Joseph Edward Duncan
The Fifth Nail
Active for 10 years
(1996-2005) in United States
5
CONFIRMED
VICTIMS
7
POSSIBLE
VICTIMS
Jump to:
- Summary
- Serial Killer Profile
- Serial Killer Type
- General Information
- Characteristics
- Childhood
- Cognitive Ability
- Incarceration
- Death
- 10 Timeline Events
- Serial Killers Active During Spree
- Boolean Statistical Questions
- 11 Books Written About Joseph Edward Duncan
- 3 External References
- Internal References
Joseph Edward Duncan (Joseph Edward Duncan III) an American serial killer and child rapist known as The Fifth Nail. He was a child molester active between 1996 and 2005. Duncan was convicted of killing a California boy in 1997 and four members of an Idaho family in 2005. He confessed to two 1996 murders in Washington state, but has not been formally charged. Ducan would kidnap, rape and murder victims. Duncan maintained a personal website, entitled The Fifth Nail. He killed at least one victim by hitting them with a hammer. Joseph Duncan is currently on death row at USP Terre Haute in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Joseph Edward Duncan Serial Killer Profile
Serial Killer Joseph Edward Duncan (aka) The Fifth Nail, was active for 10 years between 1996-2005, known to have ( 5 confirmed / 7 possible ) victims. This Serial Killer was active in the following countries: United States
Joseph Edward Duncan was born (Joseph Edward Duncan III) on February 25th 1963 in Tacoma, county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. His father, Joseph Edward Duncan Jr.
Joseph Edward Duncan a homosexual, pedophile male citizen of the United States of America. He completed 13 years of school, attended some college, no degree received. He gained part of his education while attending North Dakota State University. He never married. He had no children.
Prior to his spree he had commited crimes, served time in jail, and served time in prison.
In 1996 (Age 32/33) Joseph Edward Duncan started his killing spree, during his crimes as a serial killer he was known to torture, rape, and murder his victims. Joseph Edward Duncan used a weapon and was in possession of a firearm during his crimes. He was known to kill victims at his own home. At least one victim was tied, bound, or otherwise restrained during the crime.
He was arrested on July 2nd 2005 (Age 42), convicted on December 3rd 2007 (Age 44), sentenced to death at United States Penitentiary, Terre Haute, Indiana, US. He was convicted on charges of murder, rape and other possible charges during his lifetime.
Joseph Edward Duncan died on March 28th 2021 (Age 58), cause of death: stage IV brain cancer, glioblastoma at United States Penitentiary, Terre Haute, Indiana, US.
Profile Completeness: 75%
serial killers by profile completenessJoseph Edward Duncan has been listed on Killer.Cloud since November of 2016 and was last updated 3 years ago.
Joseph Edward Duncan a known:
( 651 killers ) SERIAL KILLER
The unlawful killing of two or more victims by the same offender(s), in separate events. Serial Killer as defined by the FBI at the 2005 symposium.
( 308 killers ) RAPIST
Rape is usually defined as having sexual intercourse with a person who does not want to, or cannot consent.
( 89 killers ) TORTURER
Torture is when someone puts another person in pain. This pain may be physical or psychological. Tourturers touture their victims.
