Men Who've Murdered Their Wives: A Comprehensive List Compiled by Our Sleuthers

[Luckyswife]

1977 Kenneth Trammell shot and severly wounded his Wife Elaine, and then shot and killed her mother Mildred.

In 1977 my Grandfather went to the hospital where his much younger wife had been admitted. Her mother Mildred sat with her. My Grandpa walked in and shot his mother-in-law dead, he also severly injured his wife Elaine. She walked with a bad limp until she died. After he was convicted and sent to prison, Grandma Elaine took my two Uncles and went into hiding for fear that the family would retailate. My Dad searched for his little brothers for over 10 years. My family would have never hurt her or the two boys, but everyone understood the trauma she had went through and never once blamed her for running.

After my Grandpa died in prison (as he should have), when my Uncles were about 16 and 17 they ran away and called my Dad. I remember leaving the second he hung up the phone. It was a great reunion and it was then that we learned how afraid their Mother was for thier safety around the family. But they (my Uncles) said they needed to know if thier brothers and sisters were mad at them or thier mom. Everybody missed everybody.

I remember my Dad made them call their Mom and she talked to my Dad and came down to our house that night. My Uncles actually came to live with us for awhile getting to know the family again. We still remain a very close tight nit family. Its amazing how one mans selfish actions can rip a family apart. I loved my Grandpa, but what he did was horrible and wrong and he didn't pay for his actions alone..we all did.

 

[borndem]

Green Beret Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald, as already mentioned, is a walking clinic in the study of Narcissism and sociopathy. He killed his pregnant wife and their two children in February, 1970. (Of course they married when she was several months pregnant.)

Their older daughter, the prosecution surmised, came into their bedroom in the middle of her parents' fight, and got in the way of a blow from a wooden bed slat that Jeffrey was delivering to his wife, Collette. The little girl's blood was found on the wall of the master bedroom. After MacDonald had finished killing his wife and older daughter, he then had to go and wake his younger daughter and in cold blood, kill her with an ice pick. He was convicted of two counts of 2nd degree murder of his wife and older daughter, and one count of 1st degree murder for the murder of his younger daughter. He's still in federal prison under 3 life sentences, but is a candidate for parole. And he still claims that his family was murdered by acid-taking hippies who were never found. All of the murder weapons belonged to the MacDonalds....

Oh, btw, he suffered a mild abrasion on his forehead, and one small puncture wound in his chest.

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What IS it with these men murdering their pregnant wives or GF's???
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[borndem]

Michael Peterson killed his lovely wife, Kathleen Peterson. I worked on that appeal (on the RIGHT side - of justice!) He also killed a friend of his in Europe. Her body was exhumed during the trial for the death of Kathleen and what was originally deemed an accident was found to have been homicide. VERY interesting case.

This case was made into a movie on Lifetime.

I was concerned when first dealing with the case on appeal - what if it really was an accident. After reviewing the evidence, I am absolutely, positively certain that he did it. The jury agreed.

May Kathleen rest in peace. Her death tore apart a family.

Hi, KathleeninNC - I am borndem in NC! I followed the Peterson case as well -- and YES, he did it!! I am just worried now that on his re-trial coming up soon, that he will get acquitted.

Any thoughts about Peterson's first wife's untimely death, Kathleen?? Or was there an owl there as well?? Or is it, "Have blowpoke will travel"??



ETA: Is the friend who was exhumed the same person as the woman I mentioned as his first wife? (Maybe they weren't actually married, I'm not sure.)

 

[borndem]

I read Carruth's story and I always hoped he was innocent. It seemed he had so much going for him, and I could never understand ( I do now after doing this for so many years) why he had to kill Cherica and try to kill his baby. It is always about money and getting rid of women. Ray had a career in football and he use to give back to his community. He was a young, successful guy. I don't know why he could not have chosen another way out. Was it that big of a deal to pay another ailmony for him? I know he may not have been playing another season due to an injury but he could afford it.

Shouldn't Carruth be up for parole soon?

Prayers for Cherica and baby.

Ray is/was a coward.

Gozgals


Link on Ray and story

http://crime.about.com/od/murder/p/raecarruth.htm


Snip

Rae Carruth was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder, shooting into an occupied vehicle and using an instrument to destroy an unborn child and was sentenced to 18-24 years in prison.

Snip

bbm

About that, Goz -- you're so right! Pay it, just take it on the chin... But over & over it seems that the husbands often think they are smarter than everyone else. And even though we hear "It's cheaper to keep her," which is so true, they don't do that, either. It seems they are in too big a hurry to just move on to something new...

And another pregnant wife/gf... What is it, what is it???:banghead:

Often it is because the wives talk to a marriage & family attorney & start things rolling toward separation & divorce. In the case of Bradley Cooper, here in NC, apparently he was intercepting his wife's emails, and he saw the first draft of the financial part of a divorce agreement -- he apparently did not know that these agreements almost always go back & forth between attorneys, usually reaching an agreement that barely resembles the first offer. The prosecution posited in court that this set Cooper off and within hours, his wife was dead from strangulation and dumped in an area not far from their house. He's doing LWOP, and their 2 beautiful daughters (child support is often the most expensive part of divorce) are living with their mommie's twin sister and her husband. Another very, very sad situation, but the girls are fine & happy we hear.

That scenario sounds like what Carruth may have wanted -- a no fault quick & easy out. It's an "All about me," kind of thing. Well, folks, here's another saying: "Crime doesn't pay."

And there's also Wrongful Death litigation...

I'll stop now...

 

[Landonsmom02]

We can add Jason Young to this list. He murdered his 5 month pregnant wife, Michelle Young, in 2006 in Raleigh NC. At the time, their 2 yr old daughter was left alone in the home with her mother's dead body for almost 12 hours. Jason was convicted in 2012.

 

[Landonsmom02]

Hi, KathleeninNC - I am borndem in NC! I followed the Peterson case as well -- and YES, he did it!! I am just worried now that on his re-trial coming up soon, that he will get acquitted.

Any thoughts about Peterson's first wife's untimely death, Kathleen?? Or was there an owl there as well?? Or is it, "Have blowpoke will travel"??



ETA: Is the friend who was exhumed the same person as the woman I mentioned as his first wife? (Maybe they weren't actually married, I'm not sure.)

Do you know when this retrial will start??

And the first woman, Elizabeth Ratliff, was a family friend. Not wife. IMO, if he gets away with Kathleen's murder, he will have gotten away with the murder of 2 women.

 

[MissJ]

What about the guy in southwest Ohio who was convicted of his wife's drowning in a bathtub? Ryan Widmer killed wife Sarah. Newlyweds I think. TIA

 

[STANDREID]

Yes and if are including Bluebeard Killers, G.J. Smith murdered several wives that way. I apologize if he's already been mentioned but the thread is too long for me to have time to go through all of it.:facepalm:

 

[chlban]

We can't count Drew Peterson as he has not yet been charged with any crimes... nor has he been judged in a court of law. Must be they don't have enough evidence against him, otherwise- I would think that he would have been arrested by now, and how many years has it been??

Don't forget.. innocent until proven guilty, folks. That's how the legal system works.

Did I miss something? He was tried and convicted for killing his 3rd wife Kathleen Savio and sentenced to 38 years which, considering his age is a life sentence. Of course he hasn't been tried for killing his fourth wife, so I suppose that could just be a coincidence...........

At any rate, he belongs on the list.

 

[borndem]

Somewhere in this thread is listed Ira Einhorn. I just did a quick search so I'm not sure how far back he's listed.

Actually I don't even like mentioning his name if possible. No need to give this piggy man any more attention. However, he contacted a Philadelphia reporter. She went to interview him. This is a link to the original letter the narcisstic creep face sent to her.

Holly Maddux was the victim of this monster. He's notorious in Philadelphia. At one point we had a cardboard face of him people would throw tomatos at. France kept him over there where he spent a bunch of years roaming free, marrying. Ms. Maddux was a beautiful woman. The Chief Of Police in Upper Darby now was at the time the Philadelphia Detective who found Holly's body in nutter's closet. His name is Michael Chitwood who is one heck of a Detective.

RIP Holly. I'm sorry your poor family suffered so. I'm glad this man is languishing in prison.

http://www.philly.com/dailynews/local/20101014_Einhorn_on_Einhorn___I_am_a_unique_pariah_.html

<Shudder> Yes, I know of this horror of a human being. He was called the Unicorn Killer after he murdered his GF, Holly Maddux. Put her body in a trunk & stored it in his apartment. This was in Sept. 1977. Residents complained of the smell. LE came & Einhorn gave an unbelievable answer.... and on and on. Awful, horrible ~man~.

