Anthony Balaam: The Trenton Strangler
Overview
Anthony Balaam is an American serial killer who murdered four women in Trenton, New Jersey, between October 1994 and July 1996. Known as the "Trenton Strangler," Balaam targeted women involved in street-level sex work and struggling with drug addiction. He approached his victims during the late-night or predawn hours, frequently using crack cocaine as a way to initiate contact. After getting the women into a vehicle or taking them to an isolated location, he threatened and sexually assaulted them before strangling them.
The four murders occurred over approximately twenty-two months. Three of the victims were found in vacant lots in Trenton, while another was discovered inside a deteriorating hotel. The killings remained unsolved until investigators connected physical evidence from the murders with information supplied by a woman who survived an attack by Balaam. His arrest in August 1996 ended the series of known killings.
Background
Anthony Balaam was born on July 9, 1965, in Trenton, New Jersey. Before the murders, he had accumulated a criminal history that included drug-related offenses and burglary. People who encountered him sometimes described him as quiet, polite and soft-spoken, characteristics that contrasted sharply with the violence investigators later attributed to him.
By the period in which the murders occurred, Balaam was heavily involved with crack cocaine. He lived in Trenton and regularly traveled through neighborhoods where drugs and street-level prostitution were common. Investigators determined that the four murders occurred within a relatively small area of the city, reportedly within approximately two miles of his residence.
Balaam temporarily left New Jersey during the murder series. From approximately July 1995 until January 1996, he lived in Detroit, Michigan. After his arrest, New Jersey investigators contacted Detroit authorities to determine whether he could be connected with unsolved killings there. No additional murders in Detroit were established against him.
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