Couples Who Kill

by Carol Anne Davis

  Whilst in custody, he bit the veins in his arm, then made the unvampire-like move of asking for a doctor. He told his lawyers that he wanted to be more famous than Charles Manson – but Manson’s infamy partly arose because his followers targeted beautiful, rich and famous people. He also achieved fame because there were fewer known serial killers in his day. Numerous men have subsequently chalked up much higher body counts yet are barely known outside the states in which they killed.

  The trial

  The couple’s guilt was a foregone conclusion. Neither denied the murder – they simply said that they were not accountable for the death as they were acting on a higher instruction. After all, some religions kill unmarried women if they aren’t virgins and other religions mutilate their children’s genitalia. They, the Rudas, had been told by their deity Satan to make a blood sacrifice and they had obediently carried this out.

  During the trial, they repeatedly made Satanic symbols and stuck their tongues out at the spectators. A seventeen-year-old killer vampire profiled in Children Who Kill did the exact same thing.

  The judge called for psychiatric background reports and these found that both of the accused were narcissistic exhibitionists. Such adults have often been ignored or abandoned as children and grow up with a desperate need for attention, even if it’s negative. The judiciary noted that the couple would probably never have killed if they hadn’t met each other. This is undoubtedly true – Manuela would have continued to seek attention through the transgressive club scene and Daniel would have maintained a grip on reality through his work, getting rid of his aggression at skinhead rallies and violent political events. It was only when they became a couple that they dropped out of society and completely immersed themselves in murderous plans.

  Sentencing

  On 31st January 2002 Manuela Ruda was sentenced to thirteen years in a secure mental facility and her husband was given fifteen years, also to be served in a psychiatric institution. The court ordered that they must never be allowed to meet again. Surprisingly, neither Ruda was resistant to the order (though they may have secret plans to defy it) and both are now seeking a divorce.

  18 MY FAMILY AND OTHER ANIMALS

  THE ‘ABUSE EXCUSE’

  Couples who kill tend to fit into distinct categories. That is, a small number who kill for profit, mainly those who murder babies then live off the child allowance or other adoption placement fees. Frances Schreuder (aided by her abused son Marc) also murdered for profit to enjoy her father’s wealth and Louisa Merrifield killed to enjoy her employer’s estate. Similarly, some of Archibald Hall and Michael Kitto’s murders were motivated by the desire to enjoy the trappings of an upper-class life.

  A second category kill out of fear, notably Amy Grossberg and Brian Peterson who killed their newborn infant rather than admit to their families that they’d had sex.

  A third grouping murder out of jealousy – Diane Zamora and David Graham exterminated a potential rival whilst George Stoner murdered Alma Rattenbury’s husband in order to have her all to himself. This, though, is a subcategory of fear, with the killers murdering to avoid being deserted, a fate which terrifies them.

  A fourth and much smaller group suffer from serious mental illness – namely the Papin sisters and vampire killers Daniel and Manuela Ruda. There were also traces of mental illness (but not insanity) in the schizophrenic Leonard Lake and the obsessive-compulsive George Woldt.

  But by far the biggest group kill for power and thrills. Bittaker & Norris, Bianchi & Buono, Corll & Henley, Lake & Ng, Coleman & Brown all fit into this category. All made clear statements of their motivation to their victims, from Roy Norris’s ‘scream bitch scream’ to Lake’s explicit diary about keeping sexual slaves.

  This power and thrills motivation also applies to many killer couples who aren’t profiled here such as Raymond Fernandez & Martha Beck, David & Catherine Birnie, Judith & Alvin Neelley, Karla Homolka & Paul Barnardo, Gwendolyn Graham & Cathy Wood, Carol Bundy & Doug Clark. (All of the women apart from Martha Beck are profiled in Women Who Kill.)

  What the individuals in these five groups have in common is that most were from abusive or deeply dysfunctional backgrounds. Lawrence Bittaker and Roy Norris had suffered emotional and physical abuse throughout their childhoods and Bittaker has spoken of being multiply sexually abused. Angelo Buono also endured a miserable childhood at the hands of his mother after which he hated women. His adoptive cousin Ken Bianchi fared little better, as his natural mother gave him to a childminder who abandoned the infant for hours at a time and only returned to treat him cruelly, then he was constantly spanked and scolded by his adoptive mum.

