Richard Anthony Grissom

Serial Killer

Richard Anthony Grissom: The Kansas Serial Killer

Richard Anthony Grissom Jr. is an American convicted serial killer whose crimes became one of the most disturbing criminal cases in Kansas history. His record of violence began when he was a teenager and culminated in the 1989 disappearances and murders of three young women in Johnson County, Kansas. The later case was especially unusual because prosecutors obtained three first-degree murder convictions even though the bodies of Joan Marie Butler, Theresa J. Brown, and Christine A. Rusch were never recovered. Because their remains have never been found, their exact dates of death cannot be verified; their known disappearance and last-contact dates are given instead.

The 1977 Murder of Hazel Meeker

Grissom's first known killing occurred when he was only 16 years old. On January 27, 1977, after an argument at home, Grissom entered the residence of 72-year-old neighbor Hazel Meeker near Lansing, Kansas. He was armed with a railroad spike and attacked Meeker inside her home. She suffered fatal injuries. Grissom then fled and broke into another residence, where he stole a handgun. Investigators found footprints in the snow near the crime scene and followed their path toward railroad tracks and a nearby trailer park. Grissom was located and taken into custody. He admitted responsibility for Meeker's killing and was handled through the juvenile justice system. He was ultimately sent to a juvenile institution rather than an adult prison. The killing demonstrated a capacity for extreme violence years before the crimes for which he later became nationally known.

The Suspected Murder of Terri Renee Maness

On June 7, 1989, 25-year-old Terri Renee Maness was found dead in Wichita, Kansas. She was living in Wichita and working as a legal secretary. Contemporary reporting stated that her body was discovered in a basement apartment and that she had suffered stab wounds. Grissom had reportedly dated or socialized with Maness shortly before her death and later became a suspect in the investigation. Wichita investigators worked with detectives investigating Grissom's later crimes, and prosecutors publicly discussed the possibility that Maness was another of his victims. However, Grissom was never charged with or convicted of killing her. Her death therefore remains separate from the three 1989 murders for which his guilt was established in court. ...

Confirmed Victims: (4)

Hazel Meeker Age: (72), Date of Death: 1977-01-27

Suspected Victims:

Terri Maness Age: (25)

Richard Grissom - Wikipedia