The Cases That Haunt Us

by Mark Olshaker

  Borden, Bembenek, and Ramsey demonstrate that you don’t just wake up one morning and decide to become a murderer. There is always some predictive behavior. If there isn’t or you can’t find it, then you’ve really got to wonder about your suspect. And the Boston Strangler case shows that a criminal can’t suddenly and for no reason change his personality.

  The Ripper, Zodiac, Dahlia, and Ramsey cases all teach us that there is no such thing as a motiveless crime. It just means you don’t fully understand it.

  Lindbergh, Borden, and Ramsey—particularly Ramsey—can warn us of the danger of jumping to a conclusion without knowing or understanding critical facts, because of preconceived notions. If we do, we play right into the hands of the tabloid and sensationalistic media and are no better than they are. In the Ramsey case, even the mainstream media came under their influence to the detriment of all . . . except the person who got away with murder. If there is a feeding frenzy to be the first, truth is the likely casualty, as we saw in the unfair accusations against security guard Richard Jewell in the Atlanta Olympic Park bombing case, a perfect example of the perversion of profiling by people who didn’t really understand what it was all about.

  Conventional wisdom is often based on mythology, and each time and place is going to have its own set of standards.

  Lizzie Borden couldn’t have killed her parents because that’s not the way well-off, well-brought-up ladies behave.

  It must have been someone like Bruno Hauptmann who killed Lucky Lindy’sbaby because a true American wouldn’t have done that.

  Bambi Bembenek must have killed Christine Schultz because she was an aggressive, conniving second wife.

  The Ramseys must be responsible for their daughter’s death or else they would have cooperated with the police.

  These are not statements of truth or fact. They are myths of conventional wisdom.

  And finally, I think of these cases like statues on a war memorial: a few specific images that represent all of the thousands upon thousands of soldiers who cannot be named but who gave and suffered just as much.

  Two weeks after JonBenet Ramsey’s murder, a nine-year-old child, known only as Girl X to protect her identity and privacy, was beaten, raped, poisoned, and left for dead in a corridor of Chicago’s notorious Cabrini Green public housing project. She was found by a janitor with her own T-shirt tied around her neck and gang symbols scrawled on her body. She wasn’t a child beauty queen and she didn’t come from a prominent or wealthy family. But she suffered unspeakably, and she and her family deserved not only our sympathy, but our attention and outrage, just as every victim does.

  The same year that JonBenet died, 804 children aged twelve and under were murdered in the United States, according to the FBI’s 1996 Uniform Crime Report. Yet there is only one name among them that we know. I don’t want to take anything from the enormity of what happened to JonBenet, I only want the same emotions extended to all the others.

  Like those fallen soldiers, there are thousands upon thousands of cases that you will never hear about that will never be given sufficient attention or resources to be solved. And those cases haunt me just as much.

  INDEX

  Abberline, Insp. Frederick George,

  Abiff, Hiram,

  Academy Group,

  Access Graphics,

  Adams, Melvin Ohio,

  Airman and the Carpenter, The (Kennedy),

  Albert Edward, Prince,

  Aldrich, Chester,

  Allbrook, Lizzie,

  Allen, Officer George W.,

  Allen, William,

  America’s Most Wanted (television),

  anatomical souvenirs,

  Anderson, Dr. Robert,

  Andrews, Insp. Walter,

  anger rapist profile,

  anthropophagy,

  anti-Semitism,

  Archuleta, Michael,

  Armistead, H. Ellis,

  Armstrong, Officer Bill,

  Arndt, Det. Linda,

  Arnold, Supt. Thomas,

  asphyxiation, autoerotic,

  Atlanta child murders,

  Atlantic Olympic Park bombing,

  Avery, Paul,

  Badlands (movie),

  Bailey, F. Lee,

  Banks, Septimus,

  Barnett, Joseph,

  Barr, Cecile,

  Barrett, Michael,

  Bates, Cheri Jo,

  Bates, Joseph,

  Bauerdorf, Georgette,

  Beck, Insp. Walter,

  Beckner, Chief Mark,

  behavior:

  patterns of,

  postoffense,

  socially accepted,

  behavioral evidence:

  evaluation of,

  inadvertently left behind,

  linkage of, see also specific cases

  Bell, Larry Gene,

  Belli, Melvin,

  Bembenek, Laurencia (Laurie),

  background of,

  as “Bambi,”

  celebrity of,

  Milwaukee PD and,

  Schultz and,

  as suspect,

  trials of,

  Bence, Eli,

  Bennett, Susan,

  Berg, A. Scott,

  Berkowitz, David,

  Bersinger, Betty,

  Bitz, Irving,

  “Black Dahlia,”

