Friday 11 April 2014

Richard Trenton Chase - "The Sacramento Vampire"

There have been a very small group of so-called vampires that have included John Haigh, the Acid Bath Murderer, Rod Ferrell, from Florida, and the back in the 30`s, the Dusseldorf Vampire in Germany.  This particular man did not claim to be one - Haigh claimed he was for an insanity plea and probably for shock effect as well - but he acted like one due to the severe delusions he was having.  Chase was born in Santa Clara County in California in 23rd May 1950, where it was said he was abused by his mother.  He started displaying bizarre behaviour by the age of ten and as an adolescent he developed a severe case of hypochondria, thinking he was suffering many outlandish illnesses and symptoms.  He finally left home, convinced that his mother was attempting to poison him.  He shared an apartment with some people but his behaviour was getting more and more bizarre.  He was perpetually consuming alcohol, weed, and given his deteriorating mental state, LSD.   Most definitely not the best thing to be taking.

    His roommates were freaked out by him and they asked him to leave but he refused.  They chose to leave instead.   Chase then started killing animals, bringing them back to his apartment, eating their innards and drinking their blood.  He believed that if he carried on like this, it would prevent his heart from shrinking!  In 1975, he was committed to a mental institution, after he was found injecting the blood of rabbits into his veins.  In hospital, blood was found smeared around his mouth, which was discovered to be from birds.  After being subjected to psychotropic drugs, he was, in a move reminiscent of the British Government's attitude to the mentally ill in the 1980`s, deemed safe to be released back into the general public in 1976.  He had been diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic.  People were to suffer horrifically for this cavalier approach to Chase`s mental state.  He was released under the supervision of his mother, who slowly weaned him off his medication.

    A warning shot about his state occurred in 1977 when he was arrested in Nevada, where he was found covered in blood.  The vehicle he was driving, had a bucket of blood in it.  This turned out to be animal blood.  It was at the end of 1977, December 29th, that he drove past 51 year old Ambrose Griffin and shot him dead.  Two weeks later, he was trying doors and windows.  If they were locked, then obviously he was not welcome.  But if they were open....  One couple returning couple surprised him in their home.  He fled but not before he pissed and shat on their bed and clothes.  January 23rd 1978, he walked into the home of Teresa Wallin, who was pregnant. Chase shot her, raped her, stabbed her, removed organs from her body and drank her blood.  If this was not enough, he went outside, gathered up dogshit and forced it down the throat of the victim.  Four days later, on the 27th, he entered the home of 38 year old Evelyn Miroth.  Her friend Danny Meredith was there. He shot them both dead.  Then he turned his attentions to the children in the house.  Her 6 year old son, Jason was shot dead.  Then he turned to 22 month old nephew David Ferreira, sparing no quarter.  He then went back to the body of Evelyn, raped and cannibalized her.  A young boy who knocked on the door, startled Chase who fled in Evelyn`s car.  He also took the body of the baby.  Police quickly on the scene found a house of horrors, exactly like four days earlier.  They found perfect finger and foot prints in the blood.  He was quickly apprehended.

    On trial for six murders, the only defence to save him from the death penalty was an insanity defence.  One point the defence used was that Chase believed he needed to drink blood to stay alive.  The jury would not hear of it, and he was convicted and sentenced to death.  In prison, he told psychiatrists that he was being stalked and hounded by nazis & ufos.  He committed suicide in December 1980, after secretly saving up his medication tablets and taking an overdose.  Good riddance.

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