Charles L. Meach III – 1982 Mass Murderer
Early Life
Charles Louman Meach III was born on October 1, 1947 in Traverse City, Michigan. His mother suffered from schizophrenia, which profoundly affected his upbringing. He left home at age sixteen and drifted across locations, accumulating a record of minor offenses.
First Murder – 1973
In 1973, in Anchorage, Alaska, Meach beat Robert Johnson, age 22 and a grocery clerk, to death in Earthquake Park. He was charged with murder but was found not guilty by reason of insanity and sent to Atascadero State Hospital in California. Through psychiatric evaluation, by 1980, professionals determined his mental illness was in remission and he was returned to Alaska under supervision at the Alaska Psychiatric Institute.
Second Rampage – May 3, 1982
While on a work-release pass from the Alaska Psychiatric Institute, Meach purchased a .38-caliber revolver from someone on the street. On May 3, 1982, he went to a campsite in Russian Jack Springs Park where four teenagers were preparing to go to the movies. As he tried to rummage through their belongings, he was discovered and, in response, shot and killed them.
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