Edward Spreitzer

Serial Killer

Edward Spreitzer and the Chicago Ripper Crew

Background

Edward Spreitzer was an American serial killer associated with the group commonly called the Chicago Ripper Crew. The group operated in Chicago and its surrounding suburbs during 1981 and 1982. In addition to Spreitzer, its principal members were Robin Gecht and brothers Andrew and Thomas Kokoraleis. Authorities connected the men to a series of abductions, sexual assaults, mutilations and murders distinguished by an unusual and deeply disturbing pattern of injuries. Spreitzer was born on January 5, 1961, in Chicago, Illinois. He reportedly struggled socially and intellectually, and he became closely attached to Gecht, an older man whom prosecutors portrayed as the dominant personality within the group. Spreitzer's defense attorneys later argued that he was easily influenced and eager to gain Gecht's approval. However, courts found that Spreitzer willingly participated in multiple violent crimes and was personally responsible for acts that resulted in several deaths.

The Formation of the Ripper Crew

Gecht had previously worked in the construction industry and employed Spreitzer and the Kokoraleis brothers on roofing and repair jobs. Their relationship developed into a criminal association in which the men traveled through Chicago and nearby communities in Gecht's van, searching for vulnerable women. Some victims were abducted from streets or businesses, while others were persuaded to enter the vehicle. The crimes attributed to the group were not committed during one continuous spree. Their known attacks occurred over approximately seventeen months, beginning with the disappearance of Linda Sutton in May 1981 and ending with several attacks in October 1982. The bodies of murdered women were left in fields, alleys, construction areas and near waterways, sometimes many miles from where they had been abducted. ...

Confirmed Victims: (6)

Linda Sutton Age: (31), Date of Death: 1981-05-23

Ripper Crew - Wikipedia