It occurred to me in the early 1990s that "Wayne" was a popular middle name among a few of the most heinous murderers of our time, e.g., the clown John Wayne Gacy (who killed almost three dozen boys and young men in the late 1970s and buried most of them beneath the floorboards of his Des Plaines, Ill., home); John Wayne Wilson (the real name of the killer who inspired the 1977 Richard Gere-Diane Keaton movie
Looking for Mr. Goodbar and who avoided trial by hanging himself in jail); and Elmer Wayne Henley (sentenced to six consecutive life terms in 1974 in Houston for his role, with ringleader Dean Allen Corll, in the murders of 27 young men). I began to publish periodic lists in 1996, and soon readers tried hard to make sure I kept up to date. Below is everything I published, through August 2016.
Limitations:
(1) This is not a "database." I did not inventory the prisons, much less local arrest records. These middle-name Waynes came exclusively from news stories of the day.
(2) Only actual "murder" charges are included — not "manslaughter." Only middle-name "Wayne" — not, for example, DeWayne or Duane.
(3) There should be many more names here. I rarely "swept" the news (even after Mr. Google came on the scene). Many other middle-name Waynes were mere "suspects" at the time and are not included.
(4) There is no philosophy here that I am willing to own up to, i.e., the prevalence of middle-name Waynes might well be statistically insignificant. (I suspect that some aggressive-personality fathers during the 1950s and 1960s did in fact hopefully and disproportionately name their boys after that era's icon of ruggedness, John Wayne.)
A Disclaimer:
Theoretically, one or two of these guys might ultimately be "innocent." At least twice, I've had to publish "exoneration" updates, and of course those people are not listed here. A rare few others, if not "innocent," might be "not guilty." (For the difference between "innocent" and "not guilty," think "O.J.") I have not knowingly included "manslaughter" arrests, but it is possible that a few of these guys below were able, later in the process, to bargain down a "murder" charge.
(* = deceased)
Timothy Wayne Adams (Texas)
Michael Wayne Adams (Virginia)
Shannon Wayne Agofsky (Texas)
Thomas Wayne Akers (North Carolina)
David Wayne Alexander (Pennsylvania)
Matthew Wayne Almand (Florida)
Stephen Wayne Anderson (California)*
Joshua Wayne Andrews (Virginia)
David Wayne Arisman (California)
Travis Wayne Baczewski (Texas)
Dennis Wayne Bagwell (Texas)*
Kenneth Wayne Baker (Virginia)
Darcy Wayne Banaszek (Washington)
Marcus Wayne Barber (Texas)
Timothy Wayne Barnett (Alabama)
Michael Wayne Baxter (Maryland)*
Dale Wayne Baylis (Colorado)
Kenneth Wayne Beck (Missouri)
Gerald Wayne Bivins (Indiana)
John Wayne Blair (Tennessee)
Arthur Wayne Blood (Oregon)
Scott Wayne Blystone (Pennsylvania)
Curtis Wayne Bonnell (Canada)
Donald Wayne Booth (Texas)
Gerald Wayne Boozer-Brown Jr. (Michigan)
Stacy Wayne Brown (North Carolina)
Elvis Wayne Botley (California)
Carl Wayne Bowen (Wales)
Steven Wayne Bowman (South Carolina)
John Wayne Boyer (Tennessee)
Bryan Wayne Brackbill Jr. (Pennsylvania)
Larry Wayne Brigman (Minnesota)
Ricky Wayne Brown (Florida)
Michael Wayne Brown (Oklahoma)
Jonathan Wayne Broyhill (North Carolina)
Michael Wayne Brunner (Kentucky)
Dennis Wayne Bryant (Virginia)
Edward Wayne Bryant (Oklahoma)
