The mystery surrounding convicted serial killer Ed Vance stepped up a notch this week with the revelation that someone who barely knew him thought he seemed ‘a decent enough guy.’

Although the consensus generally leans towards the 43-year-old murderer of 13 people being a bad person, there was apparently more to him than met the eye.

Josh Combs, inexplicably being interviewed for comment, said he used to drink at the same bar as Vance in their hometown of Pitt, Wisconsin, and once received a cigarette from him. “He seemed like a sound, relaxed human being,” Combs said. “My heart goes out to his family.”

Vance was last year sentenced to life without parole after terrorising the American Midwest for years, killing innocent people in breathtakingly monstrous ways. He has since secured three book deals and launched a successful podcast co-hosted with Russell Brand.

“It’s just heartbreaking,” Combs went on, with no sense of irony whatsoever. “The guy had a wife, kids, and now they don’t get to see him any more. A family torn apart, lives ruined.”

Family members and loved ones of the victims were not approached for comment.