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The Kansas City Vampire

He claimed voices in his head told him to kill

By True Crime WriterPublished 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago 4 min read
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Marc V. Sappington resisted the voices as long as he could. They were loud, demanding the 21-year-old harvest human blood and flesh. If Sappington chose to ignore their commands, they’d kill him.

As he walked along a side street in Kansas City, he asked himself “What about this one?” several times as random people walked along, busy with their lives, clueless about the intent of the well-mannered, quiet man who walked alongside them.

The Voices Get Stronger

Marc was well-liked in the Kansas City area. He attended church with his religious mother every Sunday and was described as “bright and articulate” by those who knew him best.

By age 16, Marc and his good friend Alton Brown dabbled in drugs, smoking danks (marijuana joints laced with embalming fluid) nearly every day. This usually resulted in calls to the police after Marc would act erratically. He never hurt anyone, nor became violent toward other people at this time.

As his drug use continued, the voices became stronger, louder, and more demanding. In 2001, Marc gave into the demands of the voices in his head.

Marc Meets Armando

In February 2001, Marc met Armando Gaitan. Together the two planned to commit a robbery. On March 26, 2001, Gaitan and Sappington robbed David Marshak, a man the pair met days prior.

The plan was to brandish the weapon to scare Marshak, take his money, and flee. Marc, instead, shot Marshak. Both men fled, Gaitan to Texas where he was arrested. He would not give up details about Marc, however, giving the man who would become known as The Vampire Cannibal the chance to take the lives of four more people, two of whom were childhood friends.

The Perfect Victim

Marc searched for the “perfect” victim for three weeks. Terry Green, a 25-year-old friend of Marc’s, showed up at his house on April 7, 2001. He visited his friend to hang out but sadly, he was also the “perfect” victim Marc had searched to find.

After luring Green to the basement, Marc viciously stabbed him to death. The attack was so brutal, blood spatter covered the wall. Marc had satisfied the voices but only temporarily. They continued to taunt him to get more blood. He bent over Green’s body and began slurping up his blood.

Hearing a noise, Marc decided to dispose of his body. He drove his mother’s car with Green’s body in the backseat to Kansas City, Missouri, where he dumped the corpse inside a car at a nightclub the man frequented.

Police found the body fairly quickly but police in Kansas City, Kansas, weren’t concerned since it appeared the murder occurred in another state. Three days later, those officers linked KC, Kansas, resident Marc V. Sappington to the murders.

The Voices Speak Again

Although on police radar, Sappington avoided capture long enough to kill two more people.

The voices spoke again on April 10, instructing Marc to go hunting for more blood. Michael Weave, a 22-year-old man, was sitting on the steps of his home when Marc approached him and struck up a conversation. He asked Weaver if he wanted to take a ride; he agreed.

In an alley three blocks from Marc’s home, he fatally stabbed Weaver. The voices instructed him to drink Weaver’s blood, although he abandoned the mission after he felt like someone would catch him. He fled the scene.

En route to his home, Marc ran into his teenage friend, “Freddie,” real name Alton Brown. Freddie, a 16-year-old kid from the neighborhood, thought the world of Marc and looked at him as a role model. He asked his friend if he wanted to hang out. The teen of course eagerly agreed.

Confined to the comfort of his home, Marc felt free to kill his friend. He shot him with a shotgun and this time, did not ignore the voices in his head who now instructed him to consume flesh. He butchered Freddie’s body into several pieces and began to consume his flesh. He tossed the rest of Freddie’s body parts into a trash bag.

Mom Finds Gruesome Scene

Marc left the home on foot. His mother discovered the gruesome scene when she returned home. She rarely retreated into the basement but the blood trail could not be ignored.

The frantic woman called the police who found Marc walking down the street. Seeing the police, Marc forced a female driver into the passenger seat and led police on a brief chase.

Armando Gaitan, still in jail and unwilling to talk, finally gave up Marc Sappington’s name after police informed him of the other brutal murders he had committed.

Marc Confesses

Marc was taken into custody where he made a full confession to the crimes. It did take time to get the confession. Marc initially said just two words: Vampirism. Cannibalism.

Psychiatrists and psychologists did not think Marc heard voices commanding him to murder, but did agree he suffered from mental illness, namely schizophrenia. Experts did agree that years of PCP and laced marijuana usage led to Marc’s erratic behavior and his decision to murder. Because of his determination, the death penalty was taken off the table. He was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences.

Mashak

Weaver
Green

guilty
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About the Creator

True Crime Writer

The best of the worst true crime, history, strange and Unusual stories. Graphic material. Intended for a mature audience ONLY.

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