Stanley Everett Rice: The "Stuttering Drifter" and His Crimes
Early Life and Troubled Beginnings
Stanley Everett Rice was born on August 7, 1942, in Concord, Massachusetts. Raised in a dysfunctional and abusive household, Rice exhibited antisocial behaviors from a young age. At five, he began setting fires in his family's cellar, and by eleven, he was on probation for stealing ammunition. His adolescence was marked by vandalism, theft, and a growing fascination with firearms. A pivotal and traumatic event occurred when Rice was nine: he was molested by an older man near a railroad crossing. This incident profoundly impacted his psyche, leading to a disturbing blend of sexual fascination with violence.
Escalation to Murder
Rice's criminal activities escalated in the 1960s, culminating in the sexual abuse and murder of young boys across Canada and the United States. His modus operandi involved scouting areas frequented by children, such as fishing spots and swimming holes, where he would befriend his victims before assaulting and, in some cases, killing them.
Known Victims
- Keith Henry
- Age: 9
- Date: July 12, 1963
- Location: Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
- Details: Keith was reported missing after failing to return home from a fishing trip along the Grand River. Despite extensive searches, his body was never found. In his later confession, Rice admitted to stabbing Keith with a hunting knife and burying him near the riverbank.
- Tim Trask
- Age: 8
- Date: June 10, 1966
- Location: Findlay, Ohio, USA
- Details: Tim went missing while fishing near the Blanchard River. His body was discovered the next day, concealed under a woodpile. He had been sexually assaulted, stabbed, and shot in the chest with a shotgun.
- Lowell "Nelson" Williams
- Age: 11
- Date: May 12, 1968
- Location: Broward County, Florida, USA
- Details: Nelson and his friend, Kevin Polittle, were fishing when Rice approached them. After they declined his offer to go elsewhere, Rice shot both boys with a sawed-off shotgun. He then stabbed Nelson three times, resulting in his death. Kevin survived and, along with two teenage witnesses, provided descriptions that led to Rice's capture.
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