Benjamin Atkins

Benjamin Thomas "Tony" Atkins[1] (August 26, 1968 – September 17, 1997), also known as The Woodward Corridor Killer, was an American serial killer and rapist who murdered, tortured, and raped 11 women, mostly sex workers and drug addicts, in Highland Park and Detroit, Michigan, during a period of nine months between December 1991 and August 1992.[2]

Benjamin Atkins
Mug shot of Atkins after his capture
Born
Benjamin Thomas Atkins

(1968-08-26)August 26, 1968
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
DiedSeptember 17, 1997(1997-09-17) (aged 29)
Charles Egeler Reception and Guidance Center, Jackson, Michigan, U.S.
Cause of deathHIV
Other names"The Woodward Corridor Killer"
"The Highland Park Strangler"
Conviction(s)11 counts of first degree murder
1 count of first degree criminal sexual conduct
Criminal penalty11 terms of life imprisonment
Details
Victims11
Span of crimes
December 14, 1991–August 21, 1992
CountryUnited States
State(s)Michigan
Date apprehended
August 21, 1992

Early life

Benjamin Thomas Atkins was born on August 26, 1968 in Detroit, the younger of two brothers. His family lived in a poor neighborhood, and both of his parents were drug and alcohol abusers. Shortly after his birth, Tony's father left the family. In 1970, Benjamin ran away from home, and without parental supervision, wound up in an orphanage, where he spent his childhood and youth. While living there, he was physically assaulted by other children, and at the age of 10, was raped by one of the employees. Over the next five years, he was continuously subjected to sexual harassment by other boys, until he eventually escaped and reunited with his mother. For some, he lived together with her and his older brother, but one day, Tony realised that his mother worked as a prostitute. Due to this, both Atkins and his brother saw her have sex with clients at the house on several occasions.[3] Disgusted with his mother's actions, he left the house again in the late 1980s, living on the streets and doing drugs, and eventually developed a drug addiction. Because he lacked formal education, Atkins was forced to work in low-skilled labor jobs for low wages, and spent the nights at homeless shelters. In his free time, he frequented places inhabited by pimps and prostitutes, but was never arrested for any serious crimes. Most of his acquaintances claimed to be very fond of him, but at the same time noted that when drunk or on drugs, he showed signs of an antisocial personality and displayed misogynistic behavior.[4][5][6][7][8][9]

Murders

As victims, Atkins chose young and middle-aged destitute women, often prostitutes or drug addicts. He would lure them to abandoned buildings and houses, where he sexually assaulted and sodomized them. After strangling his victims, he would leave the bodies at the crime scenes, with some of them discovered months after their deaths. The first victim to be discovered was 30-year-old Debbie Ann Friday, found on December 14, 1991, after she had gone missing on December 8th. A few days later, on December 30th, the body of 26-year-old Bertha Jean Mason was found. She had gone missing on December 11th, and was last seen leaving her home and entering a store, after which she was never seen alive again. On January 3, 1992, while demolishing an abandoned house, workmen discovered the body of 36-year-old prostitute and drug addict Patricia Cannon George, who had been put on a wanted list in early December 1991 following a drug den bust within Woodward Corridor. On January 25th, the body of 39-year-old Vickie Truelove was located: like the other victims, she had been sodomized, raped and strangled.[10] At the end of January, Atkins was arrested at an abandoned buildings and taken to the police station for interrogation. Due to lack of evidence to prove his guilt in the murders, he was released. On February 17th, the corpses of three girls were found in three separate rooms in the former Monterey Hotel in Highland Park: they were 34-year-old Valerie Chalk, 23-year-old Juanita Hardy and a Jane Doe whose identity remains unknown. All of them had been sodomized and raped prior to their strangulations. Relatives of Chalk told the police that after she was put on a wanted list in early November 1991, Valerie went missing. On April 9th, the body of 28-year-old Brenda Mitchell was found in an abandoned house, after she had gone missing four days earlier with her two kids to go to the store. Mitchell was found almost completely naked, except for a scarf wrapped around her neck. A forensic examination determined that she had taken a lethal dose of drugs prior to her death, leading to her death being classified as an overdose. A few days later, on the 15th, the partially decomposed corpse of 27-year-old Vicki Beasley-Brown, who was last seen alive on March 25th, was discovered. On June 15th, the body of 45-year-old Joanne O'Rourke was found.[11][8]

Arrest

Atkins was arrested on rape charges on August 21, 1992, after he was identified on a Detroit street by 34-year-old Darlene Saunders, who had been sodomized and raped by him in October 1991. He was questioned again, but categorically denied any involvement, claiming that he had no interest in women and was a homosexual. After further interrogations, the police officers familiarized him with the psychological portrait they had compiled of the killer, which, after 12 hours, caused Tony admit to the murders of 11 women. He described in detail the appearance and clothing of the victims, and even indicated the whereabouts of the 10th and 11th victims, 21-year-old Ocinena Waymer and 29-year-old LaTanya Showanda Smith. Their disappearances were not connected to the murders until Atkins' confession, and the bodies were found on the indicated place that same day.[11]

During the interrogation, Atkins said that the motive for the murders was his misogynistic views against girls and women engaged in prostitution.[2] He stated that he lured his victims into abandoned houses by offering them drugs and alcohol, in addition to paying for their sexual services.[12]

Contrary to the official version of the investigation, Tony revealed that the first victim had actually been Patricia George, whom he killed in the fall of 1991. According to his testimony, he didn't plan on killing the woman, but simply planned to smoke crack cocaine with her. When she decided to leave him, he flew into a rage and killed her. In several cases, he was unable to explain why he committed the murders: this was the case with Hardy, with whom Benjamin had an intimate relationship, but after doing drugs together, he sodomized and strangled her for no apparent reason.[13]

Since no physical evidence could be found to incriminate him, Atkins was charged solely based on Saunders' testimony and his own confession.[4]

Trial

The trial began in January 1994. Around 150 people, including relatives of Atkins' victims, appeared as witnesses for the prosecution at the court hearings.[14] At one of the hearings, Atkins readily confessed to the murders, but claimed to be insane. For the majority of the trial, he didn't react in any way to what was happening and appeared to isolating himself from the proceedings. His lawyer demanded leniency towards his client, on the grounds that Atkins had been abused as a child. According to the lawyer, the psychological trauma, coupled with drug addiction, eventually led to his mental, emotional and behavioral problems. However, after a four-month trial and three days of deliberations, the jury found Benjamin Atkins guilty, and in April of that year, he was sentenced to several life imprisonment terms.[15][16]

Death

After his conviction, Atkins was transferred to the Charles Egeler Reception and Guidance Center in Jackson, but due to health issues, he was quickly transferred to Duane Waters Hospital, where he died on September 17, 1997 from an HIV infection.[17]

See also

References
  1. Scott Bowles (May 23, 1993). "Confessions of the Highland Park Strangler". Detroit Free Press.
  2. Joe Swickard (August 24, 1992). "Admitted killer hated prostitutes". Detroit Free Press.
  3. Burnstein, Scott (6 October 2018). "West Bloomfield author's e-book explores Woodward Corridor Killer". The Oakland Press. Pontiac, MI: Digital First Media. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  4. Joe Swickard and Jim Schaefer (August 25, 1992). "WOULD-BE VICTIM LED COPS TO SUSPECT PROSTITUTE IDENTIFIED HER ATTACKER ON STREET" (PDF). Detroit Free Press.
  5. "Crack addict confesses he killed women". Kingman Daily Miner / AP. 1992-08-30. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
  6. "Man held in serial killings of 11 women". UPI. August 22, 1992.
  7. "STRANGLER FACES LIFE IN PRISON". DeseretNews.com. Deseret News Publishing Company. 22 April 1994. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  8. "Slayings: Drifter, 23, charged in 3 murders". Detroit Free Press. August 23, 1992.
  9. Scott Bowles and Ann Sweeney (August 23, 1992). "Drifter charged in Highland Park killings". Detroit Free Press.
  10. SWICKARD, JOE (27 August 1992). "POLICE MAP OUT PATTERN IN SLAYINGS SUSPECT ALLEGEDLY REFINED TECHNIQUES" (PDF). Detroit Free Press. Detroit, MI. p. 1B, Section NWS. Archived from the original (.pdf) on 18 October 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  11. "Highland Park serial killer probe fast, but flawed". Detroit Free Press. October 2, 1992.
  12. "More murder charges expected against confessed serial killer". UPI. DETROIT, MI: United Press International. 23 August 1992. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  13. "Serial Killer Confesses, Newspaper Reports". AP News. August 29, 1992.
  14. Janet Wilson (January 11, 1994). "Trials start for suspect in slayings of women". Detroit Free Press.
  15. "DETROIT MAN IS CONVICTED OF KILLING 11 PROSTITUTES". Orlando Sentinel. August 23, 1994.
  16. Janet Wilson (April 22, 1994). "ATKINS CONVICTED OF KILLING 11 WOMEN" (PDF). Detroit Free Press.
  17. SWICKARD, JOE (11 October 1997). "SERIAL KILLER DIES 4 YEARS INTO 11 LIFE SENTENCES" (PDF). Detroit Free Press. crimeindetroit.com. p. 1A, Section: NWS. Archived from the original (.pdf) on 13 October 2011. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
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