Seth Privacky

Last updated

Seth Privacky
Seth Privacky.jpg
Privacky's mugshot, taken shortly after his arrest.
Born
Seth Stephen Privacky

1980 (1980) [1]
Died (aged 30)
Kincheloe, Michigan, U.S.
Cause of deathShot while attempting to escape prison
MotivePersonal dispute following a threat of eviction from his parents
Conviction(s)
Criminal penalty Life imprisonment without parole
Details
DateNovember 29, 1998
12:45-1:20 p.m. (UTC-5)
Killed5
Weapon.22 Ruger handgun

Seth Stephen Privacky (1980 – July 15, 2010) was an American mass murderer from Muskegon, Michigan. He shot and killed his parents, brother, his brother's girlfriend, and his grandfather on November 29, 1998, at the age of 18. He pled no contest and was convicted of five counts each of first-degree murder and felony firearm charges. A friend was charged with helping Privacky dispose of the weapon and being an accessory to the crime, but was acquitted. Privacky was sentenced to life in prison without parole. He was shot and killed during a failed prison escape attempt with two other inmates at Kinross Correctional Facility on July 15, 2010.

Contents

Background

At the time of the shooting, Privacky was a senior at Reeths-Puffer High School. [2] His classmates described him as quiet and soft-spoken. [3] His parents described him as a "good kid" in 1997, and court records showed he was a B-average student. [4] However, a family friend stated that Privacky's father believed his son was a psychopath who did not have a conscience and that his mother said he was "out of control". [3] [5] Privacky's mom checked a box in a 1996 court questionnaire claiming that he "sometimes" drank alcohol at 16. [4]

The year before the shooting, in 1997, a court had ordered Privacky to attend counseling and to take the antidepressant Wellbutrin after he was arrested for stealing beer from a store he worked at and selling it to minors, [6] [7] and shoplifting from another store. [8] It was not known if he had been taking the drug in the lead-up to the shooting. [6] He was placed on probation and sentenced to 10 days in a county youth home. [2] [4] He completed probation. [7]

Privacky later claimed, in a 2007 letter from prison, that he started using alcohol and marijuana at age 14, then LSD and amphetamine by the age of 16. He also claimed that he was on LSD at the time of the shooting, and afterwards vomited and had suicidal thoughts after the effects had worn off. [9] Law enforcement officials were skeptical of this claim, as Privacky did not mention using drugs in his interrogation. [5] He also claimed to have sold drugs and been promiscuous throughout high school. [5] Privacky blamed the shooting on the fact he was raised agnostic, after he converted to Christianity in prison. [5] [9]

Security footage showed Privacky attempting to buy .22 caliber ammunition the night before the murders. His purchase was rejected due to his age. Where he obtained the ammunition used in the shooting was not known. [4]

Murders

The murders took place over Thanksgiving weekend; the family was preparing for a delayed holiday dinner. [10] [11] Privacky claimed after the murders that his father threatened to kick him out, and that his father said that his parents no longer loved him. He said that he had been arguing with his father for months. [3] [4] His aunt later said that his car had been taken away after he received a C on his report card, which enraged him. [12] Privacky grabbed his father's .22 Ruger handgun out of the closet and went downstairs, hiding the gun behind his back. [6] [13]

After his father left to pick up his grandfather at 12:45 p.m., Privacky shot his brother in the back of the head while he was watching TV, before dragging his brother's body into the basement. [13] Privacky then waited for his father to return home, before ambushing him and his grandfather in the garage, shooting them both in the back of the head. A detective later said that Privacky "shot his grandfather twice, to make sure he was dead." [3] [4] He then went upstairs and shot his mother, after waiting for her to get out of the shower. [3] [6] His brother's girlfriend April Boss arrived and saw the bodies, leading Privacky to shoot her as she walked into the kitchen. [10] All of the victims were shot once in the head, except for Privacky's grandfather, who was shot twice in the neck. [14]

At 2:00 p.m., Privacky called a friend of his, Steven Clayton Wallace, also 18, to help him clean up the scene, and Wallace arrived half an hour later. [13] [15] They wrapped the bodies in sheets and planned to bury the bodies later. [13] Wallace disposed of the gun and clip in a pond 10 miles away. [6] He then returned a film at Blockbuster, went home, and attended a church youth group. [4] [6] Privacky disposed of the shell casings in a gas station trash can and went to the grocery store to get duct tape. [6] Privacky spent several hours mopping up blood. [4] Wallace returned to Privacky home later that night. [15] The bodies turned out to be too heavy for either man to carry, and they decided to arrange the bodies so that it would look like a robbery. [2] [6]

