Anthony Joe Larette

Serial Killer

Anthony Joe LaRette Jr.: The Drifter Who Confessed to a Nationwide Trail of Murder

Overview

Anthony Joe LaRette Jr. was an American serial killer, rapist and habitual violent offender whose crimes stretched across several states during the 1970s and early 1980s. Born on October 1, 1951, in Topeka, Kansas, LaRette spent much of his adult life drifting from place to place, sometimes traveling by bus and occasionally using the false name "Mike Watson." His movement between communities allowed him to approach women who had no connection to one another and then disappear before investigators could recognize a pattern. LaRette was convicted of only one murder: the July 25, 1980, killing of Mary Michele Fleming in St. Charles, Missouri. While awaiting execution, however, he claimed responsibility for as many as 31 murders and approximately 10 rapes in 11 states. Investigators reportedly considered many of his statements credible because he supplied details about crime scenes, victims and evidence that had not been publicly disclosed. Authorities eventually attributed at least 15 previously unresolved killings to information he provided, although the identities of many of those victims were never publicly released and LaRette was not prosecuted for most of the additional crimes.

Early Violence and Criminal History

Long before his murder conviction, LaRette had demonstrated a pattern of sexual aggression and violence toward women. Accounts of his background described childhood behavioral problems, periods of psychiatric treatment and diagnoses involving neurological or psychological disorders. He later claimed that head injuries, hallucinations and blackout episodes affected his behavior. These explanations became important during his appeals, but they did not excuse the deliberate actions described by witnesses, investigators and LaRette himself. LaRette served time in institutions and prisons at different points in his life. He was convicted of raping a woman in Lawrence, Kansas, in 1974. After his release, his transient lifestyle placed him in numerous cities where women were later attacked or killed. His known victims ranged from young women beginning their adult lives to middle-aged women attacked inside homes where they should have been safe. ...

Confirmed Victims: (6)

Jeanette Mickey Wade Age: (26), Date of Death: August 20, 1976

Anthony LaRette - Wikipedia