A survivor of a serial killer reflects on his miraculous escape after a harrowing car ride: "He was a monster."

At 19, Steve Fishman caught a lift with a notorious murderer.

The reporter, who was an aspiring journalist, required a ride to Connecticut to complete his internship at the Norwich Bulletin, his hometown newspaper. He was residing with a friend in Boston.

In 1975, during the fall, hitchhiking was a common practice, as Fishman explained.

"Hitchhiking can be a great experience, but it can also be risky. Despite my reservations, I continued to hitchhike."

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"For decades, this story had gnawed at the host, who was reluctant to revisit his past. The tale was filled with horror."

A man with wispy red hair and appearing at least a decade older drove a green Buick sedan, which relieved Fishman when it slowed down and stopped.

"Get in," the driver commanded in a Southern drawl.

Fishman, eager to go home, jumped into the passenger seat.

"Fishman stated that the man, known as "Red," appeared friendly and talkative. He was from Norwich and offered to show Fishman a quicker route. Red led him on smaller roads, resulting in time savings."

Fishman, driven to advance at his paper, began posing Red questions in search of a new narrative.

Red confessed that he had just gotten out of prison.

"Fishman stated, "My initial reaction was, 'That's an intriguing tale - a man rejoining society after serving time in a maximum-security prison. This would be excellent for our readers.' Despite my initial assumption that this individual might be a dangerous offender, I didn't inquire about his conviction. However, he was eager to contribute to my story, which made me thrilled.""

Fishman received his phone number from Red, who claimed to be on parole. Red also instructed Fishman to contact his supervisor before proceeding with any further conversation.

Fishman struggled to open the car door when he arrived at his destination. Red shrugged it off and remarked, "I have to get that fixed." Fishman let himself out with the help of an open window.

Fishman was confident that he had obtained a significant story for his newspaper. Without hesitation, he contacted Red's supervisor.

"Fishman exclaimed, "I couldn't believe I was calling to do a story about this guy." He then said, "Do you know what he was in for?" Fishman realized he hadn't asked him, and he was a pretty inexperienced reporter at that time. The supervisor then said, "You don't want to know, and you're not doing a story about him.""

Fishman was disappointed, thinking he'd lost his big chance. He discovered Red's identity a few months later.

"In the newsroom, Fishman was startled by the sound of bells ringing. This signaled an important national story. It turned out to be about a local man who had confessed to a series of rapes and murders across the East Coast. The man was from Norwich, and Fishman recognized him from his photo, which was of Red. He learned that Red had gotten all his victims by picking them up."

Fishman exclaimed, "My God, I came really close," at that moment.

Robert Frederick Carr III, a Virginia-born serial killer, preyed on young hitchhikers. Three years earlier, he had raped and strangled two 11-year-old boys and a 16-year-old girl in the Miami area. He was on parole after serving time for a rape in Connecticut when he gave Fishman a ride.

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Rhonda Holloway, a 21-year-old woman, became the fourth victim of Carr, who was introduced to her by Fishman. Her body was later buried in Connecticut.

Fishman discovered that Carr had confessed to kidnapping and raping more than a dozen people, and had admitted to killing four of his victims, at the time of his arrest for attempting to rape a hitchhiker in Miami.

For years, Fishman wondered why he was spared.

"Fishman stated that he was not far from the target group he was aiming for. He was always on the hunt, and later he learned that he was always on the hunt for a hitchhiker. Despite being a small and young journalist, he seemed like an aggressive person, which made him unworthy of being targeted."

Fishman inquired about the number of months that Carr had given him, and subsequently made a call.

"Fishman stated, "He was incarcerated in Florida, but his wife responded. I befriended his wife, who remained in touch with him. She recommended me. Then he contacted the newspaper daily. Finally, I completed the story. We resumed where we left off.""

Carr invited Fishman to visit him.

"Fishman remarked, "Looking back, it was strange that we immediately felt comfortable with each other." He claimed to remember me, and we struck up a relationship. He called me every day, and I followed up on the leads he provided, doing my research. And he became a celebrity in the newsroom. How often does a serial killer call a small newspaper's newsroom? But it was bizarre. This guy was discussing his plans to kill two 11-year-old best friends in excruciating detail, as if we had met at a local café and were sharing the day's news."

"Fishman stated that the individual came to him with an agenda, seeking control and wanting to dictate the story. He argued that if he had received proper treatment during his initial incarceration, he wouldn't have committed more crimes."

Eventually, Fishman flew down to visit Carr in Florida, still seeking to understand why he had survived.

"Fishman said, "Why not me?" in a weirdly awkward manner, implying that he felt left out. He then asked, "Why didn't you kill me?" to which he received a shrug from the other person. It seemed that Fishman, being 19 at the time, was too young for the other person to control."

Fishman was determined to write his story and wanted to know why the state of Connecticut hadn't intervened, discovering that he was a "psychopath," and put a halt to his crimes.

One thing was certain as Fishman listened to his recorded talks with Carr.

"Fishman stated that this individual was highly determined to shift the blame for the atrocities they committed, citing various reasons such as the Connecticut state prison system and their upbringing. However, they refused to accept responsibility for their actions, except for the fact that they were a monster."

"Fishman stated that Carr would often say, "I had to kill him" or "I had to kill her," as his reasoning was to eliminate the only witness to his crime and avoid getting caught. This behavior was coldhearted and ruthless, reflecting the mind of a serial killer."

In 2007, at the age of 63, Carr passed away while serving a life sentence.

Fishman revealed that years after the event, he desired to "enter the mind of a monster" to comprehend if any of Carr's heinous acts could have been avoided. The podcast, he stated, assisted him in accepting his past and what could have transpired to him.

"As a father, I had to determine whether serial killers are deserving of our tax dollars and efforts to rehabilitate them, given their history of victimizing children."