David Torgerson

Serial Killer

David James Torgerson: Minnesota Serial Killer

Background and Early Violence

David James Torgerson was an American serial killer whose crimes occurred in Minnesota during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Born on July 16, 1943, in Austin, Minnesota, Torgerson displayed severe emotional and behavioral problems while still a teenager. His history included repeated psychiatric hospitalization, violent assaults against women, attempted strangulations, burglary, and other offenses that demonstrated an escalating fixation on overpowering and choking female victims. Torgerson was confined at Rochester State Hospital from August 1959 until July 1961 and again from January 1964 until June 1967. During his institutionalization, he reportedly attacked two female employees in separate attempted strangulations. These assaults were early indications of the method he would later use in his murders. Although the women survived, the attacks established that Torgerson was capable of sudden and potentially lethal violence.

Attacks Following His Release

After leaving the hospital, Torgerson continued committing violent crimes. In one case, he unlawfully entered a woman's apartment and assaulted her. The victim survived, and Torgerson was convicted of breaking and entering and assault. In 1970, he received a prison sentence of approximately five years, with credit for time already served. Years later, Torgerson admitted that he had already killed two young women in separate incidents during 1969. Both victims were 18 years old, and both were reportedly strangled. The killings demonstrated that his violence was not limited to impulsive assaults. He was selecting vulnerable young women and using the same intimate method of attack that he had previously attempted against hospital employees. ...

Confirmed Victims: (6)

Julie Mehrman Age: (18), Date of Death: 1969-01

David James Torgerson (1943-1973) - Find a Grave Memorial