William Dean Christensen
William Dean Christensen | |
---|---|
Born | First degree murder | September 24, 1945
Criminal penalty | Pennsylvania Life imprisonment Maryland 40 years |
Details | |
Victims | 4–24+ |
Span of crimes | 1982–1983 |
Country | United States and Canada (others suspected) |
State(s) | Montreal and Pennsylvania (others suspected) |
Date apprehended | December 4, 1983 |
William Dean Christensen (September 24, 1945 – October 31, 1990), known as The American
Early life
Born in
In July 1980 Christensen abducted a young woman at a bus stop in Washington D.C., drove her to one of his family members houses and raped her, but let her go afterwards.[3] He was soon connected to the crime and arrest warrants were issued. In January 1981 Christensen attempted to move to Toronto but was arrested for falsifying information on his passport, due to which he spent 21 days in jail.[3] Soon after his release, he created an alias called Richard Owen. On April 16, 1981, Owen kidnapped and raped a woman in Montreal. Arrested yet again, he pleaded guilty later that July and was sentenced to a year and six months in prison. Afterwards, it was discovered that Owen was actually Christensen, and since he was wanted in Washington D.C. for rape, US authorities contacted Canadian officials to transfer Christensen to a jail in Maryland. However, due to a clerical error, Christensen was mistakenly released.[3]
Murders
In April 1982, Christensen abducted 27-year-old Sylvie Trudel in Montreal. He brought her to an empty apartment where he raped, beat, and strangled her to death. Afterwards he
Christensen, who during that time was actually residing between Trenton, New Jersey and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was using the alias "John Robert Schrader". On September 23, 1982, Christensen picked up 23-year-old go-go dancer Michelle Angiers in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and drove her to Dickson City, where he raped and stabbed her 30 times, killing her.[7] On June 29, 1983, Christensen shot two men at an Amtrak railroad station in Trenton. The men survived.[4] Afterwards, he created another alias called Jeffrey Shrader. On December 4, 1983, Christensen shot and killed 51-year-old Joseph Connelly outside a bar after an argument. Witnesses to the shooting reported what they had seen, and Christensen was located a few hours later and arrested.[4]
Trial and death
Although he had been arrested, Christensen was not yet immediately identified and continued to claim his name was Jeffrey Shrader. He was soon convicted of Connelly's murder. The
On October 31, 1990, Christensen died of natural causes while imprisoned at State Correctional Institution – Huntingdon. His death was not reported until July 1991.[12]
See also
Notes
- ^ Some sources list his last name as "Christenson"
References
- ^ a b "10 killings linked to Pa. inmate". Associated Press. February 17, 1985. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
- ^ William Dean Christensen
- ^ a b c d e f g Patrick McKenna (February 4, 1990). "Is Christensen Worst Criminal In Our Annals?". The Scranton Times-Tribune. p. 27. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e L. Stuart Ditzen (November 18, 1984). "Killer on the roam: A criminal-justice horror story". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 18. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
- ^ "Man convicted in Phila. murder wanted in Canadian decapitations". Associated Press. July 29, 1984. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
- The Winnipeg Sun. January 16, 1983. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
- ^ a b "Prisoner gets 10–20 more years in jail". Associated Press. February 17, 1990. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
- ^ L. Stuart Ditzen (November 18, 1984). "Killer on the roam: A criminal-justice horror story". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 19. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
- ^ "'American Jack the Ripper' charged in go-go girl's death". Associated Press. February 17, 1985. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
- ^ "U.S. 'ripper' suspect charged". Associated Press. February 17, 1985. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
- ^ "Possible serial killer gets 40 years for rape". Associated Press. August 25, 1989. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
- ^ "Dancer's Killer Dead Of Cancer". The Times-Tribune. July 3, 1991. Retrieved September 29, 2022.