A man known as the “Truck Stop Serial Killer” has been found guilty of a third murder. Bruce Mendenhall, 73, who was already serving two life sentences for murdering two women in Tennessee, was convicted on January 22 for the 2007 murder of Carma Purpura in Indiana, according to the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office.
Mendenhall, a former truck driver, has been linked to a series of chilling murders involving victims at truck stops across Tennessee and Indiana. The prosecutor’s office noted that this conviction marks his third for murder.
Purpura, 31, was last seen at a truck stop in Indianapolis. Following her disappearance, Mendenhall was arrested the next day in Nashville, Tennessee, when police, investigating another crime, stopped his truck and discovered her bloody clothes, phone, and ATM card in a plastic bag inside. Unfortunately, Purpura’s body was not found until four years later, alongside a highway in Kentucky.
Additionally, the prosecutor’s office indicated that Mendenhall is also a suspect in a murder in Birmingham, Alabama, and in other homicides throughout the country. Prosecutor Ryan Mears expressed hope that the verdict would provide some closure to Purpura’s family and others who have waited for justice for years. He credited a dedicated detective for working diligently across state lines to achieve justice for the victims.
Mendenhall was initially arrested in 2007 for the murder of Sara Nicole Hulbert, who was found shot at a Nashville truck stop. He was convicted of her murder in 2010, leading to a life sentence. In 2018, he was convicted for the murder of Symantha Winters, whose body was discovered in a trash can at a truck stop in Tennessee, resulting in a second life sentence.
Mendenhall’s sentencing for the murder of Carma Purpura is scheduled for February 13.
