True Crime

The Koreatown Slasher Who Just Couldn’t Stop Slashing

The late-80’s and early-90’s were terrifying times for the transients of Los Angeles, California. Police confirmed there were at least five active serial killers targeting the homeless. In January 1987, inhabitants of Koreatown fell prey to a spree killer, with 6 homeless men being stabbed to death over 2 weeks. Witnesses to the final murder chased the suspect and held him until police arrived.

They arrested Joseph Danks, 26, a transient from Michigan. His blood soaked knife matched the wounds on all 6 victims. During his 1989 trial, Danks smuggled a modified razor blade into court and sliced his public defender’s nose. He subsequently accepted a plea deal sparing him from the death sentence and received 156 years to life.

Cracker Barrel Family Massacre

Kate Allen thought asking her abusive husband Kevin for a divorce at a public place, the Cracker Barrel in Brooklyn, Ohio, would prevent him from becoming violent. They were celebrating their daughter Kerri’s 10th birthday along with other daughter Kayla on April 12, 2012. Kevin, visibly upset, paid for dinner and told Kate they would die that night.

As he went to his truck, bullets fell out of his jacket and Kate called 911. There’s some controversy with how police handled this case. Officers arrived on scene minutes before Kevin re-entered the restaurant with a shotgun and they used that time to help bystanders escape, in turn, allowing Kevin access to his family hiding inside. CCTV shows him chasing Kate, Kerri, and Kayla and shooting them point blank. When Kevin exited, he was shot and killed by officers. Kate and Kerri were dead, but Kayla survived for a month before dying from her injuries. A heartbreaking photo shows her being baptized by a priest in the hospital before passing.

On June 23, 1991, wealthy 65-year-old widow, Ghislaine Marchal, was stabbed to death in the basement of her Mougins, France estate. In her final moments, she wrote a grammatically incorrect message in blood, “Omar m'a tuer” or “Omar to kill me”. The correct version should’ve read “Omar m'a tuée,” or “Omar killed me.” Her Moroccan gardener, Omar Raddad, was arrested. Raddad maintained his innocence during the investigation.

After years of molesting his daughter, Alvin Lee King was charged with incest in 1980. He sought character witnesses from his baptist church for an upcoming trial, but members refused to defend him in court. On June 22, King tied up his wife at their Daingerfield, Texas home then left for church dressed in fatigues and heavily armed. He kicked open the doors, shouting “This is war!” and fired indiscriminately at worshippers. Five people, including a child, died and 10 were wounded. King survived a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. However, just before his 1982 trial, he succeeded at hanging himself in jail.

Kate Allen thought asking her abusive husband Kevin for a divorce at a public place, the Cracker Barrel in Brooklyn, Ohio, would prevent him from becoming violent. They were celebrating their daughter Kerri’s 10th birthday along with other daughter Kayla on April 12, 2012. Kevin, visibly upset, paid for dinner and told Kate they would die that night.

As he went to his truck, bullets fell out of his jacket and Kate called 911. There’s some controversy with how police handled this case. Officers arrived on scene minutes before Kevin re-entered the restaurant with a shotgun and they used that time to help bystanders escape, in turn, allowing Kevin access to his family hiding inside. CCTV shows him chasing Kate, Kerri, and Kayla and shooting them point blank. When Kevin exited, he was shot and killed by officers. Kate and Kerri were dead, but Kayla survived for a month before dying from her injuries. A heartbreaking photo shows her being baptized by a priest in the hospital before passing.

Police were cleared of any wrongdoing and released Kate’s 911 call as well as footage of Kevin’s death. https://youtu.be/OB3ntsypjsw

The late-80’s and early 90’s were terrifying times for the transients of Los Angeles, California. Police confirmed there were at least five active serial killers targeting the homeless. In January 1987, inhabitants of Koreatown fell prey to a spree killer, with 6 homeless men being stabbed to death over 2 weeks. Witnesses to the final murder chased the suspect and held him until police arrived. They arrested Joseph Danks, 26, a transient from Michigan. His blood soaked knife matched the wounds on all 6 victims. During his 1989 trial, Danks smuggled a modified razor blade into court and sliced his public defender’s nose. He subsequently accepted a plea deal sparing him from the death sentence and received 156 years to life.

Three weeks after being transferred to state prison, Danks strangled his cell mate to death. He was again charged with first degree murder. For an unbelievable second time, Danks stabbed his defense attorney twice in the face with a piece of smuggled copper wire. During sentencing, he requested execution. Danks was found guilty and his wish for death was granted. He gave the judge a two thumbs up approval.

On Halloween 1975, Domenico Santangelo, wife Gemma Cenname, and daughter Angela were violently stabbed to death at their apartment on Caravaggio Street in Naples, Italy. The killer placed Santangelo and Cenname’s bodies in the bathtub and wrapped Angela’s in a blanket on her bed. He’d also strangled their dog.

The bloody scene was discovered 9 days later and soon their nephew Domenico Zarrelli was arrested with multiple scratches and a dog bite. Money was said to be the motive. He was convicted and sentenced to life. In 1985, he was acquitted and awarded $1.5 million in damages. Then in 2014, police tested evidence from the crime scene and found Zarrelli’s DNA on several items. However, he cannot be tried twice for the same offense due to Ne bis in idem or the Double Jeopardy law. Zarrelli, that bastard, now 79, maintains his innocence.