Vaughn Orrin Greenwood: The Skid Row Slasher
Vaughn Orrin Greenwood was an American serial killer associated with a series of knife murders in Los Angeles that stretched from 1964 to 1975. Born in Pennsylvania on January 19, 1944, Greenwood became known as the "Skid Row Slasher" because most of his victims were vulnerable men living in or around downtown Los Angeles and its Skid Row district. Eleven killings were ultimately attributed to him, although he was convicted of nine murders after jurors were unable to reach verdicts on two of the charges. His crimes were especially disturbing because several scenes contained unusual arrangements involving blood, salt, removed shoes, and markings around the victims.
The First Murders in 1964
The first killings attributed to Greenwood occurred on consecutive days in November 1964. David Russell, described in accounts as an older transient, was killed on November 13 and found on the steps of the Los Angeles Public Library. He had suffered a cut throat and multiple stab wounds. The next day, 67-year-old Benjamin Hornberg was killed in the second-floor restroom of a Los Angeles hotel. Hornberg's throat had been deeply slashed, and he had also suffered numerous stab wounds to his head and upper body.
The attacks then apparently stopped for approximately a decade. Greenwood was involved in another serious knife attack in Chicago in 1966. The victim, 70-year-old Mance Porter, survived after being stabbed and having his throat cut. Greenwood was convicted of aggravated battery and spent more than five years incarcerated in Illinois. After his release and eventual return to California, the Los Angeles killings resumed.
The 1974-1975 Killing Series
On December 1, 1974, 46-year-old Charles Jackson was killed at or near the same location where David Russell had been found ten years earlier. Jackson was a drifter, and investigators recognized similarities between the two crime scenes. Over the following weeks, men living in hotels, alleys, and other locations around downtown Los Angeles were killed in rapid succession. Greenwood generally attacked with knives or similar bladed weapons, with throat wounds becoming the most recognizable feature of the series.
Some crime scenes contained elements that investigators and prosecutors described as ritualistic. Accounts describe cups containing blood beside some victims, salt sprinkled around portions of the bodies, unusual markings near wounds, and shoes removed and deliberately positioned toward the bodies. Prosecutors at Greenwood's trial also alleged blood drinking, although later summaries conflict on whether there was evidence that Greenwood himself actually drank his victims' blood. The unusual arrangements led to speculation about occult or Satanic motives, but that interpretation has never been firmly established.
...
MEMBER ACCESSContinue reading the complete profile
Unlock the full profile for Vaughn Orrin Greenwood, complete victim information, available sources, videos, and member discussions.
Unlock Full Access — $3.97/month Already a member? Log in
