Here’s what to know about Florida’s notorious ‘Devil’s Tree’

It might sound crazy, but this is based on a true, horrifying story.Most drivers passing through Port St. Lucie along I-95 have likely never even heard of the “Devil’s Tree,” but for those willing to explore the local Oak Hammock Park, it could be an unnerving experience.Near the middle of the park is a small clearing with a massive oak tree, with gnarled limbs shooting out in all directions. For the unprepared, it’s a creepy sight.But what makes the scene all the more eerie is the tree’s ties to an infamous Florida serial killer — Gerard John Schaefer.“THE KILLER COP”Schaefer was a law enforcement officer in the 1970s, serving as a police officer near Fort Lauderdale and eventually as a deputy in Martin County. This fed into his later moniker as “The Killer Cop.”In an interview with Boca Raton Magazine, historian Mark Muncy explained that Schaefer had a habit of picking up hitchhikers by the pair before taking them back to an abandoned house and chaining them to a tree.“He would do te