Robert Joseph Zani
The Zani Murders
Active for 14 years
(1967-1980) in United States
6
CONFIRMED
VICTIMS
6
POSSIBLE
VICTIMS
Jump to:
- Summary
- Serial Killer Profile
- Serial Killer Type
- General Information
- Characteristics
- Childhood
- Cognitive Ability
- Incarceration
- Death
- 18 Timeline Events
- Serial Killers Active During Spree
- Boolean Statistical Questions
- 12 Books Written About Robert Joseph Zani
- 2 External References
- Internal References
Robert Joseph Zani an American serial killer known as The Zani Murders. Zani would typically shoot or beat his victims to death. Zani was born in 1944 as only child, who was sexually abused by his mother as a teenager. He attended school and attained good grades. It wasn’t until his first murder in 1967 that he had done anything notably illegal. Zani was arrested in 1980 for the murders of three of his victims. He was convicted of murder for two of his victims and second degree murder for killing his own mother on 1982. On March 31, 1986 the murder conviction for his mother was overturned. Robert Joseph Zani is currently serving his sentence in Texas.
Robert Joseph Zani Serial Killer Profile
Serial Killer Robert Joseph Zani (aka) The Zani Murders, was active for 14 years between 1967-1980, known to have ( 6 confirmed / 6 possible ) victims. This Serial Killer was active in the following countries: United States
Robert Joseph Zani was born on February 26th 1944 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, US. He was raised by his mother. He was raised as a only child and had no siblings. His father, an unnamed man who divorced Robert's mother in 1944 and separated from the family, he was in the Army. His mother, Gladys Zani, worked as a receptionist for a gas company in Oklahoma was murdered by Robert in 1974. Robert Joseph Zani was sexually, psychologically abused at some point of his life.
He completed 16 years of school, received a college degree. He married Irma Serrano Reyes in 1967. He had two children with Irma Serrano Reyes and two additional step-children.
In 1967 (Age 22/23) Robert Joseph Zani started his killing spree, during his crimes as a serial killer he was known to rob, mutilate, murder his victims. Robert Joseph Zani used a weapon and was in possession of a firearm during his crimes. He was known to kill at the home of the victim. At the time of his crimes he was living with his wife and four children.
He was arrested on March 28th 1980 (Age 36), convicted on March 18th 1981 (Age 37), sentenced to life imprisonment at an unnamed prison in Texas, US.
Robert Joseph Zani died on February 22nd 2011 (Age 66), cause of death: natural causes at an unknown location in Huntsville, Texas, US.
Profile Completeness: 90%
serial killers by profile completenessRobert Joseph Zani has been listed on Killer.Cloud since June of 2017 and was last updated 5 years ago.
Robert Joseph Zani a known:
Robert Joseph Zani
Serial Killer Profile:
Updated: 2019-06-18 Collected by Killer.Cloud
| General Information | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Robert Joseph Zani |
| Nickname: | The Zani Murders |
| Victims: | 6 - 6 |
| Years Active: | 1967 - 1980 |
| Ages Active: | 22/23 - 35/36 |
| Active Countries: | United States |
| Life Span: | 1944 - 2011 |
| Characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Gender: | Male |
| Sexual Preference: | heterosexual |
| Astrological Sign: | ♓ Pisces Feb 18 - Mar 20 |
| Birth Month: | February |
| Marital Status: | married Irma Serrano Reyes in 1967 |
| Children: | two children with Irma Serrano Reyes and two additional step-children |
| Living With: | his wife and four children |
| Childhood Information | |
|---|---|
| D.O.B.: | Feb 26, 1944 |
| Birth Location: | Tulsa, Oklahoma, US |
| Birth Order: | 1st of 1 |
| Siblings: | no siblings |
| Raised By: | his mother |
| Birth Category: | only child |
| Mother: | Gladys Zani, worked as a receptionist for a gas company in Oklahoma was murdered by Robert in 1974 |
| Father: | an unnamed man who divorced Robert's mother in 1944 and separated from the family, he was in the Army |
| Cognitive Ability | |
|---|---|
| IQ: | N/A |
| Highest School: | 16 years of school |
| Highest Degree: | college degree |
| Incarceration | |
|---|---|
| Arrested: | Mar 28, 1980 (Age 36) |
| Convicted: | Mar 18, 1981 (Age 37) |
| Sentence: | life imprisonment |
| Prison Location: | an unnamed prison in Texas, US |
| Executed: | N/A |
| Previous Crimes: | FALSE |
| Previous Jail: | FALSE |
| Previous Prison: | FALSE |
| Death Information | |
|---|---|
| Death Date: | Feb 22, 2011 (Age 66) |
| Cause of Death: | natural causes |
| Death Location: | an unknown location in Huntsville, Texas, US |
| Killed In Prison: | N/A |
| Suicide: | N/A |
18 Timeline Events of Serial Killer
Robert Joseph Zani
The 18 dates listed below represent a timeline of the life and crimes of serial killer Robert Joseph Zani. A complete collection of serial killer events can be found on our Serial Killer Timeline.
