Serial killers in Michigan are considered among the lowest members of society. They’re seen as having no regard for human life. Yet, we seem to have a relentless fascination with them. Their images flood our news reports; they are the subjects of movies, and we can’t seem to take our eyes off the developments of their murder trials. Just like any other state, there have been some famous murders in Michigan. Guilty of some of the worst crimes in Michigan, the state’s notorious killers have cemented their place in history. Here are some of the most infamous Michigan serial killers and murderers.
- Paul Jaworski
gazette.com Born in Poland in 1900, was a member of a gang known as the “Flatheads,” a prohibition-era outfit. He was found guilty for the killings of at least 20 people and was sentenced to death by electric chair in Pennsylvania.
- John Eric Armstrong
Michigan Department of Corrections A former Navy sailor, husband, and father of two, Armstrong told authorities that he strangled five Detroit-area prostitutes and 11 others while he was stationed to an aircraft carrier in the Seattle area between 1992 and 1999. Those numbers could have been exaggerated on his part. He was sentenced to life in prison in 2001.
- Elias Abuelazam, “Flint Serial Killer” or “The Serial Slasher”
“Elias-Abuelazam” by http://www.execte.com/wp-content/uploads/Elias-Abuelazam.jpg. Via Wikipedia Abuelazam went on a stabbing spree in Michigan, Virginia, and Ohio between March 2009 and August 2010, injuring 18 and killing 5. His crimes were believed to be racially motivated as most of his victims were African Americans. He was sentenced to life in prison, without the possibility of parole in 2012.
- John Norman Collins, AKA “Ypsilanti Ripper” or “Co-Ed Killer”
“John Norman Collins” by Source (WP:NFCC#4). Licensed under Fair use via Wikipedia Collins was at the center of a series of high profile homicides, known as the “Michigan Murders,” that rocked the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti areas in 1967-1969. He was convicted for one of the murders, though it is suspected that he was responsible for just about all the others.
- Rudy Bladel, AKA “The Railway Sniper,” was found guilty of killing between three and seven railroad workers in Michigan and Indiana between 1963 and 1978. He was apparently upset about the loss of his job as a railroad fireman. He received three consecutive life sentences and died in prison in 2006.
gazette.com
Born in Poland in 1900, was a member of a gang known as the “Flatheads,” a prohibition-era outfit. He was found guilty for the killings of at least 20 people and was sentenced to death by electric chair in Pennsylvania.
Michigan Department of Corrections
A former Navy sailor, husband, and father of two, Armstrong told authorities that he strangled five Detroit-area prostitutes and 11 others while he was stationed to an aircraft carrier in the Seattle area between 1992 and 1999. Those numbers could have been exaggerated on his part. He was sentenced to life in prison in 2001.
“Elias-Abuelazam” by http://www.execte.com/wp-content/uploads/Elias-Abuelazam.jpg. Via Wikipedia
Abuelazam went on a stabbing spree in Michigan, Virginia, and Ohio between March 2009 and August 2010, injuring 18 and killing 5. His crimes were believed to be racially motivated as most of his victims were African Americans. He was sentenced to life in prison, without the possibility of parole in 2012.
“John Norman Collins” by Source (WP:NFCC#4). Licensed under Fair use via Wikipedia
Collins was at the center of a series of high profile homicides, known as the “Michigan Murders,” that rocked the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti areas in 1967-1969. He was convicted for one of the murders, though it is suspected that he was responsible for just about all the others.
- Christopher James Dankovich
Michigan Department of Corrections Dankovich was only 15 in 2005 when he stabbed his mother 111 times in their home in Rochester Hills. Heinous as the crime was, he convinced a court that he had been abused as a child. He was sentenced to at least 25 years in prison. By then he would be 40 years old.
- Juwan Knumar Deering
Michigan Department of Corrections Deering was owed $200 in a crack deal in 2000, so he doused a home full of children with charcoal lighter fluid and set the building on fire. He killed five children ranging between 6 and 11 years old. He was sentenced to life without parole in 2006.
- Stephen Christopher Grant
Michigan Department of Corrections Grant was convicted for killing his wife and dismembering her body in 2007. Police found her torso and other body parts in the couple’s home in a Detroit suburb. Gruesome as it was, Grant was able to get the charge of first-degree murder reduced to second-degree murder, thus promising him a shorter sentence. He was sentenced to 50 years in prison in 2008.
- Andrew Kehoe, AKA “The Bath School Murder”
“AndrewKehoe”. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons In perhaps the deadliest massacres to have been committed by one person in Michigan, Kehoe killed 44 people. He bombed a school in Bath Township, before he killed himself. This horrific act remains the deadliest incident to occur on a U.S. school campus.
- Robert Bashara, AKA “Big Bob”
Department of Corrections This case captivated a national audience because of the salacious details involved. Bashara was sentenced to life in prison for hiring a hit man to kill his wife, Jane in 2012 in Detroit. The reason, so he could live as a bondage, discipline, and sadomasochistic master and rule over his girlfriend and other women. Bashara was also found guilty for trying to put a hit on the hit man, Joseph Gentz.
