John Charles Eichinger: The Pennsylvania Serial Killer
Overview
John Charles Eichinger is an American serial killer convicted of murdering four people in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, during two separate attacks nearly six years apart. His victims were 20-year-old Jennifer Still in 1999 and, in 2005, 27-year-old Heather Greaves, Heather's 23-year-old sister Lisa Greaves, and Heather's three-year-old daughter Avery Johnson. The crimes were connected not only by Eichinger's relationships with the victims, but by the same knife, which he admitted using in both attacks.
The murders were driven largely by Eichinger's obsessive romantic interest in Jennifer Still and Heather Greaves. Both women rejected his attempts to turn their friendships into romantic relationships. Prosecutors and court records described the murders of Jennifer and Heather as deliberate responses to those rejections. Lisa Greaves and Avery Johnson were killed during the second attack because Eichinger did not want them left alive as witnesses.
The Murder of Jennifer Still
Jennifer Still was a 20-year-old woman living in Bridgeport, Pennsylvania. She was an aspiring poet and part of a social circle that included people who played Dungeons & Dragons together. Eichinger knew Jennifer through that circle and developed romantic feelings for her even though she was involved with another man.
On July 6, 1999, Eichinger went to Jennifer's Bridgeport residence carrying a large knife. According to the confession he later gave investigators, he told Jennifer about his feelings and wanted her to leave her fiance for him. Jennifer refused. Eichinger responded by attacking her with the knife, stabbing her repeatedly and cutting her throat. Her boyfriend later returned home and discovered her body.
The investigation initially failed to identify Jennifer's killer. There was no obvious forced entry, suggesting that she may have willingly admitted the person who attacked her. Investigators questioned people in Jennifer's social circle, including Eichinger. Rather than admit what he had done, he gave police false information and attempted to direct their attention toward other acquaintances.
Important biological evidence was nevertheless left behind. Investigators preserved unidentified blood from Jennifer's residence, evidence that would become extremely important years later. Without a match at the time, however, Jennifer's murder remained unsolved.
...
MEMBER ACCESSContinue reading the complete profile
Unlock the full profile for John Charles Eichinger, complete victim information, available sources, videos, and member discussions.
Unlock Full Access — $3.97/month Already a member? Log in
