If you thought true crime couldn't get more disturbing, meet Joe Metheny, also known by the chilling moniker "The Cannibal." Operating in the shadows of Baltimore, Maryland, in the 1990s, Metheny didn't just prey on vulnerable victims; he confessed to using their remains in the most unthinkable way: grinding human flesh with beef and pork to sell to unsuspecting customers at a roadside BBQ stand.
This case is a shocking descent into depravity, highlighting the brutal reality faced by society's most marginalized and the dark, unverified claims of one of America’s most monstrous serial killers.
The Monster in Plain Sight
Metheny was a colossal man, standing 6 feet 1 inch and severely obese, earning him the ironic nickname "Tiny." Despite his rough exterior and a life consumed by drug and alcohol addiction, he held a steady job as a forklift driver at a pallet factory. This allowed him to maintain a degree of normalcy while hiding his increasingly violent fantasies.
His primary targets were young, vulnerable women, mainly sex workers struggling with addiction in the desolate parts of South Baltimore. He would lure them with offers of drugs or a place to stay at his trailer near the factory site.
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Victims: While Metheny claimed to have killed as many as 13 people, authorities secured convictions for the murders of Kimberly Lynn Spicer (1996) and Cathy Ann Magaziner (1994).
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The Motive: In court, Metheny showed a complete lack of remorse, stating chillingly that he committed the murders because he simply "enjoyed it," got "a rush out of it," and had "no real excuse why other than I like to do it."
The Culinary Horror: The BBQ Stand Confession
The detail that seared Metheny’s name into the darkest corner of true crime lore was his confession of cannibalism and the running of a makeshift food operation.
Metheny confessed that after murdering and dismembering some of his victims, he would store the human remains, grind the flesh, and mix it with beef and pork. He then sold this mixture as "roast beef and pork sandwiches" from an open-pit barbecue stand he set up on the roadside near his factory.
"I cut the meat up and put it in some Tupperware bowls then put it in a freezer. I opened up a little open-pit beef stand... The human body taste was very similar to pork. If you mix it together no one can tell the difference." — Joe Metheny
While police were unable to fully corroborate the extent of the cannibalism claims, the confession was graphic and utterly sickening, forever associating the Baltimore serial killer with the horrifying concept of the "human hamburger."
The End of the Run
Metheny’s reign of terror ended in late 1996 when he abducted another woman, Rita Kemper. She managed to survive his brutal attack and escape his trailer, immediately notifying the Baltimore police.
Metheny was arrested and, in a series of disturbing and lengthy confessions, finally revealed the location of his victims' remains, buried in shallow graves on the factory property. He was initially sentenced to death in 1998 for the murder of Kimberly Spicer, but his sentence was later overturned and reduced to life imprisonment without parole.
Joe Metheny died in his cell at the Western Correctional Institution in Cumberland, Maryland, on August 5, 2017, taking with him the full truth about how many people he killed and the extent of his horrific crimes.
Sources
◦ Investigation Discovery - Serial Killer Joe 'The Cannibal' Metheny, Served Human Burgers
◦ Wikipedia - Joe Metheny: Murders and Confessions
◦ The Baltimore Sun - Court Records on Metheny Sentencing
◦ Psychology Today - The Psychology of Serial Cannibalism (Reference)
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