January 2023 - George Pallas

2023/01/292023/01/28

Kelli Bordeaux: Beautiful Army Medic and Murder Victim

Last week, we met the murderous Doug Clark and his equally lethal partner Carol Bundy. Clark’s habit of snatching victims from Los Angeles’ Sunset Strip earned him the moniker of the “Sunset Slayer.” For our crime this week, we look at the sad case of Spc. Kelli Bordeaux, a medic at North Carolina’s Fort Bragg. She disappeared on April 13, 2012—Friday the 13^th—and remained missing for two years until investigators solved her murder.

Kelli Bordeaux

You might not expect a former beauty queen and high school cheerleader to choose the military as a profession. Kelli Bordeaux, born and raised in St. Cloud, Florida, did just that. Kelli Marie Henson married a St. Cloud man, Mike Bordeaux, before beginning her Army career.

After she completed her basic training, the Army stationed Kelli at Fort Bragg, located near Fayetteville, North Carolina. Mike moved with her from Florida, and the two set up housekeeping in an off-base apartment. The Army assigned Kelli to the 261st Multifunction Medical Battalion as a combat medic.

Kelli Bordeaux (Family photo) — Kelli Bordeaux (*Family photo*)

Kelli Bordeaux Finds a Boyfriend

Life was not a bowl of roses for Kelli and her husband. Moving to another state was stressful enough. Adding to the stress, Mike couldn’t find a stady job and began drinking heavily—and often. The couple decided to take a break from each other. Mike returned to Florida while Kelli stayed in Fayetteville.

Perhaps, being alone, it was natural Kelli began an affair with Justin Thompson, a man she’d met in St. Cloud before she joined the Army. Kelli found herself enchanted with Justin. She told her sister, Olivia, she planned to divorce her husband. On the other hand, Mike had no idea his wife intended to replace him.

Justin Thompson (CBS News) — Justin Thompson (*CBS News*)

Kelli Bordeaux Disappears

On some of Justin’s weekend trips to Fayetteville to see Kelli, they went to a roadhouse called Froggy Bottoms. From pictures, it looks like a hole-in-the-wall dive bar you could find in any small town. Its appeal appears to have come from karaoke nights because Kelli liked karaoke.

Froggy Bottoms around the time Kelli Bordeaux disappeared (*Michael Rushton/Demotix*)

During one of their visits to Froggy Bottoms, Kelli met Nicholas Holbert, who worked odd jobs around the place. He gave her his phone number and offered to bring her to the tavern after Justin returned home to Florida. Kelli accepted.

By all accounts, Kelli thought of Nick as no more than a drinking buddy. While she went with him to have fun and sing karaoke, he considered the meeting a date. No one knows if the two discussed their different expectations. Regardless, Kelli left the bar with Holbert sometime after midnight.

Nicholas Michael Holbert (Reuters) — Nicholas Michael Holbert (*Reuters*)

Later that night, Justin, the boyfriend back in Florida, got a text from Kelli’s cellphone. It read: “Got home safe … I’m going to bed … Call me tomorrow.” This text contrasted sharply with the one she sent before it. That message had begged Justin to call right away. He did indeed try to call Kelli the next day and kept calling all through the weekend. Kelli never answered, so he alerted her family.

The Search for Kelli Bordeaux

Kelli’s disappearance generated a massive response. Soldiers from Fort Bragg joined friends and concerned citizens in combing the Fayetteville area. The three men in Kelli’s life, Mike Bordeaux, Justin Thompson, and Nick Holbert, also joined the search.

Police start investigating murders or disappearances with those closest to the victim. They first took a long, hard look at Mike Bordeaux. However, he said he was at home in Florida when Kelli vanished, an alibi that detectives were able to verify. Mike first found out about his wife’s infidelity from detectives. Unsurprisingly, he pointed the finger of suspicion at the new man in her life.

For his part, Justin suspected Nick Holbert from the beginning.

