Harvey Louis Carignan

Serial Killer

Harvey Louis Carignan: The Want-Ad Killer

Introduction

Harvey Louis Carignan was an American serial killer, rapist, and violent repeat offender whose known criminal history stretched from Alaska in 1949 to Minnesota in 1974. Born on May 18, 1927, in Fargo, North Dakota, Carignan became known as the "Want-Ad Killer" because he sometimes used employment advertisements as a way to meet young women. He was also called "Harv the Hammer," a reference to the blunt-force attacks associated with several of his crimes. Although Carignan was ultimately convicted of murdering two women in Minnesota, authorities considered him responsible for an earlier Alaska murder and suspected him in at least two additional killings in Washington State. Carignan's history is particularly disturbing because his first murder conviction resulted in a death sentence more than two decades before his final arrest. That conviction was overturned because of problems surrounding the admissibility of his confession. He nevertheless remained imprisoned for another violent offense, was eventually paroled, and repeatedly returned to prison for new crimes. By the early 1970s, investigators in several states were encountering women and girls who had been attacked by a man using methods later associated with Carignan.

The 1949 Murder of Laura Showalter

Carignan was serving in the United States Army and stationed in Anchorage, Alaska, when his first known killing occurred. On July 31, 1949, 57-year-old Laura Showalter was attacked and killed in Anchorage. She suffered fatal injuries from blows to the head during an attempted sexual assault. Several weeks later, on September 16, 1949, Carignan attacked another woman in Anchorage. She survived, and Carignan was taken into custody the following day. During the investigation, authorities questioned him about Showalter's murder. Carignan eventually made statements implicating himself in the killing. He was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death by hanging. He was also convicted in connection with the separate attempted sexual assault. His murder conviction did not survive the appeals process. Courts found legal problems involving the circumstances under which his confession had been obtained, and the confession could not be used against him. Without it, prosecutors lacked sufficient evidence to successfully retry the Showalter murder case. Carignan's murder conviction and death sentence were therefore set aside, although he remained incarcerated for the assault conviction. ...

Confirmed Victims: (2)

Eileen Hunley Age: (29), Date of Death: 1974-08-10

Suspected Victims:

Leslie Laura Brock Age: (19), Date of Death: 1972-11-15

Kathy Sue Miller Age: (15), Date of Death: 1973-05-01

Laura Showalter Age: (58), Date of Death: 1949-07-31

Survivors:

Christine Norton , Date of Attack: September 16, 1949

Jerri Billings Age: (13), Date of Attack: September 9, 1973

Sally Versoi , Date of Attack: September 18, 1974

Diane Flynn , Date of Attack: September 18, 1974

Harvey Carignan - Wikipedia