Darrell Wayne Buchanan (North Carolina)
Estell Wayne Buck (Ohio)
Garrette Wayne Bunch (North Carolina)
Carl Wayne Buntion (Texas)
Bradley Wayne Cagle (Texas)
Larry Wayne Call (North Carolina)
Bruce Wayne Cameron (Minnesota)
Darren Wayne Campbell (Oregon)
David Wayne Campbell (Washington)*
Seth Wayne Campbell (Texas)
Curtis Wayne Campbell (Oklahoma)
Mark Wayne Campmire (Connecticut)
Kenneth Wayne Carlson (Canada)
Michael Wayne Carter (Indiana)
Michael Wayne Charles (Texas)
Rodger Wayne Chastain (California)*
Douglas Wayne Clark (Texas)
Ronald Wayne Clark Jr. (Florida)
Darryl Wayne Claughton (Canada)
Ira Wayne Cloninger (Virginia)
Timothy Wayne Coalson (Georgia)
Kevin Wayne Coffey (Texas)
Michael Wayne Cole (North Carolina)
David Wayne Cole (Pennsylvania)
Timothy Wayne Condrey (North Carolina)
John Wayne Conner (Georgia)*
Daniel Wayne Cook (Arizona)
Daryl Royston Wayne Cook (Australia)
Joseph Wayne Cook (North Carolina)
Ricky Wayne Cook (Florida)*
Billy Wayne Cope (South Carolina)
Alvin Wayne Crane (Texas)*
David Wayne Crews (Tennessee)
Joshua Wayne Cubbage (Oregon)
Jerry Wayne Damron (North Carolina)
Donald Wayne Darling II (Alabama)
Christopher Wayne Davis (Louisiana)
Gary Wayne Davis (Kentucky)
Jerry Wayne Dean (Kentucky)
Christopher Wayne Dixon (North Carolina)
Fred Wayne Douty II (West Virginia)
Kelly Wayne Dozier (Texas)
Kevin Wayne Dunigan (California)
Kevin Wayne Dunlap (Kentucky)
Aryan Wayne Duntley (California)
John Wayne Duvall (Oklahoma)*
Dale Wayne Eaton (Wyoming)
Dennis Wayne Eaton (Virginia)*
Timothy Wayne Ebert (Texas)
Scott Wayne Eby (Illinois)
Edward Wayne Edwards (Ohio)
Michael Wayne Eggers (Alabama)
Gary Wayne Etheridge (Texas)
Michael Wayne Farmer (Maryland)
Ellis Wayne Felker (Georgia)*
Michael Wayne Fenney (Minnesota)
Darrell Wayne Ferguson (Ohio)*
Matthew Wayne Ferman (Ohio)
Lewis Wayne Fielder Jr. (South Carolina)
Jeffrey Wayne Finney Jr. (Alabama)
Cody Wayne Fish (Oklahoma)
Michael Wayne Fisher (Pennsylvania)
Timothy Wayne Fletcher (Florida)
Earl Wayne Flowers (North Carolina)
Abrey Wayne Fortner (Tennessee)
Lloyd Wayne Franklin (North Carolina)*
Terry Wayne Freeman (Illinois)
Geoffrey Wayne Freeman (Australia)
Percy Wayne Froman (Alabama)
Ronald Wayne Frye (North Carolina)*
John Wayne Gacy (Illinois)*
Derrick Wayne Gamble (Texas)
John Wayne Glover (Australia)*
Richard Wayne Godwin (Oregon)
Arthur Wayne Goodman Jr. (Texas)
Richard Wayne Gorrie (New Zealand)
Jeffrey Wayne Gorton (Michigan)
Joseph Wayne Goswick (North Carolina)
Keith Wayne Graham (California)
John Wayne Graves Jr. (Pennsylvania)
Coleman Wayne Gray (Virginia)*
Charles Wayne Green (Arkansas)
Justin Wayne Green (Texas)
Christopher Wayne Gregory (Texas)
Kenneth Wayne Gregory (Florida)
Ralph Wayne Grimes (Kentucky)
Anthony Wayne Grimm (Illinois)
Jesse Wayne Gunderson (Michigan)
Randall Wayne Hafdahl (Texas)*
Thilbert Wayne Hager (North Carolina)
Conan Wayne Hale (Oregon)
Douglas Wayne Hall II (Kentucky)
Billy Wayne Hall (Missouri)
Michael Wayne Hall (Texas)
Steven Wayne Hall (Alabama)
Kenneth Wayne Hall Sr. (South Carolina)
James Wayne Ham (Texas)
Bradley Wayne Hamrick (Washington)
Jerald Wayne Harjo (Oklahoma)*
Daniel Wayne Harmon-Wright (Virginia)
Robert Wayne Harris (Texas)
Phillip Wayne Harris (Texas)
Emmanuel Wayne Harris (Arizona)
Flint Wayne Harrison (Utah)*
Nathaniel Wayne Hart (Texas)
Jerald Wayne Harvel II (Oklahoma)