They were taking several items from the house [3] when, around midnight, Boss's parents, who had been looking for their daughter, drove up to the house, which made Wallace and Privacky flee into the woods. [3] [6] Boss's parents entered the home and called the police. [2] [6] Shortly after the police arrived, Wallace was apprehended by police using tracking dogs after being sighted running out of the woods near the crime scene. [4] [16] He admitted to what had happened and began cooperating with authorities. [3] [6] The police did not initially enter the home, fearing the killer was still inside. [17]

A manhunt for Privacky began, and his high school went on lockdown out of fear he would arrive. [2] [3] Privacky hid for nearly 13 hours, ultimately being found in a barn a mile from his home, [16] after a schoolmate who had given him a ride recognized him and tipped off the police. [3] [4] He said nothing after his arrest, besides requesting a lawyer. [7] Police found bloody clothing and a stolen television in a car belonging to one of the Privackys. [6]

Privacky was jailed on US$5 million bail, and charged with five counts of open murder on December 1, 1998. [13] [14] Wallace was held for the same amount on identical charges. [14] Privacky initially claimed his dead brother had committed the murders, stating that the murders were the result of a murder-suicide pact between the two of them that had gone awry. [3] [6] He later confessed the day after the shooting. [5] His affect after being arrested was said to be flat and emotionless, with an officer noting his demeanor was as if "nobody was home". [3] [5]

He pled no contest and was convicted of five counts of first-degree murder and five counts of felony firearm charges. [8] [18] Privacky was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without parole on May 27, 1999. [13] He requested he be allowed to "see the world" before he had to report to prison, which was rejected by the judge. [3] [4] Privacky cried after he finished giving his statement to the court. [6] The prosecutor described the crime scene as one of the most brutal he had ever seen. [14]

Wallace's charges were later downgraded to five felony firearm charges and five counts of being an accessory to the crime. [13] [15] Wallace was acquitted by a jury in November 1999, after his defense argued that he only helped Privacky due to fear for his life. [3] [13] A detective of the Muskegon County Sheriff's Department called the verdict a "travesty". [18] Wallace was charged several weeks after his acquittal for vandalism he had committed between his two visits to the Privacky home the day of the killings and was ordered to pay restitution after he pleaded no contest to misdemeanor property destruction. [15]

Prison escape attempt and death

On July 15, 2010, Privacky was shot and killed during a failed prison escape attempt at Kinross Correctional Facility, a low to medium-security prison in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Privacky had 32 prison misconducts, including ones for substance abuse, gambling, theft, and misconducts in October 2009 for possessing a weapon and for fighting the same year. [8] [19] Privacky and two other inmates carjacked a correctional staff semi-truck near the prison around 9:10 a.m. (ET) and tried to drive it through the double fence, resulting in a large breach in it. All three prisoners were level two security, the minimum allowed security for prisoners serving life in prison. [19] The truck traveled roughly 100 yards before it stopped and all three inmates attempted to flee the truck. Privacky ignored orders to stop running and was shot dead by a corrections officer. [20] [21] After he was shot, the other two inmates surrendered. [22] Privacky was shot in the head, the same method of death as his victims. [3] The driver of the truck was left with superficial injuries. [20]

The two other prisoners involved in the escape attempt, Andrew Joseph Ross and Brian Lee Davidson, were also serving sentences for murder; Ross was subsequently sentenced to life in prison. As Davidson was already serving a sentence of life imprisonment, he was not charged for the escape attempt. [22]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women</span> Prison in Bedford Hills, Westchester County, New York, US

Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women, a women's prison in the town of Bedford, New York, is the largest New York State women's prison. The prison previously opened under the name Westfield State Farm in 1901. It lies just outside the hamlet and census-designated place Bedford Hills, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Folsom State Prison</span> Prison in Folsom, California, United States

Folsom California State Prison is a California State Prison in Folsom, California, U.S., approximately 20 miles (32 km) northeast of the state capital of Sacramento. It is one of 34 adult institutions operated by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Quentin State Prison</span> California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men

San Quentin Rehabilitation Center (SQ), formerly known as San Quentin State Prison, is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men, located north of San Francisco in the unincorporated place of San Quentin in Marin County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Disciplinary Barracks</span> Military correction facility in Fort Leavenworth, KS

The United States Disciplinary Barracks (USDB), colloquially known as Leavenworth, is a military correctional facility located on Fort Leavenworth, a United States Army post in Kansas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California Men's Colony</span> American male-only state prison

California Men's Colony (CMC) is a male-only state prison located northwest of the city of San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo County, California, along the central California coast approximately halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California State Prison, Corcoran</span> Prison in California

California State Prison, Corcoran (COR) is a male-only state prison located in the city of Corcoran, in Kings County, California. It is also known as Corcoran State Prison, CSP-C, CSP-COR, CSP-Corcoran, and Corcoran I. The facility is just north of the newer California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison, Corcoran.

Florida State Prison (FSP), otherwise known as Raiford Prison, is a correctional institution located in unincorporated Bradford County, Florida, with a Starke postal address. It was formerly known as the "Florida State Prison-East Unit" as it was originally part of Florida State Prison near Raiford. The facility, a part of the Florida Department of Corrections, is located on State Road 16 right across the border from Union County. The institution opened in 1961, even though construction was not completed until 1968. With a maximum population of over 1,400 inmates, FSP is one of the largest prisons in the state. FSP houses Florida's one of two male death row cell blocks and the State of Florida execution chamber. Union Correctional Institution also houses male death row inmates while Lowell Annex houses female death row inmates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ADX Florence</span> Federal supermax prison located in Fremont County, Colorado, US

The United States Penitentiary, Administrative Maximum Facility, commonly known as ADX Florence or Supermax, is an American federal prison in Fremont County near Florence, Colorado, operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. ADX Florence, constructed in 1994 and opened one year later, is classed as a supermax or "control unit" prison, that provides a higher, more controlled level of custody than a maximum security prison. ADX Florence forms part of the Federal Correctional Complex, Florence, which is situated on 49 acres of land and houses different facilities with varying degrees of security, including the adjacent United States Penitentiary, Florence High.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silverwater Correctional Complex</span>

The Silverwater Correctional Complex, an Australian maximum and minimum security prison complex for males and females, is located in Silverwater, 21 km (13 mi) west of the Sydney central business district in New South Wales, Australia. The complex is operated by Corrective Services NSW, an agency of the New South Wales Government Department of Communities and Justice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California Medical Facility</span> Prison medical facility in Vacaville, California

California Medical Facility (CMF) is a male-only state prison medical facility located in the city of Vacaville, Solano County, California. It is older than California State Prison, Solano, the other state prison in Vacaville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central California Women's Facility</span> Female prison in Chowchilla, California

Central California Women's Facility (CCWF) is a female-only California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison located in Chowchilla, California. It is across the road from Valley State Prison. CCWF is the second largest female correctional facility in the United States, and houses the only State of California death row for women.

Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women is a prison facility for women of the state of New Jersey Department of Corrections, located in Union Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, near Clinton. Its official abbreviation is EMCFW. The facility was named for Edna Mahan, one of the first female correctional superintendents in the U.S.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William G. Zuern Jr.</span> American murderer (1958–2004)

William Gerald Zuern Jr. was an American convicted murderer who was executed by the state of Ohio for the murder of a Hamilton County sheriff's deputy working as a corrections officer in the county jail. Zuern spent 19 years and 7 months on death row, with lawyers fighting his death sentence. His execution occurred on the day before the 20th anniversary of the crime for which he was condemned.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison</span> Mens prison in Georgia, United States

Opened in 1969, Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison (GDCP) is a Georgia Department of Corrections prison for men in unincorporated Butts County, Georgia, near Jackson. The prison holds the state execution chamber. The execution equipment was moved to the prison in June 1980, with the first execution in the facility occurring on December 15, 1983. The prison houses the male death row, while female death row inmates reside in Arrendale State Prison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Missouri State Penitentiary</span> Former prison in Jefferson City, Missouri, United States

The Missouri State Penitentiary was a prison in Jefferson City, Missouri, that operated from 1836 to 2004. Part of the Missouri Department of Corrections, it served as the state of Missouri's primary maximum security institution. Before it closed, it was the oldest operating penal facility west of the Mississippi River. It was replaced by the Jefferson City Correctional Center, which opened on September 15, 2004.

Muskegon Correctional Facility (MCF) is a prison of the Michigan Department of Corrections located in Muskegon, Michigan. The prison opened in 1974. Additional housing units opened since then to accommodate more prisoners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder of Renisha McBride</span> 2013 murder in Dearborn Heights, Michigan

The murder of Renisha McBride, a 19-year-old African American teenager, occurred on November 2, 2013, in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, United States. Renisha McBride crashed her car while intoxicated at a street in Detroit, and then walked to a neighborhood in Dearborn Heights where she knocked on the door of a house. The homeowner, 54 year old Theodore Wafer, shot McBride with a shotgun. Wafer contended that the shooting was accidental and that he thought his home was being broken into after he heard her banging on his door at 4:42 in the morning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Matt</span> American murderer

Richard William Matt was an American murderer known for several prison escapes, most notably the 2015 Clinton Correctional Facility escape.

