Five Serial Killers that Terrorized Michigan

When it comes to serial killers, a few key examples come to mind. However, the terrifying truth is that serial killers have always been around and there have been way more than just a few. Additionally, serial killers have affected every state. Michigan is certainly not an exception, as it has been terrorized by numerous serial killers throughout the years, including recently. Below is a brief discussion of five of the more notable serial killers that have terrorized my home state.

Michigan Murders

Occurring before serial killers were well known or as popular a topic as it has since become, John Norman Collins (born John Norman Chapman) committed the so-called Michigan Murders. These murders occurred in Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti between 1967 and 1969. During this period, Collins killed multiple women (most of them students at the University of Michigan or Eastern Michigan University) between the ages of 13 and 21.

Collins, who has been described as being "polite and handsome," would approach his victims and lure them away from safety. After abducting and raping his victims, they would be beaten, murdered (by various methods), and sometimes mutilated.

These heinous acts earned him multiple nicknames, including the Michigan Murderer, the Co-Ed Killer, the Ypsilanti Killer, and the Ypsilanti Ripper. Eventually, Collins was caught and arrested. However, Collins, who was only convicted of one murder, has always maintained his innocence. Despite this, he continues to serve a life sentence.

In 2019, Fox 2 Detroit published an in-depth, three-part story on these murders, which discussed the case in detail, including some recent updates.

Mary McKnight

Long before the Ypsilanti Ripper terrorized the state, Northern Michigan was terrorized by Mary McKnight. During the early years of the 1900s, McKnight killed multiple people under her care by poisoning them.

After McKnight's two husbands and all her children died, she went to live with her brother's family. However, her brother's infant daughter died while in McKnight's care in 1903. Then her brother's wife died shortly thereafter. Then her brother died shortly after that. After her brother's death, suspicion grew. The bodies of her brother and his wife were exhumed, and traces of strychnine (a poison) was found.

Her deeds earned her the nickname of "Michigan Borgia," after Lucrezia Borgia who poisoned her enemies. McKnight was eventually convicted of three murders - her brother John Murphy, his wife Gertrude, and their infant daughter Ruth - and sentenced to life in prison. However, she is suspected of committing up to a dozen murders, including those of her husbands and children. Her motives for the murders are still unclear, although it is possible she was insane.

The Oakland County Child Killer

This next serial killer is one that I have previously written about in detail. The Oakland County Child Killer tortured and murdered children in Oakland County during the late 1970s, but, despite a massive manhunt, was never caught.

This killer has four confirmed victims, with more possibly connected. The confirmed victims are Mark Stebbins (12), Jill Robinson (12), Kristine Mihelich (10), and Timothy King (11). The killer abducted his victims, with their bodies being found days later. The victims were both male and female, but only the male victims appear to have been sexually assaulted. With the exception of Jill Robinson, who was shot, all of the confirmed victims were suffocated.

Even though there have been multiple suspects and theories over the years, including some strange ones, this killer has not been conclusively identified.

Don Miller

Don Miller, a youth pastor and a graduate of the Michigan State University School of Criminal Justice, murdered four women between 1977 and 1978.

Miller's first known victim was Martha Sue Young, who was nineteen when she was murdered. She was a student at Michigan State University at the time and had broken off her engagement to her killer just days before her death. She was killed on New Year's Eve 1976 and declared missing on New Year's Day 1977.

In the summer of 1978, Miller killed Marita Choquette, a 27-year-old editorial assistant at WKAR-TV. Her mutilated body was found thirteen days later in Okemos. Over the next couple months, Miller claimed the lives of Wendy Bush, a 21-year-old MSU student, and Kristine (Guske) Stuart, a 30-year-old teacher. Miller would later confess to all four of these murders, but not before attempting to claim more lives.

Miller's next set of crimes occurred when he broke into Lisa Gilbert's home and raped her. She was just 14 at the time. Miller was beginning to strangle Lisa when her brother Randy Gilbert, who was just 13, came home, which almost certainly prevented his sister from becoming Miller's fifth victim. When Randy entered the home, Miller turned his attention from Lisa and attacked Randy with a knife. Randy struggled with Miller, but Miller overpowered Randy, choked him unconscious, and began stabbing him. However, during this time, Lisa, who was bound and gagged, fled the house to get help. Both siblings survived.

Two days after these crimes, Miller was arrested and ultimately charged with multiple crimes (although he was never charged for two of his four murders) and sent to prison. In 1994, a garrote was found in Miller's cell (although Miller denied that it was actually a weapon), earning him an additional conviction.

A recent book by Rod Sadler, a former sergeant of the Eaton County Sheriff’s Department, called Killing Women explores this case in great detail, and even includes transcripts of letters from Don Miller himself. Additionally, a woman recently came forward and accused Miller of assaulting her in 1978. Police are investigating these allegations.

Perhaps the thing that makes this killer most terrifying, is that, due to a plea deal he was offered that involved him leading police to the bodies of two of his victims, he is eligible for parole. Although, thus far his requests for parole have been repeatedly denied. However, even if he is never paroled, he will be released in 2031. If he is kept in prison for his maximum sentence, he will be released at the age of 76.

Woodward Corridor Killer

Benjamin Atkins, also known as the Woodward Corridor Killer, killed eleven women between December 1991 and August 1992 in Detroit and Highland Park. His victims, many of whom were prostitutes, were all found in vacant buildings having been raped and strangled. Thanks in part to the help of a surviving rape victim, Atkins was eventually caught and sentenced to eleven life sentences. Atkins died in 1997 due to HIV/AIDS.

Atkins' motives were misogyny and a hatred of prostitution. Atkins had a very rough childhood and was abused (including sexually) as a child. He also watched his mother engage in prostitution.

According to a 2013 Oakland Press article about Atkins, "[t]he FBI called his string of homicides the largest number of killings in the shortest period of time of any known serial killer in U.S. history."

Conclusion

While Michigan may not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of serial killers, it is important to remember that serial killers have always existed, and likely will always exist. And they can be active at any time in any place, including Michigan. So next time you are thinking about serial killers like Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer, don't forget about John Norman Collins, Don Miller, and the many other serial killers that have terrorized this state throughout the years.