Vampires are often shown as alluring, immortal figures of dark power... but it doesn't take being an undead nobleman to drink blood. Read on for the stories of...
The fangs of a vampire are one of their defining characteristics - so it's fitting that Wayne Clifford Boden the "Vampire Rapist" fell foul of forensic odontology.
When a string of female murder victims in Canada were found with similar bite marks on their breasts, Dr Gordon Swan turned to experts in England for help. Bite related evidence had been used in Britain before, and the specialist consulted by Swan had dealt with as many as thirty previous cases.
Things were not as they seemed. The car contained Wigginton, her lover and two friends that she had drawn into a deranged orbit - she'd even sipped blood drawn from Lisa Ptaschinski, Wigginton's lover and their current driver. The members of this impromptu cult were returning from a lesbian club... and Baldock offered an unwitting, isolated victim for a long-held fantasy - a vampiric murder.
After the intoxicated Baldock fell asleep in the car, the group drove down to the Brisbane river... and in the privacy of an out-of-the-way shed, Wigginton stabbed him 27 times with a knife borrowed from one of her cult. The rest of the group left her alone with the body - apparently they could smell blood on Wigginton's breath when she returned.
They may have been capable murderers, but the cult were amateurish in their attempts to avoid detection - the police found Wigginton's bank card near the body. She was convicted and has since served her sentence and been released... though her social media posts don't seem particularly repentant.
The crime was discovered by a volunteer bringing Leyshon a Sunday lunch. Bits of furniture had been arranged around the victim - two pokers were placed to make a crucifix, while a red candle had been placed on the mantelpiece. Perhaps the worst thing of all was a simple saucepan that contained an item wrapped in newspaper - this turned out to be Leyshon's heart.
Hardman had been obsessed with becoming a vampire - he believed that they were real and that sacrificing Leyshon would help him become one. He even drained some of the blood from his victim, collecting it in the saucepan and drinking it.
Hardman was identified thanks to the footprints of his limited edition trainers - a rather mundane solution to such a deranged murder.
Smith had made an acquaintance of Milton Ellis while he was shopping. The wheelchair-bound 69-year old and Smith were chatting outside the vacant eatery while waiting for a lift to arrive. It had been a long day and eventually Ellis dozed off, only to be woken by Smith declaring "I’m a vampire, I am going to eat you."
Ellis managed to escape to a nearby gas station, though he sustained bites to his arm and face in the process. Smith was found outside the Hooters, half naked, covered in blood and claiming that she didn't remember anything.
Smith went on to attack her boyfriend four years later, repeatedly stabbing him with scissors in a drunken rage.
In 2001 the body of Frank Haagen was found decomposing in the Ruda's flat. He had been bludgeoned and stabbed, with a scalpel left sticking out of his stomach. A pentagram was carved into his chest.
On trial, the pair admitted to having killed the victim... but denied that it was murder as they were merely carrying out the direct orders of Satan. Even the prosecutor in their trial argued that they were not the calculating monsters portrayed by the media, instead saying that the pair were deeply disturbed!
- The 1970s Canadian Vampire Convicted by his Bite Marks
- The 1989 Lesbian Vampire Cult From Down-Under
- The 1978 Serial-Killing Vampire of Sacramento
- The 2001 Heart-Ripping Anglesey Vampire
- The 2011 Hooters Vampire
- The 2001 Murderous, Satanic and Germanic Vampire Duo
The 1970s Canadian Vampire Convicted by his Bite Marks
 |
| They never take the simple option, do they? (sabinurce) |
When a string of female murder victims in Canada were found with similar bite marks on their breasts, Dr Gordon Swan turned to experts in England for help. Bite related evidence had been used in Britain before, and the specialist consulted by Swan had dealt with as many as thirty previous cases.
Despite the comparatively poor evidence against him at the time, Boden agreed to submit a bite impression. Swan was able to show the jury 29 points of similarity between Boden's bite and the wounds left on one of the victims. Boden didn't bother to appeal.
That's not where the Canadian vampire ended though. Despite sharing the modus operandi and bite marks found on the other victims, Boden only plead guilty to the later murders - he claimed that the first victim wasn't his. Eventually another man named Raymond Suave was convicted of that particular crime.
Twenty-four years later, Boden earned a supervised day-release from prison. It seems strange enough that this would be allowed out at all given the nature of his crimes (he'd also somehow managed to get a credit card) but he actually managed to give his escorts the slip. He was on the run for 36 hours, and when re-arrested was in the process of seducing a young woman over dinner. Who knows how that would have ended.
The 1989 Lesbian Vampire Cult From Down-Under
One moonlit Australian night in 1989, Tracey Wigginton stabbed Edward Baldock to death and drank his blood. Baldock had been out enjoying a night on the town and was looking for a taxi to get home - how fortunate it must have seemed when a car full of women drew up and offered him a lift.Things were not as they seemed. The car contained Wigginton, her lover and two friends that she had drawn into a deranged orbit - she'd even sipped blood drawn from Lisa Ptaschinski, Wigginton's lover and their current driver. The members of this impromptu cult were returning from a lesbian club... and Baldock offered an unwitting, isolated victim for a long-held fantasy - a vampiric murder.
