Scripted Strangulations

Thank you all for submitting your selections for the best strangulations in movies and plays. The responses were overwhelming. Here are the results, just in time for the Broadway premiere of If She Did It.

There were loads of movie titles submitted. Horror flicks were in full force (Creepshow, The Fog, Halloween, etc.), and some monster favorites made the list (Frankenstein, The Mummy, etc.). Several James Bond scenes (The Spy Who Loved Me, Dr. No, From Russia with Love, A View to a Kill, End of Days, etc.) made the cuts, and similar action hero films such as The Bourne Ultimatum, Die Hard, Under Siege 2, and True Lies squeezed in.

Star Wars selections included Anakin strangling Padme in Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Darth Vader’s telekinetic strangling of Admiral Kendal Ozzel in Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.

The opening scene for No Country for Old Men was high on the list, as was the scene from Dial M For Murder when the beautiful Grace Kelly gets out of a strangle hold by stabbing her assailant with a pair of scissors. Youch.

But the Crazy4Crazies Oscar winner, “hands down” of course, goes to . . . the murder of Luca Brasi in The Godfather. Luca is a personal enforcer for Don Corleone, but the rival Tattaglia family and their boys do a number on him. Luca’s hand is pinned down to the bar with a knife, and then he is strangled from behind with a cord. The Tattaglias throw Luca’s body into the sea and then deliver a fish wrapped in his bulletproof vest to the Corleone family as a message that Luca “sleeps with the fishes.” Subtle, yet effective.

Fewer of our readers submitted choices for the best strangulation in a play, reflecting either our demographic or just the limited options out there.

Several of you chose Sweeney Todd’s killing of Adolfo Pirelli, which does start with a strangulation but ends with a slashing. Others went with The Phantom of the Opera, when The Phantom strangles Ubaldo Piangi, sings "The Point of No Return" in his place, and then kidnaps Christine. Ah, anything for true love. And who wouldn’t love the scene in the musical Jekyll and Hyde when Hyde scolds Lady Beaconsfield for her vanity, tears off her jewels and hands them to a beggar, and then strangles her?

But the Crazy4Crazies Tony Award goes to . . . Othello’s murder of his wife, Desdemona. If we have any Shakespearean purist readers, they might argue this one, since the murder is more often depicted as a pillow smothering than as a strangulation. Fair enough. But this is one of the great murders in theater history.

The murder of Desdemona is popular not because of Othello, but because of his antagonist. Iago claims to hate Othello for passing him up for a promotion, but he is truly driven by only the purest evil. He succeeds in convincing Othello that Desdemona has been having an affair with his lieutenant, Cassio, and encourages him to kill her. It is the demonically brilliant Iago who brings about the death of Desdemona, but without getting his hands dirty.

Will If She Did It outdo Othello for best on-stage strangulation? We can’t wait to find out. Since you’re Crazy 4 Crazies, check in afterwards to let us know what you think.

-----

This is post #91 in The Satin Strangler Blogs (TSSB).

Read the next post in TSSB. 
 

Start TSSB from the first blog post.

See links to all 105 posts in TSSB.

“Like” TSSB on Facebook.

If you are enjoying this free and unique online reading experience, please tell your friends.

Join Me in Beautiful Sea View

I have become an enormous fan of the Satin Strangler, and am finally planning a pilgrimage to Sea View, NJ. As with any trip, I researched the location to learn about the biggest tourist attractions. It came as no surprise when I stumbled across this ad last night on the Sea View Chamber of Congress website:

Visit the historic beach town of Sea View, selected by Time magazine as one of America’s Safest Cities. Come see:
 

The boardwalk where the Satin Strangler stalked her victims

The streets where the police hunt took place

The Oceanview Motel where she was captured

The boutique where she bought her stockings

The police station where she was arrested

The courtroom where she was arraigned

The most beautiful beach in New Jersey
 

Experience it all by foot, bicycle, or horse-drawn carriage

Ocean vista tours by day

Murder re-enactment tours at night (adults only please)

Sponsored by Mayor Winston Mayfield and the Sea View Chamber of Commerce
 

It pleases me to know that Sea View is embracing this tourism opportunity, rather than shunning it. Serial murder is not only a favorite pastime of numerous Crazy 4 Crazies, but it is also a successful industry, maybe the only one that can revive a dead little town like Sea View.

-----

This is post #71 in The Satin Strangler Blogs (TSSB).

Read the next post in TSSB.

Start TSSB from the first blog post.

See links to all 105 posts in TSSB.

“Like” TSSB on Facebook.

If you are enjoying this free and unique online reading experience, please tell your friends.

Serial Killer Fun for Kids of All Ages

Tired of buying Barbies, American Girls, and Polly Pockets? Want to give your kids something a little different for their next birthday or holiday? Here are a couple of ideas that even I think might perhaps be over the top. Well, maybe just a little. Perhaps.

The Peek-a-boo Jeffrey Dahmer Slayset

This Jeffrey Dahmer doll is made by Demented Dollz company and sold complete with dismembered victims, toothpicks, and a handy dandy hazardous waste disposal tin (never know when you’re going to need one). Zip open Jeffrey’s orange prison jump suit to reveal Cleotus, an anonymous dismembered victim who can be removed from Dahmer’s stomach and reattached. The quote on the package says “Open me up for a sure delight, and see who I ate for dinner last night.” Yum.

The hazardous waste disposable tin is loaded with body parts, some skewered with toothpicks, and others that glow in the dark. “Body parts vary from set to set depending on morgue availability.”

It’s “a 2 foot tall cannibal collector’s dream.”

Satin Strangler Seduction and Destruction Doll

Move over American Girls. Here comes a doll like no other that you’ve seen before. It’s your own actual size Destiny Blande, complete with an assortment of stockings, veils, and scarves, plus a bonus knife holster garter belt for good measure.

Pull the string in her back and she talks to you. What will she say? “Let’s go someplace where we can be alone . . . Let’s tie each other up, okay? You first . . . I’ll take your breath away.”

Other accessories are sold separately. Who wouldn’t want the Satin Strangler’s favorite traveling trunk? Wrap your other dolls in her satin stockings and put them inside. See how long it takes your police dolls to find them.


If you’re Crazy 4 Crazies, hurry and get these two dolls and add them to your Serial Killer collection. Limited production has made them a rare find and immediate collectors’ items.

-----

This is post #68 in The Satin Strangler Blogs (TSSB).

Read the next post in TSSB.

Start TSSB from the first blog post.

See links to all 105 posts in TSSB.

“Like” TSSB on Facebook.

If you are enjoying this free and unique online reading experience, please tell your friends.

Look-Alike Service

Okay Satin Strangler fans. We’ve got the recipe for a once-in-a-lifetime bachelor bash. Who needs to go to Las Vegas now? Just make a call to the Destiny Blande Look-Alike Service and let them take care of the rest. Here’s their ad:

Looking for a once in a lifetime job? Want to find a truly unique career opportunity? Want to make hundreds of dollars in your spare time?

Destiny Blande Look-Alike Service is searching for young, talented, beautiful women. An exact match is not necessary. Come in with what you’ve got, and we will do the rest. With our makeup, hairstyling, and costumes, you can become somebody’s Destiny.

Destiny Blande look-alikes are the highlight of any event, whether it’s a birthday, an anniversary, or a bachelor party.

Imagine the look on the groom’s face when he realizes you are his Destiny. Tie him up or tie him down. Tease him by twirling your satin stockings around his neck. With a little improvisation, you’ll take his breath away.

We provide unmatched starting salaries with full medical and dental benefits, and think of all the money you’ll make on tips. Please visit our offices in New York, Philadelphia, or Atlantic City, or our home office in Sea View to apply today.

Destiny Blande Look-Alike Service is an equal opportunity employer.

C’mon, ladies. We know that deep down you want to be Destiny Blande. There is a rising need for this service out there. I only regret that I didn’t think of starting this business. The customers are lining up. Go for it. You’ll love this one if you’re really Crazy 4 Crazies.

-------------------------

This is post #63 in The Satin Strangler Blogs (TSSB).

Read the next post in TSSB.

Start TSSB from the first blog post.

See links to all 105 posts in TSSB.

“Like” TSSB on Facebook.

If you are enjoying this free and unique online reading experience, please tell your friends.

Satin Strangler Victim's Autopsy

How close do you want to get to a serial killer victim? How about right inside the autopsy room? Well, we can’t quite give you that, but today’s blog is the next best thing for you – a coroner’s report from a Satin Strangler victim, Grant Leighton. If you’re really Crazy 4 Crazies, you’ll devour this.


EXTERNAL EXAMINATION:

The autopsy is started at 8:30 A.M. on March 5, 2008. The body is received in a black travelling trunk covered with dry flecks of seaweed. Upon removal from the trunk, an odor of bleach was detected, suggesting attempts to remove DNA evidence. Areas of the body were swabbed and submitted for detection of hypochlorite.

The victim was fully clothed. The body is that of a normally developed white male measuring 70 inches and weighing 183 pounds, and appearing generally consistent with the stated age of twenty-six years. The body is cold and unembalmed. Lividity is fixed in the distal portions of the limbs. Petechial hemorrhaging is present in the conjunctival surfaces of the eyes. The irises are blue. The pupils measure 0.3 cm. The hair is dark blonde, wavy, and approximately 8 inches in length at the longest point. A healed left ear piercing scar is present.

