Killer Stories with Harvey Guillén - “Crazy Charlie” Charles Ray Hatcher

Episode Date: June 22, 2020

He spent his life trying to escape jails, mental hospitals, and his urge to kill. From 1961 to 1982, Charles Ray Hatcher murdered at least four people, but he claims to have killed as many as 16 in Missouri, California, and Illinois. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Due to the graphic nature of this killer's crimes, listener discretion is advised. This episode includes discussions of murder, child sexual assault, and violence that some people may find offensive. We advise extreme caution for children under 13. On a warm summer day in June 1981, 51-year-old Charles Ray Hatcher downed his fourth beer. He threw the finished bottle against a rock on the Mississippi Riverbank, shattering it. His companion, 34-year-old James L. Churchill, laughed as Hatcher stumbled around looking for another drink. Churchill warned him against having more, but Hatcher told him to mind his own business. Churchill shrugged and took another swig of his own beer.

Hatcher finally located another bottle. He tried to open it on a nearby tree, but fell over in his attempt. Churchill cackled again. Hatcher glared at him, feeling. his body tense, his anger rising. He revealed his knife. Churchill was too drunk to notice. Hatcher pressed the blade of the knife against the bottle cap, popping it off. He took a swing of the beer and stared at the blade. Without even a second thought, Hatcher drove it into the center of Churchill's chest. In an explosion of rage, Hatcher stabbed Churchill nearly a dozen

times. He was completely overwhelmed by the urge to kill. It was one he'd spent his entire life trying to escape. Hi, I'm Greg Paulson. This is serial killers, a podcast original. Every episode, we dive into the minds and madness of serial killers. Today we're taking a deep dive into Charles Ray Hatcher, who killed four people, but confessed to murdering 16. I'm here with my co-host, Vanessa Richardson. Hi, everyone. You can find episodes of serial killers and all other Parcast Originals for free on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. To stream serial killers for free on Spotify, just open the app and type serial killers in the search bar. It's been confirmed that Charles Ray Hatcher murdered at least four people, but he claims to have

killed as many as 16 in Missouri, California, and Illinois, between 1961 to 1982. In today's one-part episode, we'll dive into how Hatcher went from committing petty crimes like burglary and car theft to abducting young children and murdering his victims. We've got all that and more after this. This episode is brought to you by ZipRecruiter. Whether you're hiring for a role or searching for a killer, the hunt can be exhausting. When detectives looked and searched to find any kind of evidence to find the person they were looking for, like Jack the Ripper, the Gold. holding state killer, the unit bomber. It's tedious work to find what you're looking for.

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You win? Must be 21 to enter. On a windy spring day in 1935, 6-year-old Charles Ray Hatcher hoffed and puffed trying to catch up with his three older brothers on their rural street in Mound City, Missouri. Hatcher joined 11-year-old Jesse Jr., 9-year-old Floyd, and 7-year-old Arthur, as they huddled in front of an old Ford Model T car. Arthur showed off his discovery, a copper wire. It was the final element they needed for their homemade kite. Arthur fashioned the wire into the frame.

Jesse Jr. found a discarded newspaper to form the sail. Floyd gathered some string and tied it on to make the line and spool. They yelled and argued about who got to fly the kite first. Arthur suggested they go and order the oldest to youngest. Hatcher, the youngest brother, begrudgingly agreed. Hatcher watched with glee as Jesse Jr. and Floyd each maneuvered the kite gliding in the wind. When it was Arthur's turn, he had a few close calls, flying too close to a nearby tree, pulling the kite back at the last second.

Hatcher yelled and whined to Arthur to let him have his turn. Finally, Arthur relented and offered the line and stole to Hatcher. But as Hatcher reached out for it, the kite flew into a high-voltage power line, A large electric current ran through the copper wire to Arthur. Hatcher watched his brother die instantly. The trauma deeply affected Hatcher. He started lashing out at school.

When he was bullied, he retaliated by beating up his classmates. Vanessa is going to take over on the psychology here and throughout the episode. Please note, Vanessa is not a licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist, but she has done a lot of research for this show. Thanks, Greg. According to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, children who experience the death of a sibling may have intense reactions known as childhood traumatic grief.

