ST CHARLES, Mo. — As soon as Gary Muehlberg said the words, “Yes sir,” in court Monday, Geneva Valle Palomino shivered in her seat.
It’s the last voice her sister, Sandy Little, heard before Muehlberg strangled the 21-year-old to death.
And it’s a voice Valle Palomino said she has been fearing for the past 33 years as she and her family wondered who killed her sister.
In all, Muehlberg, now 74, has confessed to killing four women, dumping their remains in various containers in St. Louis County, St. Charles County and Lincoln County between 1990 and 1991. The identity of a fifth woman he claims he killed remains unknown.
O'Fallon Detective Jodi Weber linked Muehlberg to the murders via DNA evidence. He gave her a full confession in exchange for avoiding the death penalty.
Muehlberg pleaded guilty to Little’s murder Monday via a video feed from prison in Potosi. He went to prison for life not long after Little’s murder for killing a man who tried to sell him a car.
“One of the best things is knowing that he's been in prison this whole time, knowing that he wasn't piling up more victims,” Valle Palomino said.
Muehlberg’s public defender, Stephen Renyolds, told the court his client has health issues that make it difficult for him to travel. Judge Daniel Pelikan wasn’t pleased that Muehlberg was not in person, and neither were Little’s sisters.
Pelikan did not give Muehlberg the opportunity to address the court, so he did not make any statements other than answering the judge’s questions.
“What did you do to her?” Pelikan asked.
“I picked the young lady up in south St. Louis and brought her back to my house in Bel-Ridge, put her body in a container and left it on the side of the road,” Muehlberg said.
Later he added: “We had relations and then I strangled her until she was deceased.”
Barb Studt – Little’s older sister – joined Valle Palomino in court Monday. Muehlberg’s face was on a large monitor in the courtroom along with two laptops that faced the women.
Both read victim impact statements to Muehlberg.
“To think you’ve had 33 years more than any of your victims with no remorse,” Valle Palomino said. “It will be a blessing to this world to know you’re gone and I hope you rot in hell.”
Muehlberg had no reaction.
Muehlberg is also expected to plead guilty in the coming weeks in exchange for life sentences without the chance of parole or probation for the murders of 19-year-old Robyn Mihan, 27-year-old Brenda Pruitt, and 40-year-old Donna Reitmeyer.
His hearing is scheduled for March 14 in St. Louis County for the murders of Pruitt and Reitmeyer.
His hearing is scheduled for March 31 in Lincoln County for Mihan’s murder.
Valle Palomino and Studt said they plan to attend the hearings to support the other grieving families, even though he’s expected to appear via video feeds as well.
“I wanted to look him in the eyes,” Valle Palomino said following Monday’s hearing. “I wanted him to look in my eyes and see where the real pain is. Because Sandy’s gone, so her pain is gone. But mine's still there. Thirty-three years later, my pain is still there.”
And so is the fear.