The Vampire Killer (Richard Trenton)

The Vampire Killer (Richard Trenton)

Main theme:

Richard Trenton Chase became known as "The Vampire Killer of Sacramento" because he would drink the blood of his victims and practiced cannibalism with their body parts. A typically "disorganized" killer, Chase picked his victims randomly and left as much evidence as he could around his home and the crime scenes. He drained his victim's blood, blended it with body organs and drank it. It was the only way to stop his own blood from turning into powder, or so did the voices in his head said. He also took some body parts home to munch on later.

 

Main Story:

Richard Trenton was born in the 23^rd of May, 1950. He had a sister, four years younger to him and his father was a strict disciplinarian who bickered constantly with his wife. When Richard was child, he likes to set fires and to torment animals. When he was ten, he started killing cats and when he was a teenager, he drank and smoke dope, getting into trouble several times but felt no shame over it.

He dated several girls, one of whom reported the he was unable to perform sexually and because he could not keep an erection. This problem went to him when he was 18, so, he went to a psychiatrist. He learned that a root cause of losing erection was repressed anger. The psychiatrist also thought that he might be suffering from a major illness and was mentally disturbed, but he did not suggest he be committed.

He was preoccupied with any sign that something was wrong with him. This held true throughout his adult life. He also complained that the bones were coming out through the back of his head, that his stomach was backwards, and that his heart often stopped beating. Another psychiatrist diagnosed him as a paranoid schizophrenic, but thought he might actually be suffering from a drug-induced toxic psychosis. He was put under observation for 72 hours, and it was recommended that he stay but he was allowed to leave whenever he wanted without obtaining permission. Eventually he was released.

After he moved out of his parents home, he went through a series of roommates, many of whom reported his bizarre behavior and heavy drug use. Even the few friends he had considered him weird. Once he nailed shut his bedroom closet door because people were invading his space from in there.

He started killing rabbits and drank their blood to quench his thrust, often he kiss, lick and disembowel various animals, sometimes mixing the raw organs with Coca-Cola in a blender and drinking the concoction. Chase reasoned that by ingesting the creatures he was preventing his heart from shrinking.

 

Murders by Richard:

                                        Chase killed his first human victim on December 29th, 1977. His first murder was Ambrose Griffin, a 51-year-old male. Griffin and his wife had just returned from a trip and while they were unpacking their car, Mrs. Griffin heard two popping sounds and Ambrose dropped dead in front of her. Chase’s first human murder was this “drive-by” like shooting. He did some random break-ins for a little while. His next murder was Teresa Wallin on January 23rd, 1978. She was three months pregnant. Chase shot and killed her and then dragged her into the bedroom. When Teresa’s husband came home that night, he followed the blood trail into their bedroom and found a gruesome scene: his wife’s body was lying motionless, her sweater pulled up over her breasts, her panties down around her ankles with her legs splayed open indicating sexual assault, her left nipple was cut off, her torso carved open, her spleen and intestines removed, she’d been stabbed repeatedly, and other organs were dismembered. There was a yogurt container that had been used to drink her blood and odd rings were around the body indicating a container had been placed there as if to take blood with the killer.

On January 27th, 1978, he committed his last murders. Evelyn Miroth, 38, was babysitting her 20-month-old nephew and her son, Jason Miroth, 6, and her friend, Dan Meredith, 51, was over visiting her. Chase murdered them all including the baby boy. He’d stabbed and shot all of them, killing and slicing open Evelyn much like he did Teresa Wallin. He’d cut open the baby’s head and dumped pieces of the brain in the tub. He’d fled with the baby’s body which was later found in box by a dumpster.

The police and FBI caught him with help of a profile and an old friend of Chase’s. FBI agent (and one of the first criminal profilers) Robert Ressler asked Chase, upon Chase’s arrest, how he chose his victims. Chase said that he’d go from house to house testing doors to see which houses were left unlocked and which ones weren’t. Chase said that if the door was locked, it meant he wasn’t welcome, but if the door was unlocked, he could go in.

Death:

Chase killed himself in prison on December 26th, 1980 by overdose if his medications.