DETECTIVES: Chris Jenkins murder connects dozens around country

KSTP ^ | 04/23/2008 | Kristi Piehl

[toast]

Could there be a calculated, cross-country plot to kill young college men, including some in Minnesota? It seems a little hard to believe, but two New York detectives say, they can prove it.

[toast]

Heard about this on the radio this morning. Sounds like it is going to get national attention in the next few days.

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

WOW!

[bcsco]

Boy! It seems like these two detectives have put together something that’s pretty damned sinister. A murder syndicate? And judging by the map that came up briefly in the video, it appears concentrated in the Northern portion of the country.

This could be big in a number of ways...

[Joe 6-pack]

True serial killer conspiracies (two or more killers acting in concert) are extremely rare, perhaps the best known exception in recent history being Charles Ng and Leonard Lake. Organized criminal conspiracies (i.e. drug gangs) which are more common tend to kill for territorial control, revenge, etc. but the article states that for now, any evidence regarding motive is being held close to the investigators' vests.

Occam's razor suggests that lots of college kids get blitzed every weekend and unknowingly place their lives in high risk situations, but the smiley faces found near each of the bodies in these cases does suggest something far more insidious than a string of accidents.

According to the article, "The investigation started 11 years ago in New York when then-Sgt. Gannon made a promise to the parents of Patrick McNeill...Patrick McNeill was last seen at a New York City bar in 1997. His body was found 50 days later, 11 miles downriver."

In the mid to late 90's internet usage on campuses mushroomed from almost minimal to virtually omnipresent. The similarity of the smiley faces to the ubiquitos emoticon, ":)", coupled with the geographic range of the killings suggests to me that these may be a series of linked killings, perhaps some kind of bizarre "online" gang initiation.

[sinanju]

Yeah, I have been noting the occasional cases across the country of college dudes, apparently drunk and falling into a river, over the past decade.

So these detectives have been finding “calling cards” over the years? That puts a new face on it. As the article states, one person alone cannot possibly be doing this.

So we’re definitely not dealing with a lone Ted Bundy type here. Not to jump to conclusions but I’m betting it’ll turn out we’ve got a merrie band of Gay Caballeros here.

[windcliff]

ping

[apocalypto]

Scary!

[Tijeras_Slim]

Whew! Amazing...

[aculeus]

Great work by two NYPD detectives.

This is sensational and deserves full exposure.

Nancy, Greta get on this one!

[joebuck]

"True serial killer conspiracies (two or more killers acting in concert) are extremely rare,"

Not THAT rare. There were also the Hillside Stranglers, the Manson family, Leopold & Loeb, Otis Toole and Henry Lee Lucas, the Texas "Candyman" killings, and others.

[Joe 6-pack]

Leopold & Loeb were serial killers? News to me. Likewise, the Candyman was more of a mass murder and had no expectation of delighting in each individual victim's death (i.e. kids go home, eat their candy and die). In this manner, he was more like a Mcveigh type killer, and even some conjecture that the rest of the poisonings were merely cover to poison for his own daughter.

Another thing that sets these apart are the range of the killings, which deviate from a more typical "comfort zone" for the operation of the prototypical serial offender, although given the time over which these have occurred a few killers may have established several "comfort zones."

I'd love to see more of the evidence these detectives have gathered.

[joebuck]

The Candyman killings had nothing to do with poison. Dean Corrill owned a candy shop. He, along with two teenagers, engaged in a years long series of murder, rape and torture of teenage boys. They killed over 20 as I recall. One of Corrill’s accomplices shot him and during the police investigation of that the whole scheme was uncovered. You are right about L&L, they only had one victim. However there have also been several male/female serial killer accomplices like the two in Canada that even killed the female partner’s sister.

[RDTF]

No surprise to some of us here. Does anyone know a keyword that would connect all the articles posted here on FR about missing or murdered male college students?

[Joe 6-pack]

I always heard Timothy O’Bryan referred to as the Texas Candyman....You’re right about Corrill, but even in his case, as well as the male/female teams you cite, and the previously mentioned Mansons, there tends to be a psycho-physical element of control exerted by one primary that ropes in the other participant(s). I don’t get that sense here...it seems to me a more wide ranging complicity among “equals” within a coterie of killers over a broad area. The other types need to exercise control over their, “followers” and I would find that extremely difficult to do for so many years while “on the road.” They need a basement, a desert ranch, or some other “lair” and the killers in these drownings, either have multitudes of these over a several state area, or operate as (for lack of a better term) cells, loosely coordinating their activities for whatever reason. I initially thought, and posed the notion of some type of gang initiation, but your mention of Leopold & Loeb made me think about that...L&L killed simply to commit, “the perfect murder.” Could this be an online “L&L Club” trying to commit the “perfect murder spree”?

[happinesswithoutpeace]

The premise of this article has been around in one form or another for years.

[GovernmentShrinker]

Obviously the writer doesn’t think it’s worth mentioning whether these victims are all the same race (e.g. white, as we know at least a couple of them are). My guess is that every single one that’s clearly linked is white. None of the eight names given on the interactive map of cases with strong links jumps out as likely to be black, Asian, or Hispanic. Of the 18 names on the list of “possible Minn. and Wisc. victims”, one looks likely to be Asian (Kenji Ohnri); the other 17 look to be most likely white.

[LibWhacker]

Okay, so how does this killer/killers reliably drown the victim without leaving a mark? If two or three guys hold him under, there are likely going to be lots of marks not consistent with accidental drowning. The only thing I can think of is the killer lures (or forces at gunpoint) the victim into his van. Once inside, the victim discovers he not just inside a van, but in a cage. Cage is driven to the river and dumped in like a crabpot. Afterward it is emptied of its contents, winched back into the van, and off the killer goes. How else?

I’m glad the cops were able to find the spots where the victims were put in the water.

[Polynikes]

Zebra II (using the victims pictures for that theory) or even maybe a larger version of the DC Snipers except using drowning instead of bullets. The scope and organization that is implied would mean many individuals involved. For “cells” to be operating would mean they are driven by some sort of ideology or common bond that would have kept the silence all these years.

[bioqubit]

One temptation is to consider some kind of hispanic gang...one basic method of killing, taking somebody from a party, but no women...Gay Caballeros? All college guys..someone being jealous of their being in college?

If your objective is to target a particular group and not get caught, one strategy would be to range far and wide so no one makes any connections. But to leave a signature...sounds like a case for NUMB3RS.

I say look for a cocaine connection...

[Joe 6-pack]

"Once inside, the victim discovers he not just inside a van, but in a cage. Cage is driven to the river and dumped in like a crabpot. Afterward it is emptied of its contents, winched back into the van, and off the killer goes."

You think Ted Kennedy might be involved? Sounds a lot like his MO. ;-)