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It seems every community has one; an object or a place that everyone just knows is evil. An old abandoned house were supposedly murders to place, a haunted bridge, a tunnel that has disembodied screams from hell, and most of those places come with stories, like how a witch was hung from that bridge, or how Satanists did sacrifices in that tunnel. But usually the stories are just that. Stories with no historical facts to back them up. Near where I grew up, however, there is a place that everyone says is evil, and there are some very real reasons to think that. I'm talking about Port Saint Lucie, Florida's The Devil's Tree. You see, back in the early 70s, there was a man who lived there named Gerard Schaeffer. Most knew him as a Martin County Sheriff's Deputy, but a few unfortunate souls knew that he was a monster. Because Gerard used his badge to gain the trust of unsuspecting young women, who he would then kidnap, torture, and murder. In July of 1971, he picked up two teenage hitchhikers, Nancy Trotter and Paulisou Wells. He took them out to a secluded wooded area, where he bound them to trees, and then told them how he was going to murder them. But before he was able to do so, he got called away on a police emergency. Because he was on duty, the two girls managed to get free and ran to a police station, ironically the one he worked at. They told police officers what had happened, and they believed them, arresting Gerard. While waiting trial, however, Gerard was released on bond. And during that time, he kidnapped, tortured, and murdered, Susan Place and Georgia Jessup. Two more teenage hitchhikers. He dismembered their bodies and buried them underneath the tree, that is now known as The Devil's Tree. Frighteningly enough, when he went to trial over the original kidnapping, he was actually found not guilty and released. But shortly after, hikers found the two bodies that had been buried underneath that tree. Police thought this sounded all too familiar, and when they went to Gerard's house, they found all the evidence they would need. Along with the collection of graphic drawings he had made depicting the torture and murder of women that I can't even show you here, they found his diary, where he talked about stalking, kidnapping, and murdering up to 30 different women that he was linked to. This time, the arrests stuck, and Gerard was convicted of the murder of the two young women. Gerard Schaefer was stabbed to death by his cellmate in prison in 1995, but many believe the evil that drove him lives on in The Devil's Tree. Some have tried to cut it down with a little effect. Another tried to burn it, but the fire kept going out. Many who visit the park where it resides says they can sense evil when they're near it, and many paranormal investigation teams have documented disembodied screams and orbs. So if you find yourself in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and visit The Devil's Tree, do so at your own risk.