Love Conquers All: The Women

Who Marry Convicted Serial

Killers

Dr. Mike Aamodt, Radford University, maamodt@radford.edu

Why Marry a Convicted Killer?

The Attraction
Notoriety
Celebrity status
Being associated with the worst of the worst
Being considered a rebel

Attraction to the bad boy

Need to nurture and save
Need for control
Intimate relationships

Cons can show great sensitivity

Lack of sex places focus on feelings and conversation
Sacrifice makes the relationship more important
Absence makes the heart grow fonder

Randall Woodfield
Crime
I-5 Killer
Killed 18, raped 60

Dates
Convicted June 26, 1981
Married April 25, 2001

Spouse
Previous marriage in prison that ended in
divorce after 6 months
Jennifer Lyn Coria in 2001

Prison Policy
Weddings held twice a year
Vows exchanged in wardens office
Got to honeymoon in the conjugal trailer

Angel Maturino Resendiz

Crime
Railroad Killer
Killed 9 people

Dates
Convicted in May, 2000
Sentenced to death
Engaged in 2001

Spouse
Nancy Resendiz (age 50)
Bachelors degree

Prison Policy
Resendiz is already married so it
does not recognize marriage

Ilich Ramirez Sanchez

Crime
Carlos the Jackal
Killed 83 people

Dates
Convicted in
Sentenced to life in France
Engaged in 2001

Spouse
Isabelle Coutant-Peyre
Lawyer

Wedding
Both are currently married and waiting for their
respective divorces

Ted Bundy
Crime
Killed over 30 people

Dates

Convicted 12-6-80
Sentenced to death
Married on February 9, 1980
Executed 1/24/89

Spouse
Carole Ann Boone (age 50)
Former friend

Wedding
Exchanged vows of intention in the
courtroom with a notary public present
Gave birth to Bundys daughter in 10/82
By 1986 out of Bundys life

Henry Louis Wallace

Crime
Killed 13 people

Dates
Convicted on 1/29/97
Sentenced to death
Married on June 5, 1998

Spouse
Rebecca Torrijas
Former prison nurse
23 years older than Wallace

Wedding
Married next to the execution
chamber

Richard Ramirez
Crime
Night Stalker
Killed 13 people

Dates
Convicted September 20, 1989
Sentenced to life
Married in 1996

Spouse

Doreen Lioy
Free-lance magazine editor
B.A. in English Literature
IQ of 152
Claims to be a virgin
"He's kind, he's funny, he's charming. I
think he's really a great person. He's my
best friend; he's my buddy."

Prison Policy

Angelo Buono
Crime
Hillside Strangler
Killed 7 people

Dates

Convicted in 1983
Sentenced to life
Married in 1986
Died in prison 9/21/2002

Spouse
Christine Kizuka
Mother of 3
Supervisor for the Employment
Development Department for the State of
California

Arthur Shawcross
Crime
Genesee River Killer
Killed 13 people

Dates
Convicted in 1991
Sentenced to 250 years
Married in 7/10/97

Spouse
Clara D. Neal
Former girlfriend

Wedding
Visiting room of the prison
Clara: It was nice and all. It took 10 years to
make the grade but I finally did it.

Lemuel Warren Smith

Crime
Killed at least 3 people in New York

Dates
Convicted in
Sentenced to death, later changed to life
Married in 1983

Spouse
Dawn Pepita Hall Simmons (46)
Famous writer (biographer of famous
women) who earlier in life had changed sex
from a male to a female

Wedding

Kenneth Bianchi
Crime
One of the Hillside Stranglers
Killed 7 people in California & Washington

Dates
Convicted November, 1983
Sentenced to life
Married September 21, 1989

Spouse
Shirlee Book (36)
Very unattractive
Wanted Bundy, settled for Bianchi

Wedding

Tex Watson
Crime
Part of the Manson Family

Dates
Convicted in 1969
Sentenced to life
Married September 7, 1989

Spouse
Kristin Joan Svege (20)
Read that his previous relationship ended
and then wrote him letters

Wedding
She wore an ankle-length white gown,
matching white shoes, and carried a flower
bouquet and Bible

James Earl Ray

Crime
Not a serial killer, but shot Marin Luther King

Dates
Convicted in 1969
Sentenced to 99 years
Married October 13, 1978

Spouse
Anna Sandhu (32, he was 50)
Was an artist for a TV station doing a
documentary on him
She proposed to him

