgia and Illinois. Mendenhall was a long haul trucker - a nomadic killer never in one place for long. Some think he killed for years across the country before he was caught.

Yet, despite overwhelming evidence of his crimes, he's always denied murdering anyone. Mendenhall is 66-years-old in poor health and serving two life sentences.

Mendenhall is serving his time at Riverbend Maximum Security Prison.