Kelli Bordeaux (The Fayetteville Observer) — Kelli Bordeaux (*The Fayetteville Observer*)

Holbert told police he’d dropped Kelli off near her apartment. David Marshburn, a private investigator who conducted his own investigation into the case, remained skeptical. His suspicions multiplied when he learned Holbert was a homeless drifter living in his truck in a makeshift camp behind Froggy Bottoms.

Catching Kelli Bordeaux’s Killer

Suspicions went into overdrive when detectives discovered that Nicholas Holbert had been convicted of a sex offense. He’d assaulted and beaten a five-year-old girl when he was 16. At that time, investigators had no evidence linking him to Kelli’s disappearance (and presumed murder). But authorities did jail him for a year for his failure to register as a sex offender in Fayetteville.

Private investigator David Marshburn (NBC News) — Private investigator David Marshburn (*NBC New*s)

With searches failing to locate Kelli or her body, PI Marshburn had an idea. He would befriend Holbert when he got out of jail. He buddied up to Nick, feeding him and giving him money when he had none. It took months and some intricate deceptions, but eventually, Holbert confessed to killing Kelli Bordeaux.

Holbert told investigators he waited for Kelli outside in his vehicle that fateful night. She remained inside to pay her tab. While paying, the bartender said to her, “Be careful of this guy. He’s a sex offender,” When she left, a shocked Kelli stormed past Holbert. The two exchanged harsh words. He ran up behind her, knocked her out, and laid her on the ground. Once he had her helpless, he stripped off her clothes and began raping her. She came to, and he beat her to death with a rock. Later, he buried her in nearby woods and returned to the bar.

Nicholas Holbert at his first court appearance on May 15, 2014 (*WRAL*)

He admitted using Kelli’s phone to send the suspicious text message to Justin Thompson and throwing it into a river afterward.

Epilogue

Nicholas Holbert pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole. He resides (2023) at the Roanoke River Correctional Institution in Halifax, North Carolina.

Nicholas Holbert prison photo (North Carolina Department of Adult Correction) — Nicholas Holbert prison photo (*North Carolina Department of Adult Correction*)

In March 2018, Dateline NBC aired an episode about Kelli Bordeaux’s murder titled Deep in the Woods.

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2023/01/222023/01/20

Doug Clark: Odd Killer Makes for Terror in LA

Last week’s crime concerned a budding serial killer who supposedly left a message in lipstick begging police to catch him. The press dubbed him the “Lipstick Killer.” This week, we meet Doug Clark, who became infamous as the “Sunset Slayer.” But he didn’t act alone.

Doug Clark

Doug Clark was the son of Franklin Clark, a Naval Intelligence officer. Because of his father’s employment, the family moved a lot during Doug’s boyhood. The elder Clark left the Navy in 1958, but the family continued moving around the world. Doug later claimed to have lived in 47 different countries.

Young Doug attended an exclusive school in Switzerland and Culver Military Academy in Indiana. After graduating from Culver, Clark joined the U.S. Air Force. His postings included bases in Colorado and Ohio.

When he finished his stint in the Air Force, Clark drifted around, landing in the Los Angeles area. He worked sporadically, often as a mechanic or a boiler operator. He abruptly quit a job with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. His subsequent employment at a Jergens soap factory ended with his firing because of chronic absences.

Doug Clark Meets Carol Bundy

Clark liked hanging out in a North Hollywood bar called Little Nashville. It was in that bar that he met Carol Bundy in 1980. Bundy had three failed marriages behind her when Clark latched onto her. Before long, Clark moved in with her.

Little Nashville Club in 1983 (Pintrest)

Not long after moving in with Bundy, Clark began bringing prostitutes home to the apartment they shared for threesomes. From there, he degenerated into taking pornographic pictures of an 11-year-old girl who lived near the couple before escalating into pedophilia.

