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A lot of true-crime documentaries have recently covered stories of some gruesome killers, but few were as gruesome as Israel Keyes. Perhaps one of the most prolific serial killers of all time, he is the subject of Wild Crime: Eleven Skulls, on Hulu. Apart from killing three confirmed victims and possibly 11 total victims, Keyes was also a bank robber, burglar, arsonist, kidnapper, and s*x offender.
His criminal streak came to an end after he murdered Samantha Tessla Koenig, following which he was arrested and sent to prison.
This is the subject of Hulu's latest true-crime docu-series, Wild Crime: Eleven Skulls, the title referring to a drawing that could possibly hint at Israel Keyes' real victim count. The official synopsis for the series reads:
"Wild Crime: Eleven Skulls delves into the haunting 2012 disappearance of Samantha Koenig, an 18-year-old Anchorage barista last seen leaving her place of work with an unknown man on a dark winter night. The search for Koenig leads FBI and police from Alaska’s wilderness to the remote forests of Washington’s Olympic National Park and all the way to rural Vermont, exposing a killer’s terrifying trail of crimes."
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After his arrest, Keyes displayed traits that made investigators believe that he was behind multiple murders. He was linked to multiple victims but before he could get his rightful punishment, Keyes committed suicide with a blade he had smuggled inside his jail cell.
Wild Crime: Eleven Skulls covers this serial killer in complete detail.
Who is Israel Keyes?
Born to deeply religious parents, Heidi and John Jeffrey Keyes, on January 7, 1978, in Richmond, Utah, Israel Keyes grew up in a sheltered and strict environment with nine other siblings. Growing up in a household that believed in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the Keyes household was always a controlled environment and they moved around a lot before settling in Colville, Washington.
In Colville, the family lived in a remote cabin with bare minimum necessities. Keyes started exhibiting disturbing behavior from a young age, often directing his cruelty to animals and neighbors as well.
In his teenage, he rejected his family's beliefs and was cut off from his family as a result. However, he landed on his feet as he was very good with carpentry and started working as a professional contractor.
After this role, he enlisted in the United States Army in the state of New York, where he served as a Specialist in Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry, and 25th Infantry Division. Authorities believe that he began his murders after his discharge from the army in 2001. However, he had reportedly already assaulted a teenager before that and had also assaulted a college student and a s*x worker during his time in the army.
While allegations of his criminal activities were spread over the next decade, he was finally arrested after the authorities launched an investigation into the disappearance of Samantha Tessla Koenig, an 18-year-old coffee booth employee, who went missing on February 1, 2012, from her workplace in Alaska. Keyes was also living in Alaska during the time.
After he asked for ransom money to release Koenig, whom he had already allegedly murdered by then, the police were finally able to apprehend him in Lufkin, Texas.
How did Israel Keyes die?
Israel Keyes was extradited to Alaska after his arrest and eventually confessed to Koenig's murder. He also admitted to the 2011 killings of William Scott Currier and Lorraine Simonne Currier from Essex, Vermont. However, his confessions and methods were rather erratic and he often did not cooperate with the police.
He ultimately confessed to multiple murders but no other victim was confirmed. On December 2, 2012, Israel Keyes was found dead in his jail cell shortly before he was slated to go to trial. He slit his wrist and attempted to strangle himself in his cell after sneaking in a blade.
The authorities later found an unsettling drawing composed of blood, which contained 11 skulls in his jail cell. Many alleged that this was him revealing his victim count.
More details about this case will be explored in Hulu's Wild Crime: Eleven Skulls.
