John Eichinger

Last updated
John Eichinger
John Eichinger.jpg
Eichinger on June 28, 2021
Born
John Charles Eichinger

(1972-02-18) February 18, 1972 (age 52)
Malvern, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Motive Romantic rejection
Conviction(s) First degree murder (4 counts)
Possession of an instrument of crime (2 counts)
Unsworn falsification to authorities (3 counts)
Criminal penalty Death
Details
Victims4
Span of crimes
1999–2005
CountryUnited States
State(s) Pennsylvania
Date apprehended
March 25, 2005
Imprisoned at State Correctional Institution – Phoenix, Skippack Township, Pennsylvania

John Charles Eichinger (born February 18, 1972) is an American serial killer who was convicted of killing three women and one child from 1999 to 2005 in Pennsylvania, which he committed after two of the victims had rejected his romantic advances. He was handed three death sentences for the latter murders and one life sentence for the former and is currently awaiting execution. [1] [2]

Contents

Early life

John Charles Eichinger was born on February 18, 1972, in Malvern, Pennsylvania, as one of four brothers. [3] He attended the Upper Merion Area High School in King of Prussia, where he was part of a large group of friends who would play Dungeons & Dragons in their spare time. [4] Through this activity, he became acquainted with Jennifer Still and Heather Greaves, developing a romantic interest in both women. After graduation, he found work as a clerk at a local Acme supermarket, where he worked alongside Greaves. He was noted for playing in local chess tournaments in his spare time. [5]

Murders

On July 6, 1999, Eichinger, donning a pair of rubber gloves and carrying a large knife under his jacket, went to Still's home in Bridgeport to confess his feelings towards her. [6] To his dismay, she rejected his advances, stating that she would not leave her fiancé. Enraged by her rejection, Eichinger pulled out the knife and repeatedly stabbed her, ultimately cutting her throat before leaving the house. [6] In the subsequent investigations, police questioned Still's boyfriend and friends, including Eichinger, who claimed that he had been in New Jersey at the time of the murders. In an attempt to ward the police off his trail, he claimed that two other Dungeons & Dragons players might have information about the murder, with one being heavily involved in Wicca. As the investigators had no evidence to connect him with the murder at the time, they focused on the players mentioned by Eichinger, until a DNA swab proved that they were innocent. [1]

After the murder, Eichinger stored the bloodied knife, clothing, and rubber gloves he had worn on the day of the murder in his room as a keepsake to remind him of the killing. For the next five years, when Halloween came about, he would take out the knife and don a mask of Ghostface from the horror franchise Scream , and would go out trick-or-treating with them. [6] Around 2003, he moved to his parents' new home in Somers Point, New Jersey, where he transferred to work at a local Acme supermarket. [5]

On March 25, 2005, Greaves ordered some purple flowers for her upcoming birthday and arranged for Eichinger to deliver them at her home in King of Prussia. Bringing the knife with him, Eichinger went to the house and confessed his feelings for Greaves. After being rejected again, he pulled out the knife and started stabbing her before finishing her off by slitting her throat. [6] The act was noticed by Greaves' 21-year-old sister Lisa and 3-year-old daughter, Avery, who were in at the house at the time. Unwilling to leave any witnesses, Eichinger went to the bathroom and stabbed Lisa to death before catching up to Avery in the hallway and killing her. He then started walking back to his car, where a neighbor of Greaves' observed him with bloodied clothes and a rag tied around his hand. The Greaves' father discovered the victims' bodies when he returned home from work. [5]

Arrest, trial, and imprisonment

As the killings heavily resembled Still's murder years prior, authorities looked into whether the four victims had any connections. After learning that Still and Greaves had been mutual friends with each other and with Eichinger, Detective Richard Nilsen was dispatched to interrogate him at his workplace in Somers Point. [7] Initially, Eichinger denied responsibility, claiming that the scratches on his arm were the result of a dog bite and a cut sustained while he was taking out the trash and that he had been at a boardwalk in Ocean City when the killings took place. [1] However, when he noticed that Nilsen was carrying a gun on him, Eichinger decided to confess to the four killings, bizarrely stating that he followed company policy to "never resist a man with a gun." [7]

Not long after, Eichinger waived his right to an extradition hearing and was extradited to Pennsylvania, where he was charged with four counts of capital murder. [4] He confessed to the four murders before the judge, arguing that he should be given a life sentence in light of mitigating evidence presented by his lawyers: these included claims that he suffered from schizoid personality disorder and that he was under extreme emotional duress when he committed the crimes, relating to the recent death of his father from Alzheimer's disease. [8] These claims were contested by the prosecutors, who pointed that the defendant had no prior history of mental illness, had planned his crimes in advance and the murders of Lisa and Avery were done to get rid of witnesses. [6]

In the end, Eichinger was found guilty on all counts and was given three death sentences for the murders of the Greaves family; he was given a life term for Still's murder. At the sentencing phase, the victims' family members exclaimed that they hoped they would live long enough to see Eichinger executed for the murders. [9] Since his incarceration, he has attempted to appeal his sentence on multiple occasions. Still, each time, his appeals have been denied. In 2008, Eichinger's death warrant was signed by Governor Ed Rendell, but the sentence is yet to be carried out. [10]

A notice of execution was signed on January 9, 2023, by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections Acting Secretary George Little. The notice set March 7, 2023, as Eichinger's execution date, but it was not carried out. [11]

In the media and culture

Eichinger's crimes were covered in two separate crime documentary series, both aired on Investigation Discovery: Homicide City as an episode titled Deadly Circle of Friends and In Ice Cold Blood as an episode titled Dungeons, Dragons and Death. [3] [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Lee Lucas</span> American murderer (1936–2001)

Henry Lee Lucas, also known as the Confession Killer, was an American convicted murderer. Lucas was convicted of murdering his mother in 1960 and two others in 1983. He rose to infamy as a claimed serial killer while incarcerated for these crimes when he falsely confessed to approximately 600 other murders to Texas Rangers and other law enforcement officials. Many unsolved cases were closed based on the confessions and the murders officially attributed to Lucas. He was convicted of murdering eleven people and condemned to death for a single case with a then-unidentified victim, later identified as Debra Jackson.

Yoo Young-chul is a South Korean serial killer, sex offender, and self-confessed cannibal. After he admitted to the murders of multiple people, mostly prostitutes and wealthy old couples, the Seoul Central District Court convicted him of 20 murders, although one case was dismissed when it was identified as being committed by another serial killer, Jeong Nam-gyu. Yoo burned three and mutilated at least 11 of his victims and admitted that he ate the livers of some of them. He committed his crimes between September 2003 to July 2004 and was apprehended on 15 July 2004. Yoo explained his motives in front of a TV camera saying "Women shouldn't be sluts, and the rich should know what they've done."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Bruce Ross</span> American serial killer (1959–2005)

Michael Bruce Ross was an American serial killer who was executed by the state of Connecticut in 2005. He was the last person executed in Connecticut before the state ended capital punishment in 2012. The Connecticut Supreme Court ruled capital punishment unconstitutional in 2015, converting the sentences of the state's remaining death row inmates to life in prison without parole.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Lee Yates</span> American serial killer

Robert Lee Yates Jr., also known as the Grocery Bag Killer, is an American serial killer from Spokane, Washington. From 1975 to 1998, he is known to have murdered at least 11 women in Spokane. He also confessed to two murders committed in Walla Walla in 1975 and a 1988 murder committed in Skagit County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George S. Graham</span> American politician

George Scott Graham was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Leroy Lane</span> American murderer

Adam Leroy Lane is a convicted murderer and suspected serial killer who was dubbed the Highway Killer because his crimes took place near highways, which he frequently traveled due to his job as a truck driver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward Edwards (serial killer)</span> American serial killer (1933–2011)

Edward Wayne Edwards was an American serial killer and former fugitive. Edwards escaped from jail in Akron, Ohio, in 1955 and fled across the country, holding up gas stations. By 1961, he was on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harrison Graham</span> American serial killer

Harrison Frank "Marty" Graham is an American serial killer who murdered seven women in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between mid-1986 to mid-1987, keeping their remains in his apartment. In 1988, he was found guilty on all charges and sentenced to death, but his sentences were later commuted to life imprisonment. Graham lived less than a mile and a half away from the home of another murderer, Gary M. Heidnik, who was also arrested during the same time period for similar crimes.

Walter Ogrod is an American man who was convicted and sentenced to death for the July 12, 1988, sexual assault and murder of four-year-old Barbara Jean Horn in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. According to police, Ogrod confessed to Horn's murder four years after it occurred, but in 2020 the "confession" was recognized to be false. On June 5 of that year, Ogrod's conviction was vacated by the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas and he was ordered to be released from prison. He had spent more than two decades on death row.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samuel Little</span> American serial killer (1940–2020)

Samuel Little was an American serial killer of women who confessed to committing 93 murders between 1970 and 2005. The Federal Bureau of Investigation's Violent Criminal Apprehension Program has confirmed his involvement in at least 60 murders, the largest number of confirmed victims for any serial killer in American history. Little provided sketches for twenty-six of his victims although not all have been linked to known murders.

Gracious David-West is a Nigerian convicted serial killer. From July until September 2019, David-West killed at least 15 women, mostly in the city of Port Harcourt. He was apprehended on 19 September 2019. He later confessed to a total of 15 murders.

DeWayne Lee Harris, also known as The Seattle Jungle Killer or Chilly Willy, but most widely known as The Seattle Shoelace Slasher is an American serial killer who killed three women in Seattle between 1997 and 1998, dumping their bodies near freeways. While jailed for a robbery charge, he confessed to the murders and was later sentenced to 94 years imprisonment.

Joseph "Joey" Daniel Miller is an American serial killer who raped and murdered at least five girls and women in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania from 1986 and 1990. In 1993, he was convicted and sentenced to death, but it was later commuted to life imprisonment without a chance of parole.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Brant</span> American suspected serial killer

Joseph Brant is an American murderer and rapist who killed one woman in New Orleans but is suspected of killing at least three more from October 2007 to September 2008 in the then-post-Hurricane Katrina environment.

Juan Edward Covington is an American serial killer responsible for at least five shootings in neighborhoods of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from 1998 to 2005, three of which were fatal. Motivated by delusions brought on from his paranoid schizophrenia, Covington was convicted and given three life terms which he is serving to this day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony LaRette</span> Executed American serial killer

Anthony Joe LaRette Jr. was an American serial killer and rapist. Convicted of one murder in St. Charles, Missouri in 1980, he later confessed to thirty-one murders in eleven states dating back to the late 1960s, fifteen of which were closed based on information provided by him. Sentenced to death for his sole conviction, LaRette was executed in 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Dwight Canaday</span> American serial killer

John Dwight Canaday was an American serial killer who raped and killed three young women in Seattle from 1968 to 1969. He was initially sentenced to death for two murders, but that was later commuted to two life sentences, and he was given a third life sentence in 2004 after he confessed to the third killing. He died while incarcerated at Clallam Bay Prison in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Joyner</span> American serial killer

Anthony Joyner is an American serial killer and rapist who raped and murdered at least six elderly women at a nursing home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from January to July 1983, but is suspected in 18 total deaths that occurred there. Tried and convicted only for his confirmed murders, he was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Carmello DeJesus was a Puerto Rican serial killer who committed suicide in 1973, leaving behind a suicide note in which he confessed to the murders of four women in New Jersey and Florida from 1971 to 1973. Three of his purported victims were subsequently identified and their cases closed, but the fourth remains unidentified to this day.

William Dean Christensen, known as The American Jack the Ripper, was a Canadian-American serial killer who killed and mutilated at least four people in Canada and the United States between 1982 and 1983. Suspected in 20 further killings across several countries, Christensen was convicted of two murders in Pennsylvania and sentenced to life in prison plus an additional 40 years in Maryland for rape, but he died three years into his sentence.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Joe Dziemianowicz (March 14, 2021). "Dungeons & Dragons, Wicca, And Jealousy All Considered In String Of Pennsylvania Stabbings". Oxygen. Archived from the original on February 12, 2022.
  2. ↑ "FindLaw's Supreme Court of Pennsylvania case and opinions". Findlaw. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  3. 1 2 Viswa Vanapalli (June 12, 2021). "Where is John Eichinger Now?". The Cinemaholic. Archived from the original on February 12, 2022.
  4. 1 2 Keith Herbert (March 29, 2005). "N.J. store clerk confesses to 4th killing, in 1999". The Philadelphia Inquirer – via Newspapers.com.
  5. 1 2 3 Kitty Caparella (March 28, 2005). "Murder weapon tied to '99 killing?". Philadelphia Daily News – via Newspapers.com.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Joni E. Johnston (October 30, 2021). "The Serial Killer Who Used His Murder Clothes as a Halloween Costume". Medium. Archived from the original on February 12, 2022.
  7. 1 2 Keith Herbert (September 16, 2005). "Just following orders, suspect says, when he confessed". The Philadelphia Inquirer – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Co-worker pleads guilty". The Sentinel. October 19, 2005 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Father vows revenge if daughters' killer escapes". The Philadelphia Inquirer. December 13, 2005 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Death warrant is signed for killer of 3 in Montco". The Philadelphia Inquirer. January 10, 2008 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "PA Department of Corrections News Release".
  12. ↑ Kunal Dey (March 14, 2021). "Who is John Charles Eichinger? Serial killer's Halloween outfit included souvenir from Pennsylvania triple murder". meaww.com. Archived from the original on February 12, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.