In June 1980, Clark came home one night and told Bundy about two young women he picked up on the Sunset Strip. They were stepsisters (and runaways) Cynthia Chandler and Gina Marano. After forcing them to perform sex acts with him, he shot them and dumped their bodies along the Ventura Freeway. Bundy phoned the police. She admitted she knew about the murders but refused to give any clue to Clark’s identity. Instead of turning him in, she became his accomplice.

Gina Marano and Cynthia Chandler were the first victims Clark admitted to Bundy he killed (IMDB)

Doug Clark Keeps Killing

Twelve days after he killed the first two women, Clark struck again. He lured two prostitutes, Karen Jones and Exxie Wilson, into his car, where he fatally shot them. He removed Wilson’s head, then dumped the bodies in plain sight again. Clark took the head home and stored it in the refrigerator. Two days later, he and Bundy put the head in a box and left it in an alleyway.

Murder victims Karen Jones Exxie Wilson (IMDB)

Three days after the couple disposed of Wilson’s head, another body was found in some woods in the San Fernando Valley. Police identified the victim as Marnette Comer, a runaway who had been killed three weeks earlier. That made her Clark’s first known victim.

Another body of an unknown young woman was found on August 26, 1980, but never identified. Police attributed this victim also to the serial killer the media had begun calling the Sunset Slayer.

Doug Clark and Carol Bundy Face Justice

One of the headline acts at Little Nashville was an Australian country singer named Jack Murray. Despite Murray being married, he and Bundy had been lovers, and she still attended his shows at the bar. After a performance one night in August 1980, a tipsy Bundy told Murray about her murder spree with Doug Clark. Her confession appalled Murray as it would any normal person, and he intimated he might call the police.

Murray’s reaction threw Bundy into a panic. She lured him into his van after a show one night with the promise of sex. Instead, she shot and stabbed him to death, then decapitated him.

Bundy had never been the most stable person. The psychological pressure of participating in murders grew too much for her to bear. She confessed to killing Murray to her coworkers, and they called the police. Her and Clark’s arrests quickly followed.

Carol Bundy, leaving her arraignment in Los Angeles on August 14, 1980 (Huynh/AP)

Prosecutors charged Bundy with two murders and Clark with six. During the trial, he acted as his own defense counsel (always a bad idea!). His defense strategy was to place all the blame on Bundy, but the jury didn’t buy it. He was sentenced to death in 1983.

Douglas Clark mugshot after his arrest on August 12, 1980

Bundy pleaded guilty as part of a plea bargain and drew a sentence of 52 years to life.

Epilogue

Carol Bundy died in prison from heart failure on December 9, 2003, at age 61.

Doug Clark has spent forty years on California’s death row. He’s still there (2023), waiting for a date with the executioner that will probably never come.

Douglas Daniel Clark, C-63000, 2011 prison photo (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation) — Douglas Daniel Clark, inmate C-63000, in a 2011 prison photo (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)

You can read more about the Sunset Slayer killings in Louise Farr’s 1992 book, The Sunset Murders. The crimes are also the subject of Doug Clark and Carol Bundy: The Horrific True Story Behind the Sunset Strip Slayers, a book in the Real Crime by Real Killers series.

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2023/01/152023/01/11

Lipstick Killer: Murder Spree is a Challenge For Cops

In my last blog, I covered the case of Mollie Olgin and Kristine Chapa. In June 2012, an attacker shot both young women in a Texas park. Only Kristine survived. This week, we learn about the Lipstick Killer, a murderer who terrorized Chicago in 1946.

The Lipstick Killer Strikes

The Lipstick Killer’s first victim was 43-year-old Josephine Ross. She was found dead in her Chicago apartment on June 5, 1945, with multiple stab wounds. In her hand, she clutched some dark hairs. Her assailant didn’t take anything from the apartment. Witnesses reported seeing a dark-complected man running away, but police couldn’t identify him.

