THE DRACULA KILLER: RICHARD CHASE

Richard Trenton Chase was born on May 23,1950 in sunny Santa Clara County, California. Growing up, Richard had a sister that was 4 years older and a mother and father who weren't the best of parents, constantly bickering with one another, leading to some abuse toward Richard from his mother. At the age of 10, Richard started to show the early warning signs and attributes that are common to most serial killers. He began experimenting with his new found satisfaction obtained through killing and mutilating cats. Throughout high school, Richard received below average grades, but somehow managed to graduate and get his high school diploma.

After high school, Richard enrolled in American River College, where he was known as an alcoholic and chronic drug abuser. He also suffered from erectile dysfunction; the cause was believed to be suppressed anger. Psychiatrists also stated that he was suffering from a mental illness, but he never received any counseling or treatment. At the age of 21, Richard wanted to get out of his parents house, as he was convinced that his mother was trying to poison him. Richard proceeded to move into a new apartment with a couple of friends. His roommates stated that he would walk around the house naked, showing little respect to anyone in the household. He was often experimenting with LSD and drinking excess amounts of alcohol. As you would imagine, his roommates got fed up with him and tried their best to kick him out. When nothing worked, they decided to take action and move out themselves, causing Richard to move back home with his parents.

Things got worse as Richard began to capture live animals, mostly dogs and cats from the neighborhood, disemboweling them, drinking their blood and sometimes even eating them raw. Reports stated that he would mix the remains with coke in a blender and drink it with no problem because he believed that his heart was actually shrinking and he needed the animals' blood to survive. Other reports stated that Richard insisted that someone had stolen his pulmonary artery and his blood flow had stopped. Richard's father stated another incident where he found Richard becoming very ill, complaining of blood poisoning after injecting himself with rabbits blood. At the American River Hospital, he was considered a "danger to others," which lead to him escaping after doctors would not consent to releasing him. After being transferred to an extended-care mental hospital, Richard was eventually diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and then released at will.

On August 3, 1977, patrol officers at Pyramid Lake discovered a pick up truck embedded with a lot of blood stains, firearms, and a bucket of organs. Officers took notice of a naked man covered in blood half a mile away. It was Richard Chase himself, who was soon taken into custody, as they assumed he had committed a crime. He claimed it was his own blood, and that it was pulsating out his body as police questioned him. It became clear that the bloody substance on his car was actually cows blood and the bucket of organs was the spleen of a cow. Richard Chase was released without charge.

Four months later, on the day of December 29, 1977, Richard Chase executed his first murder, killing 51-year-old Ambrose Griffin in cold blood. He did a drive-by shooting, firing 2 shots, one of which was a direct hit to the victim's chest, from a .22 caliber pistol Richard had purchased almost two weeks ago. Police believed it to be a thrill-killing, with no apparent leads or motives.

Two weeks after the first murder, Richard tried to enter a nearby house, but it was locked. Later, he proceeded to tell detectives that he took locked doors as a sign that he was not welcomed, but that unlocked doors were an invitation to come inside. He was later chased off by a returning couple as he was scampering through there belongings in their home. It wasn't long before Richard struck again.

On January 23, 1979, officers were called to a scene where a victim was found, shot and butchered with a knife, inside their own residence. Police found a blood trail, leading to the body of Teresa Wallin, who was three months pregnant at the time. The police reports stated that the victim's chest was torn open and mutilated. Reports later revealed that she had been raped and sliced open, so that the killer could feel her internal organs. There also was a yogurt cup at the scene that was filled up with the victim's blood residue. At this time, the FBI came up with the classification "Unorganized Killer" and did not believe that the man who committed this crime could have been thinking coherently or rationally in any shape or form. Police knew they had to act fast; everyone in town was scared and on the hunt, purchasing guns for protection.

Richard Chase committed his final murders on January 27th, 1978. Police arrived on the scene at a nearby house only one mile away from the previous murder. Officers discovered the bodies of Daniel Meredith, Evelyn Miroth, and 5-year-old Jason Miroth. Danny was described laying in a pool of blood with a gunshot wound to the head. As officers moved to the bedroom, the body of Evelyn Miroth was found, lying naked with her legs pried opened. She had a gunshot wound to the head. Police stated that she was dragged from the bathtub to her bed and sodomized, stabbed at least six times in her uterus and anus. She also had several lacerations across the neck. On the other side of the bed officers noticed the body of Jason Miroth with a gunshot wound to the head. Police soon became aware that there was a missing 22-month-old boy, who should have been inside the house. Local citizens gathered as they searched for the missing baby. The town was shocked and riddled with fear, as the thought of people getting mutilated in their own homes started to sink in.

Local police soon released a description of a man who was believed to be six feet tall wearing a bright orange jacket, who had been seen scoping out numerous homes in the area. He was described by witnesses as extremely thin, pale, and very odd. Police finally received the break they had been waiting for as someone that personally knew Richard came forward. She explained to police that she recognized the police sketch. She stated that she had seen the man not too long ago. He was very dirty with long hair, and very strange. She first encountered Richard when he came up to her and asked if she knew about a fellow student that died in an accident a while ago. She did not recognize the man at first and was quite frightened. However, she soon realized it was Richard Chase, a guy she had gone to high school with. She was so spooked by him that she took off, proceeding to tell police that he was wearing a bright orange jacket, and she thought she had seen blood smeared on his hands.

Police ran a background check on Richard, past missteps showed full and front. Police gathered as they set out to question Richard, knowing immediately that he was most likely the suspect in the murders. With caution, police proceeded to knock on room "15" numerous times, but received no answer. However, there was a vacant room next to this room, where police listened through the wall. They could hear movement coming from Richard Chase's room. Officers decided to wait it out, considering they didn't have a warrant, seeing if Richard would eventually come out. Luck striked as Richard came out of his apartment with a box full of bloody rags. Richard noticed the police and instantly took off sprinting, but he was soon tackled to the ground and taken into custody. Nothing could prepare the Police department for the scene that they were about to fall upon.

Police described Richard's apartment as being literally covered in blood. From the countertops, carpet, bedroom, and living room. A blender was spotted at the scene that contained numerous amounts of body organs and blood, that he would indeed drink from his victims and animals. Sadly the missing baby was no where to be found. The evidence was more than enough to convince the police, so they began to interrogate Richard. He stated all his accounts of dismembering animals, but never admitted to actually killing anyone.

Two months into custody, police received a devastating phone call regarding the body of the 22-month-old boy having been discovered. Officers arrived on scene at a local church only one mile away from Richard's apartment. The caretaker described he discovered a cardboard box outside the dumpster with a body in it. The body was quickly identified as that of David Ferreira. The body was gruesomely dismembered and the head was decapitated.

Richard Chase managed to take the lives of 6 innocent human beings, showing no remorse of his actions by pleading not guilty by reason of insanity. Prosecutors presented their case, showing that Richard knew what he was doing and was very well aware of right and wrong. They also drew conclusions that Richard used gloves and tried to clean up some of the crime scenes. On the stand, Richard finally admitted to drinking his victims' blood, and to the decapitation of the little boy.

On May 8, 1979, the verdict was reached as Richard Chase was found guilty 6 accounts of first degree murder and was sentenced to death at San Quentin Penitentiary. While incarcerated, Richard ended up taking his own life on December 26, 1980 by overdosing on doctor-prescribed antidepressants that he had been saving up for the last couple of weeks. In the end do we really know what drove Richard Chase to kill? Could he have been a natural born killer? Or was he a product of his own environment with many mental issues that potentially could or could not have been prevented? You decide for yourself.