Having committed some of the most famous murders in Michigan, these men were truly disturbed, but perhaps even more troubling were the so-called reasons for some of these crimes. Which famous murders in Michigan have kept you up at night? Did you know about these famous Michigan murders? What other infractions are among the worst crimes in Michigan history? We want to hear from you, so tell us!
Dankovich was only 15 in 2005 when he stabbed his mother 111 times in their home in Rochester Hills. Heinous as the crime was, he convinced a court that he had been abused as a child. He was sentenced to at least 25 years in prison. By then he would be 40 years old.
Deering was owed $200 in a crack deal in 2000, so he doused a home full of children with charcoal lighter fluid and set the building on fire. He killed five children ranging between 6 and 11 years old. He was sentenced to life without parole in 2006.
Grant was convicted for killing his wife and dismembering her body in 2007. Police found her torso and other body parts in the couple’s home in a Detroit suburb. Gruesome as it was, Grant was able to get the charge of first-degree murder reduced to second-degree murder, thus promising him a shorter sentence. He was sentenced to 50 years in prison in 2008.
“AndrewKehoe”. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
In perhaps the deadliest massacres to have been committed by one person in Michigan, Kehoe killed 44 people. He bombed a school in Bath Township, before he killed himself. This horrific act remains the deadliest incident to occur on a U.S. school campus.
Department of Corrections
This case captivated a national audience because of the salacious details involved. Bashara was sentenced to life in prison for hiring a hit man to kill his wife, Jane in 2012 in Detroit. The reason, so he could live as a bondage, discipline, and sadomasochistic master and rule over his girlfriend and other women. Bashara was also found guilty for trying to put a hit on the hit man, Joseph Gentz.
Famous murders in Michigan aren’t the only crimes that have been committed in the state. In fact, you might have committed a crime and not even known it, and that’s because there are some crazy laws in Michigan.
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The OIYS Visitor Center
Famous Murders In Michigan May 04, 2022 Daniella DiRienzo Where is the creepiest town in Michigan? Serial killers in Michigan aren’t the only creepy thing about the state. There are quite a few creepy places and spooky spots, including Pere Cheney. Located just southeast of Grayling, it’s an actual ghost town and has been abandoned since 1917. The spookiest thing about the town, though, isn’t the deafening solitude. It’s the fact that it’s purportedly cursed. According to legend, the town is built on an ancient Native burial ground, resulting in a whole slew of strange happenings. Are there any haunted castles in Michigan? As far as spooky places in Michigan go, Henderson Castle definitely fits the bill. Located in Kalamazoo, the castle has long had a reputation for being haunted. In fact, it’s been featured in three horror movies and is touted as one of the most haunted places in Michigan. The castle, which serves as a bed and breakfast, welcomes overnight guests as well as paranormal investigators and the curious alike. Several ghosts, including that of Frank Henderson, are said to roam the castle’s halls, which means a peaceful night’s sleep is most likely not in the works. However, a visit is pretty much guaranteed to result in some lifelong memories.
The OIYS Visitor Center
Famous Murders In Michigan
May 04, 2022
Daniella DiRienzo
Where is the creepiest town in Michigan? Serial killers in Michigan aren’t the only creepy thing about the state. There are quite a few creepy places and spooky spots, including Pere Cheney. Located just southeast of Grayling, it’s an actual ghost town and has been abandoned since 1917. The spookiest thing about the town, though, isn’t the deafening solitude. It’s the fact that it’s purportedly cursed. According to legend, the town is built on an ancient Native burial ground, resulting in a whole slew of strange happenings. Are there any haunted castles in Michigan? As far as spooky places in Michigan go, Henderson Castle definitely fits the bill. Located in Kalamazoo, the castle has long had a reputation for being haunted. In fact, it’s been featured in three horror movies and is touted as one of the most haunted places in Michigan. The castle, which serves as a bed and breakfast, welcomes overnight guests as well as paranormal investigators and the curious alike. Several ghosts, including that of Frank Henderson, are said to roam the castle’s halls, which means a peaceful night’s sleep is most likely not in the works. However, a visit is pretty much guaranteed to result in some lifelong memories.
The OIYS Visitor Center
The OIYS Visitor Center
Serial killers in Michigan aren’t the only creepy thing about the state. There are quite a few creepy places and spooky spots, including Pere Cheney. Located just southeast of Grayling, it’s an actual ghost town and has been abandoned since 1917. The spookiest thing about the town, though, isn’t the deafening solitude. It’s the fact that it’s purportedly cursed. According to legend, the town is built on an ancient Native burial ground, resulting in a whole slew of strange happenings.
Are there any haunted castles in Michigan?
As far as spooky places in Michigan go, Henderson Castle definitely fits the bill. Located in Kalamazoo, the castle has long had a reputation for being haunted. In fact, it’s been featured in three horror movies and is touted as one of the most haunted places in Michigan. The castle, which serves as a bed and breakfast, welcomes overnight guests as well as paranormal investigators and the curious alike. Several ghosts, including that of Frank Henderson, are said to roam the castle’s halls, which means a peaceful night’s sleep is most likely not in the works. However, a visit is pretty much guaranteed to result in some lifelong memories.
