Cathleen Norwood, a 25-year-old woman from Joliet, IL, was tragically murdered on July 16, 1983. Her death was part of a horrific killing spree carried out by Milton Johnson, a notorious serial killer known as "The Weekend Murderer." Johnson's rampage during the summer of 1983 left a trail of devastation in Will County, Illinois.
On the night of July 16, 1983, Cathleen Norwood, along with George Kiehl, 24, and Richard Paulin, 32, were ambushed and shot to death in Homer Township.
The attack also claimed the lives of two Will County Sheriff's Department auxiliary deputies, Denis Foley, 50, and Steven Mayer, 22. The murders were described as ambush-style killings, occurring on a remote stretch of road. This brutal incident was part of a series of murders that Johnson committed over a two-month period.
Milton Johnson, a Joliet native, was eventually apprehended and charged with multiple counts of murder. His killing spree began on June 25, 1983, with the murders of sisters Zita Blum, 66, and Honora Lahmann, 67, whose bodies were found shot and burned in their home. Johnson continued his rampage, killing Lockport businessman Kenneth Chancellor, 34, and Terri Lynn Johnson, 19, on July 2, 1983. The pair were found shot to death in Chancellor's car.
Johnson's arrest came in March 1984, following the murder of Anthony Hackett, 18, who was shot while sleeping in a car along Interstate 55. Hackett's girlfriend, who survived the attack, later testified against Johnson. Johnson was convicted of multiple murders, including those of Cathleen Norwood and the other victims from July 16, 1983. Initially sentenced to death, his sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment after the abolition of the death penalty in Illinois.
The case of Cathleen Norwood and the other victims remains a chilling reminder of the brutal crimes committed by Milton Johnson. The investigations and subsequent trial highlighted the terror that gripped the Joliet area during that summer, and the relentless pursuit of justice for the victims and their families.