Mark Wayne Hauseur (California)
Billy Wayne Hayes (Tennessee)
Billy Wayne Haynes (Texas)
Carl Wayne Heath (Maine)
Brandon Wayne Hedrick (Virginia)
Rodney Wayne Henry (Kansas)
Michael Wayne Henry (Texas)
David Wayne Hickman (Texas)
Christopher Wayne Hill (Kentucky)
Steven Wayne Hillier (Australia)
Derral Wayne Hodgkins (Florida)
Benjamin Wayne Holcroft (Australia)
Donald Wayne Holt (Maryland)
Jeremy Wayne Hopkins (Texas)
David Wayne Hoshaw (Virginia)
Bryant Wayne Howard (Oregon)
Robert Wayne Howell (Texas)
Christopher Wayne Hudson (Australia)
Bryan Wayne Hulsey (Arizona)
Derrick Wayne Hunt Jr. (Texas)
Robert Wayne Hurst (Tennessee)
Calvin Wayne Inman (Texas)
Kenneth Wayne Jackson (Texas)
Derek Wayne Jackson (Pennsylvania)
Eric Wayne Jacobs (California)*
Allen Wayne Jenecka (Texas)*
Michael Wayne Jennings (California)
Mark Wayne Jennings (Virginia)
Robert Wayne Jiles (New York)
Terry Wayne Johnson (Florida)
Bart Wayne Johnson (Alabama)
Theron Wayne Johnson (Texas)
Timothy Wayne Johnson (North Carolina)
Jason Wayne Johnson (Texas)
Keith Wayne Johnson (Texas)
Douglas Wayne Jones (Mississippi)
Mark Wayne Jones (Ohio)
Tyler Wayne Justice (Texas)
Barry Wayne Kaalund (North Carolina)
Joseph Wayne Keeler (Florida)
Barney Wayne Keizer (Canada)
Kenneth Wayne Keller (Texas)
Dustin Wayne Kimrey (North Carolina)
Vernon Wayne King (Pennsylvania)
Gary Wayne Kleypas (Kansas)
Ryan Wayne Koebel (Missouri)
Bruce Wayne Koenig (Maryland)
Derrick Wayne Kualapai Sr. (California)
Dudley Wayne Kyzer (Alabama)
Ronald Wayne Lail (North Carolina)
Monty Wayne Lamb (Texas)
Robert Wayne Lambert (Oklahoma)
Jonathan Wayne Larrabee (South Dakota)
David Wayne Laws (Virginia)
Jeffrey Wayne Leaf (Oklahoma)
Bobby Wayne Ledbetter (Alabama)
Nathaniel Wayne Lee (Alabama)
Darrell Wayne Lewis (Arizona)
John Wayne Lewis (Oklahoma)
Michael Wayne Limley (Missouri)
Michael Wayne Lindsay (Alabama)
Christopher Wayne Lippard (North Carolina)
Gerald Wayne Little (West Virginia)
Kenny Wayne Lockwood (Texas)*
Mark Wayne Lomax (Texas)
Matthew Wayne Long (Texas)
Christopher Wayne Luttrell (Kentucky)
Ronald Wayne MacDonald (Nevada)
Darrell Wayne Maness (North Carolina)
Jeremy Wayne Manieri (Louisiana)
Donald Wayne Martin (Texas)*
Shelly Wayne Martin (Maryland)
Randall Wayne Mays (Texas)
Steven Wayne McBride (Minnesota)
George Wayne McBroom (Arizona)
David Wayne McCall (Texas)
Arnold Wayne McCartney (West Virginia)
Rocky Wayne McGowan (Kentucky)
Michael Wayne McGray (Canada)
Robert Wayne McMillion (Florida)
Jason Wayne McVean (Colorado)
David Wayne Mears (Michigan)
Wesley Wayne Miller (Texas)
Jimmy Wayne Miller (Texas)
Codey Wayne Miller (Tennessee)
Don Wayne Moody (Texas)*
Cody Wayne Moore (Illinois)
John Wayne Moore Jr. (Missouri)
Timothy Wayne Morgan (Oregon)
Kenneth Wayne Morris (Texas)
Darrell Wayne Morris (Utah)
John Wayne Moses (North Carolina)
Timothy Wayne Murray (Louisiana)
Dustin Wayne Nall (Texas)
Jack Wayne Napier (Kentucky)
David Wayne Nelson (Alaska)*
Michael Wayne Nelson (Florida)
Oral Wayne Nobles (Massachusetts)
John Wayne Noonkester (California)
Michael Wayne Norris (Texas)
Heath Wayne Overstreet (Virginia)
Danny Wayne Owens (Alabama)
Bryan Wayne Padd (Arizona)
David Wayne Pallister (England)
Darrell Wayne Parker (Texas)
Jeffrey Wayne Paschall (Utah)
Douglas Wayne Pepper (North Carolina)
Michael Wayne Perry (Tennessee)
Jason Wayne Petershagen (Texas)