The next attack occurred on December 10, 1945. The body of Francis Brown was discovered with a knife stuck in her neck. She also had a bullet wound in her head. Again, the intruder didn’t take anything, but he left a message scrawled on the wall in lipstick. It read: “For heavens sake catch me before I kill more I cannot control myself.” The message in lipstick led the press to dub the unknown assailant “The Lipstick Killer.”

The second victim, Frances Brown (findagrave.com)

A month later, on January 7, 1946, six-year-old Suzanne Degnan went missing from her first-floor bedroom. She and her parents lived in the tony Edgewater neighborhood north of downtown Chicago, which didn’t see much crime. Suzanne’s father found a note demanding $20,000 for his daughter’s return. A man called the Degnan home several times, insisting the parents pay.

Suzanne Degnan was only six years old when she was abducted and murdered

Later, an anonymous tip led police to find Suzanne’s remains scattered in several sewers and storm drains. Her autopsy revealed that her killer strangled her shortly after he abducted her. Investigators deduced from the dismemberment of the body that the killer was either a surgeon or a skilled meat cutter.

The "Lipstick Killer" left this message in Frances Brown's apartment (Chicago Police Photo) — The “Lipstick Killer” left this message in Frances Brown’s apartment (Chicago Police Photo)

The Hunt for the Lipstick Killer

Police were under tremendous pressure to catch the Lipstick Killer. They soon arrested Hector Verburgh, 65, a janitor in the Degnan’s building. Cops held Verburgh for 48 hours, subjecting him to the “third degree.” Investigators determined that Verburgh, a Belgian immigrant, couldn’t write English well enough to have written even the crude ransom note. He was released without charges and spent ten days in a hospital recovering. He and his wife later sued the Chicago Police Department and received a $15,000 judgment (almost $230,000 in 2013).

Janitor Hector Verburgh was an initial suspect in the Lipstick Killer case (Chicago Tribune)

Another suspect, ex-Marine Sidney Sherman, emerged when police found a handkerchief with a laundry mark “S. SHERMAN” near the abduction scene. Sherman had left his room at the YMCA without checking out and quit his job without picking up his last paycheck. A nationwide manhunt ensued. Sherman surfaced four days later in Toledo, Ohio. He explained that his quick departure was because he eloped with his girlfriend.

Investigators found that the handkerchief belonged to Airman Seymour Sherman of New York City. They cleared him because he was out of the country when Suzanne Degnan was abducted and murdered.

Yet another suspect was Richard Russell Thomas, a nurse who had moved from Chicago to Phoenix, Arizona. He even confessed to killing Suzanne, but police were hot after a new suspect. By then, also, Thomas had recanted his confession.

Police Arrest the Lipstick Killer

On June 26, 1946, cops arrested 17-year-old William George Heirens after they caught him fleeing from a burglary. He quickly moved to the top of the Lipstick Killer suspect list.

Lipstick Killer suspect William Heirens after his arrest (Getty Images)

Two psychiatrists administered sodium pentothal, a so-called “truth serum,” to Heirens. They had neither a warrant nor Heirens’s or his parents’ consent. During the questioning, which Heirens later said he couldn’t recall, he allegedly spoke of an alternate personality named “George” who committed the murders. When asked for George’s name, Heirens replied that it was “a murmuring name.” Police quickly translated this to “Murman,” which the press was delighted to claim was a mashup of “Murder Man.”

This interrogation is problematic for three reasons. First, police questioned a drugged Heirens without a legal basis (no consent or warrant). Second, the transcript of the session disappeared in 1952. Third, one of the psychiatrists, Dr. Grinker, said Heirens never implicated himself in any of the killings.

William Heirens in a car seated between Detective Chief Walter Storms (L) and Captain Michael Ahern (R) (Chicago Tribune)

At a subsequent interrogation, Heirens indirectly implicated himself by blaming the killings on “George.” Investigators tried but could not find any such person as “George Murman.” Psychologists explained “George” as an alter ego that Heirens could blame for his antisocial actions.