Wedding
She wore an off-white pleated skirt with
matching crocheted blouse
Marriage lasted 12 years, he filed for divorce

John Wayne Gacy

Crime
Killed over 30 boys

Dates
Convicted March, 1980
Sentenced to life

Fiance

Sue Terry (43 in 1988)

Mother of 8
Wrote to him after seeing him in the paper
Relationship lasted a year until she was
finally convinced of his guilt

Serial Killer

His Age Her Age

Spouse

Art Shawcross

52

66

Clara Neal

Maturino Resendiz

43

50

Nancy Resendiz

Richard Ramirez

36

41

Doreen Lioy

Angelo Buono

51

Henry Louis Wallace

33

Randall Woodfield

41

Jennifer Lyn Coria

Ted Bundy

34

Carole Ann Boone

Tex Watson

34

Kenneth Bianchi

51

Christine Kizuka
56

20

Rebecca Torrijas

Kristin Joan Svege

Shirlee Book

How Do They Meet?

Personal ads
Pen pals
Professional Services
Lawyers
Psychologists
Prison guards

Visiting other inmates

Prison volunteers
During the trial
Jurors
Groupies

Lovely Couple

How They Met

Angelo Buono & Christine Kizuka

Introduced by first husband whose

cell was next to Buonos

Carlos the Jackal & Isabelle CoutantPeyre

She was his attorney

Ted Bundy & Carole Boone

She was a former friend

Henry Wallace & Rebecca Torrijas

Art Shawcross & Clara Neal

She was a former girlfriend

Randy Woodfield & Jennifer Lyn Coria She began visiting the prison
Kenneth Bianchi & Shirlee Book

She saw him on TV and wrote to him

Tex Watson & Kristin Svege

She read about him in the paper

Richard Ramirez & Doreen Lioy

She sent him a birthday card after

seeing him on TV. He asked her to
visit

Lovely Couple

Where They Got Married

Angelo Buono & Christine

Kizuka
Angel & Nancy Resendiz

Visitation room

Ted Bundy & Carole Boone

Courtroom during trial

Henry Wallace & Rebecca

Torrijas

Next to the execution chamber

Art Shawcross & Clara Neal

Visiting room

Randy Woodfield & Jennifer

Lyn Coria

Wardens office

Richard Ramirez & Doreen

Lioy

Lovely Couple

What They Wore

Angelo Buono & Christine Kizuka

Tex Watson & Kristin Joan Svege

She war an ankle-length white gown,

matching white shoes, and carried a
flower bouquet and a Bible

Henry Wallace & Rebecca Torrijas

She wore a pale green dress covered

with pink flowers and a pearl
necklace. Henry wore red prison
jumpsuit and black tennis shoes

Art Shawcross & Clara Neal

Kenneth Bianchi & Shirlee Book

She wore a floor-length white satin

gown, a veil, and white gloves

Richard Ramirez & Doreen Lioy

Doreen wore a white wedding dress

with chiffon sleeves. Richard wore a
blue prison outfit with no restraints.

Lovely Couple

The Wedding Party

Angelo Buono & Christine Kizuka

Angel & Nancy Resendiz
Ted Bundy & Carole Boone
Henry Wallace & Rebecca Torrijas

Wallaces attorney, the manager of

the death row unit, and a public
defender served as witnesses

Art Shawcross & Clara Neal

Randy Woodfield & Jennifer Lyn
Coria
Richard Ramirez & Doreen Lioy

Ramirezs brother, sister, niece, his

biographer, and 2 attorneys. No one
from her family attended, but 60
inmates did.

Lovely Couple

Can they consummate the

marriage?

Angelo Buono & Christine Kizuka

No, because he was not eligible for

parole

Tex Watson & Kristin Svege

Yes, spent honeymoon in the conjugal

trailer. They have 3 children.

Ted Bundy & Carole Boone

Not allowed to, but they did and

Bundy fathered a daughter

Henry Wallace & Rebecca Torrijas

No

Art Shawcross & Clara Neal

Yes

Randy Woodfield & Jennifer Lyn

Coria

Yes. They got to honeymoon in the

conjugal trailer

Kenneth Bianchi and Shirlee Book

No, they were denied permission to

use the conjugal trailer

Richard Ramirez & Doreen Lioy

No, and she was a virgin when she

was married

States Allowing Conjugal Visits

California
Connecticut
Mississippi
New Mexico
New York
Washington