Frankford Slasher
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The Frankford Slasher is the name given by the media to a possible serial killer who operated in and around the neighborhood of Frankford of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from 1985 to 1990. A man was convicted in the murder of one of the nine supposedly linked victims, but the others remain unsolved. All the victims were sexually assaulted and stabbed to death with unusual brutality. Several of the victims were seen with a middle-aged Caucasian man shortly before their deaths.
[edit] Possible Victims
- Helen Patent, 52, killed August 19, 1985
- Anna Carroll, 68, killed September 3, 1986
- Susan Olszef, 64, killed December 25, 1986
- Jeanne Durkin, 28, killed January 8, 1987
- Margaret Vaughan, 66, date of death unknown
- Catherine M. Jones, 29, killed January 1987 (connection to other murders is disputed)
- Theresa Sciortino, 30, killed January 19, 1989
- Carol Dowd, 46, killed April 29, 1990 (Leonard Christopher was convicted of her death)
- Michelle Dehner (also Martin), 30, killed September 6, 1990
[edit] Leonard Christopher
During the investigation into the death of Carol Dowd, Leonard Christopher, an employee at a nearby fish market, became a suspect. Despite the fact that he did not match the witness' description, and that there was no evidence to link him to any of the other eight murders, and little evidence linking him to Dowd's murder, he was tried and convicted of first degree murder in the death of Carol Dowd on December 12, 1990.
[edit] References
- Crime Library article
- "Under the El," Duane Swierczynski, Philadelphia City Paper
