John David Torgerson, a white male child aged 1, was born on April 5, 1972, in Olmsted County, Minnesota. He tragically died on June 30, 1973, in Rochester, Minnesota. His death was part of a horrific mass murder committed by David James Torgerson, a white male born in Austin, Minnesota in 1943. David was not the biological father of John David but was married to the child's mother, Lana Alice Torgerson.
On the day of the murders, David strangled six individuals, including his wife Lana his daughter Sylvia Ann his stepson John David and their 14-year-old babysitter Rebecca Rathbun. The killings occurred in their Rochester home.
David James Torgerson had a long history of violent behavior and mental health issues. He had previously been institutionalized at the Rochester State Hospital multiple times between 1959 and 1967, where he assaulted female staff members. In 1970, he was sentenced for breaking and entering and assaulting a woman, though he was released early and placed on a work release program. It was during this period of supposed rehabilitation that he committed the murders.
Following the killings, David was apprehended and returned to custody. He was evaluated and deemed mentally competent. While in jail, he confessed to four additional murders, two of which were confirmed: Julie Mehrman and Linda Wandrus, both 18-year-old white females who were strangled in 1969. The other two victims survived but remained unnamed in public records. David never stood trial for his crimes; he died by suicide in his jail cell on November 6, 1973, at the age of 30.
The death of John David Torgerson, along with the others, marked the culmination of a violent spree that had gone largely unnoticed until later investigations and publications brought the case back into public awareness. His brief life and tragic death remain a somber chapter in Minnesota's criminal history.