| Date | Event Description |
|---|---|
| Feb 26 1944 | Robert Joseph Zani was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, US. #19440226 |
| Sep 21 1962 (Age 18) | enrolled in college #19620921 Location: University of Texas in Austin, Texas, US |
| Feb 26 1964 (Age 20) | 20th Birthday |
| May 26 1965 (Age 21) | started a new job #19650526 Location: University of Texas in Austin, Texas, US Robert Joseph Zani was hired as a clerical assistant in the main library at the University of Texas. |
| 1967 (Age 22/23) | Robert Joseph Zani started his serial killing spree. #1967 |
| Jun 01 1967 (Age 23) | job promotion #19670601 Location: University of Texas in Austin, Texas, US Robert Joseph Zani was promoted to translator in the archives section of the UT library. |
| Jun 28 1967 (Age 23) | married Irma Serrano Reyes #19670628 Location: Mexico City, Mexico |
| Feb 26 1974 (Age 30) | 30th Birthday |
| 1980 (Age 35/36) | Robert Joseph Zani ended his serial killing spree. #1980 |
| Mar 28 1980 (Age 36) | Robert Joseph Zani arrested. #19800328 |
| Jun 30 1980 (Age 36) | conviction #19800630 Location: Austin, Texas, US Robert Joseph Zani was convicted of credit card theft. |
| Mar 18 1981 (Age 37) | Robert Joseph Zani was convictedand sentenced to life imprisonment at an unnamed prison in Texas, US. #19810318 |
| Dec 16 1982 (Age 38) | conviction #19821216 Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma, US Robert Joseph Zani was convicted of the second-degree murder of his mother. |
| Feb 26 1984 (Age 40) | 40th Birthday |
| Mar 31 1986 (Age 42) | conviction overturned #19860331 Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma, US Robert Joseph Zani's murder conviction of his mother was overturned |
| Feb 26 1994 (Age 50) | 50th Birthday |
| Feb 26 2004 (Age 60) | 60th Birthday |
| Feb 22 2011 (Age 66) | Robert Joseph Zanidied.cause of death:natural causesat an unknown location in Huntsville, Texas, US. #20110222 |
Back to top Serial Killers Active During
The following serial killers were active during the same time span as Robert Joseph Zani (1967-1980).
Serial Killers By Active Year
| 32 / 40 ANSWEREDSerial Killer Boolean Questions: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Killer Question | Killer Answer | Total Answered | ||
| living with children | TRUE | 268 | ||
| psychologically abused | TRUE | 224 | ||
| sexually abused | TRUE | 226 | ||
| kill at victims home | TRUE | 323 | ||
| used weapon | TRUE | 453 | ||
| used gun | TRUE | 451 | ||
| mutilated | TRUE | 447 | ||
| robbed | TRUE | 418 | ||
| problems in school | FALSE | 221 | ||
| teased in school | FALSE | 218 | ||
| physically defect | FALSE | 300 | ||
| speach defect | FALSE | 300 | ||
| head injury | FALSE | 299 | ||
| physically abused | FALSE | 231 | ||
| psychologist | FALSE | 258 | ||
| forensic hospital | FALSE | 257 | ||
| previous crimes | FALSE | 367 | ||
| previous jail | FALSE | 352 | ||
| previous prision | FALSE | 336 | ||
| kill at killers home | FALSE | 320 | ||
| rape | FALSE | 453 | ||
| torture | FALSE | 426 | ||
| stalk | FALSE | 418 | ||
| blindfold | FALSE | 363 | ||
| bound | FALSE | 406 | ||
| strangle | FALSE | 443 | ||
| sex with body | FALSE | 430 | ||
| ate part of body | FALSE | 451 | ||
| drank blood | FALSE | 442 | ||
| posed body | FALSE | 365 | ||
| totem body part | FALSE | 365 | ||
| totem personal item | FALSE | 354 | ||
Books that Mention Robert Joseph Zani
Katherine Ramsland
The Devil's Dozen
Katherine Ramsland
The Human Predator
Robert B. Daroff
Neurology in Clinical Practice
Kelly Fero
The Zani Murders
Lewis Spitz
Operative Pediatric Surgery, Seventh Edition
Stéphane Bourgoin
Serial Killers
United States. Supre...
United States Supreme Court Reports, Lawyers...
Michael Newton
The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers
12 Books that mention Serial Killer
Robert Joseph Zani
External References
- Juan Ignacio Blanco, Robert Joseph ZANI on murderpedia.org, Retrieved on Dec 14, 2018.
- Autumn Hagy, Michael Thompson, Robert Joseph Zani on maamodt.asp.radford.edu, Retrieved on Dec 14, 2018.
Internal References
Robert Joseph Zani is included in the following pages on Killer.Cloud the Serial Killer Database
- #17 of 38[ Page 2 ] of Serial Killers with birthdays in February
- #22 of 40[ Page 2 ] of Pisces Serial Killers sorted by Confirmed Victims
- #111 of 651[ Page 8 ] of serial killers sorted by Years Active
- #135 of 651[ Page 9 ] of serial killers sorted by Profile Completeness
- #139 of 327[ Page 10 ] of Serial Killers active in the United States
- #303 of 651[ Page 21 ] of serial killers sorted by Confirmed Victims
- #649 of 651[ Page 44 ] of the A-Z List of Serial Killers
- Statistics:
- Serial Killers Statistics, charts Robert Joseph Zani 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, Birth Category, Active Serial Killers by Year and Statistical Boolean Questions.
- Years Active: