Obscure Occurrences : The Mysterious Case of the Frankford Slasher

 On the morning of the 26th of August, 1985, at around 8:30 am, transit workers discovered the partially clothed body of a fifty-two-year-old woman in a train yard in the northeast section of Frankford. With her legs spread and her blouse undone, her body had been laid out in a provocative manner. The victim, Helen Patent, had succumbed to a painfully violent end. Later examinations of the body noted that she had been sexually assaulted, stabbed three dozen times, mainly in the head and chest, and her abdomen had been slashed in a way that revealed her internal organs. Unfortunately, she was only the first victim of an unidentified serial killer, whom the media named The Frankford Slasher.

Chronology

 Several months later, on the 3rd of January, 1986, another body was discovered on 1400 W Ritner Street, just a few miles away from where the first victim had been found. The sixty-eight-year-old victim, Anna Carroll, was found lying on the floor of her bedroom by a neighbour, who had entered her apartment after noticing its door to be ajar. Like Helen, Anna had been left partially undressed, nude from the waist down, and had been positioned immodestly by the killer. She had received six stab wounds to her back and had been gutted. Strangely, the kitchen knife used in the attack had been left at the scene. From this point, almost an entire year would pass before the grizzly Frankford Slasher struck again.

 On Christmas day of 1986, a sixty-four-year-old woman named Suzanna Olszef became the serial killer’s third victim. Bearing the same wounds that Anna did, her body was found in her own apartment on Richmond Street. Just weeks later, on the 8th of January, 1987, a restaurant employee discovered the cadaver of Jeanne Durkin beneath a storage truck parked beside Frankford Avenue. The twenty-eight-year-old homeless woman had been stabbed seventy-four times and sexually assaulted. Bearing resemblance to the other victims, she had been positioned provocatively and was naked from the waist down.

 Up until the late 1960s, Jeanne had lived a relatively normal life. But after her brother's death, she claimed hearing voices and seeing visions before being diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. She was often seen sleeping in the doorway of an abandoned bakery, just a few doors away from a local bar called Goldie's, and the woman had been homeless for the preceding five years.

 Those who were familiar with her told authorities that she was not a woman who was easily overpowered. Six policemen had once tried to arrest Jeanne before giving up due to her persistence. This led authorities to theorize that she might have known the person who had taken her life, causing her to let her guard down. They also learned that another woman, a Goldie's customer named Michelle Dehner, had argued with the twenty-eight-year-old over a blanket the night before her murder. That being said, Michelle was ultimately ruled out of the investigation.

 Slowly, the investigators began to put together the pieces. It couldn't be a coincidence that four women in the  Frankford area had been abused and attacked in such a violent and hate-filled way. Investigators finally established a connection between all four of the victims. They had all been regulars at Goldie's, a popular bar on Frankford Avenue. The area was well known for its drug users and had a reputation as a nightlife hub. There is some speculation as to whether or not the victims of the slasher were sex workers, but this hasn't been confirmed.

 With this discovery, authorities formed a task force and the area was canvassed. A female bartender at Goldie's was questioned and she reportedly recognized most of the victims, even noting that Jeanne usually came in in order to get warm. She also stated that a customer was guilty of the slayings, although she did not provide a description or any further details. 

 It was also uncovered that Suzanna had been in the bar three days before her murder and that she was always actively social while in the establishment. Anna, however, was noted to have kept to herself and bought her own drinks. Around this time, authorities decided to tell the media that there was no connection between the crimes, seemingly trying to prevent panic among those who lived in the city. 

 After Jeanne’s death, the slaying stopped for a year before resuming again in November of 1988, when sixty-six-year-old Margaret Vaughan was found dead. She was discovered lying in the foyer of her apartment block and had been stabbed 29 times. 

 This time, however, investigators had a small piece of luck. A barmaid recalled seeing Margaret the previous night with a middle-aged white man, described as having a round face. He allegedly wore glasses and walked with a limp. With the details she recollected, a composite sketch was finally drawn and distributed throughout the city. The police apartment appealed to the public for help, but unfortunately, no successful leads came up.