  Dean Corll suffered in childhood at the hands of his authoritarian father and obsessive mother. Serial killers often have multiply-married mothers – and Corll’s married five times. His co-killer Wayne Henley had endured poverty and abuse throughout his formative years and was addicted to alcohol by age fifteen.

  The same formative deprivation holds true for Leonard Lake who was abandoned twice by his mother. Charles Ng suffered even more cruelly as a young boy, for his father – hoping to turn him into an exemplary scholar – bound him and beat him frequently.

  Such childhood suffering has been described by so many killers that it’s become cynically known as ‘the abuse excuse’ – but most such killers accounts are backed up by eye-witness statements. Many were known by social services to be at risk, whilst others had relatives who knew that they were beaten, humiliated or starved of love. Psychotherapist Gaynor McManus has written that many of her clients in prison are ‘men who were systematically ill-treated as children … men who learned that violence works when they reached the age of sixteen or seventeen and hit their fathers back for the first time. It is only when they ask for therapy in their quest to change their lives that they learn to understand the reasons for their anti-social behaviour and to realise they have choices.’

  The 2004 London Mayor’s Report also noted that ‘physical punishment of children breaches their fundamental rights to respect for their human dignity and physical integrity’ and added ‘research has shown that its use may cause behavioural problems in childhood and later life.’

  This author has covered the link between so-called legitimate childhood punishments and later criminality and mental illness in previous novels and true crime books, so doesn’t want to repeat the same information here – but readers who want an end to parents hitting children can send a stamped addressed envelope to Children Are Unbeatable, 94 White Lion Street, London, N1 9PF, requesting further information and a membership form.

  One of the questions which crime writers are frequently asked is why one member of a family becomes a murderer and his siblings don’t. The answer is that everyone deals with violence differently. I can recall one family where the father battered all three of his children on a regular basis. One of his sons ended up on an attempted murder charge, one became a wife-beater and the third child – a daughter – turned the violence inwards and became a compulsive self-harmer, getting through the day on recreational drugs and using increasingly strong prescription drugs to help her sleep. In another family I know which also endured life with a violent father, the son went on to humiliate and threaten his own children whilst the daughter had a nervous breakdown but recovered to devote her life to children’s rights.

  The final variable, of course, is choice. Many of us have violent urges when we are under duress – but we don’t have to give in to them. Wanting to hit someone and actually striking them are two very different things. And these killers didn’t strike out once in anger: most planned each murder in great detail, sometimes even customising an abduction vehicle or finding a safe house to imprison their captives.

  People who make the best recovery from an abusive childhood are often those who eventually find something that they’re good at, a career or leisure interest which builds their self-esteem. None of the killers profiled achieved this distinction: most settled for dead end job
s and were constantly bored. Their rage against society grew, but rather than seek help for their emotional distress, they preferred to capture innocent victims for deadly entertainment. The rest is history.

  Select Bibliography

  Athill, Diana Stet Granta Books, 2000

  Brady, Ian The Gates Of Janus Feral House, 2001

  Brown, Pat Killing For Sport New Millennium Press, 2003

  Burn, Gordon Happy Like Murderers Faber & Faber, 1998

  Canter, David Criminal Shadows HarperCollins, 1995

  Canter, David Mapping Murder Virgin Publishing, 2003

  Coleman, Jonathan Whatever Mother Wants Hamish Hamilton, 1986

  Compton-Wallace, Veronica Eating The Ashes: Seeking Rehabilitation Within The US Penal System Algora Publishing, 2003

  Copeland, James The Butler Granada Publishing, 1981

  Douglas, John & Olshaker, Mark Mindhunter Heinemann, 1996

  Douglas, John & Olshaker, Mark Journey Into Darkness Heinemann, 1997

  Frasier, David K Murder Cases Of The Twentieth Century McFarland, 1996

  Garrett, Geoffrey Dr & Nott, Andrew Cause Of Death Constable & Robinson, 2001

  Gray, AW The Cadet Murder Case Onyx, 1997

  Hall, Allan The Encyclopaedia Of True Crime Bookmart Ltd, 1993

  Hall, Roy Archibald A Perfect Gentleman Blake Publishing, 1999

  Harrington, Joseph & Burger, Robert Justice Denied Plenum Trade, 1999

  Hickey, Eric W Serial Murderers And Their Victims Wadsworth, 2002

  Isenberg, Sheila Women Who Love Men Who Kill iUniverse.com, 2000

  Jackson, Steve Partners In Evil Pinnacle Books, 2003

  Jones, Frank Murderous Women Headline Publishing, 1991

  Jones, Frank Murderous Innocents Headline Publishing, 1994

  Jones, Janie The Devil And Miss Jones Smith Gryphon Ltd, 1993

  Jones, Richard Glyn Lambs To The Slaughter Xanadu, 1992

  Lane, Brian & Gregg, Wilfred The Encyclopaedia Of Serial Killers Headline Publishing, 1992

  Lasseter, Don Die For Me Pinnacle, 2000

  Levine, Richard M. Bad Blood Hutchinson & Co, 1983

  Leyton, Elliot Sole Survivor John Blake Publishing, 2001

  Markham, Ronald & Bosco, Dominick Alone With The Devil Futura, 1991

  Marriner, Brian Forensic Clues To Murder Arrow, 1991

  Massie, Allan Ill Met By Gaslight Futura Publications, 1987

  Masters, Brian She Must Have Known Corgi reprint, 1998

  Meyer, Peter Blind Love St Martin’s Paperbacks, 1998

  Mortimer, John Famous Trials Penguin Books, 1984

  Moss, Jason The Last Victim Virgin Publishing, 1999

  Most, Doug Always In Our Hearts Record Books, 1999

  O’Brien, Darcy The Hillside Stranglers Carroll & Graf, 2003

  Olsen, Jack The Man With The Candy Simon & Schuster, 1974

  Roberts, Caroline The Lost Girl Metro Publishing, 2004

  Rufus, Anneli Party Of One: The Loners Manifesto Marlowe & Company, 2003

  Rule, Ann Empty Promises & Other True Cases Pocket Books, 2001

  Schwartz, Ted The Hillside Strangler Xanadu, 1991

  Schwartz, Ted When The Devil Comes To Visit Arrow, 1995

  Scott, Robert Rope Burns Pinnacle, 2001

  Smith, Carlton Hunting Evil St Martin’s Paperbacks, 2000

  Sounes, Howard Fred & Rose Warner Books, 1995

  Sparrow, Gerald Satan’s Children Odhams Books Ltd, 1966

  West, Anne Marie Out Of The Shadows Simon & Schuster, 1995

  West, Stephen & West, Mae Inside 25 Cromwell St Peter Grose Publishing, 1995

  Wilkes, Roger An Infamous Address Grafton Books, 1989

  Williams, Emlyn Beyond Belief Pan Books, 1960

  Wilson, Colin The Corpse Garden True Crime Library, 1998

  Wilson, Colin Dreaming To Some Purpose Century, 2004

  Wilson, Patrick Murderess Michael Joseph Ltd, 1971

  Young, Sandra Harrison & Rowland, Edna Destined For Murder Llewellyn Publications, 1995

  Infamous Murders (no named editor or author) Macdonald & Co, 1989

  More Infamous Crimes That Shocked The World (no named editor or author) Macdonald & Co, 1990

  Magazines, reports and articles

  Ice magazine, July 2003 Apocalypse Sex Slave Cabin. Article by Paul A Woods.

  Inside Time newspaper, February 2004 Open letter from psychotherapist Gaynor McManus.

  Klaas Action Review, Spring 2000 (the quarterly Newsletter of the Marc Klaas Foundation for Children).

  The Marketing Of Murderabilia. Article by Andy Kahan.

  Greater London Authority, January 2004 Making London Better for All Children and Young People: The Mayor’s Children and Young People’s Strategy.

  Filmography

  Arrest & Trial: Bittaker & Norris. Broadcast in Britain on Channel 5.

  Hideous Crimes A Sky News Production. Broadcast Channel 5 in 2003.

  Journey Into Evil. Documentary of the Leonard Lake & Charles Ng murders. Produced by Chameleon Television. Broadcast in Britain on Channel 5 in 2000.

  Murder Trail: Hillside Stranglers. United, produced for Channel 5 in association with TLC. Broadcast in Britain December 2002.

  Open University. Forensic programme featuring John Duffy & David Mulcahy. A Just Television programme for the Open University. Broadcast BBC2 October 2003.

  Swearing Allegiance. Made for TV movie about Diane Zamora & David Graham. Ventura Valley Films 1997. Broadcast in Britain on Channel 5 in 2003.

  Webography

  Court TV’s Crime Library www.crimelibrary.com

  The Global Initiative To End All Corporal Punishment Of Children www.endcorporalpunishment.org

  Index

  adoption 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

  Allen, Kathy 1, 2

  Alphabet Murders 1

  Athill, Diana 1, 2

  Bailey, Edwin 1

  Balaz, Claralyn (Cricket) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

  Barnard, Dave 1

  Barnardo, Paul 1, 2, 3

  Barry, Anne 1

  Bastholm, Mary 1, 2

  Beck, Martha 1

  Bennett, Keith 1, 2, 3, 4

  Bianchi, Kenneth 1, 2

  Birnie, Catherine 1, 2, 3

  Birnie, David 1, 2

  bisexuality 1, 2, 3, 4

  Bittaker, Lawrence 1

  Bond, Lonnie junior 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

  Bond, Lonnie senior 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

  Bowman, James 1

  Bradshaw, Franklin 1

  Brady, Ian 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

  Brooks, David 1

  Brown, Debra 1

  Brown, Pat 1

  Bundy, Carol 1

  Buono, Angelo 1, 2

  Callahan, Dr Patrick 1, 2, 3, 4

  Canter, Professor David 1, 2, 3

  Carroll, Mike 1, 2

  Cepeda, Dollie 1

  Chambers, Alison 1, 2

  Chard-Williams, Ada 1

  Chard-Williams, William 1

  Children Are Unbeatable 1

  Clark, Doug 1, 2

  clinical depression 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

  Coggle, Mary 1, 2, 3, 4

  Coleman, Alton 1, 2

  Compton, Veronica 1, 2, 3

  Cooper, Carol Anne 1, 2

  Copeland, James 1, 2

  Corll, Dean 1, 2

  corporal punishment 1, 2, 3, 4

  Cosner, Paul 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

  Costello, Rena 1

  Cutler, Dr Jennie 1

  Dahmer, Jeffrey 1, 2, 3

  Daveggio, James 1

  Day, Alison 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

  Death Row 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

  Delker, Daniel 1

  Dependent Personality Disorder 1, 2

  Depew, Teri 1

  DNA 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

  Douglas, John 1, 2, 3

  Downey, Lesley Ann 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

  Dubs, Deborah 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

  Dubs, Harvey 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

  Dubs, Sean 1
, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

  Duffy, John 1, 2

  Dumond, Lisa 1

  Ellis, Sarah 1

  Erskine, Kenneth 1

  Evans, Edward 1, 2, 3, 4

  fantasy 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

  Farrow, Sheilagh 1

  Fernandez, Raymond 1

  Fontaine, Roy 1

  Fowles, John 1, 2

  Fugate, Caril 1

  fugue state 1, 2

  Gacy, John 1

  Gallego, Charlene 1, 2, 3,

  Gallego, Gerald 1, 2

  Garrett, Dr Geoffrey 1, 2, 3

  Gerald, Jeffrey 1, 2

  Gielinski, Jacine 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

  Gilliam, Jackie 1, 2, 3

  Gough, Linda 1, 2, 3, 4

  Graham, David 1, 2, 3

  Graham, Gwendolyn 1

  Gray, A.W. 1, 2

  Grossberg, Amy 1, 2

  Gunnar, Charles 1, 2, 3, 4

  Hackert, Frank 1

  Hall, Andrea 1, 2

  Hall, Archibald 1, 2, 3

  Hall, Donald 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

  Hardy, Trevor 1

  Hargis, Carole 1

  Hargis, David 1

  Henley, Wayne 1, 2, 3

  Hindley, Myra 1, 2, 3, 4

  Homolka, Karla 1, 2, 3

  Hubbard, Shirley 1, 2, 3

  Hudspeth, Cindy 1, 2

  Ihde, Michael 1

  incest 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

  IQ/intelligence 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

  Jacobson, Randy 1, 2, 3

  James, Oliver 1

  Johnson, Sonja 1

  Jones, Adrianne 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

  Kahan, Andy 1, 2

  Kastin, Lissa 1

  Kelley, Bill 1, 2

  Kilbride, John 1, 2, 3, 4

  King, Jane 1, 2

  King, Jessie 1

  Kitto, Michael 1, 2

  Lake, Donald 1, 2, 3

  Lake, Leonard 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

  Lamp, Leah 1, 2, 3, 4

  Lancelin, Genevieve 1, 2

  Lancelin, Madam 1, 2