Serial Killers of the '70s

June 22, 2020
The 1970s were probably the most active decade for serial killers in America, as shown in journalist Fritsch’s engrossing debut. In her introduction, Fritsch observes how the interstate highway system allowed people “to travel anonymously for thousands of miles” at a time when it was still common for young people to hitchhike across the country, making them relatively easy prey for serial killers. Of most interest are the chapters devoted to now obscure cases, such as that of Texas’s Dean Corll, who with the help of two teens—Elmer Henley and David Brooks—molested and killed 23 boys and men. When Henley finally had enough, he shot Corll to death in 1973, and called the police. Both boys helped police find the bodies, and both went to prison for life. Another is that of Rodney Alcala, a winning bachelor on TV’s The Dating Game in 1978 whose date never showed up because she thought he was creepy. Alcala was later convicted of murdering eight girls and young women. Other chapters cover such notorious serial killers as Son of Sam and Ted Bundy. The author freshens these familiar stories by adding fascinating trivia, such as that First Lady Rosalynn Carter was on the prosecution’s witness list in the trial of John Wayne Gacy because she was photographed with him at a Polish Constitution Day event in Chicago, but was not called to testify. True crime buffs will look forward to Fritsch’s sequel covering the 1980s.

July 1, 2020

In the 1970s, hitchhiking was an accepted mode of transportation, law enforcement agencies lacked DNA analysis, and missing teenagers were assumed to have joined communes. Under these conditions, predators such as the Machete Murderer, the Co-ed Killer, and the Skid Row Slasher racked up appallingly high body counts--John Wayne Gacy notoriously buried 26 of his 33 victims in his crawl space, and Juan Corona hid 25 bodies in shallow graves among Californian peach orchards. Profiling 14 prominent serial killers, journalist Fritsch lays out their crimes and the court cases involved with bringing them to justice. The author doesn't linger on the gruesome details, spending more time instead on the machinations of the legal system, with three appendixes providing court documents. Fritsch contextualizes these killers, explaining the reactions of law enforcement and the media. The writing is compelling, but some of the entries are overly condensed and it's unclear why the author sometimes, but not always, lists the names of victims. VERDICT True crime buffs will be familiar with most of these names, but Fritsch competently captures the era.--Terry Bosky, Madison, WI

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