Lone survivor of ‘Bible Belt Strangler’ opens up on 'Redhead Murders' after decades-old mystery cracked

TENNESSEE, US: The sole survivor of the notorious 'Bible Belt Strangler', identified only as 'L', has broken her silence, recounting her harrowing experience on the unsolved murders known as the 'Redhead Murders'.

The Tennessee high school students, led by teacher Alex Campbell, played a pivotal role in cracking this 40-year-old mystery.

Survivor of 'Bible Belt Strangler' reveals chilling encounter with serial killer

In an exclusive interview on the Murder 101 podcast, L, who survived an attack by Jerry Johns in the early 1980s, shared her chilling encounter with the suspected serial killer. Investigators now believe the suspect, a deceased trucker, may be linked to a series of unsolved killings during that decade.

L's revelation comes nearly four decades after her traumatic ordeal, as she sat down with Campbell to share her story. In an emotional clip, she expressed gratitude for her survival, stating, "There's no reason for me to be alive except the good Lord let me live."

Determined to 'save women’s lives," the retired nurse decided to come forward and speak out about her experience.

Jerry Johns' DNA found on Tina McKenney-Farmer's crime scene

The survivor learned about Johns' connection to another murder only a couple of years ago when an FBI agent contacted her. She admitted, "I didn't even know Jerry Johns had died, but he called me and told me that they used DNA and proved that he killed this other girl."

Tina McKenney-Farmer, linked to him through DNA evidence in 2018, where the 20-year-old was found in December 1984, off Interstate 75 near Jellico, Tenn. Johns, on the other hand, passed away in prison in 2015, having been found guilty of the strangulation of a prostitute in Knox County, Kentucky, back in 1985. 

 “They questioned me when it happened,” the survivor admitted. Despite the survivor's cooperation during the initial investigation into Johns, more murders occurred and the sole survivor noticed one of the girls “looked very similar to me.”

Is Jerry Johns connected to the Redhead Murders?

Campbell's 2018 class, in an extensive effort, connected six possible victims to Johns as the prime suspect, marking a significant breakthrough in the 'Redhead Murders' case.

“There was a whole bunch of them that they questioned me about,” L stated. “We sat at this big, huge, long table and there were photographs of all these women and some of them looked like photographs of me. There were dozens of girls that looked a lot like me, and they called them the Redhead Murders,” she said in the podcast.

While the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation acknowledged Johns as a suspect, Campbell expressed disappointment that the students received no credit for their efforts. The investigation is ongoing to determine if the serial killer can be tied to other Redhead Murders.

Alex Campbell lauds survivor's crucial role in bringing Jerry Johns to Justice

Campbell, who said he’s “poured his life" into proving Johns' connection, hailed L as a "hero," emphasizing that her will to live played a crucial role in getting him arrested and keeping him off the streets. “This is a terrible, tragic story for a lot of people and a lot of families, but if there’s a hero, it’s you,” he tearfully said. “Your will to live is what got him arrested and kept him off the streets.”

In the 10-episode Murder 101 podcast, Campbell's former students share insights into their evidence gathering, detailing how they connected the six victims, whom they fondly refer to as their 'sisters', to Johns.