 

[Andrew666]

Is Robert Fratta, who arranged a hit on his wife, Farah Baquer Fratta, in 1994, still alive?

 

[MelmothTheLost]

I think we need an actual list at the beginning of this thread.

 

[Swirlz]

These were all local to me:

Jonathan Crupi
Greg Surinaga
John Scala
John Johannessen
Arthur Ruben
John Pizon
Adiljan Anarbaev
Anthony Lopez
Pawel Pawliszyn
John Kane

This is all just from reading our local paper and are relatively recent so it must happen a lot.

 

[nah339]

My great-great uncle, but no MSM online.

 

[KarenUK]

I remember watching a Fatal Vows type documentary on either Investigation Discovery or Crime and Investigation Network a few years ago a young-ish man killing his pregnant wife. They were childhood sweethearts and very religious (from what I remember the womans father was involved in the church, but I'm not 100% sure). The story was that the man had been growing close with a colleague (I *think* he was an EMT but again, the memory is foggy), and he shot his wife in their home, later claiming he sold his gun and the person who bought it from him must have killed his wife.

Does this ring a bell with anyone, as I can't find it in Google searches. The Chris Watts trial and some repeats of the documentary on Scott Peterson made this case come to mind recently.

 

[KarenUK]

Ian Stewart killed his fiancee Helen Bailey, he targeted her after his first wives unexplained death and her vunerability after being widowed.
GUILTY - UK - Helen Bailey, 51, Royston, 11 April 2016 #11

 

[MajorHoople]

Richard Crafts, an airline pilot from Newtown, Connecticut, murdered his wife, Helle Crafts in 1986 and disposed of her body by freezing it and then using a woodchipper....

I was sorry to hear that Richard Crafts has been released from prison. I believe that he should have stayed there for murdering his wife Helle.

"Richard, as of January 2020, has been released from prison and is at a halfway house in New Haven."

Murder of Helle Crafts - Wikipedia

 

[MajorHoople]

Is Robert Fratta, who arranged a hit on his wife, Farah Baquer Fratta, in 1994, still alive?

Former Missouri City Police Officer Who Hired Hitman To Kill Wife Scheduled To Be Executed Tuesday

KHOU 11 - Jan 9, 2023

 

[MajorHoople]

Robert Fratta execution: Former Missouri City officer dies 29 years after plot to murder wife

Texas' first execution of 2023 closes a nearly 30-year ordeal involving a once-trusted member of a police department.

abc13.com

January 10, 2023

"A former suburban Houston police officer was executed Tuesday for hiring two people to kill his estranged wife nearly 30 years ago amid a contentious divorce and custody battle.

Robert Fratta, 65, received a lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville for the November 1994 fatal shooting of his wife, Farah. He was prounounced dead at 7:49 p.m.

Prosecutors say Robert Fratta organized the murder-for-hire plot in which a middleman, Joseph Prystash, hired the shooter, Howard Guidry. Farah Fratta, 33, was shot twice in the head in her home's garage in the Houston suburb of Atascocita."

 

[borndem]

bbm

About that, Goz -- you're so right! Pay it, just take it on the chin... But over & over it seems that the husbands often think they are smarter than everyone else. And even though we hear "It's cheaper to keep her," which is so true, they don't do that, either. It seems they are in too big a hurry to just move on to something new...

And another pregnant wife/gf... What is it, what is it???:banghead:

Often it is because the wives talk to a marriage & family attorney & start things rolling toward separation & divorce. In the case of Bradley Cooper, here in NC, apparently he was intercepting his wife's emails, and he saw the first draft of the financial part of a divorce agreement -- he apparently did not know that these agreements almost always go back & forth between attorneys, usually reaching an agreement that barely resembles the first offer. The prosecution posited in court that this set Cooper off and within hours, his wife was dead from strangulation and dumped in an area not far from their house. He's doing LWOP, and their 2 beautiful daughters (child support is often the most expensive part of divorce) are living with their mommie's twin sister and her husband. Another very, very sad situation, but the girls are fine & happy we hear.

That scenario sounds like what Carruth may have wanted -- a no fault quick & easy out. It's an "All about me," kind of thing. Well, folks, here's another saying: "Crime doesn't pay."

And there's also Wrongful Death litigation...

I'll stop now...

Oops.