THE HONEYBEE KILLER

Article BY Lori Bell

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Tragedy struck in the heartland when a deranged gunman descended on two Midwestern towns, shooting three men in a span of less than two hours. Law enforcement struggled to identify the perpetrator. And a case of mistaken identity threatened to derail the investigation until the real shooter resurfaced to strike again.

In Beecher, Illinois, on October 5th, 2010, 45-year-old Rolando Alonso and his coworkers, Joshua Garza and Matthew Burton, were on a job site on Stoney Island Avenue rehabbing a burned out house. Josh and Matt were best friends, and Rolando was filling in as foreman.

Rolando had just started working for the construction company only the day before. All the men were happy to have the work. Josh was especially grateful for the opportunity, as he was planning to use the extra cash to buy a ring for his girlfriend’s upcoming birthday.

Devoted father Rolando, had nine children in a blended family with his wife Claudia, so he too, could use the extra income. Rolando, Josh, and Matt were busy working when a truck pulled up to the construction site. A man got out, he was unshaven and very disheveled.

The man asked the three men if the house they were working on was for sale. After making small talk for a few minutes, the stranger got back into his truck and drove off. Josh told Matt there was something weird about the driver but, dismisses it after the man leaves the area.

Twenty – five minutes later the stranger returned. The stranger peppered Josh with a multitude of questions. Such as, why they were tearing the house up, and what they were going to do about a stack of plywood nearby.

Matt went over and told the stranger that they use everything they have. Instead of leaving, the awkward stranger continued to mill around. Matt walked back into the house, and Josh picked up a wheelbarrow full of materials and headed to the side of the garage. That left Rolando with the stranger who continued to ask questions .

Without warning, the man pulled out a revolver and shot Rolando in the head. Rolando was badly injured, but not instantly killed. The gunman then took aim at Josh, firing a single shot that hit him in the head. Josh fell to the ground, blacking out from his wound.

Matt saw the gunman, then he turned in his direction, and realized he was next. The shooter fired a round and it missed. Matt sprinted across the street and hid face down in an unplowed field. He pulled out a cell phone and dialed 911, but before he completed the call his phone died. Luckily the gunman gave up his pursuit.

Matt watched the man get back into his truck, rev the motor, then drive off. Meanwhile, emergency personnel were enroute to the construction site. They were able to pinpoint Matt’s location from his dropped call.

When paramedics arrived they found Rolando and Josh. Both men were in terrible shape, but Rolando’s condition was worse. He was close to death and transported to a nearby hospital Josh was also taken to a nearby hospital, stabilized there, then airlifted to Advocate Christmas Medical Center, and placed into the ICU.

Matt, who was unhurt, remained at the scene to speak with police. He gave detectives their first description of the suspect. An unshaven man, wearing a green windbreaker, a light t-shirt, a black or dark green beanie hat, light jeans, and work boots.

Matt provided one more detail, that the man was driving a late model Ford pickup. He was, also, pretty sure the truck had Illinois plates, and that it headed north out of the neighborhood . Police then contacted the construction company that employed Rolando, Matt, and Josh.

Their boss didn’t know why anyone would target his workers. In fact, few people actually knew the men would be there at that site that Tuesday. The police explored the possibility that the shooter was a disgruntled or fired employee.

None of the other workers fit that profile and none of them matched Matt’s description of the suspect. Police canvased the neighborhood, but virtually none of the neighbors were home except one man who heard the shots, but thought someone was just hunting so he didn’t check to see if something unusual had occurred.

Police continued to process the crime scene. The shooter, who remained at large, had driven 15 miles across the state line into Indiana.

In Lowell, Indiana, on October 5th, 2010, 64 -year-old farmer, Keith Dahl, was driving his truck near 201st and Kline Avenues as he headed to check on his bean fields. Suddenly Keith spotted a pickup truck in the distance, and it was driving towards him. The driver parked alongside Keith’s truck.

The driver struck up a conversation with Keith, asking him if it would be possible to keep bees in the area. Keith told the man he was mildly interested in a bee keeping venture on his property. The stranger wrote a name and number down on a piece of paper, then handed it through the window to Keith.