(Source: NBC)

 On the 19th of January, 1989, thirty-year-old Theresa Sciortino was found dead in her apartment, where she lived alone. She was discovered face-up, wearing only white socks, with stab wounds to her arms, face, and chest. She had been stabbed twenty-five times and had been sexually assaulted with a section of wood. A kitchen knife, determined to be the murder weapon, was found at the scene and a bloody shoe print had been left behind, although it was never matched to anybody. The neighbours who were questioned told police that they recalled hearing a struggle in her apartment followed by a loud thump, like an object being thrown to the floor. However, they neglected to do anything about it and didn't think much of it at the time. 

 Theresa had reportedly been seen with a middle-aged white man just after 6 pm and the scuffle had been heard shortly after this point. As expected, the thirty-year-old was also a regular at Goldie's. The Frankford slasher was quiet for over a year after Theresa's death before striking again in April of 1990. 

 On the 29th of April, forty-six-year-old Carol Dowd was discovered at around 2 am by a patrolling police officer in an alley near a fish market. She had been stabbed 36 times and her organs were revealed by a grizzly slash. Upon looking into Carol's past, police established another important connection between several of their victims.

Leonard Christopher

 Theresa, Carol and Jeanne had all been in and out of psychiatric wards in the years leading up to their death. Theresa was still an outpatient under treatment at the time of her murder. Police then shifted their attention to the fish market where Carol was found and began to question the employees. They focused on a black man named Leonard Christopher in particular, who not only lived in the area but also knew one of the victims, Margaret Vaughn.

 Leonard was 39 years old and told police that he had been with his girlfriend on the night of Carol's murder, but his partner told police that she was alone all night. Thus, without an alibi, Leonard became law enforcement's number one suspect and it was not long before they arrested him. Despite the fact there was no blood, no motive, and no weapon to tie the young man to the crime and the fact that multiple people had seen the women with white men before their murders, Leonard was arrested on 5 May 1990. 

 Witness statements were a mixed bag. Those who knew him claimed he was of good character and had been nowhere near the murder scenes, while two witnesses claimed they had watched Leonard and Carol walk into an alley together around the time of her death. On June 20th, the thirty-nine-year-old stood trial for murder. 

The Slasher's Last Victim

 A few months later, on the 6th of September, 1980, the body of thirty-year-old Michelle Dehner was found in her apartment. She had been stabbed twenty-three times, her organs had been exposed, and her body had been positioned provocatively. She frequented Goldie's and was also a woman who'd received psychiatric care in recent years. She also lived just three blocks from Carol and lived on the same street as Theresa. Furthermore, she was the same woman who had argued with Jeanne the night before she was killed. Michelle was also seen with a white middle-aged man the day before her death. The man allegedly fit the original description of the Frankford slasher.

Conclusion

 Despite the fact that Leonard Christopher could not have carried out this murder as he was in jail awaiting his sentence, the jury was not told about this crime. Leonard was ultimately convicted on December 12 1990 and sentenced to life in prison, where he later died from cancer. He spent his life maintaining his innocence.

 Aside from Leonard, little is known about other suspects who could be the Frankford slasher. One article from early 2019 by NBC states that there was a suspect who referred to himself as a minister, who disappeared after being questioned by police. A CBS article elaborates further by claiming that the perpetrator posed as a counsellor offering guidance and consolation and that he rented an office in a nearby church.

 Reportedly, in 2008, the police got word that their prime suspect had died. He had moved away after being questioned and subsequently, the slayings had stopped. This suspect has never been publicly named and it seems that he is yet to be conclusively connected to any of the crimes.

 For a short time, the case of Catherine Jones, a twenty-nine-year-old woman found dead in January of 1987 was believed to be connected to the Frankford slasher. She was found frozen and partially dressed, but she had been bludgeoned to death. It appears today that her case is not considered to be the work of the slasher. 

 In today’s time, investigators acknowledge the fact that Leonard was most certainly wrongfully convicted. Thus, the Frankford slasher case is still open and to this day remains unsolved.

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