  “Black Mary”(Kelly),

  Blackwell, Dr. William

  Blaisdell, Judge Josiah Coleman,

  blitz-style attacks,

  blood typing,

  “blow back” effect,

  Blue Dahlia, The (movie),

  Borden, Abby Durfee Grady,

  death of,

  final hours of,

  and property,

  and sick neighbor,

  Borden, Andrew Jackson:

  death of,

  estate of,

  final hours of,

  personal traits of,

  Borden, Anna Howland,

  Borden, Carrie Lindley,

  Borden, Emma Lenora,

  absence from home,

  after the trial,

  and burned dress,

  character traits of,

  and father’s estate,

  and trial,

  Borden, Lizzie Andrew,

  after the trial,

  behavioral case,

  burned dress of,

  character traits of,

  crime scene and,

  death of,

  household and,

  and inquest,

  nature of the crime,

  and poison,

  reward offered by,

  situation of,

  story of,

  strategies for case of,

  suspects and motives,

  time line for,

  trial of,

  victimology and,

  Borden, Sarah Anthony Morse,

  Borden, William,

  Bornmann, Det. Lewis J.,

  Boston Strangler,

  Bowen, Dr. Seabury Warren,

  Bowyer, Thomas (Indian Harry),

  Breckinridge, Henry,

  Breier, Chief Harold A.,

  Bremer, Arthur,

  Brinkert, Ernest,

  Brisbane, Arthur,

  Broken Wings (Douglas and Olshaker),

  Brooks, Pierce,

  Brown, Arnold R.,

  Brown, Dr. Frederick Gordon,

  Brown, James,

  Bruckman, Insp. Henry D.,

  Buck, Rev. Edwin Augustus,

  Burke, Patrick,

  Bynum, Michael,

  Cabell, Brian,

  Cadoche, Albert,

  Canadian investigation system,

  Capone, Al,

  Carpenter, David,

  Cavanaugh, Lt. Thomas,

  “Cemetery John,”

  Chandler, Florence Elizabeth,

  Chandler, Insp. Joseph,

  Chapman, Annie,

  Chapman, George,

  Chapman, John,

  character d
isorders,

  Chase, Susannah,

  children, murders of,

  Chilton, Constance,

  Church, Heather Dawn,

  Churchill, Adelaide,

  circumstantial evidence,

  Cochran, Frances,

  Cohen, David,

  Collins family,

  communications:

  clues from,

  degeneration shown in,

  from disorganized perpetrators,

  evaluation of, see specific cases

  gaps between,

  motives revealed in,

  from organized perpetrators,

  recipients of,

  Conan Doyle, Sir Arthur,

  Condon, John F. (Jafsie),

  and Cemetery John,

  and Hauptmann,

  Connell, Richard,

  Connolly, Mary Ann (Pearly Poll),

  conspiracy theories,

  contract (third-party) murders,

  Conway, Catherine (Kelly),

  Conway, Thomas,

  Cooper, Gregg,

  copycat crimes,

  Correira, Jose,

  Coughlin, John W.,

  court, sound cameras allowed in,

  Cox, Mary,

  Cream, Dr. Neill,

  Crime Classification Manual (FBI),

  crime scenes:

  interference with,

  keys to profile in,

  linkage of,

  perpetrator’s return to,

  protection of,

  staging of,

  theory of transfer in,

  as tourist attractions, see also specific crimes

  Crimes, Detection and Death of Jack the Ripper, The (Fido),

  criminal-enterprise homicides,

  criminal investigator, responsibility of,

  criminal justice system, lawyers needed in,

  criminals:

