On April 9, 1992, the body of 38-year-old Brenda Mitchell was discovered in a desolate, vacant building in Highland Park, Michigan. An investigation revealed she had been brutally sexually assaulted and strangled, a grim hallmark of a predator who was terrorizing the Woodward Avenue corridor. It was later understood that Mitchell was one of several victims lured, often with the promise of drugs, to these abandoned places only to meet a violent end.
The man responsible for this string of heinous crimes was Benjamin 'Tony' Atkins, a 24-year-old who came to be known as the 'Woodward Corridor Killer.' Between December 1991 and August 1992, Atkins murdered 11 women in Detroit and Highland Park. His victims were often individuals grappling with drug addiction, a vulnerability he ruthlessly exploited. His method was consistent: he would assault and strangle his victims, leaving their bodies in the empty buildings that littered the area. Atkins' deep-seated hatred for women, particularly those involved in prostitution, was believed to stem from a traumatic childhood, which included being abandoned by his mother.
The community remained on edge as the body count tragically grew. A crucial breakthrough in the case came not from a crime scene, but from the courageous actions of a survivor. Darlene Saunders, who had survived an attack by Atkins in October 1991, spotted him on a Detroit street and identified him to the authorities. This positive identification led to Atkins' arrest on August 21, 1992. During a lengthy 12-hour interrogation, Atkins confessed to the murders, providing chillingly detailed accounts of each of his crimes.
Following his confession, Benjamin Atkins was charged with multiple counts of first-degree murder. His trial commenced, and in April 1994, he was convicted and sentenced to 11 life terms in prison without the possibility of parole, ensuring he would never again pose a threat to the community. Atkins' life behind bars was short-lived; he died in prison on September 17, 1997, from an HIV-related infection.
