Timothy Krajcir

Infobox Serial Killer
name = Timothy Krajcir


caption =
birthname = Timothy Wayne Krajcir
alias =
birth = birth date and age|1944|11|28
location = Allentown, Pennsylvania
death =
deathplace =
cause =
penalty = 13 consecutive life terms
victims = 9
country = United States
states = Missouri Illinois Pennsylvania
beginyear = 1977
endyear = 1982
mo =
motive =
apprehended=

Timothy Wayne Krajcircite news
last =
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coauthors =
title = Serial killer gets 13 life terms
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pages =
language =
publisher = United Press International
date = April 5, 2008
url = http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2008/04/05/serial_killer_gets_13_life_terms/3467/
accessdate = 2008-04-07 ] (pronEng|KRY'-chur)cite news
last =
first =
coauthors =
title = Krajcir to be arraigned Friday in Cape Girardeau
work =
pages =
language =
publisher = WTHI-TV / Associated Press
date = April 3, 2008
url = http://www.wthitv.com/Global/story.asp?S=8113370&nav=menu593_2
accessdate = 2008-04-04 ] (born November 28, 1944) is a convicted American serial killer from Allentown, Pennsylvaniacite news
last = Hawkins
first = Matt
coauthors =
title = Killer tied to another cold case in Marion
work =
pages =
language =
publisher = Lincoln Courier
date = December 15, 2007
url = http://www.lincolncourier.com/story.asp?SID=21954&SEC=8
accessdate = 2007-12-18 ] who has confessed to killing over nine women, five in Missouri and four others in Illinois and Pennsylvania.cite news
last = Estrada
first = Ismael
coauthors =
title = How serial killer stumped cops for decades
work =
pages =
language =
publisher = CNN
date = December 17, 2007
url = http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/12/17/serial.killer/index.html
accessdate = 2007-12-17 ]

Background

After a stint of two years in the Navy, Krajcir first entered the Illinois prison system in 1963 on a rape conviction. Since then, he has spent most of his adult life behind bars for sex crimes, except for a brief period of freedom in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Krajcir has been incarcerated since 1982.

Murders

Krajcir would travel to various towns that he had no connection to, stalk his victims, and then break into their homes and wait for them to arrive. In 1977, Krajcir was released from prison after serving time for rape when he enrolled at Southern Illinois University Carbondale as a condition of his parole. There, in 1981, he earned a degree in Administrative Justice with a minor in psychology which taught him how police investigated crimes.cite news
last = United Press International
first =
coauthors =
title = Serial killer learned methods in college
work =
pages =
language =
publisher = United Press International
date = December 18, 2007
url = http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2007/12/18/serial_killer_learned_methods_in_college/6690/
accessdate = 2007-12-19 ] Ironically, Krajcir used this knowledge to elude police for decades.

The victims were often found in their beds, bound, raped and shot in the head, often with little evidence to connect any of the murders together or to any one person.

Known and suspected victims

* Deborah Sheppard
* Mary Parsh
* Brenda Parsh, 27cite news
last = Cassidy
first = CJ
coauthors =
title = The Krajcir Connection in Cape Girardeau - Neighborhoods Living in Fear
work =
pages =
language =
publisher = KFVS-TV
date = December, 2007
url = http://www.kfvs12.com/Global/story.asp?S=7494844&nav=8H3x
accessdate = 2007-12-18 ]
* Sheila Cole
* Virginia Lee Witte
* Myrtle Rupp, 51
* Joyce Tharp, 29cite news
last = Byers
first = Christine
coauthors =
title = Killer held in isolation, speculation on final victim swirls
work =
pages =
language =
publisher = St. Louis Post-Dispatch
date = December 15, 2007
url = http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/2282BEB7FD528D94862573B20010A5E1?OpenDocument
accessdate = 2007-12-17 ]
* Mildred Wallace, 65
* Margie Call, 57 [cite news
last = DiCosmo
first = Bridget
coauthors = McNichol, Peg; Sanders, Matt
title = Timothy Krajcir a suspect in two more '70s murders
work =
pages =
language =
publisher = Southeast Missourian
date = December 14, 2007
url = http://www.semissourian.com/story/1297514.html
accessdate = 2007-12-17 ]

entencing

Krajcir was finally connected to a murder because of DNA evidence left at the crime scene, which at the time, was still considered new technology and not available. Krajcir was sentenced on December 10, 2007 to 40 years in prison for the 1982 killing of Southern Illinois University Carbondale student Deborah Sheppard and, in addition, has been charged with five counts of murder and three counts of rape against women in the Cape Girardeau area from 1977 to 1982. [cite news
last = Associated Press
first =
coauthors =
title = Blunt seeks expedited extradition for Krajcir
work =
pages =
language =
publisher = St. Louis Post-Dispatch
date = December 17, 2007
url = http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/laworder/story/98BF57AF72F0BF65862573B4007B87A8?OpenDocument
accessdate = 2007-12-17 ]

On January 18, 2008, Krajcir pleaded guilty and was sentenced to another 40 years in prison for the 1978 killing of Marion resident Virginia Lee Witte. The new sentence will be served consecutively with the 40-year sentence he received in December 2007.cite news
last = Krajelis
first = Bethany
coauthors =
title = Krajcir gets another 40 years for 1978 Marion murder
work =
pages =
language =
publisher = St. Louis Post-Dispatch
date = January 18, 2008
url = http://www.southernillinoisan.com/articles/2008/01/18/breaking_news/doc47912d56d38cd965744113.txt
accessdate = 2008-01-24 ] On April 4, 2008, Krajcir pleaded guilty to the murder of five women in Cape Girardeau, to seven sexual assaults, and one robbery. He was then sentenced to an additional 13 consecutive life terms. Relatives of the victims agreed to the plea bargain, which took the death penalty off the table.

At his sentencing in April, Krajcir stated, "I don't know if I could have been so generous if I were in the same situation. Thank you for sparing my life."

Krajcir is currently held at the Tamms Correctional Center located in Tamms, Illinois.

ee also

References