Kinross Correctional Facility (KCF) is a Michigan prison for men. It is located in the eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan, in Chippewa County on the south side of Kincheloe, adjacent to Chippewa County International Airport. The original facility closed in October 2015, with most of the inmates relocating to the formerly closed Hiawatha Correctional Facility. Upon the move, the Kinross Correctional Facility name was transferred to the reopened complex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder of Jessica Heeringa</span> 2013 disappearance and murder case in Michigan, U.S.

Jessica Lynn Heeringa was a 25-year-old woman who disappeared from the Exxon gas station where she was working the late shift in Norton Shores, Michigan, United States, on April 26, 2013.

References

  1. ↑ State of Michigan v. Privacky(60th District CourtDecember 1, 1998).Text
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Medendorp, Lisa (November 30, 1998). "Family slain; son caught, police have no motive in crime". Muskegon Chronicle . MLive. Archived from the original on August 25, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Moore, Lynn (November 19, 2018). "Question remains 20 years after Thanksgiving family massacre: Why?". MLive . Archived from the original on August 25, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "A Nightmare In Muskegon". CBS News . December 3, 1998. Archived from the original on August 25, 2023. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Medendorp, Lisa (November 25, 2008). "Seth Privacky: 10 years later, and still no answers". Muskegon Chronicle . MLive . Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "Teen confesses to gunning down family". The Michigan Daily . December 2, 1998. Archived from the original on November 11, 1999. Retrieved November 13, 2007.
  7. 1 2 3 "Town Mourns Slain Family". CBS News . November 30, 1998. Archived from the original on August 25, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 McVicar, Brian; Moore, Lynn; Hart, Megan; Bolitho, Jake (July 16, 2010). "After Muskegon murderer dies trying to escape Upper Peninsula prison, one unending question remains: Why?". Muskegon Chronicle . MLive. Archived from the original on July 20, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  9. 1 2 Privacky, Seth (November 23, 2008). "Seth Privacky's testimonial letter". Muskegon Chronicle . MLive. Archived from the original on August 25, 2023. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  10. 1 2 Chavez, Charlie (October 7, 2005). "New Marine finds refuge in Corps after years of mourning lost sister". Marine Corps News. Archived from the original on October 11, 2005. Retrieved November 13, 2007.
  11. ↑ "Teen pleads to family's murder". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal . Lubbock Online. May 8, 1999. Archived from the original on February 3, 2012. Retrieved November 13, 2007.
  12. ↑ Wolffis, Susan Harrison (November 24, 2008). "Seth Privacky: 10 years later -- No way to heal". Muskegon Chronicle . MLive . Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Medendorp, Lisa (November 23, 2008). "A timeline of the Privacky murders". Muskegon Chronicle . MLive. Archived from the original on June 30, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  14. 1 2 3 4 "911 tapes describe murder scener trial". The Michigan Daily . December 4, 1998. Archived from the original on August 23, 1999. Retrieved November 13, 2007.
  15. 1 2 3 4 Hausman, John S. (November 23, 2008). "Steven Wallace: Not guilty, but other misdeeds led to prison". MLive . Archived from the original on August 25, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  16. 1 2 "Two 18-year-olds Held In Killings Of One Suspect's Parents, 3 Others". Chicago Tribune . December 1, 1998. Archived from the original on June 30, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  17. ↑ Medendorp, Lisa; Hausman, John S. (November 23, 2008). "The investigators: 'A case of this magnitude stays with you'". Muskegon Chronicle . MLive. Archived from the original on July 20, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  18. 1 2 "Reports say Seth Privacky killed while trying to escape from Kinross Correctional Facility". Muskegon Chronicle . MLive. July 15, 2010. Archived from the original on June 30, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  19. 1 2 Moore, Lynn (July 17, 2010). "Near-escape at Upper Peninsula prison raises questions about security". MLive . Archived from the original on June 29, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  20. 1 2 Moore, Lynn; Gaertner, Eric; Hart, Megan; McVicar, Brian (July 15, 2010). "State Department of Corrections confirms Muskegon mass murderer Seth Privacky killed during escape attempt at Kinross Correctional Facility". Muskegon Chronicle . MLive. Archived from the original on July 18, 2010. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
  21. ↑ Hendrix, Leon (July 15, 2010). "Muskegon murderer shot in prison break". WOOD-TV . Archived from the original on July 19, 2010. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
  22. 1 2 Hausman, John S. (November 1, 2010). "Upper Peninsula inmate who attempted escape with Privacky sentenced to life". MLive . Archived from the original on June 30, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
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.