As soon as Keith took the paper, to put in the center console, the stranger pulled back his arm and produced a handgun. The stranger shot three times. Keith wasn’t dead, but he pretends to be. He let his body slump over the steering wheel and desperately held his breath.

The gunman reached into Keith’s pocket and stole his wallet, which contained about $60 in cash. He fired one final shot at Keith then walked back to his truck and drove away. Once he was sure it was safe, Keith started up his truck and drove down the road to call 911.

Emergency personnel responded within minutes and took Keith to St. Anthony’s Hospital in Crownepoint, Indiana where he was stabilized despite four gunshot wounds.

Meanwhile, back in Illinois, Rolando succumbed to his wounds, and was pronounced dead at 2:55pm. This was no longer a shooter-at-large situation. This had become a full- fledged homicide investigation.

The Will County, Illinois, and the Lake County, Indiana, sheriff’s departments worked quickly to verify that the gunman, who shot Rolando and Josh, was the same gunman who attempted to execute Keith. Bullets recovered from both crime scenes appeared to come from the same weapon, a .357 or .38 caliber colt revolver.

Because there was no connection between any of the victims, it was speculated that the shooter’s motive might have been robbery. Detectives generated a composite sketch of the shooter from Matt’s description of a heavy set male in his 40s, wearing a cap.

Matt claimed that the gunman appeared to be driving a 90s model, white, full-sized truck. Keith, on the other hand, told detectives that his attacker was driving a very light blue Chevy from the late 80s or early 90s.

An all- points bulletin was issued in Illinois and Indiana for the shooter and his truck. They told the public that the suspect was between 5’10” and 6’ tall, weighed 220lbs. to 260lbs, remained at-large, and he was considered to be armed and dangerous .

The Will County sheriffs department released a composite sketch of the shooter, and there was a two-state, all-points bulletin on his truck. Less than six hours after the shooting , police in Schererville, Indiana, pulled over a 1992 blue Chevy pickup, that seemed to match the description of the shooter’s truck.

The police questioned the driver, a 37-year-old man named Brian Dorian. He was a police officer in Lynwood, Illinois, though, he was on disability leave, stemming from a 2009 shoulder injury he sustained while on duty. The police gave Brian a quick once-over, then allowed him to go about his business .

On October 7th , 2010, authorities from Lake County formed a task force to share tips and information . They sent bullets from their respective crime scenes, to the Lake County Crime Lab for further analysis.

The Indiana State Police got involved and released a new composite sketch of the suspect, which offered a more detailed view. When police in Schererville, Indiana, saw the new sketch, they recognized the somewhat familiar face. Brian Dorian, the police officer they pulled over on the fifth, driving a blue Chevy truck.

The Schererville police contacted the task force about their run in with officer Dorian. Simultaneously, task force detectives worked the vehicle registry to try and narrow down the list of potential suspects. Yet, there are approximately 10,000 trucks that fit the description , including Brian Dorian’s.

Investigators decided to pursue the Dorian lead. They placed a surveillance unit outside his residence. Then they contacted Matt Burton to see if he could make a positive identification. They showed Matt a six pack of drivers license photos. He pointed to Brian Dorian’s picture and said he was certain that Dorian was the man who harassed him and his coworkers at the job site.

In Crete, Illinois, on October 7th, 2010, police questioned Brian Dorian’s girlfriend at the sheriff's substation. Dorian’s girlfriend claimed that, on the morning of October 5th, Brian had been running errands before police had pulled him over in Schererville.

She also told the investigators that Dorian planned on going out of town the next day to attend a family reunion in Iowa. The police decided that now was the time to make their move. In the pre dawn hours of October 8th, a SWAT team arrested Brian at his home in Creek Township, Illinois.

They seized his truck, and he waived his right to an attorney, insisting that he was innocent. He gave detectives his alibi, that he was home on his computer at the time of the murders. Around 3:40 am that same morning, police put Dorian in a line-up with other suspects.

