Thayne Ormsby brutally murdered 3 people in rural Maine killing spree: ID investigates

Signs of a Psychopath are investigating the killing spree of Thayne Ormsby in June 2010 in rural Maine, where he brutally murdered three people for no apparent reason.

In a horrifically violent crime that shook the small town of Amity, Maine, 55-year-old Jeffrey Ryan and his 10-year-old son Jesse, along with family friend Jason Dehahn, 30, were found knifed to death in a mobile home.

The three victims had each suffered multiple stab wounds and were discovered twelve hours after they’d been killed. The killer had stolen Ryan’s truck, which left many fearing that the perpetrator may have left the state and crossed the nearby Canadian border.

At the time, investigators spoke of how the area had never before suffered a triple homicide. With a killer on the loose, the residents of this small town were shocked and unnerved when the police first said they had no suspects.

Ryan’s burnt-out truck was subsequently located in nearby Weston. At this stage, the investigation began to focus on 20-year-old Thayne Ormsby; officers had found his DNA and fingerprints at the crime scene.

Investigators learned that Ormsby had moved into the area only a few weeks before the murder. He stayed with Robert and Joy Strout, a couple who had animosity towards Jeffrey Ryan as he had dated their daughter Tamara Strout.

Thayne Ormsby confessed to the murders

The police caught up to Ormsby in New Hampshire, and he confessed to the murders in an interview. The murderer informed the detectives that Robert Strout had told him that Ryan was a drug dealer, and that is why he killed him.

The police believe that Ormsby went to the mobile intending to kill Ryan, and when he discovered Ryan’s son and Dehahn were there, he decided to kill them too.

At this trial, Ormsby entered two pleas, one of not guilty and another of not guilty by reason of insanity. However, the jury disagreed and found him guilty of murder; he was sentenced to three life sentences, to be served consecutively. He also received 15 years for the arson of Ryan’s truck.

At sentencing, the judge acknowledged that Ormsby had suffered a difficult childhood when he had been subjected to physical abuse and deprivation.

However, the judge ruled that his childhood circumstances were not severe enough to mitigate the murder of three people. Ormsby also failed to show any remorse for the murders.

More from Signs of a Psychopath

Ormsby is the second the most prolific killer in Maine; the notorious accolade of the worst murderer in Maine goes to Christian Nielsen, who killed four people over Labor Day weekend in 2004. His murderous rampage only ended when his parents visited him and phoned the police.

Teenager Kevin Davis asked his mother, Kimberly Hill, for permission to kill himself. When she tried to talk him out of it, he bashed her head in with a hammer and had sex with the corpse. When questioned by police, he said, “I’m just a terrible, disgusting person.”

Signs of a Psychopath airs at 10:30/9:30c on Investigation Discovery.