Roger Dale Stafford: The Oklahoma Serial Killer
Introduction
Roger Dale Stafford was a notorious American serial killer responsible for a string of brutal murders in Oklahoma during the late 1970s. His crimes were particularly heinous, involving robbery-motivated killings and the massacre of an entire family at a rural rest stop. His reign of terror ended when authorities uncovered his involvement through a combination of eyewitness testimony and investigative work.
The Sirloin Stockade Massacre - July 16, 1978
One of Stafford’s most infamous crimes occurred at a Sirloin Stockade restaurant in Oklahoma City. Stafford, along with his wife, Verna Stafford, and his brother, Harold Stafford, orchestrated a robbery that ended in the cold-blooded execution of six employees.
- Victims:
- Steve Harmon, 15
- David Lindsey, 17
- Forrest Mayer, 22
- Anthony Tew, 17
- Terry Horner, 15
- Rhonda Morrison, 17
Stafford and his accomplices forced the employees into the restaurant’s freezer at gunpoint before shooting each of them execution-style. This mass murder shocked the community and prompted an extensive police investigation.
The Lorenz Family Murders - June 22, 1978
Less than a month before the Sirloin Stockade massacre, Stafford and his gang committed another horrifying crime near Purcell, Oklahoma. The victims, an Illinois family traveling through Oklahoma, stopped at a rest area when they encountered Stafford and his group.
- Victims:
- Melvin Lorenz, 38
- Linda Lorenz, 37
- Richard Lorenz, 12
The family was lured into a trap, robbed, and then shot to death. Their bodies were left by the roadside, a crime that would later be linked to Stafford through witness accounts and evidence.
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