The Frankford Slasher

Serial Killer

The Frankford Slasher: A Detailed Account of His Crimes

Overview

The Frankford Slasher is the moniker attributed to a suspected serial killer who terrorized the Frankford neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, between 1985 and 1990. The assailant is believed to have murdered at least eight women, all of whom were sexually assaulted and brutally stabbed. Despite extensive investigations, the true identity of the Frankford Slasher remains a mystery, with only one individual convicted for a single murder amidst the series.

Victims

• Helen Patton
  • Date: August 19, 1985
  • Age: 52
  • Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Details: Helen Patton was discovered in a Philadelphia train yard, half-naked and posed provocatively. She had been sexually assaulted and suffered 47 stab wounds to her head and chest, with a deep slash across her abdomen exposing internal organs. She was last seen at her home on August 19, 1985, before her body was found on August 26, 1985.
• Anna Carroll
  • Date: January 3, 1986
  • Age: 68
  • Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Details: Anna Carroll was found in her apartment, nude from the waist down, with six stab wounds to her back. A postmortem wound extended from her breastbone to her groin, and a kitchen knife was left in her body. She was known to frequent bars in the Frankford area.
• Susan Olszef
  • Date: December 25, 1986
  • Age: 74
  • Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Details: Susan Olszef was found in her apartment, stabbed six times in the back. She was nude from the waist down and had been sexually assaulted. Olszef was a regular patron of "Goldie's" Bar in the Frankford area.
• Jeanne Durkin
  • Date: January 8, 1987
  • Age: 28
  • Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Details: Jeanne Durkin, a homeless woman, was found beneath a storage truck near Frankford Avenue. She had been stabbed 74 times, was nude from the waist down, and had been sexually assaulted. Durkin was known to frequent the Frankford Avenue bars.
• Margaret Vaughan
  • Date: November 11, 1988
  • Age: 66
  • Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Details: Margaret Vaughan was found in the foyer of an apartment building from which she had been evicted the previous day. She had been stabbed 29 times. A barmaid recalled seeing Vaughan with a middle-aged white man who walked with a limp and wore glasses.
• Theresa Sciortino
  • Date: January 19, 1989
  • Age: 30
  • Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Details: Theresa Sciortino was found in her apartment, stabbed 25 times in the face, arms, and chest. She had been sexually assaulted with a wooden object. Sciortino was last seen alive at the Jolly Post Tavern with a middle-aged white man.
• Carol Dowd
  • Date: April 29, 1990
  • Age: 46
  • Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Details: Carol Dowd was found murdered in a manner consistent with previous victims. An employee at a nearby fish market, Leonard Christopher, became a suspect and was later convicted for her murder, despite lacking evidence linking him to the other cases.
• Michelle Dehner
  • Date: September 6, 1990
  • Age: 30
  • Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Details: Michelle Dehner was found stabbed to death in the same fashion as previous victims while Leonard Christopher was in prison. Detectives ruled her murder a "copycat killing."

Investigation and Conviction

During the investigation into the death of Carol Dowd, authorities focused on Leonard Christopher, an employee at a nearby fish market. Despite not matching witness descriptions of a middle-aged white man seen with several victims before their deaths, and lacking evidence linking him to the other murders, Christopher was tried and convicted for Dowd's murder on December 12, 1990, and sentenced to life in prison. He maintained his innocence until his death from cancer. ...Read More

Confirmed Victims: (0)
Suspected Victims:

Helen Patent Age: (52), Date of Death: 1985-08-19

Anna Carroll Age: (68), Date of Death: 1986-01-03

Suzanna Olszef Age: (64), Date of Death: 1986-12-25

Jeanne Durkin Age: (28), Date of Death: 1987-01-08

Catherine M. Jones Age: (29), Date of Death: 1987-01

Margaret Vaughan Age: (66), Date of Death: 1988-11-08

Theresa Sciortino Age: (30), Date of Death: 1989-01-19

Carol Dowd Age: (46), Date of Death: 1990-04-29

Michelle Dehner Age: (30), Date of Death: 1990-09-06

Frankford Slasher - Wikipedia

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