Adam Matthew Moss

Adam Matthew Moss was born on 5 September 1977. According to available records, he experienced ongoing mental health difficulties from a young age and developed problems with substance abuse during his adolescence and early adulthood. His personal history included repeated interactions with law enforcement prior to the murders.

In the mid‑1990s, Moss accumulated multiple criminal convictions. In 1995, he received a probation sentence for assault. Two years later, in 1997, he was again sentenced to probation for burglary and theft offenses. His behavior also raised concern among family members. His brother, Jason Moss, filed a domestic violence complaint against him and accused him of making threatening telephone calls.

In the months preceding the murders, Moss was living with his girlfriend, Leticia Aguilar, and her five children in Sioux City, Iowa. He had been residing with the family for approximately two months. Moss and Aguilar were both employed at Smurfit‑Stone Container Co., a company involved in the production of cardboard and paper products. No verified motive for the later crimes was ever established or disclosed.

The first series of murders occurred during the late hours of 27 August 2001 or the early morning of 28 August 2001. During this time, Moss entered the Sioux City residence of his girlfriend, Leticia Aguilar. Investigators determined that he first went to the bedrooms where Aguilar’s five children were sleeping. Each child was bludgeoned to death with a hammer.

After killing the children, Moss went to Aguilar’s bedroom. She was beaten repeatedly in the face with a hammer, and her throat was also cut. The six victims were discovered the following day when their babysitter, Donna Stabile, became concerned after the children were not brought to her daycare. Upon checking the residence, she found the bodies and notified authorities.

On 30 August 2001, Moss committed a seventh murder. He killed his former employer and friend, Ronald E. Fish, at Fish’s home. Fish was attacked with a hammer and stabbed with a knife. His body was later discovered face down in the foyer by Paul Yanacheak, an employee of Fish’s sister, who had sent him to check on Fish after failing to reach him. A knife was still lodged in Fish’s back, and a claw hammer was found nearby. After the killing, Moss fled the scene using Fish’s vehicle.

Law enforcement launched an intensive manhunt that lasted through the night. On 31 August 2001, Moss was located hiding behind a stack of plywood near a shack that police had placed under surveillance. He was taken into custody without further incident.

Following his arrest, Moss’s bail was set at seven million dollars. He was formally indicted on seven counts of murder. On 10 September 2001, Moss initially entered pleas of innocence to all charges. However, on 25 September 2001, he changed his plea and pleaded guilty to seven counts of premeditated murder.

Because the state of Iowa did not have the death penalty at the time, Moss was sentenced to seven consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole. He was incarcerated at the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison, Iowa. At a later point during his incarceration, he was transferred to a mental health unit within the facility.

On 26 June 2013, Adam Matthew Moss was found unresponsive in his cell. He had hanged himself using a bedsheet tied to a wall vent. Medical personnel pronounced him dead shortly thereafter. No motive for the murders was ever officially established.