Module 5 - Criminal Profiling

Lesson 2 - The Use of Criminal Profiling in Homicide Investigations

Disorganized Offender Case Study: Richard Trenton Chase

	Mugshot of Richard Trenton Chase - Image Source: Wikipedia.org Early Years Richard Trenton Chase was born in May 1950 into a middle class family in California, U.S.A. He had a very strict father with whom he was never close and an abusive mother. At age 10, Chase had trouble with bedwetting, he liked playing with fire, and he began torturing and killing cats. In his early teens, he began using drugs and alcohol heavily. He dated some girls in high school, but he stopped to avoid embarrassment when he discovered he had an erectile dysfunction. A Fragile Mental State After high school and into his twenties, Chase had trouble finding and maintaining employment as well as a place to live because of his strange behaviour and because he looked so unkempt. He was treated various times in psychiatric hospitals and was prescribed anti-psychosis medication that he did not always take. The strange behaviours that lead to this treatment included going into hospital emergency rooms and stating that his pulmonary artery had been stolen or killing dogs and rabbits, then drinking their blood and eating some of their raw organs. He said he did this to maintain his own blood levels, which he felt would disappear if he did not continually stock up. In addition, Chase often held oranges on his head, believing the Vitamin C would absorb into his brain through osmosis. Committed to a Mental Institution In 1975, Chase was sent to a mental institution when he contracted blood poisoning after injecting rabbit's blood into his veins. He escaped from the facility and went home to his mother. He was soon apprehended and sent to an institution for the criminally insane. In this facility, he killed some birds while outside and attempted to drink their blood. After undergoing months of what his physicians thought were successful treatments with various anti-psychotic drugs, in 1976 Chase was released into the care of his mother. Mrs. Chase felt Richard did not need to be on the antipsychotic medication he was prescribed; over time, she stopped giving it to him. First Two Victims In December 1977, Richard Chase shot his first victim, Ambrose Griffin, in a drive-by shooting outside her home. Just a few blocks away from her, he killed his second victim, Teresa Wallin, in January 1978. Blood was smeared all around Wallin’s house after Chase shot her, sexually assaulted her, and removed some of her internal organs. His Last Victims One mile away from the Wallin house on January 27, 1978, Chase entered the home of 38-year-old Evelyn Miroth. Once inside, he met Miroth’s neighbour, Don Meredith, whom he shot. Then, he stole Meredith’s wallet and car keys. Soon afterwards, he shot Evelyn Miroth, her 6-year-old son Jason, and Miroth's 22-month-old nephew, David. He sexually assaulted Miroth and consumed some of her blood. During this carnage, Chase was startled by a knock at the door by a six-year-old girl, a friend of the young Jason Miroth. The frightened girl alerted a neighbour who called police, but Chase fled the scene by stealing Don Meredith's car taking the 22-month-old’s body with him. Chase returned to his home with the body where he drank some of the dead toddler’s blood, ate some of his internal organs, and dumped the body at a nearby church. His Arrest and Trial Upon entering the crime scene, police discovered that Chase had left complete fingerprints, handprints, and shoe imprints in the blood that he had smeared around the home. These prints, in addition to a FBI criminal profile, led to the apprehension of Richard Trenton Chase in February 1978. In January 1979, the four-month trial of Chase began. He was found guilty of six counts of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to death, but he died of a drug overdose in prison before his execution. His Delusional Motive When Richard Trenton Chase was asked why he would drink the blood and eat the organs from some of his victims, he said that he needed to do this to prevent Nazis from turning his blood into powder. He believed that Nazis had planted poison beneath his soap dish. In countries such as Canada, Italy, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Australia, post-partum depression is allowed as a suitable defence against the charge of murder of a child by a mother, provided that a child is less than a year old.

