Anthony Mcknight

Serial Killer

Anthony McKnight: The East Bay Serial Killer

Overview of the Case

Anthony McKnight was an American serial killer, rapist and kidnapper responsible for murdering five girls and young women in Northern California during a four-month period in 1985. His victims ranged from 13 to 24 years old and were found in isolated locations throughout Oakland, Berkeley, Richmond and other parts of the East Bay. Several of the women were sexually assaulted before being stabbed, beaten or otherwise killed. At the time of the crimes, McKnight was serving in the United States Navy and was assigned to the Alameda Naval Air Station. He lived in the Oakland area with his wife and child and was described by neighbors as sociable and outgoing. Behind that public appearance, however, McKnight was committing a series of extremely violent attacks against women. Several women survived encounters with him and later helped investigators identify him. McKnight was arrested in January 1986 for a series of sexual assaults and attempted murders, but investigators initially lacked the forensic evidence necessary to charge him with the five killings. He was convicted in 1987 of numerous crimes against surviving victims and received a 63-year prison sentence. More than a decade later, advances in DNA testing connected him to biological evidence preserved from the murder scenes. He was eventually convicted of all five murders in 2008 and sentenced to death.

Confirmed Murder Victims

• Betty Lynn Stuart, 22 September 22, 1985 Berkeley, California: Stuart was an Oakland resident and the mother of a young child. She was sexually assaulted and killed in a secluded location in Berkeley. Her throat had been cut. Biological evidence preserved from the crime later helped investigators connect McKnight to her murder.
• Diane Stone, 17 September 29, 1985 Oakland, California: Stone was found dead on the grounds of an Oakland elementary school. She had suffered fatal knife wounds to her neck. Her killing occurred only one week after the murder of Betty Stuart, demonstrating how rapidly McKnight was attacking victims during the opening stage of the series.
• Talita Dixon, 13 October 8, 1985 Oakland Hills, California: Talita disappeared after leaving her home to walk to school on October 5, 1985. Three days later, a jogger discovered her body near a secluded walking trail in an East Bay park in the Oakland Hills. She had been sexually assaulted and repeatedly stabbed. Talita was the youngest of McKnight's confirmed victims.
• Monique Franchone Davis, 18 December 9, 1985 Richmond, California: Davis was found behind a warehouse in Richmond. She had been sexually assaulted and killed by repeated blows to the head with a blunt object. Her death showed that McKnight was not limited to one city and was leaving victims in isolated industrial areas throughout the East Bay.
• Beverly Ann Bryant, 24 December 25, 1985 Oakland, California: Bryant was found in an Oakland schoolyard on Christmas Day. She had been sexually assaulted and beaten to death. Her murder was the last of the five killings for which McKnight was eventually convicted.

...

Confirmed Victims: (5)

Betty Stewart Age: (22), Date of Death: 1985-09-22

Anthony McKnight - Wikipedia