Darrell Keith Rich

Serial Killer

Darrell Keith Rich: The Hilltop Rapist and Serial Killer

Overview

Darrell Keith Rich was an American serial killer and serial rapist whose violent crime spree terrorized communities in Northern California during the summer of 1978. Operating primarily in Shasta County, Rich abducted and sexually assaulted women and girls before releasing some and murdering others. His attacks were concentrated within approximately two months, demonstrating a rapid escalation from brutal assaults to calculated killings intended to prevent his victims from identifying him. Rich was convicted of murdering four victims: Annette Fay Edwards, Patricia Ann Moore, Linda Diane Slavik, and 11-year-old Annette Lynn Selix. He also committed numerous sexual assaults against surviving victims whose identities were generally withheld to protect their privacy. The women and girls he targeted ranged in age from 11 to 26. Rich used isolation, physical strength, threats, blunt-force violence, strangulation, a firearm, and the remote landscape surrounding Redding and Cottonwood to control his victims and conceal his crimes.

Escalating Violence During the Summer of 1978

Rich's known series of attacks began on June 13, 1978, when he abducted a 25-year-old woman near a bridge in Redding. He forced her down a hillside and attempted to make her perform a sexual act. When she resisted, he repeatedly struck her in the head, fracturing her skull, and abandoned her in the belief that she would die. She survived after being discovered approximately twelve hours later. On June 19, Rich abducted a 21-year-old woman, forced her into his vehicle, and drove her to an isolated location, where he raped her. She reportedly persuaded him to release her by telling him that she had an infant who needed her. On June 25, he kidnapped and raped a 14-year-old girl before allowing her to leave. These surviving victims later became important witnesses to the pattern of abduction and sexual violence that preceded the murders. Rich's conduct became deadly in July. He attacked two women in separate incidents on July 4, 1978. One survived a sexual assault. The second, 19-year-old Annette Fay Edwards, was abducted while returning from an Independence Day fireworks event in Redding. Her body was found three days later, approximately two miles from her apartment, down an embankment beside a county road. She had suffered devastating injuries to her face and skull from blunt-force blows. Approximately two weeks later, Rich abducted a 15-year-old girl who had been riding her bicycle in Redding. He raped her but released her. By this time, his attacks showed a recognizable method: he approached victims in public or semi-public places, transported or forced them into isolated terrain, sexually assaulted them, and then decided whether to release or kill them. ...

Confirmed Victims: (4)

Annette Selix Age: (11), Date of Death: 1978-06-06

Darrell Keith Rich - Wikipedia