  celebrity,

  evolution and development of,

  mental illness and,

  types of,

  Crippen, Dr. Hawley Harvey,

  Crook, Annie Elizabeth,

  Cross, Charles A.,

  Crow, Alfred,

  Cunningham, John,

  Curtis, John Hughes,

  Curtis, Tony,

  Daddy Was the Black Dahlia Killer (Knowlton),

  Dahmer, Jeffrey,

  Darrell, Elizabeth (Long),

  Darrington, Matt,

  Davis, John,

  death penalty,

  decapitation,

  Dedrich, Dr. Albert C.,

  Deer Lodge, Montana,

  Dershowitz, Alan,

  DeSalvo, Albert Henry,

  DeSalvo, Frank,

  DeSalvo, Irmgard Beck,

  Devereux, Tony,

  Dew, Constable Walter,

  Dewey, Judge Justin,

  Diary of Jack the Ripper, The,

  Diemschutz, Louis,

  Dirty Harry (movie),

  disorganized asocial personality,

  blood-drinking by,

  communications from,

  frenzied overkills by,

  mixed signals from,

  mutilation by,

  ritualistic elements in,

  Doberson, Michael,

  Dobson-Peacock, Rev. Harold,

  dogs, for tracking,

  Dolan, Dr. William,

  domestic homicides,

  Donahoe, Capt. John,

  Donovan, Timothy,

  D’Onston, Dr. Roslyn,

  Driscoll, Det. John,

  Druitt, Montague John,

  Dunbar, Jim,

  Dunn, Lt. Daniel J.,

  Durbin, Deanna,

  Durfee, Det. Michael,

  Durgin, Leslie,

  Eddowes, Kate (Catherine),

  Eller, Det. Cmdr. John,

  Evans, John,

  Everett, Det. Michael,

  evidence:

  blood,

  credibility of,

  held back in investigations,

  planted,

  selection of,

  standard of proof and,

  tampering of, see also specific cases

  evil, potential for,

  exploitative rapist profile,

  facial attacks,

  Fairstein, Linda,

  Falzini, Mark W.,

  fantasy:

  in lust murders,

  of sadistic rapist,

  Faraday, David Arthur,

  FBI:

  acronyms used by,

  assistance required of,

  in kidnapping cases,

  tools used by,

  felony murders,

  Fernie, John and Barbara,

  Ferrin, Darlene,

  Ferrin, Dean,

  Fickling, Gordon,

  Fido, Martin,

  fingerprinting,

  Finn, Det. James,

  Fisch, Isidor,

  Fisher, C. Lloyd,

  Fisher, Jim,

  Fitzgerald, Officer Will,

  Fleet, John,

  Foley, Samuel J.,

  Fonda, Henry,

  Foreman, Lee,

  Foster, Donald,

  Frank, Gerold,

  Freemasonry,

  French, Dorothy,

  French, Jeanne,

  French, Officer Rick,

  Fugate, Caril Ann,

  Gacy, John Wayne,

  Gaertner, Thomas,

  Gaglio, Milton,

  Ghosts of Hopewell, The (Fisher),

  Gifford, Hannah,

  Gilmore, John,

  Girl X,

  Goldman, Ronald,

  Gordon, Matt,

  Gow, Betty,

  and kidnapping,

  graphology,

  grave site, perpetrator’s visits to,

  Graysmith, Robert,

  Green Man,

  Green River Killer, Seattle,

  group-cause homicides,

  group-excitement homicides,

  Gugliatto, Dominic,

  Gull, Sir William,

  Haddon, Morgan and Foreman,

  Haggerty, Dr. Leo,

  Hagmaier, Bill,

  Halligan and McClelland Company,

  Hanson, Diane,

  Harcourt, Sir William,

  Harden, Donald Gene and Bettye June,

  Harrington, Hiram,

  Harrington, Sgt. Philip,

  Harris, Harry,

  Harrison, Shirley,

  Hartnell, Bryan,

  Harvey, Constable James,

  Hathaway, Phebe,

  Hauptmann, Anna Schoeffler,

  Hauptmann, Bruno Richard,

  execution of,

  and ladder,

  personality traits of,

  and ransom money,

  trial of, see also “Cemetery John”