Gary Wayne Pettigrew (Texas)
Michael Wayne Poe (Tennessee)
Curtis Wayne Pope (Texas)
Bruce Wayne Potts (Texas)
Jeffrey Wayne Powell II (Washington)
Lonnie Wayne Pursley (Texas)*
Donald Wayne Rainey (Mexico)
Gary Wayne Ray Jr. (Oklahoma)
Marlow Wayne Reynolds (Texas)
Earl Wayne Reynolds (Virginia)
Michael Wayne Richard (Texas)*
Randy Wayne Richards (Canada)
Jeffrey Wayne Riebe (South Carolina)
Barry Wayne Riley (Canada)
Brandon Wayne Robertson (Texas)
Stanley Wayne Robertson (Texas)
James Wayne Rodgers Jr. (Texas)
Kenneth Wayne Rogers (Texas)
Robert Wayne Rotramel (Oklahoma)
Larry Wayne Rubin (Georgia)
Jarrod Wayne Rudder (Illinois)
Roy Wayne Russell (Washington)
Timothy Wayne Sanders (Virginia)
David Wayne Satterfield (Texas)
Christopher Wayne Scarber (Kentucky)
Patrick Wayne Schroeder (Nebraska)
Kenneth Wayne Scott (Texas)
Terry Wayne Scott (Florida)
Randy Wayne Seal (Florida)
Michael Wayne Sears (Virginia)
Timothy Wayne Shepherd (Texas)
Michael Wayne Sherrill (North Carolina)
Kenith Wayne Sherrill (Washington)
Donald Wayne Shipe (Virginia)
Benjamin Wayne Shorter (Maryland)
Dallas Wayne Shults (Tennessee)
Mark Wayne Silvers (South Carolina)
Jacob Wayne Smith (Oklahoma)
Nicholas Wayne Smith (North Carolina)
Anthony Wayne Smith (California) (NFL player)
Richard Wayne Smith (Georgia)
Daryl Wayne Smith (West Virginia)
Justin Wayne Smith (Texas)
David Wayne Smith (Virginia)
Richard Wayne Smith (Texas)*
Richard Wayne Snell (Arkansas)*
Ronald Wayne Spencer Jr. (Texas)
Richard Wayne Spicknall (Alabama)
Jerrell Wayne Stanley (Texas)
Paul Wayne Stark (Colorado)
Randall Wayne Stevens (Illinois)
John Wayne Stockdall (Missouri)
John Wayne Strawser Jr (West Virginia)
Jason Wayne Strickland (South Carolina)
Michael Wayne Summers (Missouri)
John Wayne Surratt Jr. (North Carolina)
Gary Wayne Sutton (Tennessee)
Bobby Wayne Swisher (Virginia)*
Mark Wayne Thibodeaux (Louisiana)
Charles Wayne Thomas Jr. (Texas)
Reginald Wayne Thomas (Texas)
Anthony Wayne Thomas (Florida)
Kenneth Wayne Thompson (Missouri)
Michael Wayne Thompson (Indiana)
John Wayne Thomson (Washington)
Andrew Wayne Toler (Texas)
Curtis Wayne Trexler (North Carolina)
Russell Wayne Upton Jr. (Nevada)
Robert Wayne Vickers (Arizona)*
Russell Wayne Wagner (Maryland)*
Billy Wayne Waldrop (Alabama)*
Jerry Wayne Walker (Kentucky)
Anthony Wayne Walker (Ohio)
Jessie Wayne Walker (North Carolina)
Chadwick Wayne Wallace (Illinois)
Charles Wayne Warden (Texas)
Daniel Wayne Warfield (Virginia)
John Wayne Warrener (Colorado)
Alexander Wayne Watson Jr. (Maryland)
Benjamin Wayne Watta (California)
Louis Wayne Watters Jr. (Texas)
Thomas Wayne Weaver (North Carolina)
Kenneth Wayne Welch (California)
Anthony Wayne Welch (Florida)
Coy Wayne Wesbrook (Texas)
Michael Wayne Wesley (Oregon)
Melvin Wayne White (Texas)*
Larry Wayne White (Texas)*
Timothy Wayne Widman (Pennsylvania)
Mark Wayne Wiles (Ohio)
Carl Wayne Wiley (Texas)
Michael Wayne Williams (Virginia)
Julius Wayne Willis Jr., Minneapolis
Richard Wayne Willoughby (Maryland)
John Wayne Wilson (New York)*
John Wayne Wilson (Tennessee)
Michael Wayne Wood Sr. (Michigan)
Kenneth Wayne Woodfin (Virginia)
Bobby Wayne Woods (Texas)
Curtis Wayne Wright (Texas)
Darrell Wayne Wright (Texas)
Jerry Wayne Wright (Tennessee)
William Wayne Wright (Texas)
Robert Wayne Wyant (Virginia)
(This entire post is Copyright 2016 by Chuck Shepherd. All rights reserved.)