Serial killer Israel Keyes will take center-stage in a new television series adapted from Maureen Callahan's non-fiction true crime book American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century.
Deadline reports that the upcoming adaptation will be helmed by Scott Rosenbaum, who previously acted as showrunner for the USA Network's hit series Queen of the South, also based on a true story. No further creative details have been revealed about the series yet, except that Canadian producer Neshama Entertainment will produce the series and it will be distributed by Fox Entertainment Global. Rosenbaum also produced shows like The Shield, Chuck, and V.
Keyes hasn't been featured in any film or television, but he is the subject of several documentaries and true crime podcasts. He was an extremely sinister and meticulous killer, believed to have murdered at least 11 people between 2001 and 2012. What made Keyes so terrifying was his intellect and ability to avoid being caught.
Unlike most serial killers, Keyes didn't have a "type" and he didn't stay in the same region. He intentionally picked his victims randomly and committed the murders all across the country so as to avoid being caught. He would plan his crimes out in great detail before actually perpetrating them and hid "kill kits" in remote locations containing things he would need to murder his victims.
Per Deadline, "Over the course of fourteen years, he would fly to a city, rent a car, and drive thousands of miles in order to use his kits. He would break into a stranger’s house, abduct his victims in broad daylight, and kill and dispose of them in mere hours. And then he would return home to Alaska, resuming life as a quiet, reliable construction worker devoted to his only daughter."
Callahan's book was published in 2019 by Penguin Random House. It is an excellent and unnerving read about Keyes and how he worked. It delves into how the FBI finally caught and arrested Keyes, while also grappling with the knowledge that someone like him was able to kill people indiscriminately for over a decade before he was finally caught. Many of his crimes remain unsolved.
Keyes was finally arrested on March 13, 2012 and imprisoned in Anchorage, Alaska. He committed suicide in prison, dying on December 2, 2012 at the age of 34.
Stay tuned to 1428 Elm for more details on this series and all things true crime.