Joseph Edward Duncan
Serial Killer Profile:
Updated: 2021-04-03 Collected by Killer.Cloud
| General Information | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Joseph E. Duncan III |
| Nickname: | The Fifth Nail |
| Victims: | 5 - 7 |
| Years Active: | 1996 - 2005 |
| Ages Active: | 32/33 - 41/42 |
| Active Countries: | United States |
| Convicted Of: | murder, rape |
| Life Span: | 1963 - 2021 |
| Characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Gender: | Male |
| Citizenship: | United States of America |
| Sexual Preference: | homosexual, pedophile |
| Astrological Sign: | ♓ Pisces Feb 18 - Mar 20 |
| Birth Month: | February |
| Marital Status: | never married |
| Children: | no children |
| Living With: | N/A |
| Occupation: | serial killer |
| Childhood Information | |
|---|---|
| D.O.B.: | Feb 25, 1963 |
| Birth Name: | Joseph Edward Duncan III |
| Given Name: | Joseph |
| Birth Location: | Tacoma, county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States |
| Birth Order: | N/A |
| Siblings: | N/A |
| Raised By: | N/A |
| Birth Category: | N/A |
| Mother: | N/A |
| Father: | Joseph Edward Duncan Jr |
| Cognitive Ability | |
|---|---|
| IQ: | N/A |
| Highest School: | 13 years of school |
| Highest Degree: | some college, no degree |
| Educated At: | North Dakota State University |
| Incarceration | |
|---|---|
| Arrested: | Jul 2, 2005 (Age 42) |
| Convicted: | Dec 3, 2007 (Age 44) |
| Sentence: | death |
| Prison Location: | United States Penitentiary, Terre Haute, Indiana, US |
| Executed: | N/A |
| Previous Crimes: | TRUE |
| Previous Jail: | TRUE |
| Previous Prison: | TRUE |
| Death Information | |
|---|---|
| Death Date: | Mar 28, 2021 (Age 58) |
| Cause of Death: | stage IV brain cancer, glioblastoma |
| Death Location: | United States Penitentiary, Terre Haute, Indiana, US |
| Killed In Prison: | FALSE |
| Suicide: | FALSE |
10 Timeline Events of Serial Killer
Joseph Edward Duncan
The 10 dates listed below represent a timeline of the life and crimes of serial killer Joseph Edward Duncan. A complete collection of serial killer events can be found on our Serial Killer Timeline.
| Date | Event Description |
|---|---|
| Feb 25 1963 | Joseph Edward Duncan was born in Tacoma, county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. #19630225 |
| Feb 25 1983 (Age 20) | 20th Birthday |
| Feb 25 1993 (Age 30) | 30th Birthday |
| 1996 (Age 32/33) | Joseph Edward Duncan started his serial killing spree. #1996 |
| Feb 25 2003 (Age 40) | 40th Birthday |
| 2005 (Age 41/42) | Joseph Edward Duncan ended his serial killing spree. #2005 |
| Jul 02 2005 (Age 42) | Joseph Edward Duncan arrested. #20050702 |
| Dec 03 2007 (Age 44) | Joseph Edward Duncan was convictedand sentenced to death at United States Penitentiary, Terre Haute, Indiana, US. #20071203 |
| Feb 25 2013 (Age 50) | 50th Birthday |
| Mar 28 2021 (Age 58) | Joseph Edward Duncandied.cause of death:stage IV brain cancer, glioblastomaat United States Penitentiary, Terre Haute, Indiana, US. #20210328 |
Back to top Serial Killers Active During
The following serial killers were active during the same time span as Joseph Edward Duncan (1996-2005).
Serial Killers By Active Year
| 23 / 40 ANSWEREDSerial Killer Boolean Questions: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Killer Question | Killer Answer | Total Answered | ||
| previous crimes | TRUE | 367 | ||
| previous jail | TRUE | 352 | ||
| previous prision | TRUE | 336 | ||
| kill at killers home | TRUE | 320 | ||
| used weapon | TRUE | 453 | ||
| used gun | TRUE | 451 | ||
| rape | TRUE | 453 | ||
| torture | TRUE | 426 | ||
| bound | TRUE | 406 | ||
| suicide | FALSE | 225 | ||
| killed in prison | FALSE | 218 | ||
| kill at victims home | FALSE | 323 | ||
| stalk | FALSE | 418 | ||
| blindfold | FALSE | 363 | ||
| strangle | FALSE | 443 | ||
| sex with body | FALSE | 430 | ||
| mutilated | FALSE | 447 | ||
| ate part of body | FALSE | 451 | ||
| drank blood | FALSE | 442 | ||
| posed body | FALSE | 365 | ||
| totem body part | FALSE | 365 | ||
| totem personal item | FALSE | 354 | ||
| robbed | FALSE | 418 | ||
Books that Mention Joseph Edward Duncan
Kevin Smith
Serial Killer Rapists
Kevin Dwyer
True Stories of Law & Order: SVU
Jack Rosewood
The Big Book of Serial Killers
Gary C. King
Stolen in the Night
Larry Siegel
Criminology: Theories, Patterns, and Typologi...
