In the winter of 1991, a chilling discovery was made in an abandoned building in Detroit, Michigan. The body of 26-year-old Bertha Jean Mason, a female, was found on December 30th. She had been brutally raped, sodomized, and strangled to death. Her disappearance on December 11th had left her family in agonizing uncertainty, a painful void that was tragically filled with the grim reality of her murder.
Her case was not an isolated incident but part of a string of horrific crimes that terrorized the communities of Detroit and Highland Park.
The man responsible for this reign of terror was Benjamin Atkins, who would come to be known as the Woodward Corridor Killer. Atkins preyed on vulnerable women, luring them to desolate, abandoned locations before subjecting them to unspeakable violence. His motives were rooted in a deep-seated hatred for women, particularly those involved in prostitution, a rage fueled by a traumatic childhood. The discovery of Bertha Jean Mason's body was a crucial piece in the puzzle that investigators were desperately trying to solve as the number of victims grew.
The investigation into the series of murders led police to Benjamin Atkins, who was arrested on August 21, 1992, after being identified by a woman who had survived one of his brutal attacks. Following his arrest, Atkins confessed to the murders of eleven women, including Bertha Jean Mason. During his trial, the harrowing details of his crimes were laid bare, revealing a pattern of calculated cruelty.
In April 1994, Benjamin Atkins was convicted on eleven counts of first-degree murder and one count of first-degree sexual conduct. He was sentenced to eleven life sentences, ensuring he would never again pose a threat to the community he had terrorized. However, his life behind bars was cut short. On September 17, 1997, Atkins died in prison from an infection caused by HIV, bringing a final, somber close to a dark chapter in Detroit's history.
