Vaughn Greenwood

Vaughn Orrin Greenwood (born January 19, 1944) is an American serial killer, known by the nickname The Skid Row Slasher.

Vaughn Greenwood
Born
Vaughn Orrin Greenwood

(1944-01-19) January 19, 1944
Pennsylvania, U.S.
Other namesSkid Row Slasher
Conviction(s)
Criminal penaltyLife imprisonment
Details
Victims11 murdered, 1 survivor
Span of crimes
1964–1975
CountryUnited States
State(s)California
Date apprehended
February 3, 1975

Crimes

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.[1] The "Slasher" victims had their throats cut from ear to ear.[2] There was evidence that the killer drank the blood of the victims.[1] Greenwood left cups of blood and rings of salt around the corpses.[2][1] 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.[3]

On 19 January 1977, Greenwood was sentenced to life imprisonment.[4] He is serving his sentence in the California Men’s Colony.[5]

Victims

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 Hays M 34 January 31, 1975
12 William Graham M N/A Survived

See also

References
  1. "'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
  2. "Suspect Booked in L.A. Stabbings". Spokane Daily Chronicle. 8 December 1978. p. 1.
  3. Lester, David, PhD (1995). Serial Killers. Philadelphia: The Charles Press, Publishers. p. 167. ISBN 0-914783-77-7.
  4. Newton, Michael (1990). Hunting Humans: An Encyclopedia of Modern Serial Killers. Loompanics Unlimited. ISBN 9781559500265.
  5. California Inmate Locator
  6. "Vaughn Greenwood". skcentral.com. Retrieved 2011-10-05.
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