Route 40 Killer: Steven Brian Pennell and the Blue Van of Death

10 Minute Murder | Bingeable True Crime Stories · Feb 2, 2026 · 12m

Route 40 Killer: Steven Brian Pennell and the Blue Van of Death

There's something deeply unsettling about a killer who looks like everyone else. Steven Brian Pennell was a married electrician with two kids, the guy who'd wave to you from his driveway while mowing the lawn. Between 1987 and 1988, he turned a stretch of highway in Delaware into his own personal nightmare factory. Route 40 became a place where women disappeared into a blue van and were found days later showing signs of torture that would make seasoned homicide detectives need a minute. This is the story of how a female…