Abrasions and adhesive residue extend laterally from each commissure of the lips, suggesting that the victim had been gagged, possibly with duct tape. Samples were collected for testing.

A ligature mark (known throughout this report as Ligature A) was observed on the victim’s neck. The mark is dark red and encircles the neck, crossing the anterior midline of the neck just below the laryngeal prominence. The width of the Ligature A is 0.6 cm consistently around the circumference, and is horizontal in orientation. The skin of the anterior neck above and below Ligature A shows petechial hemorrhaging. Abrasions are also present. The consistent width of Ligature A and the presence of abrasions suggest the use of a firm ligature such as a cord. No trace evidence was recovered from Ligature A that might assist in identification of the ligature used.

Additional dark red ligature marks 5 cm in width are present on the left wrist, right wrist, left ankle, and right ankle (known throughout this report as Ligatures B, C, D, and E, respectively). Evidence of adhesive residue at all four Ligatures B-E suggests the use of duct tape. Samples were collected for testing.

Both small fingers have been amputated at the proximal interphalangeal level, with the bone exposed. Jagged surface edges suggest the use of a dull cutting instrument. Both forearms are edemic and hemorrhagic, indicative of pre-mortem trauma. The fingernails are medium length and fingernail beds are blue.

The genitalia are that of an adult male and there is no evidence of injury or recent sexual activity. Limbs are symmetrically developed. There are no other scars, markings or tattoos on the body.


INTERNAL EXAMINATION:

Head: Subsequent autopsy shows a broken hyoid bone. Hemorrhaging from Ligature A penetrates the skin and subdermal tissues of the neck. The brain weighs 1,257 grams, with no anatomic abnormalities noted.

Skeletal System: The hyoid bone is fractured. The left and right radius and ulna are fractured. The small fingers have been amputated as noted previously.

Respiratory System: Petechial hemorrhaging is present in the mucosa of the lips and the interior of the mouth. The hyoid bone, the thyroid, and the cricoid cartilages are fractured. The lungs are unremarkable. Weight: right, 380 grams; left 392 grams.

Cardiovascular System: Heart, 270 grams. No anatomic abnormalities noted.

Gastrointestinal System: Approximately 125 ml of partially digested semisolid food is found in the stomach. No anatomic abnormalities noted.

Urinary System: Left kidney, 120 grams; right kidney, 124 grams. No anatomic abnormalities noted.

Male Genital System: There is no evidence of recent sexual activity. No anatomic abnormalities noted.


LABORATORY FINDINGS:

Toxicologic analysis from samples of right pleural blood and bile: negative.

Cerebrospinal fluid culture and sensitivity: unremarkable gram stain, no growth

Cerebrospinal fluid bacterial antigens: routine testing all negative

Drug Screen Results:

Urine screen {Immunoassay} was negative.

Ethanol: 0.25 gm/dl, Blood (heart)

Ethanol: 0.25 gm/dl, Vitreous

EVIDENCE COLLECTED:

One (1) white long-sleeve shirt.

One (1) pair gray pants.

One (1) pair black socks.

One (1) pair black shoes.

Samples of Blood (type O+), Bile, and Tissue (heart, lung, brain, kidney, liver, spleen).

Twelve (12) swabs from various body locations, to be tested for presence of hypochlorite.

Seventeen (17) autopsy photographs.

One postmortem CT scan.

One postmortem MRI.

OPINION:

Time of Death: Body temperature, rigor and livor mortis, and stomach contents approximate the time of death between 3AM and 6AM on March 2, 2008.

Immediate Cause of Death: Asphyxia due to ligature strangulation (Ligature A).

Manner of Death: Homicide

Remarks: Local homicide detectives were immediately notified of these findings.

-----

This is post #61 in The Satin Strangler Blogs (TSSB).

Read the next post in TSSB. 

Start TSSB from the first blog post.

See links to all 105 posts in TSSB.

“Like” TSSB on Facebook.

If you are enjoying this free and unique online reading experience, please tell your friends.

Internet Murder

Remember the old days before computers when you used to have to do everything the hard way? If you wanted to learn something about a fact you had to look it up in the Encyclopedia Britannica. If you wanted to meet new people you had to leave your home and seek them out. If you wanted to get work done you had to dress up in a suit and drive all the way to the office.

Now we live in a world where everything is at our fingertips, thanks to the computerized world of technology. Every piece of information and every answer to every question are just a couple of keystrokes away through a Google search. Anything we want can be found online, from books to collectibles to friends.

The Internet opens up endless possibilities for an entrepreneurial spirit. Just about any product can be sold online. Any service can be identified through Internet resources.

Why should serial murder be any different? Remember the days when serial murderers used to tirelessly stalk their victims before finding them at a vulnerable time and location? What a hassle it was. So inefficient. If only there was a better way . . . but now there is. It’s all at your fingertips in the form of a computer and the internet.

Now with just a little bit of creative work, an innovative serial killer can spend his (or her) stalking time at home lying on the couch watching reality show reruns while the victims come to him (or her). What could be more efficient than that?

Philip Markoff, a 22-year-old Boston University medical student, was recently arrested under accusation of being the Craigslist Killer. Markoff, a clean-cut “boy-next-door” type, was engaged to be married to his fiancée on the beach in Long Branch, New Jersey. In his spare time he trolled the web under the username “sexaddict53885” and “sexaddict 5385.” Now he is accused of bludgeoning and shooting a female escort at the Marriott Copley Plaza Hotel in Boston, robbing a prostitute at gunpoint at another Boston hotel, and assaulting an exotic dancer at a hotel in Rhode Island. He reportedly found these women through classified ads on Craigslist, the on-line bulletin board website service.

What's next? Could it be possible that the entire serial murder process could someday be done online? Have you played the ME2 Satin Strangler serial killer challenge yet? Pretend you’re Destiny Blande through a computer simulation. You can kill without even leaving your living room.

What would happen to the serial killer support industry if such a change occurred? Would they continue to make biohazard canisters and oversized double ply Hefty bags? Is it time to sell our stock in duct tape and nylon cord companies?

Of course I jest. What’s the fun if you can’t get your hands a little dirty?

In any case, Philip Markoff at least proved that the internet is good for victim recruiting if you’re Crazy 4 Crazies.

-----

This is post #56 in The Satin Strangler Blogs (TSSB).

Read the next post in TSSB. 

Start TSSB from the first blog post.

See links to all 105 posts in TSSB.

“Like” TSSB on Facebook.

If you are enjoying this free and unique online reading experience, please tell your friends.

Forensics: Name That Strangulation

Our server has been ringing off the hook from Blande-o-phile emails since we wrote our blog on strangulation biology. Okay okay. Calm down out there. Here’s the blog we promised you on strangulation forensics. We hope it matches all the hype. We once again recommend that you read Strack and McClane’s famous strangulation forensics article from 1999, available at this link. You may want to read the article before taking our “Name That Strangulation” quiz below.

Let’s imagine you’re a coroner in a potential homicide case. I know – if you’re even half as Crazy 4 Crazies as we are, it’s too exciting to even imagine. But let’s just say that you are for a moment. They wheel the corpse in on a stretcher and it’s all up to you to decide what happened. Luckily you will have taken our “Name That Strangulation” quiz. The first 10 people who email correct answers to this quiz plus our “Name That Weapon” quiz will win a Hillside Strangler Mug-Shot-Mug with their choice of cousins – Buono or Bianchi.

Name That Strangulation #1: The victim’s neck has a dark red circumferential mark shaped like a teardrop, darkest in the front. The mark is high up, has an extra wide bruise just behind the left ear, and is lined by a series of fingernail scratches along the upper border. The “whites” of the eyes have small red peppered appearance. There is no internal fracturing of the hyoid bone or thyroid cartilage. Is this a manual strangulation, a ligature strangulation, or a hanging?

Name That Strangulation #2: There are numerous claw marks of different sizes and directions along the neck. Two round bruises, each a centimeter in width, lie over the area of the Adam’s apple. Pockets of air crackle under the skin when pressure is applied. There are blood patches filling the “whites” of the left eye, and numerous red dots along the neck and face. Internal examination reveals that the hyoid bone and thyroid cartilage are both fractured. Is this a manual strangulation, a ligature strangulation, or a hanging? Bonus question: was the assailant in front of or behind the victim?

Name That Strangulation #3: There is a dark horizontal mark around the neck just below the Adam’s apple. Numerous scratches and gouges are visible in the front of the neck and along the chin. There are many red dots along the “whites” of the eyes and just above the horizontal neck mark. On internal examination, the hyoid bone and thyroid cartilage are both broken. Is this a manual strangulation, a ligature strangulation, or a hanging?

Name That Strangulation #4: This victim had a known strangulation event three weeks before death. There were never any external markings, including during your postmortem examination. All of the neck anatomy appears normal on internal examination. The lungs are heavy with accumulated fluid, and there is pneumonia in a pattern suggesting eroding gastric acid as the cause. Can this death be due to strangulation?

Blood red eyes. Claw marks. Broken neck bones. Gastric acid eroding lungs. Don’t you just love a good bedtime story? Of course you do, because you’re Crazy 4 Crazies.

-----

This is post #53 in The Satin Strangler Blogs (TSSB).

Read the next post in TSSB.

Start TSSB from the first blog post.

See links to all 105 posts in TSSB.

“Like” TSSB on Facebook.

If you are enjoying this free and unique online reading experience, please tell your friends.

Strangulation Biology 101

By popular demand from all of you Blande-o-philes out there, here is the Crazy 4 Crazies version of strangulation biology 101. We happen to love this stuff too, so it’s from a whole library of articles and websites that we have set aside as bedside reading. One of our favorites is Strack and McClane’s famous strangulation forensics article from 1999, available at this link.

You don’t have to have an advanced science degree to enjoy this one, so check it out. Our readers need to be well versed in strangulations, since they account for about 10% of all violent deaths each year.

You can kill someone by cutting off the blood going to their brain through their carotid arteries, the ones that squirt across the room in slash-happy horror flicks. All you need is 11 pounds of pressure for 10 seconds to make someone unconscious, so this is the best bang for your buck.

If you go for the jugular instead, you can cut off the blood returning to their heart from their head, making their face swell like a ripe plum.

The third way to kill someone by strangulation is to cut off the airway, which is a little more manly since it takes 33 pounds of pressure. All that pressure can do more than cut off the airflow though. Sometimes the assailant breaks the victim’s larynx (voice box) or a neck bone called the hyoid.

The victim experiences severe pain and then goes unconscious. They can regain consciousness in 10 seconds if the pressure is released, though, so ignore what you see in the movies and hold tight for 4-5 minutes so brain death can kick in. [Disclaimer: this website does not promote murder. This information is for educational purposes only.]

Now that you know how much time to set aside for a strangulation, here are 3 options for how to do it: hanging, ligature, and manual. Hanging is generally too difficult for a serial killer acting alone, so let’s move right to the other two.

Ligature strangulation means you use an object like a cord or clothing. The Boston Strangler did his dirty work with the victim’s silk stockings in most cases. The Hillside Strangler duo, Angelo Buono, Jr. and Kenneth Bianchi, used sheets as ligatures to kill their victims. Telephone cords also used to be popular, but times have changed. Women’s stockings are again the latest rage, including nearly a dozen copy-cat crimes across the U.S. since Destiny Blande was arrested.

Manual strangulation is done with your bare hands and is sometimes called “throttling.” This might be a little butch for a sexy lady like Destiny Blande but is otherwise extremely popular. BTK Killer Dennis Rader testified that his first attempt at manual strangulation was unsuccessful, and he was surprised at how much time and effort was required. Of course he got better with practice.

This is a lead in to an upcoming blog about the forensics of strangulation. Please be patient. We know you’re Crazy 4 Crazies.

-------------------------

This is post #51 in The Satin Strangler Blogs (TSSB).

Read the next post in TSSB. 

Start TSSB from the first blog post.

See links to all 105 posts in TSSB.

“Like” TSSB on Facebook.

If you are enjoying this free and unique online reading experience, please tell your friends.

What Motivates a Serial Killer?

Why did Destiny Blande kill all those men?  I know I know.  The jury said she didn’t do it.  As though any of us believes that.  In order to look at the motivations of the Satin Strangler, we have to start with some traditional but perhaps controversial types of serial killers.  Grab a snack, sit down with your computer, and look for some of your favorites in the information that follows.

Visionaries: Psychotic killers that hear voices often fit this mold.  David Berkowitz, the Son of Sam, said that a demon speaking through his neighbor’s dog told him to kill.  Unfortunately David listened.

Missionaries: These killers are on a mission to change society in some way.  The Unabomber Ted Kaczynski is a good example.  In his Industrial Society and Its Future, later dubbed the Unabomber Manifesto, he declared that his bombs were to attract attention to the erosion of human freedoms caused by modern technology.

Lust Killers. They are motivated by sexual drive.  Kenneth Bianchi, aka the Hillside Strangler, and Jeffrey Dahmer, had some issues with this one, to say the least.

Power Seekers: They play power games with their victims, providing a feeling of control.  Ted Bundy, who confessed to more than 30 murders but is thought to have committed dozens more, might come to mind here.

Hedonistic/Thrill Killers. They just love what they do.  How many of you can say you love your job that much?  San Francisco’s Zodiac Killer and a long list of Hollywood characters found ways to make sport of it all.

Destiny Blande doesn’t fit any of these molds.

Dr. Steven Egger, Associate Professor of Criminology at the University of Houston at Clear Lake in Texas, and Professor Emeritus of Criminal Justice at the University of Illinois at Springfield, defines serial murder as having the following 6 traits

Minimum of two murders

The killer and victim are unrelated

Murders occur at different times

Murders occur at different locations

Victims may share characteristics with the killer

Murders are for fantasy gratification rather than financial gain

In Serial Murderers and Their Victims (2nd edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1997), author Eric Hickey described the differences between male and female serial killers.  Female serial killers are more likely to kill husbands, relatives, or people in hospitals or nursing homes where they work; murder in one specific place; and poison the victims.  Most importantly, they have money as a motive, which means most female “serial killers” do not actually meet Dr. Egger’s criteria listed above.  Dorothea Puente, who had a terrible habit of killing her tenants for their social security checks, is a classic example of Hickey’s female serial killer but wouldn’t make Eggar’s cut.

If anything, Destiny Blande appears to be part Lust Seeker, part Power Seeker, and part Thrill Seeker.  Hey don’t knock the girl for having more than one source of inspiration.  She also behaves more like a male serial killer by taking strangers as victims and being geographically mobile.

Maybe these oddities are what make the Satin Strangler so frightening.  Maybe they’re why we’re so infatuated with her.  In any case, we just can’t get enough of her because we’re simply Crazy 4 Crazies.

----

This is post #48 in The Satin Strangler Blogs (TSSB).

Read the next post in TSSB.

Start TSSB from the first blog post.

See links to all 105 posts in TSSB.

“Like” TSSB on Facebook.

If you are enjoying this free and unique online reading experience, please tell your friends.

Fun With "ME2"

Enjoy your own simulated “ME2” avatar character but have a fondness for killing the rest? Impressed by the Satin Strangler but think you can do better?  Here it is.  Exactly what you’ve been looking for.  The Satin Strangler ME2 challenge.

This is an extension of the perfectly twisted and therefore popular Serial Killer Challenge.  Refer to the ME2 website for details on getting started.  You will need the Education, Business Accessories, After Hours, and Spare Time plug-ins.

Start by creating your Satin Strangler ME2.  Will she be the stylish courtroom defendant, or the crazed serial killer from the original artist drawings?  It’s up to you.  Load up on satin stockings through your favorite wardrobe and accessories site, and she’s ready for action.

In this case the modified torture chamber room and isolation chamber will have most of the same characteristics but will now be called the ME2 Satin Suite.  You’ll need another room for your stockings and any other weapons of choice.  Always keep all doors set to “Lock . . . Allow ME2 Owner Only.”

Lure neighbors and other men into the Satin Suite, and then lock the door.  Until there is a better strangling option, your victims will have to die on their own in the Satin Suite.  Leaving your stockings in the suite with them will constitute a kill for the final tally.  Trapping multiple victims at once gets bonus points, but having victims escape will cost you.  The big points come for a “nookie-kill” combo.

Avoid suspicious activity, and don’t leave any clues.  Stay away from community lots, where the police are snooping around for clues to the murders and posting sketches of the suspect.  Leaving any stockings around the house or outside will surely alert the police to the trail, so be careful.

Scoring:

+2 for each general character killed

+5 for each neighbor killed

Bonuses:

+2 for each new victim if multiple victims are already trapped

+10 if the victim is a best friend

+15 if the victim was the killer’s crush

+25 if your ME2 can “nookie” with the victim before killing him

Deductions:

-2 for each neighbor who declines an invitation to come over

-5 for each victim you fail to trap

-5 for each victim that escapes

-5 if a romance flops

-20 if your killer has a baby

-25 if stockings are left outside where they can be found

-50 and out of the contest if your killer dies of anything other than old age

Good luck, may the best strangler win, and may you all forever remain Crazy 4 Crazies.

-----

This is post #31 in The Satin Strangler Blogs (TSSB).

Read the next post in TSSB.

Start TSSB from the first blog post.

See links to all 105 posts in TSSB.

“Like” TSSB on Facebook.

If you are enjoying this free and unique online reading experience, please tell your friends.

Strangulation

Happy Valentine’s Day.

Many of our loyal readers lately have been asking about strangulation.  I suppose TV coverage isn’t providing enough for you.  Luckily, you’ve come to the right place.  Here’s something to satisfy your appetites for gore – a few excerpts from one of my favorite pieces of bedtime reading, “Death by Strangulation,” by Dr. Dean Hawley.

Strangulation sometimes causes no external evidence.  In other cases scratches and bruises occur on the neck.  These are often from the fingers of the assailant, or even the fingers of the victim from attempts to pry free.  Ligatures, such as the satin stockings used by Destiny Blande, can cause distinct abrasion patterns as well.

“Ligature abrasions follow a predictable pattern of horizontal circumscription about the neck; distinguishable from the marks left by suicidal hanging, where a suspension point causes the ligature furrow to rise toward one ear.”

All of these marks can become more prominent after death as the skin dries out.  Wouldn’t you love to be a fly on the wall as the coroner sits there eating his lunch while strangulation marks appear on the neck of the corpse?

But remember, not all of the evidence lies in the neck.

“. . . In addition to the blunt force injuries of the neck, strangulation produces evidence of asphyxiation, recognized as pinpoint hemorrhages (petechiae) in the skin, conjunctiva of the eyes, and deep internal organs.  Petechiae are non-specific findings that can develop from any cause of asphyxia including strangulation, hanging, drowning, sudden infant death syndrome, aspiration of gastric contents, profound depressant drug intoxication, and some natural diseases.  The presence of petechiae does not prove strangulation, and the absence of petechiae does not disprove strangulation.  In addition to petechiae, one may also (rarely) find interstitial free air in the lung or mediastinum.”

The exact findings at autopsy vary, and may be related to the different ways that strangulation can cause death.  We each probably have our favorite ways that this can happen.  Pressure on the carotid arteries can cut off blood flow to the brain, and blocking the jugular veins can stop the blood returning from the brain, either of which leads to unconsciousness and eventually death.  Pressure on the larynx can prevent air flow to the lungs, causing suffocation.  Then, of course, there’s my favorite, the possibility of causing an abnormal rhythm from carotid artery reflex signals to the heart.

Okay you wild asphyxiaphilics – we know this information will take your breath away because you’re Crazy 4 Crazies.

-----

This is post #28 in The Satin Strangler Blogs (TSSB).

Read the next post in TSSB.
 

Start TSSB from the first blog post.
 

See links to all 105 posts in TSSB.
 

“Like” TSSB on Facebook.

If you are enjoying this free and unique online reading experience, please tell your friends.

Are Serial Killers All Loners?

They arrested the Satin Strangler tonight.

The classic serial killer was once depicted as a social monster living alone and trolling the streets for victims.  That story became overplayed, though, and in many cases was total BS.  The media also learned that monsters don’t sell as much as mainstream killers.  It’s a cinch for the public to dismiss a monster as a freak of nature, something unlike the rest of us.  But what happens when the serial murderer actually resembles us in many ways?  They are just as frightening, but far more disturbing.

Tonight’s media coverage has been about Destiny Blande being the quintessential girl next door.  No surprise there.  But who is she really?  Is she America’s sweetheart, a psychopath, or something in between?  Can a serial murderer really live among us at work, in a family, and as an interactive member of society, all while accumulating a pile of corpses?

Many serial murderers have lived and worked in normal settings, and some have supposedly had normal family situations.  These are the most intriguing killers, after all.  A shiver runs down our spine when a killer’s friends and family report how shocked they were to hear of the news.  We stare at our televisions into the peaceful face concealing the monster within.  These are the most successful serial killers, the ones we all overlook as the body count rises.  These are also the ones who sell the most Crazy 4 Crazies memorabilia – Mug Shot Mugs, t-shirts, and victim calendars.

Robert Yates, killer of as many as 17 prostitutes in the state of Washington in the 1990’s, was married with 5 children and lived in a middle class neighborhood.  He was even a decorated US Army National Guard helicopter pilot.  The neighbors never would have suspected that a body was buried right outside Yates’ bedroom window.

Another Washington state favorite, Gary Ridgeway, aka the Green River Killer, was a truck painter for over 32 years and was married at the time of his arrest.  He was a church-going bible reader, professing religious beliefs while killing at least 48 women in his spare time over a 20-year period.

BTK killer Dennis Rader was married with two children in Wichita, Kansas.  He was a Boy Scout leader, a government official, president of his church group, and a US Air Force veteran.  His favorite hobby, however, was killing victims and sending taunting communications to the press.

We want to think of Destiny Blande, the Satin Strangler, as the girl next door.  A raving lunatic would hardly be as interesting. Instead, she is in control enough to conceal her pathology, keeping it buried just far enough from the surface to lure in, not just her victims, but the public.  Her fans.  It is easy to see how she seduced and killed so many men.

The first news stories are breaking, and we are already falling for her because we’re Crazy 4 Crazies.  Let’s face it; this luscious lady had us at “hello.”

-----

This is post #10 in The Satin Strangler Blogs (TSSB).

Read the next post in TSSB.

Start TSSB from the first blog post.

See links to all 105 posts in TSSB.

“Like” TSSB on Facebook.

If you are enjoying this free and unique online reading experience, please tell your friends.

Female Serial Murderers

The Satin Strangler is getting a lot of press lately.  And why not?  She’s been seducing and killing at a Ted Bundy pace.  Makes me tingle all over.  How about you?

In response to countless reader requests, here are some of the most notorious female serial killers in history.  They are few in number, but juicy in body count.

Erzebet Bathory: The Hungarian “Blood Countess” who killed as many as 650 victims in the 1600’s is the mother of all female serial killers, and her record is unlikely to be broken.  We are running a two-for-one sale on her Mug Shot Mugs this week.

Belle Gunness: The belle of the ball killed more than 20 men and all of her children in the 1800’s.  She disposed of some husbands and burned down her own homes, all for the insurance money.  Never one to give up on a hobby, she began luring suitors through a newspaper advertisement, killing them, and burying their bodies on her farm.

Mary Ann Cotton: This Mary Mary Quite Contrary had a bad habit of dropping arsenic into her pots of soup.  She killed 20 people in England, including her own children, and collected their insurance money.  She was hanged in 1873.

Nannie Doss: The "Giggling Granny” killed 11 people in the early 1900’s.  Victims included her two sisters, her mother, a grandson, a nephew and four husbands.  After running out of guests for family reunions, she was convicted in 1955 and died in prison.  Look for her smiling face in our on-line t-shirt store.

Rosemary West: This English serial killer was convicted of 10 murders committed with her husband Fred in 1995.  Several bodies, including that of their daughter Heather, were found buried on their property.  How romantic that they shared the same hobby in an era where half of all marriages end in divorce.

Marybeth Tinning: She was a nurse’s aid sentenced to life in prison in 1987 after strangling 9 of her own children and bringing them to the hospital, faking a deadly genetic disease.  The doctors and the police finally caught on, but she will forever remain one of our website reader favorites.

Dorothea Puente: As a not-so-frail old lady, she killed elderly disabled people in her boarding house, and then forged and robbed their benefit checks.  In 1988 she was sentenced to serve two life terms for the murders of at least 9 people.

Aileen Wuornos: This prostitute was put to death by lethal injection in 1992 for the shooting of 7 male victims in Florida.  Her body count wasn’t much to write home about, but she was later immortalized when played by actress Charlisse Theron in the film Monster.  The other esteemed women on our list should have been so lucky.

The Satin Strangler: Little is known about this sexy lady, except for the growing trail of more than 15 victims from Atlanta up to New York City.  She leaves no calling card.  No taunts for the police.  No leads at all.  Just strangled male victims.  She seems more in control than her lady predecessors.  Is she smarter, or just lucky?  Either way, there’s no doubt that she’s a different breed of female serial killer.  Finally we have a hot and steamy MO to warm up to.  Like her victims, we are lured in closer to her, perhaps too close.   But that’s probably no surprise, since we’re all a little Crazy 4 Crazies.

-----

This is post #4 in The Satin Strangler Blogs (TSSB).

Read the next post in TSSB.

Start TSSB from the first blog post.

See links to all 105 posts in TSSB.

“Like” TSSB on Facebook.

If you are enjoying this free and unique online reading experience, please tell your friends.

The Satin Strangler

A female serial killer dubbed the Satin Strangler has been hard at work during the last few months, seducing and strangling as many as 12 men along the east coast of the United States.  Here are the details on three of her victims to whet your appetite:

Phillip Stewart was a bartender at the Peachtree Bistro in Atlanta.  He disappeared after closing on January 16th.  His body was found the next day in a nearby dumpster.  Autopsy reports confirmed the cause of death to be asphyxiation due to ligature strangulation.  Police have eliminated Stewart’s girlfriend and family members as suspects.

Preston Jones was a real estate agent murdered in Charleston, SC.  His wife found his body in their bedroom upon returning from a business trip on February 15th.  Multiple dark ligature marks varying in width were visible on the neck.  The coroner’s cause of death was asphyxiation due to ligature strangulation.

Grant Leighton, a physical trainer from Atlantic City, was last spotted at 3AM on March 2nd on a Garden State Parkway toll booth surveillance camera.  A woman sitting in the darkness of the passenger seat remains unidentified.  Two days later, fishermen further north along the Jersey Shore found Leighton’s body bundled inside an industrial sized garbage bag and wedged into an antique traveling trunk.  Ligature marks were found on his neck, wrists, and ankles.  Both forearms had been broken and both pinkies amputated.  The cause of death was asphyxiation due to strangulation.

Who is the Satin Strangler, and what is the secret to her seductive power?  Are there more bodies out there somewhere, and how many more victims will she lure in?

For now there are more questions than answers.  We’ll keep watching for news on the Satin Strangler because we’re Crazy 4 Crazies.

-----

This is post #2 in The Satin Strangler Blogs (TSSB).

Read the next post in TSSB.

Start TSSB from the first blog post.

See links to all 105 posts in TSSB.

“Like” TSSB on Facebook.

If you are enjoying this free and unique online reading experience, please tell your friends.