Charles Louman Meach

Serial Killer

Charles Louman Meach: Five Murders in Anchorage, Alaska

Early Life and Troubled History

Charles Louman Meach III was born on October 1, 1947, in Traverse City, Michigan. He experienced an unstable childhood and began drifting away from home while still a teenager. By the age of sixteen, Meach had left Michigan and begun traveling, accumulating a record of arrests and minor offenses as he moved through different parts of the country. His behavior became increasingly erratic, and he was eventually diagnosed with severe mental illness. Meach later settled in Anchorage, Alaska, where he became responsible for five murders committed during two separate episodes nearly nine years apart. His case became one of the most controversial criminal cases in Alaska because he committed his final four murders after previously being found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity and while still under psychiatric supervision.

The Murder of Robert Johnson

Meach committed his first known murder in Anchorage in 1973. His victim was Robert Johnson, a 22-year-old grocery-store clerk. Johnson was attacked in Earthquake Park, a wooded public recreation area overlooking Cook Inlet. Meach beat Johnson to death in a violent assault. Available historical accounts consistently place the killing in 1973, although a reliable exact month and day are not widely reported. Meach was arrested and charged with Johnson's murder. During the resulting criminal proceedings, psychiatrists evaluated his mental condition. The court ultimately found him not guilty by reason of insanity. Instead of being sent to prison, he was committed to a psychiatric institution for treatment. Meach was initially sent to Atascadero State Hospital in California. Doctors later concluded that his mental illness was in remission, and he was returned to Alaska in 1980. He came under the supervision of the Alaska Psychiatric Institute in Anchorage. By 1981, he was participating in activities outside the hospital, holding several jobs and attending classes at the University of Alaska. Although he remained connected to the psychiatric system, he was allowed increasing freedom within the community. ...

Confirmed Victims: (5)

Robert Johnson Age: (22), Date of Death: 1973

Charles L. Meach - Wikipedia