David Allen Likens

Serial Killer

David Allen Likens: California Murderer and Suspected Serial Killer

Background

David Allen Likens was an American murderer and suspected serial killer whose known and alleged crimes occurred in California during the 1970s. Born on July 12, 1949, in Tucson, Arizona, Likens became associated with a series of violent attacks against young men in Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Mateo County. His criminal history included one murder conviction, several alleged homicides and multiple nonfatal assaults. Likens is commonly described as a serial killer because investigators connected him to several deaths after his release from prison. However, the legal record is more limited than that description suggests. He was convicted of one murder and formally accused of additional killings, but he died before those later charges could be tried. Other deaths were only investigated as possible Likens crimes and were never conclusively attributed to him in court.

The Murder of Rod Thorpe

Likens' first known murder occurred in Los Angeles in 1974. The victim, 21-year-old Rod Thorpe, was reportedly a hitchhiker who had been brought to or was last seen at Likens' apartment. Thorpe was subsequently killed inside the residence. Accounts of the case describe his body as having been found in a bathtub with stab wounds and evidence of mutilation. Likens was arrested and prosecuted for Thorpe's death. Rather than face a trial for the most serious possible charge, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. He received a sentence of five years to life in prison. Despite the brutality of the crime, he was eventually released on parole in 1977, approximately three years after the killing. The exact calendar date of Thorpe's death is not consistently available in reliable public accounts, so only the confirmed year of 1974 should be used. Thorpe's murder remains important because it established that Likens had already committed a particularly violent homicide before the later series of deaths and assaults in Northern California. ...

Confirmed Victims: (4)

Rod Thorpe Age: (21), Date of Death: April 12, 1974

Suspected Victims:

Raymond Oscar Wilson Age: (23), Date of Death: 1978-06-07

San Mateo County John Doe , Date of Death: May - June 1978

A serial killer a day 18 januari David Allen Likens ... - Instagram