Daniel Harold Rolling, infamously known as the Gainesville Ripper, was an American serial killer whose heinous crimes in August 1990 shocked the nation and cast a dark shadow over the city of Gainesville, Florida. Rolling's murder spree, which spanned four days, claimed the lives of five students, leaving a community gripped by fear and a nation grappling with the brutality of his actions.

In August 1990, Rolling arrived in Gainesville, the home of the University of Florida. Over a span of four days, he broke into the apartments of five students, committing acts of murder and mutilation. His victims, who were all between the ages of 17 and 23, included Sonja Larson, Christina Powell, Christa Hoyt, Tracy Paules, and Manuel Taboada.

Rolling's modus operandi involved breaking into the homes of his victims, usually at night, and attacking them while they slept. The brutality of the murders and the posed bodies of the victims created an atmosphere of terror in Gainesville. The community was gripped with fear, with students changing their routines and many temporarily leaving town.


Rolling was not immediately linked to the Gainesville murders. He was arrested in September 1990 on a burglary charge in Ocala, Florida. While in custody, investigators connected Rolling to the Gainesville killings through DNA evidence and other forensic methods. In 1991, Rolling was charged with several counts of murder.