The Lipstick Killer Cops a Plea

Despite the confession and some physical evidence, convicting Heirens for the three Lipstick Killer murders wouldn’t be a slam dunk. Instead, State’s Attorney William Tuohy offered Heirens’s lawyers a deal: plead guilty and avoid the electric chair.

On September 4, 1946, with his parents and the victims’ families looking on, William Heirens admitted his guilt on the murder and burglary charges. That night, he tried to hang himself in his cell during the guards’ shift change. He survived.

The following day, September 5, Chief Justice Harold G. Ward sentenced Heirens to three life terms.

Epilogue

William Heirens spent the rest of his life in prison, dying at age 83 on March 12, 2012.

Prison photo of William Heirens, the convicted Lipstick Killer, in his later years

He began claiming his innocence almost as soon as he finished pleading guilty. While it’s common for criminals to deny their guilt, Heirens had some points in his favor. For one, he made his first confession in a drugged state. For another, there were questions about how police handled—and maybe fabricated—evidence. Given the immense pressure on police to solve this case, it’s conceivable that they cut some corners.

Regardless, Heirens stayed in prison.

During his incarceration, Heirens took numerous college courses and set up an entire educational program when he transferred to Vienna Correctional Institution. He also helped other prisoners with their GED diplomas and their legal cases.

Several true crime and serial killer anthologies include the Lipstick Killer case.

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2023/01/082023/01/11

Mollie Olgin: Strange Murder of Girl in Texas Park

Last week, we met Jason Owens, the North Carolina killer of J.T. and Cristie Codd, and Zebb Quinn. This week we shift the scene from the Carolinas to south Texas, where, in 2012, someone murdered 19-year-old Mollie Olgin and seriously wounded her friend, Kristine Chapa.

Mollie Olgin and Kristine Chapa

Friends and family describe Mollie Olgin as intelligent and fun, with a quirky sense of humor. She was a drummer in her high school band, but her favorite pastime was cruising around in her car. The crowd she ran with might have called themselves “crazy,” but they did not engage in risky behavior. An evening cruising might involve Taco Bell, a coffee shop, or a park, but not drinking or drugs.

Kristine Chapa was 18 in the summer of 2012 and a softball sensation in her hometown of Sinton, Texas. She and Mollie became friends. Their friendship soon developed into a romantic relationship.

An Attack and the Murder of Mollie Olgin

On the evening of June 22, 2012, Millie and Kristine planned to attend a movie. However, they missed the show and instead drove around, ending up in Violet Andrews Park in Portland, Texas, across the bay from Corpus Christi. They never came home.

The following morning, birdwatchers in the park discovered what appeared to be two female bodies near a viewing deck. First responders determined that one of the women was still alive but barely. Rescuers rushed her to Corpus Christi Memorial Hospital. At the hospital, her frantic parents learned that Kristine was alive but severely injured and in a coma.

Having the only witness to the crime in a coma hampered the investigation. But detectives did recover some physical evidence. Near the observation deck, they found an empty Monster energy drink can and five cigarette butts (neither Mollie nor Kristine smoked). Police packed the can and butts off for DNA testing.

Kristine Chapa hospitalized after the shooting (Dateline NBC) — Kristine Chapa hospitalized after the shooting (*Dateline NBC*)

Despite incredible odds, Kristine Chapa soon came out of the coma. Unable to speak at first, she helped investigators with hand squeezes and blinking her eyes. Within two weeks, she helped police develop a sketch of her attacker. She told them that the man raped both girls, then forced Kristine to place duct tape over Mollie’s mouth and eyes. He had her duct tape herself as well. Then he shot both girls in the head with a .45. Throughout the ordeal, he referred to Mollie as “Girl No. 1” and Kristine as “Girl No. 2.”

