The Devil’s Tree
The Devil’s Tree, Photo Credit - ConspiriWeird 2023
What is The Devil’s Tree?
In Port Saint Lucie, Florida there exists a great big Oak tree that has a haunting tale. Many things have happened around it. From Satanic rituals to actual murders, this tree has witnessed it’s fair share of experiences. To this day you can easily visit the tree at Oak Hammock Park, but to witness the strange events unfolding around the tree you have to visit it at night, when the park is closed to the public.
This tree over the years, due to it’s ominous nature, had people try to saw it down, burn it and even cement it, but to no avail. When they tried to cut it down apparently the blades ripped off the chainsaw and you can to this day walk up to the tree to see where they tarted the chopping. You can also see on the ide of the tree the big cemented area where people were hoping it would kill the tree. The worst thing about this tree is not the tree itself, but the murders that have taken place at it.
What happened at the Devil’s Tree?
Arguably the most important information one can learn about the Devil’s Tree is actually about a man. The man in question was named Gerard John Schaefer: a police officer (and later serial killer). Schaefer lived a terrible life. His childhood was filled with abuse and self loathing. Schaefer suffered from gender dysphoria from a young age that some argue was caused by his alcoholic father's policy of never beating Schaefer’s sister. Because of this, Schaefer received the punishments meant for both himself and his sister whenever they were due. Schaefer began to experiment with his body by stealing women's clothing and wearing it in private. He would go on walks in the forest secretly and tie himself to a tree (now known as the devil’s tree) before beating or cutting himself. This obsession of resentment and worship with the female sex along with his fixation on this tree would lead him to center the majority of his killings around it.
Schaefer used his position as a police officer to lure young women back to his tree (during a time period where hitchhiking was the norm). He would tie them up, sexually abuse them, and then psychologically abuse them before finally killing them. After he was finished (which sometimes took days or weeks) he would keep the dead bodies around for a while before burying them at the tree with their ropes still attached. His downfall came when he was called for a dispatch during the middle of a double kidnapping. Because he was confident, he never concealed his identity so when he left for work and the women escaped they easily identified him, leading to his arrest.
-https://theclio.com/entry/94412
“I am probably at least one of the top SKs serial killers of this century,” I am certainly one of the most interesting and maybe the most articulate and introspective. I am no doubt the most skillful killer….I killed women in all ways from shooting, strangling, stabbing, and beheading to odd ways such as drowning, smothering and crucifixion.”
The Devil’s Tree, Video Credit - ConspiriWeird 2023
