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Erie's Backyard Strangler: Terror in the 1960s
On a cold morning in December 1960, sixty-year-old Laura Mutch was found strangled behind a house in downtown Erie.... The city was reaching new heights, including a triumphant run for the coveted "All-American City" award, yet the incident created pandemonium. As investigations progressed, attacks on women continued, sending citizens and seasoned investigators to the brink of chaos. Seventy-two-year-old Clara Carrig was brutally stabbed, and Helen Knost narrowly survived an attempted killing. Mary Lynn Crotty, Eleanor Free and Marian Graham were found murdered, all by strangulation. Women throughout the region locked their doors and avoided the streets at night. The case attracted nationwide attention after the arrest of truck driver John Howard Willman in 1963 yet many questions remain unanswered. Author Justin Dombrowski charts the harrowing attacks, investigations and mystery surrounding Erie's 1960s reign of terror.
292 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 13, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 17, 2025
Where do I begin with this book? This is a very unusual book, this is not at all a book I would of bought if I had known. I am fairly choosy when it comes to books, especially true crime and this was not at all what I was expecting.
First off, the book while not terrible or incredibly boring, it does have a "show not tell" to it. Lots and lots of telling. The town of Erie is really barely mentioned at all in terms of it's history or culture and the book is really about 3 or more killers in Erie. The "main killer" of the book John Willman - who might be guilty or innocent supposedly only committed one of the murders. The trials are boring and uninteresting. Lots of telling instead of showing. At the end of the book it gives the full confession of John Willman, from the trial testimony of a police officer. Terrible idea to put it at the end of the book. The book does have photos sprinkled through out the book.
Overall, kind of a waste of time for me personally. I never truly got really invested in the story. A pretty decent book. Nothing special. Not the type of book I would of gotten had I known.
Pretty much all I can think to say about the book.
I gave the book a 2/5 stars because this truly is a "it was okay" book.
First off, the book while not terrible or incredibly boring, it does have a "show not tell" to it. Lots and lots of telling. The town of Erie is really barely mentioned at all in terms of it's history or culture and the book is really about 3 or more killers in Erie. The "main killer" of the book John Willman - who might be guilty or innocent supposedly only committed one of the murders. The trials are boring and uninteresting. Lots of telling instead of showing. At the end of the book it gives the full confession of John Willman, from the trial testimony of a police officer. Terrible idea to put it at the end of the book. The book does have photos sprinkled through out the book.
Overall, kind of a waste of time for me personally. I never truly got really invested in the story. A pretty decent book. Nothing special. Not the type of book I would of gotten had I known.
Pretty much all I can think to say about the book.
I gave the book a 2/5 stars because this truly is a "it was okay" book.
February 20, 2023
We moved to Erie in August 1964 and we had no idea about any of those attacks and murders. It was eye opening to realize all that had happened before we were here.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews