In the fall of 1981, a young woman's life was tragically cut short, a victim of a predator who roamed the country. Shelia Whalen, a 23-year-old female, encountered a man who would later be identified as a prolific serial killer. On November 6, 1981, after a date with another individual, her path crossed with that of Stephen Peter Morin. The following day, her body was discovered in a room at the Mountain View Motel in Lakewood, Colorado.
An investigation revealed she had been fatally stabbed.
The evidence against Morin began to mount when articles of clothing belonging to Whalen were found in his van by a former girlfriend. This discovery strongly suggested his involvement in her sexual assault and murder. Morin, a transient with a long history of violent crimes, had been elusive, using multiple aliases to evade capture. His reign of terror spanned several states and included the murders of numerous other young women.
Eventually, the law caught up with Stephen Morin. He was arrested and stood trial for several murders, including that of Shelia Whalen. Overwhelming evidence led to his conviction for her killing, and he received a death sentence in Colorado at the end of 1984. Morin was also convicted of other murders in Texas and was ultimately executed by lethal injection in Texas on March 13, 1985, after waiving his appeals for other capital murder charges. While his execution brought a legal end to his violent spree, it could not erase the pain and loss he inflicted on the families of his many victims, including the family of Shelia Whalen.