Dale E. Seborg
Process Dynamics and Control
Ronald M. Holmes
Serial Murder
Greg J. Duncan
Whither Opportunity?
11 Books that mention Serial Killer
Joseph Edward Duncan
| ISBN10 | Book Title | Author | Killers Mentioned | Killers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1733630619 | Serial Killer Rapists | Kevin Smith | 266 Total Including Ramadan Abdel Rehim Mansour | 266 |
| 1101220422 | True Stories of Law & Ord... | Kevin Dwyer | Joseph Edward Duncan | 1 |
| 1548119644 | The Big Book of Serial Ki... | Jack Rosewood | 60 Total Including Duke Pierson | 60 |
| 0312942052 | Stolen in the Night | Gary C. King | Joseph Edward Duncan | 1 |
| 049500572x | Criminology: Theories, Pa... | Larry Siegel | Joseph Edward Duncan | 1 |
| 0470128674 | Process Dynamics and Cont... | 4 Total Including Dale E. Seborg | Joseph Edward Duncan | 1 |
| 1412974429 | Serial Murder | Ronald M. Holmes | 26 Total Including Ronald Dominique | 26 |
| 1610447514 | Whither Opportunity? | Greg J. Duncan | Joseph Edward Duncan | 1 |
| 1530040094 | Sicko | Lori Gordon | Joseph Edward Duncan | 1 |
| 146027752x | When Things Seem Odd | Michael Joseph Legar... | 6 Total Including John Edward Robinson | 6 |
| 149096679x | 100 of the Most Famous Se... | Alex Trost | 17 Total Including Serhiy Tkach | 17 |
Joseph Edward Duncan III (born February 25, 1963) is an American convicted serial killer and child molester who is on death row in federal prison in conjunction with the 2005 kidnappings and murders of members of the Groene family of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. He is also serving 11 consecutive sentences of life without parole in conjunction with the same crimes as well as the 1997 murder of Anthony Martinez of Beaumont, California.
External References
- Q4154853 on www.wikidata.org, Retrieved on Dec 20, 2018.
- Joseph E. Duncan III on en.wikipedia.org, Retrieved on Dec 20, 2018.
- Juan Ignacio Blanco, Joseph Edward DUNCAN III on murderpedia.org, Retrieved on Dec 20, 2018.
Internal References
Joseph Edward Duncan is included in the following pages on Killer.Cloud the Serial Killer Database
- #24 of 38[ Page 2 ] of Serial Killers with birthdays in February
- #32 of 40[ Page 3 ] of Pisces Serial Killers sorted by Confirmed Victims
- #63 of 89[ Page 5 ] of Serial Killer Torturers sorted by Confirmed Victims
- #143 of 651[ Page 10 ] of the A-Z List of Serial Killers
- #164 of 651[ Page 11 ] of serial killers sorted by Years Active
- #201 of 327[ Page 14 ] of Serial Killers active in the United States
- #202 of 307[ Page 14 ] of Serial Killer Rapist sorted by Confirmed Victims
- #312 of 651[ Page 21 ] of serial killers sorted by Profile Completeness
- #407 of 651[ Page 28 ] of serial killers sorted by Confirmed Victims
- Statistics:
- Serial Killers Statistics, charts Joseph Edward Duncan is included in: Active Serial Killers by Country, Serial Killers By Gender, Age of Serial Killer by Date, Killers By Astrological Sign, Killers By Birth Month, Serial Killers IQ Level, Highest Degree Achieved, Sexual Preference, Active Serial Killers by Year and Statistical Boolean Questions.
- Years Active: