Richard Trenton Chase: The Vampire of Sacramento
Early Life and Mental Illness
Richard Trenton Chase was born on May 23, 1950, in Sacramento, California. He was raised in a strict household and was often beaten by his father. In his teens, he became an alcoholic and developed a penchant for killing and mutilating animals, as well as firestarting. These behaviors are common traits among serial killers in their youth. Chase struggled with impotence and was unable to maintain relationships with women. He was diagnosed with repressed rage or mental illness but did not seek further treatment.
Institutionalization
In 1975, Chase was involuntarily committed to a mental institution after being taken to a hospital for blood poisoning, which he contracted after injecting rabbit's blood into his veins. He escaped from the hospital but was apprehended and sent to an institution for the criminally insane. He was released after taking medication but continued to exhibit disturbing behavior.
Crimes
Chase's killing spree began in December 1977 and lasted until January 1978. He earned the nickname "The Vampire of Sacramento" because he drank the blood of his victims and ate their internal organs. His crimes were driven by delusions that he needed to prevent Nazis from turning his blood into powder via poison they had planted beneath his soap dish.
- December 29, 1977: Ambrose Griffin, 51, was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting.
- January 23, 1978: Teresa Wallin, 22, was found disemboweled and drained of her blood. She was three months pregnant.
- January 27, 1978: Evelyn Miroth, 38, her son Jason, 6, her nephew David, 22 months old, and her friend Dan Meredith, 51, were all found dead. Evelyn's body was mutilated, and her blood was drained.
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