On a summer evening in August of 1982, eighteen-year-old Anna Olesiewicz ventured from her home in Camden for a weekend at the Jersey Shore with a friend. After arriving in Neptune City, the two young women made their way to the bustling Asbury Park boardwalk. They sat on a bench, taking in the sounds of music spilling out from a nearby club. When her friend left for a few moments, Anna remained on the bench. She was never seen alive again. A missing person's report was filed the following morning when she failed to return.
The search for Anna came to a tragic end on January 14, 1983, when her skeletal remains were discovered by children playing in a vacant lot behind a fast-food restaurant on Route 35 in Ocean Township. An autopsy would later reveal that she had been shot four times in the head.
The investigation into her death soon led authorities to a suspect, a man with a dark and violent past named Richard Biegenwald.
Investigators connected Biegenwald to Anna's murder, in part, through a distinctive ring he had given to his girlfriend, which was later identified as belonging to Anna. Biegenwald was arrested on January 22, 1983, and was subsequently charged with her murder. His trial brought to light his history as a serial predator, and he was ultimately convicted of killing Anna Olesiewicz. While he was initially sentenced to death, the sentence was later overturned, and he was resentenced to life in prison. He was linked to several other murders, earning him the moniker 'The Thrill Killer.'
