[2] Due to his lack of discipline, poor academic performance, and chronic absenteeism, Lorenzo was forced to drop out of school after the 10th grade.

[3] In February 1974, Gilyard was arrested for raping a 25-year-old exotic dancer who identified him as her attacker from a photograph, but yet again the charges were dropped when the two parties reached a reconciliation agreement.

As the victim changed her testimony, the rape charges were dropped, but Gilyard was convicted of sexual acts with a minor and received a 9-month sentence in the Jackson County jail.

After his release Gilyard married a second time, but his wife soon left him and filed for divorce, claiming that, like Rena Hill, she was beaten and sexually abused by her husband.

Despite the fact that the victims identified him as their attacker, Gilyard was acquitted by jury verdict at his September 1980 trial due to lack of evidence.

He was released again in late 1985 and in January 1986, he got a job as a garbage man at the Deffenbaugh Disposal Service, where his father worked in the maintenance department.

On December 23, 1987, Gilyard was arrested and interrogated as a potential suspect in the murder of 36-year-old Sheila Ingold, during which his blood sample was taken, but he was released due to lack of evidence.

[5] In 1991, Gilyard married for a fourth time, and was promoted to company supervisor, granting him control of several garbage-disposal teams in various parts of Kansas City.

[5] In 2001, the Kansas City Police Department received a multimillion-dollar federal grant aimed at re-examining cold cases using new DNA technology.

[5] Their bodies were found dumped in various areas around Kansas City in landfills, snowdrifts, abandoned buildings, vans, fields, and parking lots.

[13] Twelve days later, Gilyard was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murders of Barry, Kelly, Barnes, Ford, Ingold, and Hibbs.