TikTok Has Discovered When the Alleged Storyville Slayer Called in to Howard Stern

Despite what many might think, our fascination with serial killers isn’t anything new, those with prolific murderous intent are just more readily accessible now via a medley of streaming adaptations and true-crime podcasts. In fact, back in 1997, shock jock Howard Stern didn’t even have to seek out any grisly information. Instead, a man asking to be called “Clay” called into Stern’s radio show and claimed to be a serial killer.

Suspecting the call was a ruse, Stern goaded Clay, probing him with questions that insinuated that he was abused and neglected. Unbothered by Stern’s antics, Clay very calmly described his weapon of choice (a hammer), his ideal locale (the side of the road) and his desire to “do the whole sending clues and baffle people” bit that serial killers really love. 

Stern was able to coax a surprising amount of information out of Clay, one detail in particular being that he resided in New Orleans. All of which made it plausible that Clay was the Storyville Slayer, a serial killer who murdered at least 24 women in New Orleans between 1991 and 1996.

That said, it wasn’t a certainty either. For starters, the man the FBI believes to be the perpetrator was arrested for soliciting drugs from an undercover cop on August 4th, two weeks before the phone call to Stern’s show. This caveat led to the credibility of the call being questioned, with some suggesting that Stern faked the call in an effort to boost his ratings. 

Still, there’s at least some validity to the notion that the Storyville Slayer called into Stern’s show, as no official arrest has been made in association with the murders. For now, though, police are sticking to the belief that there were multiple killers involved — Clay or no Clay.