Edwin Dean Richardson

Serial Killer

Edwin Dean Richardson: A Violent Drifter Linked to Murders Across the United States

Overview

Edwin Dean Richardson was an American serial murderer and repeat violent offender whose known crimes stretched from California to the Ohio Valley. A drifter with a lengthy criminal history, Richardson moved frequently, worked temporary jobs and repeatedly returned to violence after periods of incarceration. He was convicted of murdering two young women and was identified through DNA evidence as the killer of a third. Investigators also considered him a possible suspect in additional unsolved murders. Richardson's victims were young women who disappeared while carrying out ordinary activities such as shopping, driving to work or running errands. Their bodies were concealed in vehicles, isolated ravines or remote outdoor locations. Strangulation was a recurring method in the murders attributed to him. Because he traveled between states and committed crimes years apart, investigators believe the full extent of his violence may never be known.

Early Criminal History

Richardson was born in Oklahoma in 1936. His criminal conduct reportedly began during his youth and escalated from theft and burglary to kidnapping, sexual violence and murder. In 1960, he was convicted in San Diego, California, of attempted robbery and kidnapping. He remained imprisoned for approximately eight years before being paroled in April 1968. Only five months after his release, 22-year-old art student Wendy Jo Halison disappeared in Los Angeles. Although Richardson was not identified as her killer until decades later, the timing placed him in Southern California and free from custody when she was murdered. His movements as a drifter made it difficult for investigators in different jurisdictions to connect him to crimes committed far apart. ...

Confirmed Victims: (3)

Wendy Jo Halison Age: (22), Date of Death: 1968-09-30

Suspected Victims:

Margaret Margie Schuit Age: (22), Date of Death: 1969-12-21

Man sentenced to life in '72 murder - Orange County Register