  Hazelwood, Roy,

  Hearin, Annie Laurie,

  Hearin, Robert M.,

  Hearst, William Randolph,

  Heirens, William,

  Helmick, Debra May,

  Hickman, Melissa,

  Hilliard, Rufus B.,

  Hoffman, Harold G.,

  Hoffmann-Pugh, Linda,

  Hofstrom, Peter,

  Holland, Ellen (Emily),

  Holland, Henry,

  Holmes, Sherlock,

  homicides, see murders; specific cases

  Honeck, Stewart George,

  Hoover, Herbert,

  Hoover, J. Edgar,

  Hopper, Dennis,

  Horenberger, Frederick,

  Hoverstock, Rev. Rol,

  Hudson, Dr. Erastus Mead,

  Hughes, Laura,

  Hunter, Alex,

  Hutchinson, George,

  Hutt, Constable George,

  Hyde, Officer Joseph,

  innocence:

  assumption of guilt vs.,

  public, loss of,

  Internal Revenue Service,

  Irey, Elmer,

  ISU (Investigative Support Unit),

  Jack the Ripper,

  activity ceased by,
/>   behavioral clues to,

  “Black Mary” as victim of,

  Chapman as victim of,

  communications from,

  copycat crimes,

  crime and crime-scene profile,

  and Double Event,

  as evil archetype,

  fascination of,

  first appearance of name,

  geographic area for,

  Goulston Street graffito and,

  investigative techniques,

  Kelly as victim of,

  Leather Apron theory,

  and lust murder,

  medical examination profile,

  Nichols as victim of,

  overlapping jurisdictions and,

  police actions profiled,

  pre- and postoffense behavior,

  proactive ideas about,

  profile of,

  Stride as victim of,

  suspects as,

  Tabram as victim of,

  television program on,

  traits and characteristics profiled,

  victimology profile linkage,

  in Victorian London,

  Jack the Ripper: The Complete Casebook (Rumbelow),

  Jack the Ripper: The Simple Truth,

  Jafsie, see Condon, John F.

  Jennings, Andrew J.,

  Jensen, Betty Lou,

  Jewell, Richard,

  Johns, Kathleen,

  Johnson, Henry “Red,” 123,

  Johnson, Capt. Lynde,

  JonBenet: Inside the Ramsey Murder Investigation (Thomas),

  Jubb, Rev. William Walker,

  Jubela, Jubelo, and Jubelum,

  Kaczynski, Theodore,

  Kaminsky, Nathan,

  Keaton, Lt. Arthur T.,

  Kelly, Catherine (Conway),

  Kelly, Cpl. Frank A.,

  Kelly, John,

  Kelly, Mary Anne,

  see also Eddowes, Kate

  Kelly, Mary Jane (Black Mary),

  Kemper, Edmund,

  Kennedy, Ludovic,

  kidnapping:

  abductee survival in,

  as common crime,

  Lindbergh Law and,

  ransom money in,

  risks in,

  setting trap in, see also Lindbergh kidnapping

  Kidney, Michael,

  Kieran, Thomas,

  Killeen, Dr. Timothy,

  Kithcart, Det. Jeff,

  Klaas, Marc,

  Klein, Joe,

  Klosowski, Severin,

  Knowlton, George,

  Knowlton, Hosea M.,

  Knowlton, Janice,

  Koby, Chief Thomas,

  Koehler, Arthur,

  Korten, Patrick,

  Kosminski, Aaron,

  Kracke, Insp. Walter,

  Kujawa, Ray,

  Lake, Leonard,

  Lake Berryessa Park, California,

  Lamb, Constable Henry,

  Lamb, Capt. John,

  Land, Ranger Dennis,

  Lawende, Joseph,

  law enforcement:

  antagonism in,

  local officers vs. specialists in,

  overlapping jurisdictions in,

  Lawson, James Clayton Jr.,

  Leather Apron,

  Lee, Chief Marty,