They brought Matt back out to the station house. Matt positively identified Brian Dorian, despite the fact that Brian was in his 30s, thinner, and had shorter hair than the man originally described to detectives.

Dorian was subsequently charged with the first degree murder of Rolando Alonso. He was held at the Will County Jail, with a bail set at $2.5 million. Dorian continued to maintain his innocence, despite his background as a cop. Homicide detectives know this wasn’t the first time he had been implicated in the death of another human being.

In 2008, while off duty, Dorian had been speeding 83mph down an Illinois highway, when he struck another vehicle, killing 17-year-old high school senior, Dylan Drapeu.. According to published reports, Dorian claimed he was speeding because his cars check engine light started flashing, and he was in a hurry to take it in for repairs.

The Drapeaus wanted Dorian to be charged with reckless homicide, but instead, in June of 2008, officer Dorian was found guilty of a failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident. He never went to jail. He was fined $500, and ultimately sentenced to twelve months of court supervision.

Still most people in Dorian’s community had a hard time believing he was responsible for that heinous shooting spree. Dorian’s friends and neighbors weren’t the only ones in disbelief. When Keith Dahl found out about the arrest he told the authorities that Dorian was definitely not the man who shot him.

Given the discrepancy between the two eye witnesses, police turned to Dorian’s computer to see if his alibi checked out. Forensic analysis was done on his computer. The findings proved that he was telling the truth. He was home, online when the bullets started flying.

Brian Dorian was released from jail on October 13th. With Dorian eliminated as a suspect, investigators recharged their efforts to find the perpetrator’s truck. They were able to narrow down the make and model of the shooter’s truck to be a blue Chevrolet Cheyenne, manufactured between 1991 and 1998.

But that still left hundreds of vehicles to rule out. Detectives visited repair shops and auto stores in an attempt to narrow down the list, but most of the businesses weren’t able to retrieve the records. The shooter resurfaced but, pressed his luck one time too many.

Because Keith Dahl had a conversation with the shooter about honey bees, the shooter was soon dubbed The Honeybee Killer. Police continued to look for The Honeybee Killer and his blue Chevrolet Cheyenne pickup truck but, there weren’t any sightings of him for two days.

In Orland Park, Illinois , on December 11th, 2010, 19-year-old college student , Karen Rohde, was inside the tanning salon where she worked. Suddenly a man, dressed in all black, entered the establishment. He asked Karen about tanning prices. He then pulled out a handgun, pointed it at her, and said, “Give me your money.”

The gunman handed Karen a rope and told her to tie her hands together. Then he proceeded to tie her hands and ankles to a nearby chair. Before long the front door opened. Twenty-nine year old customer, Jason McDaniel walked in to see the attempted robbery in progress.

The gunman ordered McDaniel to get behind the counter with Karen. McDaniel tried to reason with the gunman and told him, “We'll give you money if you leave.” That didn’t work, so then he told the gunman he had a 16 month old daughter at home.

The gunman responded, “Whatever, I don’t care about any of that.” McDaniel was then ordered to tie himself up. When the gunman put his revolver down on the reception counter to fumble with some rope, McDaniel seized the opportunity.

McDaniel lunged at the gunman and elbowed him in the face, knocking him off balance, and into the back room. Then McDaniel got control of the gun. He pointed it at the perpetrator, the guns goes off dazing the gunman.

McDaniel wrestled with the gunman in the back room. Karen slid the chair over to the counter and dialed 911. The gunman rushed McDaniel, and was shot in the stomach. Woodland Park Police responded to the scene and found McDaniel holding the gunman’s .38 caliber colt revolver.

The gunman was on the ground in critical condition. Paramedics transported him to Advocate Christmas Medical Center, where he died within an hour. As police walked the crime scene and surrounding area, one of them spotted a vehicle he recognized. A light blue 90s Chevy Cheyenne with Illinois plates.

The vehicle was an exact match for the truck that was used in the commission of the shooting spree two months prior. Police ran the plates and it came back registered to 48-year-old, Illinois native, Gary Amaya, who lived 90 miles south in the town of Rankin.