Kristine helped a police artist draw this sketch of her attacker (NBC News)

A Break in the Mollie Olgin Murder

When the DNA test results came back from the lab, they pointed to Dylan Spellman. Spellman lived three blocks from the overlook and closely resembled the police sketch Kristine helped police draw. He had also just been convicted of a home invasion in Pahrump, Nevada, in 2010. In 2012, he was in the Corpus Christi area waiting for sentencing in the Nevada case. Similarities between the attack in Violet Andrews Park and the robbery in Nevada strengthened the police suspicion of Spellman. He admitted being in the park that night but said he was nowhere near the observation deck. His DNA on the drink can and cigarette butts proved otherwise.

Dylan Spellman arrest photo (Las Vegas Sun) — Dylan Spellman arrest photo (*Las Vegas Sun*)

On the other hand, while the DNA evidence proved Spellman had been at the scene, it did not tie him specifically to the rapes and Mollie’s murder. Kristine’s inability to pick him out of a photo line further weakened the case, and, at 6’8”, he was a foot taller than what she initially told police.

A Strange Development in the Mollie Olgin Case

Two years passed without police making much progress in finding who killed Mollie Olgin. Then, in 2014, the Sinton Police Department obtained an anonymous letter addressed and hand-delivered to Kristine’s father.

The anonymous writer claimed to be a hitman hired to kill the surviving witness, Kristine. The letter identified a Layton, Utah, man named Christobal Melchor as the man who hired him and murdered Mollie Olgin. It also included several details that police had deliberately not made public and included a photo of Melchor. Police first moved Kristine to a safe place, then went looking for their new suspect.

Christobal Melchor proved he was participating in a National Guard training exercise in California at the time of the murder. He also recognized the picture. In its original form, it had been a photo of two men: Melchor and his former roommate, David Strickland. The two men were no longer friendly since Melchor had Strickland arrested for stealing several guns.

David Strickland (Dateline NBC) — David Strickland (*Dateline NBC)*

In 2012, Strickland lived just a few blocks from Violet Andrews Park. Testing soon linked a Glock .45 recovered from Strickland to shell casings found at the murder site. Those casings were enough for cops to arrest David Strickland. Police also found remnants of the anonymous letter to Larry Chapa on Strickland’s computer.

Justice for Mollie Olgin and Kristine Chapa?

On September 28, 2016, a San Patricio County jury deliberated for six hours before returning guilty verdicts. They convicted David Strickland of capital murder and aggravated sexual assault. Since the prosecution didn’t seek the death penalty, he received a life sentence.

Although the prosecution didn’t offer a motive for the murder, Kristine believes it was because she and Mollie were in a same-sex romantic relationship. She cited derogatory comments in the anonymous letter. Regardless, prosecutor Sam Smith decided not to charge Strickland with a hate crime.

David Strickland (Bexar County Sheriff's Office) — David Strickland (*Bexar County Sheriff’s Office*)

In 2018, improved DNA testing matched a pubic hair found on Kristine’s body to the initial suspect, Dylan Spellman. You’d think finding pubic hair on a rape victim would be conclusive. Strickland’s appellate attorney thought so and filed a motion to overturn his conviction citing new evidence. The motion was denied in January 2020, at least partly because all the supposedly “new” evidence had been available to Strickland’s original defense team.

Epilogue

It took years of physical therapy, but Kristine Chapa’s recovery from the injuries she suffered in the attack has been miraculous. She continues to work on her recovery today but has been able to resume her life.

Kristine Chapa spoke at the 26th annual GLAAD Media Awards in New York on May 10, 2015 (glaad.org)

David Strickland is incarcerated (2023) at the McConnell Correctional Facility in Martin, Texas, near Waco. The McConnel Unit houses many of Texas’ worst and most violent offenders. Strickland is not eligible for parole.

Dateline NBC presented two episodes on this case. The first, A Texas Twist, aired on February 3, 2017. A follow-up episode, The Overlook, reprised the original report plus additional coverage of the hair evidence.