Mugshot of Richard Trenton Chase

Early Years

Richard Trenton Chase was born in May 1950 into a middle class family in California, U.S.A. He had a very strict father with whom he was never close and an abusive mother. At age 10, Chase had trouble with bedwetting, he liked playing with fire, and he began torturing and killing cats. In his early teens, he began using drugs and alcohol heavily. He dated some girls in high school, but he stopped to avoid embarrassment when he discovered he had an erectile dysfunction.

A Fragile Mental State

After high school and into his twenties, Chase had trouble finding and maintaining employment as well as a place to live because of his strange behaviour and because he looked so unkempt. He was treated various times in psychiatric hospitals and was prescribed anti-psychosis medication that he did not always take. The strange behaviours that lead to this treatment included going into hospital emergency rooms and stating that his pulmonary artery had been stolen or killing dogs and rabbits, then drinking their blood and eating some of their raw organs. He said he did this to maintain his own blood levels, which he felt would disappear if he did not continually stock up. In addition, Chase often held oranges on his head, believing the Vitamin C would absorb into his brain through osmosis.

Committed to a Mental Institution

In 1975, Chase was sent to a mental institution when he contracted blood poisoning after injecting rabbit's blood into his veins. He escaped from the facility and went home to his mother. He was soon apprehended and sent to an institution for the criminally insane. In this facility, he killed some birds while outside and attempted to drink their blood.

After undergoing months of what his physicians thought were successful treatments with various anti-psychotic drugs, in 1976 Chase was released into the care of his mother. Mrs. Chase felt Richard did not need to be on the antipsychotic medication he was prescribed; over time, she stopped giving it to him.

First Two Victims

In December 1977, Richard Chase shot his first victim, Ambrose Griffin, in a drive-by shooting outside her home. Just a few blocks away from her, he killed his second victim, Teresa Wallin, in January 1978. Blood was smeared all around Wallin’s house after Chase shot her, sexually assaulted her, and removed some of her internal organs.

His Last Victims

One mile away from the Wallin house on January 27, 1978, Chase entered the home of 38-year-old Evelyn Miroth. Once inside, he met Miroth’s neighbour, Don Meredith, whom he shot. Then, he stole Meredith’s wallet and car keys. Soon afterwards, he shot Evelyn Miroth, her 6-year-old son Jason, and Miroth's 22-month-old nephew, David. He sexually assaulted Miroth and consumed some of her blood. During this carnage, Chase was startled by a knock at the door by a six-year-old girl, a friend of the young Jason Miroth. The frightened girl alerted a neighbour who called police, but Chase fled the scene by stealing Don Meredith's car taking the 22-month-old’s body with him. Chase returned to his home with the body where he drank some of the dead toddler’s blood, ate some of his internal organs, and dumped the body at a nearby church.

His Arrest and Trial

Upon entering the crime scene, police discovered that Chase had left complete fingerprints, handprints, and shoe imprints in the blood that he had smeared around the home. These prints, in addition to a FBI criminal profile, led to the apprehension of Richard Trenton Chase in February 1978. In January 1979, the four-month trial of Chase began. He was found guilty of six counts of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to death, but he died of a drug overdose in prison before his execution.

His Delusional Motive

When Richard Trenton Chase was asked why he would drink the blood and eat the organs from some of his victims, he said that he needed to do this to prevent Nazis from turning his blood into powder. He believed that Nazis had planted poison beneath his soap dish.

In countries such as Canada, Italy, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Australia, post-partum depression is allowed as a suitable defence against the charge of murder of a child by a mother, provided that a child is less than a year old.

Glossary Term: Erectile Dysfunction

the inability of a penis to become erect or to maintain an erection until ejaculation; also called impotence

Glossary Term: Anti-Psychotic Drugs

intended to control the symptoms of psychosis and in many cases are effective in controlling the symptoms of other disorders that may lead to psychosis

After studying Lesson 2, you should be able to…

compare the traits of an organized offender with those of an disorganized offender
identify a given criminal suspect(s) as being an organized, disorganized, or combination offender
describe the contents of a criminal profile report and explain the characteristics included in the report
analyze or create a criminal profile of a criminal suspect from a mock crime scene