The Orlando Park Police notified the Will County’s sheriffs department that they have possibly identified The Honey Bee Killer, and he’s dead. Later that Saturday evening, as detectives searched Gary’s pickup, they found a woman’s Coach brand purse sitting on the passenger seat with some handcuffs, rope, and a package of condoms.

Police tracked down the woman who was a college student and a former prostitute from Chicago, and who went by the alias Anderson. She told police that she had left a sandwich shop near 4th and Cicero at 1:30 that morning, when Gary had pulled up in his pickup truck and accosted her. Anderson escaped but left her purse behind.

The following week, Keith Dahl caught wind of Gary’s death. Keith’s wife had seen Gary’s picture on TV. She pulled up a story about Gary on their home computer. Keith took a ruler and placed it across Gary’s forehead to simulate the hat his attacker wore. He apparently said, “That's the man who shot me.”

Detectives needed to figure out exactly who the unemployed 48-year-old was and, what might have triggered the streak of violence in him. Gary grew up in South Village, Illinois. According to his father Charles, he got into firearms early in life. At one point, in grade school, Gary shot out a TV screen in their house, with a pellet gun.

Gary attended Bloom Township High School in Chicago Heights, but was far from a good student, and dropped out. His parents split. His mom remarried, and she and his stepdad became the caretakers of Tandem Lake Lodge, a hunting and fishing resort.

Gary eventually took over the caretaker responsibilities, and the lodge, when his parents moved down state to Rankin. He enjoyed hunting and working at the Lodge. His hobbies included growing mushrooms, and tending to a dozen bee hives.

A friend told police that Gary the caretaker soon began to develop a Jekyll and Hyde personality. There didn’t appear to be anything in Gary’s entire history that was indicative of him eventually becoming a murderer.

Gary came across as shy. He seemed to have a good sense of humor, and plenty of friends. The turning point seemed to come in 2006, when Gary gave up his caretaker job and moved to Rankin to comfort his mother who was ill.

Gary’s mother died of cancer that same year. It was during the period after his mother’s death when he was living alone in Rankin, that his friends believed something snapped in him.

In Will County on December 16th,2010, The Honeybee Killer task force held a press conference at the sheriffs department. Investigators verified that ballistic tests conducted on the .38 colt snub nose that McDaniel wrestled from Gary, and shot him with, was the same weapon that The Honeybee Killer used to shoot Rolando, Josh, and Keith two months prior.

Yet, law enforcement stopped short of naming Gary The Honeybee Killer. They were waiting on DNA testing of evidence retrieved at his home, to compare it with the forensic evidence from the various crime scenes.

The authorities had DNA tested on a piece of paper The Honeybee Killer handed to Keith Dahl prior to shooting him. Dahl’s pants pocket was also tested, since his wallet had been stolen. Those results were compared to Gary’s, but were inconclusive.

Finally, in April of 2011, detectives met at the Illinois State Attorneys Office. Despite not having any conclusive proof, they officially declared Gary The Honeybee Killer. The following month they released the findings from their search of his residence in Rankin.

Detectives drew two major conclusions about Gary’s possible motives for his crimes. First, that he suffered from some sort of mental illness. An argument supported by his own father. And second, that Gary was in dire financial straits.

When police searched Gary’s home two days after his death, they found it in shambles. Gary hadn’t paid the water bill so he was using a bucket for a toilet. They found little record of any work history for Gary after the spring of 2010, when he finished a short stint with a local trucking company.

Law enforcement had recovered several items from inside the dilapidated home. Police had found a ledger which suggested Gary was supporting himself through unemployment by selling his beloved hunting guns.

Police had also found a brown mask, a canvas bag filled with rope, a screwdriver, a knife and some ammunition. This makeshift criminal’s tool kit suggested that Gary may have been carrying out robberies for financial gain, regardless of how little he could net.

Gary may have been saved if he was treated earlier for his mental illness, but unfortunately he wasn’t. At the end of the day they found him at the total end of his rope, when he finally killed these individuals no matter what he was actually going to get from it.