The Gainesville Ripper, later identified as Danny Rolling, was a serial killer who terrorized the city of Gainesville, Florida, in the summer of 1990. Over the course of several days, Rolling murdered five students, including Sonja Larson, Christina Powell, and Manny Taboada. The murders were particularly brutal, with the killer mutilating the bodies of his victims and leaving them in a state of shock and horror. The investigation into the murders was extensive, with police collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses in an effort to identify the killer. Rolling was eventually caught on September 7, 1990, after a traffic stop in Ocala, Florida. He was later convicted of the murders and sentenced to death, and was executed by lethal injection on October 25, 2006. This article examines the details of the Gainesville Ripper's crimes, including the investigation and the capture of the killer. It also explores the impact that the murders had on the city of Gainesville and the nation as a whole.