On the evening of June 24, 1940, a woman known as Irene McCarthy, who also used the name Irene Chandler, met a man at a beer hall on Fifth Street in San Francisco, California. The man was William L. Johansen, a Danish-born sailor living under the alias Harry W. Gordon. The two drank together, and after Johansen purchased a bottle of whiskey, they made their way to a nearby hotel. He registered them for a room under the names "Mr. and Mrs. J. Wilkins of Los Angeles."
This seemingly ordinary encounter would end in tragedy and unmask a serial killer who had eluded justice for years.
Inside the hotel room, the night took a horrific turn. According to Johansen's later confession, after Irene fell asleep, he was unable to wake her. In a sudden, violent act, he strangled her to death with her own girdle. He then mutilated her body before washing himself and leaving the hotel. That same day, he boarded a bus for Los Angeles, leaving his final victim behind. Irene McCarthy's murder would be the crime that finally brought Johansen's deadly spree to an end.
The discovery of Irene’s body launched an immediate and thorough investigation by San Francisco detectives. They began canvassing the local bars and beer halls, and their persistence paid off. Investigators found a witness who had seen Irene with a man on the night she was killed and knew the alias he was using. Hotel employees were also able to identify Johansen as the man last seen with Irene. Armed with a name and a description, the police now had a prime suspect.
The manhunt for the man known as "J. Wilkins" ended just over two weeks later. On July 9, 1940, police arrested William Johansen in Los Angeles as he was leaving a meeting. Once in custody, his carefully constructed facade crumbled. He confessed not only to the murder of Irene McCarthy but also to killing a 35-year-old woman named Lena Betty Coffin in San Francisco in 1935. He then stunned investigators by revealing his true identity and admitting to a third murder: that of his first wife, Florence, back in New York in 1933, a death that had been incorrectly ruled a suicide.
Johansen was charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Irene McCarthy and Lena Coffin. During the legal proceedings, his behavior was erratic. He initially wanted to plead guilty, but his public defender prevented it. He then pleaded not guilty, only to change his plea again to not guilty by reason of insanity. He seemed to believe he was insane and sought confinement in an asylum, making chilling statements to the judge. "I'll kill some other woman if you free me," he declared in court. "I'll do it again, sure!"
In October 1940, after a trial before the court, Johansen was found legally sane and, as a result, was automatically convicted of both murders. A day later, he was sentenced to death. He showed no remorse and was apathetic upon hearing the verdict, telling the judge, "it doesn't make any difference." Before his execution, he acknowledged the danger he posed, stating, "I've killed three women and I'd probably do it again unless they get me out of the way. I expect the worst, and the sooner it comes the better." William L. Johansen was executed by gas chamber at San Quentin State Prison on September 5, 1941. The investigation prompted by the tragic death of Irene McCarthy had finally brought a serial killer's reign of terror to a permanent close.
