Ralph Raymond Andrews

Serial Killer

Ralph Raymond Andrews: Convicted Murderer and Suspected Serial Killer

Ralph Raymond Andrews was an American murderer and violent sexual offender whose criminal history stretched across several decades and multiple states. Born in Evanston, Illinois, in 1945, Andrews accumulated a lengthy record involving assaults, attempted abductions, unlawful restraint, and accusations of sexual violence before he was finally imprisoned for murder. He was ultimately convicted of killing two women, Susan Clarke in 1977 and Virginia Griffin in 1991. Investigators also examined him in connection with several other deaths, particularly those of teenage girls and young women in the Chicago suburbs. Because Andrews was convicted of only two murders, it is important to distinguish his proven crimes from the much larger number of killings attributed to him in later reports. Authorities investigated possible connections between Andrews and unsolved murders in Illinois and Michigan, with additional inquiries extending into other Midwestern states. Reports that he may have killed 20, 30, or even 40 people were never established in court. The strongest additional suspicions centered on a small group of Illinois victims whose deaths occurred during periods when Andrews was living or working in the area.

Early Criminal History and Violence Against Women

Andrews had encounters with law enforcement long before his murder convictions. By the early 1970s, his behavior already showed a pattern of violence directed toward women. In April 1972, he was accused of strangling a woman he had previously dated in Evanston. Although originally charged with aggravated battery, he pleaded guilty to a lesser battery charge and served approximately six months in jail. Late in December 1973, Andrews picked up two 15-year-old hitchhikers, identified in contemporary reporting as Betty Lee Hanson and Pamela Trankle. Instead of simply taking the teenagers home, Andrews attempted to take them toward a forested area and threatened them with a knife. The girls fought back while inside his automobile. During the struggle the vehicle left the roadway, giving them an opportunity to escape. Andrews was prosecuted, but the case ended in an acquittal. Hanson later publicly described herself as a survivor of Andrews. Andrews subsequently moved between Illinois and Michigan. In 1976, while working as a mechanic at a gasoline station in Wyoming, Michigan, he was accused of sexually assaulting two women after threatening them with a screwdriver. He was prosecuted for criminal sexual conduct but was acquitted. Another serious incident occurred in August 1978, when Andrews went canoeing with a woman in the Cook County Forest Preserve. During the outing, he attacked her, rendered her unconscious and restrained her. Unlike several earlier cases, this incident resulted in a conviction. Andrews was convicted of unlawful restraint and sentenced to prison. He was paroled in February 1980. After returning to Michigan, Andrews was accused in another disturbing episode involving a 20-year-old female neighbor who was riding a bicycle. Andrews knocked the woman from the bicycle and forced her into his automobile. She later described fighting his efforts to place a chemical-soaked cloth over her face. The confrontation attracted attention, and Andrews eventually took the woman home. When her father questioned him about what had happened, Andrews struck him. Despite the allegations, Andrews was not prosecuted for the incident.

The Murder of Susan Clarke

Sixteen-year-old Susan Clarke was a high school student who earned money babysitting in the northern Chicago suburbs. She disappeared on August 28, 1977, after leaving a babysitting job in the Lincolnwood area. When she failed to arrive at later appointments, her family became alarmed and a search began. On August 30, two days after she disappeared, Clarke's body was discovered in a vegetable-growing area near the Old Orchard Shopping Center in Skokie, Illinois. Her body had been deliberately concealed among vegetation. Investigators determined that she had been violently assaulted and killed. Andrews was questioned during the original investigation because of his background, his presence in the area and his previous attacks on teenage girls, but prosecutors did not have enough evidence to charge him at the time. The case remained unresolved for more than two decades. After Andrews was imprisoned for the later murder of Virginia Griffin, authorities received information that he had been discussing Clarke's death with another prisoner. Investigators arranged for conversations involving Andrews to be secretly recorded. Those conversations reportedly contained details concerning Clarke's murder that renewed the case against him. In May 1999, Andrews was formally charged with Clarke's murder. The prosecution prepared to introduce evidence concerning his earlier crimes and the similarities between his attacks. Andrews initially denied killing Clarke and pleaded not guilty. In March 2003, however, he changed his position and pleaded guilty to her murder, eliminating any remaining legal uncertainty over his responsibility for Clarke's death. On April 30, 2003, he received another life sentence. ...

Confirmed Victims: (2)

Susan Clark Age: (16), Date of Death: 1977-08-25

Suspected Victims:

Amy Alden Age: (15), Date of Death: 1972

Arvella Thomas Age: (14), Date of Death: 1978-04-11

Robin Feuerriegel Age: (17), Date of Death: 1972-08

Laura Williams Age: (16), Date of Death: 1977-05

Floyd Glen Foster Age: (51), Date of Death: 1982-11-21

Survivors:

Betty Lee Hanson Age: (15), Date of Attack: 1973-12-25

Ralph Raymond Andrews - Murderpedia