Vaughn Greenwood
Vaughn Greenwood | |
|---|---|
| Born | Vaughn Orrin Greenwood January 19, 1944 Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | December 18, 2020 (aged 76) California Men's Colony, San Luis Obispo, California |
| Other names | Skid Row Slasher |
| Conviction(s) | |
| Criminal penalty | Life imprisonment |
| Details | |
| Victims | 11 murdered, 1 survivor |
Span of crimes | 1964–1975 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | California |
Date apprehended | February 3, 1975 |
Vaughn Orrin Greenwood (January 19, 1944 – December 18, 2020) was an American serial killer who gained the nickname the Skid Row Slasher. He murdered eleven vagrants in Southern California between November 1964 and January 1975, in addition to a failed twelfth murder that ultimately led to his capture.[1]
Crimes
[edit]The first attacks occurred when Greenwood killed two transients in November 1964. A ten-year gap period between murders occurred due to Greenwood being convicted and sentenced due to a knifing assault in Chicago in 1966. He spent five and a half years in jail for this conviction before returning to California. Greenwood continued his murder spree in December 1974 and killed nine victims between December 1974 and February 1975.
Greenwood was convicted of nine counts of murder, including eight of the "Skid Row Slasher" killings in Southern California.[2] The "Slasher" victims had their throats cut from ear to ear.[3] There was evidence that the killer drank the blood of the victims.[2] Greenwood left cups of blood and rings of salt around the corpses.[3][2] The items left around the bodies have caused some to believe the murders to be linked to Satanism. This is disputed by K.V. Lanning.[4]
On 19 January 1977, Greenwood was sentenced to life imprisonment.[5]
Vaughn Greenwood died on December 18, 2020 in California Men's Colony, San Luis Obispo State Prison in California, he was 76. His cause of death is unknown.
Victims
[edit]These are the Skid Row Slasher's known victims in chronological order of attack:[6]
| Number | Name | Sex | Age | Body found |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Russell | M | N/A | November 13, 1964 |
| 2 | Benjamin Hornberg | M | 67 | November 14, 1964 |
| 3 | Charles Jackson | M | 46 | December 1, 1974 |
| 4 | Moses Yakanac | M | 47 | December 8, 1974 |
| 5 | Arthur Dahlstedt | M | 54 | December 11, 1974 |
| 6 | David Perez | M | 42 | December 22, 1974 |
| 7 | Casimir Strawinski | M | 58 | January 9, 1975 |
| 8 | Robert Shannahan | M | 46 | January 17, 1975 |
| 9 | Samuel Suarez | M | 49 | January 1975 |
| 10 | George Frias | M | 45 | January 29, 1975 |
| 11 | Clyde Hay | M | 34 | January 31, 1975 |
| 12 | William Graham | M | N/A | Survived |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Judge orders Slasher 'gag'. Press-Telegram. March 17, 1975.
- ^ a b c "'Slasher' jury finds man guilty", The Spokesman Review, December 29, 1976 https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1314&dat=19761229&id=a-QRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=q-0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=3464,5899411
- ^ a b "Suspect Booked in L.A. Stabbings". Spokane Daily Chronicle. 8 December 1978. p. 1.
- ^ Lester, David (1995). Serial Killers. Philadelphia: The Charles Press, Publishers. p. 167. ISBN 0-914783-77-7.
- ^ Newton, Michael (1990). Hunting Humans: An Encyclopedia of Modern Serial Killers. Loompanics Unlimited. ISBN 9781559500265.
- ^ "Vaughn Greenwood". skcentral.com. Retrieved 2011-10-05.
- 1944 births
- 1964 murders in the United States
- 2020 deaths
- 20th-century African-American people
- 20th-century American criminals
- American male criminals
- American people convicted of assault
- American people convicted of attempted murder
- American people convicted of murder
- American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment
- Criminals from Los Angeles
- Criminals from Pennsylvania
- People convicted of murder by California
- Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by California
- Serial killers from California
- Serial killers who died in prison custody
- Vampirism (crime)
- Violence against men in the United States