name of every victim he claimed to have raped and murdered.
But Penton was consistent and specific about some cases, and for those reasons, Sunnycalb was absolutely convinced that his former cellmate was responsible for the murders of Meeks, Proctor, and Reyes. He told Sweet that Penton referred to the girls by name and knew minute details, such as the clothes they’d been wearing, the dates and locations of their abductions, and where their bodies were left.
Penton bragged about being smarter than the cops, Sunnycalb said. He claimed to be very meticulous when hunting for victims, lurking around schools and areas where children played, waiting for the right opportunity to strike fast, and then be away before anyone noticed. He even scouted the areas where he planned to murder the girls and dump their bodies, taking his victims from one jurisdiction into another to confuse law enforcement efforts. He smirked when he boasted about his crimes and said he would have never been caught except he’d make a mistake in Ohio when he killed Nydra Ross because he knew her uncle and had been seen with her.
It was this tendency to boast, Sweet realized, that was Penton’s fatal flaw. He enjoyed recounting his atrocities, reliving them over and over in graphic detail. No matter what the topic of discussion was in the beginning, Sunnycalb told him, it wouldn’t take Penton long to turn the conversation around to the little girls he’d abducted, raped, and murdered. He liked being the center of attention and seemed to “get off” sexually by regaling other inmates with each horrific detail. Such a proclivity for bragging could come back to haunt him.
When the Sunnycalb described how Penton relished recalling the murders, Sweet was reminded of Michael Giles and how he liked to relive his crimes over and over while sitting on the roof of his great-grandmother’s house. There was a similarity to their evil—the calculated, remorseless infliction of fear, suffering, and death on defenseless victims—though if Sunnycalb was right about the numbers, Penton was much further along in his career as a murderous psychopath.
Penton had never satisfied his deviant bloodlust. He told any inmate who’d listen that he hoped to someday get out of prison and resume his atrocities. Sunnycalb recalled how sometimes they’d be watching television and a young girl would appear on the screen. “He’d make comments like, ‘She better be glad I’m in here, or I would have her.’”
The killer had even decided to change tactics. In the past, he’d sometimes punched his small victims in the stomach to knock the wind out of them and prevent them from screaming or struggling as he carried them to his vehicle. Now if he ever got another chance, he said he’d use an electric stun device to disable them.
Sweet checked with Ohio authorities and found out Penton would be eligible for parole in 2027 for his conviction in the Nydra Ross case, which would make him about 69 years old. He’d still be capable of preying on little girls. Of course, as sometimes happened in an uncertain justice system, he also could be released early or sent to a less-secure facility, where he could escape. If he got out, it might be tough to catch him again, too. After all, he’d disappeared following his conviction for the death of his infant son and avoided detection for four years, during which time, if Sunnycalb’s information was correct, he’d murdered three little girls in Texas and one in Ohio.
At least , Sweet thought, and probably many more than that . He believed it was his responsibility to make sure Penton never got out of prison again. Or better yet, Texas was a state that often sought and carried out the death penalty. He could think of no better end for a child killer than to be strapped to a gurney, pumped full of poison, and put down like a mad dog.
So far in their conversations, Sunnycalb had proved to be reliable, but Sweet still cautioned himself
But Penton was consistent and specific about some cases, and for those reasons, Sunnycalb was absolutely convinced that his former cellmate was responsible for the murders of Meeks, Proctor, and Reyes. He told Sweet that Penton referred to the girls by name and knew minute details, such as the clothes they’d been wearing, the dates and locations of their abductions, and where their bodies were left.
Penton bragged about being smarter than the cops, Sunnycalb said. He claimed to be very meticulous when hunting for victims, lurking around schools and areas where children played, waiting for the right opportunity to strike fast, and then be away before anyone noticed. He even scouted the areas where he planned to murder the girls and dump their bodies, taking his victims from one jurisdiction into another to confuse law enforcement efforts. He smirked when he boasted about his crimes and said he would have never been caught except he’d make a mistake in Ohio when he killed Nydra Ross because he knew her uncle and had been seen with her.
It was this tendency to boast, Sweet realized, that was Penton’s fatal flaw. He enjoyed recounting his atrocities, reliving them over and over in graphic detail. No matter what the topic of discussion was in the beginning, Sunnycalb told him, it wouldn’t take Penton long to turn the conversation around to the little girls he’d abducted, raped, and murdered. He liked being the center of attention and seemed to “get off” sexually by regaling other inmates with each horrific detail. Such a proclivity for bragging could come back to haunt him.
When the Sunnycalb described how Penton relished recalling the murders, Sweet was reminded of Michael Giles and how he liked to relive his crimes over and over while sitting on the roof of his great-grandmother’s house. There was a similarity to their evil—the calculated, remorseless infliction of fear, suffering, and death on defenseless victims—though if Sunnycalb was right about the numbers, Penton was much further along in his career as a murderous psychopath.
Penton had never satisfied his deviant bloodlust. He told any inmate who’d listen that he hoped to someday get out of prison and resume his atrocities. Sunnycalb recalled how sometimes they’d be watching television and a young girl would appear on the screen. “He’d make comments like, ‘She better be glad I’m in here, or I would have her.’”
The killer had even decided to change tactics. In the past, he’d sometimes punched his small victims in the stomach to knock the wind out of them and prevent them from screaming or struggling as he carried them to his vehicle. Now if he ever got another chance, he said he’d use an electric stun device to disable them.
Sweet checked with Ohio authorities and found out Penton would be eligible for parole in 2027 for his conviction in the Nydra Ross case, which would make him about 69 years old. He’d still be capable of preying on little girls. Of course, as sometimes happened in an uncertain justice system, he also could be released early or sent to a less-secure facility, where he could escape. If he got out, it might be tough to catch him again, too. After all, he’d disappeared following his conviction for the death of his infant son and avoided detection for four years, during which time, if Sunnycalb’s information was correct, he’d murdered three little girls in Texas and one in Ohio.
At least , Sweet thought, and probably many more than that . He believed it was his responsibility to make sure Penton never got out of prison again. Or better yet, Texas was a state that often sought and carried out the death penalty. He could think of no better end for a child killer than to be strapped to a gurney, pumped full of poison, and put down like a mad dog.
So far in their conversations, Sunnycalb had proved to be reliable, but Sweet still cautioned himself
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