After the intoxicated Baldock fell asleep in the car, the group drove down to the Brisbane river... and in the privacy of an out-of-the-way shed, Wigginton stabbed him 27 times with a knife borrowed from one of her cult. The rest of the group left her alone with the body - apparently they could smell blood on Wigginton's breath when she returned.
They may have been capable murderers, but the cult were amateurish in their attempts to avoid detection - the police found Wigginton's bank card near the body. She was convicted and has since served her sentence and been released... though her social media posts don't seem particularly repentant.
The 1978 Serial-Killing Vampire of Sacramento
 |
| Eggs, milk, murder... (kang_hojun) |
To say Richard Chase was unbalanced would be the understatement of the century. He believed that everyone and everything was out to get him - aliens, Nazis and the FBI all wanted to do him harm. Worst of all, they'd poisoned his soap dish to slowly turn his blood to powder - and only fresh blood could cure it.
Chase had a bad habit of attacking animals and drinking their blood. In 1976 he was hospitalized after injecting himself with rabbit blood. He was even found with a bucket of bovine blood in his car - but apparently none of this was enough to get him put into an asylum.
In 1978 Chase killed Terry Wallin, consuming parts of her body and scooping blood from her open torso with a yogurt pot. Another three bodies and a missing child later, Chase was arrested as he attempted to flee from his apartment.
Inside, police found bloody rags, a pistol, a blood-stained blender and a fridge full of body parts. There was also a calendar noting the dates of murders - both past and planned. Found guilty and awaiting execution, Chase hoarded antidepressants and committed suicide.
Chase had a bad habit of attacking animals and drinking their blood. In 1976 he was hospitalized after injecting himself with rabbit blood. He was even found with a bucket of bovine blood in his car - but apparently none of this was enough to get him put into an asylum.
In 1978 Chase killed Terry Wallin, consuming parts of her body and scooping blood from her open torso with a yogurt pot. Another three bodies and a missing child later, Chase was arrested as he attempted to flee from his apartment.
Inside, police found bloody rags, a pistol, a blood-stained blender and a fridge full of body parts. There was also a calendar noting the dates of murders - both past and planned. Found guilty and awaiting execution, Chase hoarded antidepressants and committed suicide.
The 2001 Heart-Ripping Anglesey Vampire
In 2001 Wales, 17 year-old Mathew Hardman approached 90 year-old Mabel Leyshon from behind and stabbed her 22 times... then he set to work on a ritual.The crime was discovered by a volunteer bringing Leyshon a Sunday lunch. Bits of furniture had been arranged around the victim - two pokers were placed to make a crucifix, while a red candle had been placed on the mantelpiece. Perhaps the worst thing of all was a simple saucepan that contained an item wrapped in newspaper - this turned out to be Leyshon's heart.
Hardman had been obsessed with becoming a vampire - he believed that they were real and that sacrificing Leyshon would help him become one. He even drained some of the blood from his victim, collecting it in the saucepan and drinking it.
Hardman was identified thanks to the footprints of his limited edition trainers - a rather mundane solution to such a deranged murder.
The 2011 Hooters Vampire
Vampires are normally associated with gothic castles and English manors. That wasn't the case for 22-year old Josephine Smith, who attacked her victim outside of a vacant Hooters restaurant.Smith had made an acquaintance of Milton Ellis while he was shopping. The wheelchair-bound 69-year old and Smith were chatting outside the vacant eatery while waiting for a lift to arrive. It had been a long day and eventually Ellis dozed off, only to be woken by Smith declaring "I’m a vampire, I am going to eat you."
Ellis managed to escape to a nearby gas station, though he sustained bites to his arm and face in the process. Smith was found outside the Hooters, half naked, covered in blood and claiming that she didn't remember anything.
Smith went on to attack her boyfriend four years later, repeatedly stabbing him with scissors in a drunken rage.
The 2001 Murderous, Satanic and Germanic Vampire Duo
 |
| Looks rather awkward to me... (Alexas_Fotos) |
Daniel and Manuela Ruda were a rather unusual couple... the German pair were Satanists with an interest in vampirism. They'd joined up with like-minded individuals in the UK, drinking blood from willing donors and sleeping on graves. Manuela seems to have taken things the furthest, allowing herself to be briefly buried alive to see what it would be like. She also had fangs fitted in place of her normal canines.
In 2001 the body of Frank Haagen was found decomposing in the Ruda's flat. He had been bludgeoned and stabbed, with a scalpel left sticking out of his stomach. A pentagram was carved into his chest.
On trial, the pair admitted to having killed the victim... but denied that it was murder as they were merely carrying out the direct orders of Satan. Even the prosecutor in their trial argued that they were not the calculating monsters portrayed by the media, instead saying that the pair were deeply disturbed!
Thanks for reading - you might also be interested in...