The symptoms are associated with post-traumatic stress disorder and include engaging in risky behavior, experiencing anger and irritability, and having problems at school. Not long after Arthur's death, Hatcher's family fractured even further. His father Joseph Sr. moved out and his parents divorced. By the time he was 16, Hatcher's mother had remarried, and the family moved to nearby St. Joseph, Missouri. He tried to make the most of the fresh start, but his bad behavior in school continued.

At 18 years old, he dropped out and started working. In 1947, he became a truck driver for the Iowa-Missouri Walnut Company. As author Terry Ganey describes in his book, Innocent Blood, a trucker, true story of obsession and serial murder. Hatcher hauled logs for two weeks without incident, but on October 9, 1947, he got drunk and hastily stole one of the trucks. Hatcher committed petty crimes like car theft for material gain. He likely wanted to sell the stolen truck. But he didn't get that far. The Iowa-Missouri Walnut Company reported the theft to the police. Hatcher brought the truck back the next day, while he was still intoxicated and admitted what he did.

It isn't clear if he felt guilty about what he'd done or if he merely wanted to avoid punishment. Either way, the trucking company fired Hatcher and pressed charges. He was convicted of auto theft and received a suspended sentence of two years. He didn't have to serve time in jail as long as he stayed out of trouble. If he was convicted of another crime during that period, he'd have to serve time. served two years in jail. But he didn't learn much from the lenient sentence. At 19, Hatcher was hired to wash dishes and do other odd jobs at the St. Francis Hotel in St. Joseph. He came into contact with many out-of-town visitors and their fancy cars. In the winter of 1948, Hatcher noticed

a 1937 Buick parked right by the hotel. The full-size cars were famous at the time for their long, elegant front hood. It was a classic car that he could get a lot of money for upon resale. He slipped behind the wheel, got the car to start, and drove off. But a fancy car like that stuck out in the small Missouri town. Hatcher was quickly caught by police. He received a second conviction for automobile theft and was ordered to serve out his two-year jail sentence at the Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City. However, Hatcher was released early in June 1949, serving less than three-fourths of a sentence. The exact reasons for Hatcher's early release are unknown, but overcrowding in the jail may

have been a factor. Missouri State Penitentiary, which was nicknamed The Walls, was one of the largest prisons in the country at the time, and housed over 5,000 inmates. Jamie Pamela Rasmussen's book, Missouri State Penitentiary, 170 years inside the Walls, detailed that the jail cells held up to six inmates at a time. For a nonviolent offender like Hatcher, he may have benefited from the lack of space. Hatcher spent the next 10 years in and out of prison. He was convicted of several more petty crimes like forgery and auto theft. He even tried to escape a few times, but was always reincarcerated.

By the time he was released at age 29 in March 1959, Hatcher showed that he hadn't reformed during his time in prison at all. He escalated his crimes from petty crimes to violence. Hatcher hastily stole another truck. He drove around the city on June 26, 1959, and he noticed 16-year-old Stephen Pelham selling newspapers on the street. Hatcher swerved to pull over the truck and asked him the boy wanted to ride. He said no. Then Hatcher got out and stood still on a sidewalk. As the crowds of people passed by him, Hatcher was frozen. watching the boy. During a quiet moment on the street, he approached Pelham.

Hatcher held up a sharp butcher knife and, in a low, stern voice, he ordered Pelham to come with him. Pelham took one look at the knife, backed away, and ran off. He yelled for help. Hatcher rushed back to the truck and drove off. Later, Pelham reported the incident to the police. Hatcher attempted to flee the city, but police recognized the stolen truck and pulled him over. He was arrested yet again. This incident was Hatcher's first known violent crime.

His impulses were likely emboldened by the fact that he was set free several times after being convicted of multiple car thefts and frauds. Inside the criminal mind author, Dr. Stanton E. Saminau said that criminals who have committed many crimes develop a feeling of invulnerability. They take bigger risks and commit more serious offenses. This time, Hatcher faced a more serious charge. On November 20, 1959, 30-year-old Hatcher was convicted of attempted abduction and auto theft. He received a five-year prison sentence at the Missouri State Penitentiary.

But Hatcher entered Missouri State Penitentiary feeling like a notorious criminal who had survived the walls many times before. He boasted to his fellow inmates that he was the most notorious criminal since Jesse James, and soon he'd have his own larger-than-life reputation. Coming up, Hatcher takes the lives of his first victims. Now, back to the story. Charles Ray Hatcher spent most of his early adulthood establishing a reputation as a petty criminal. Police caught him stealing cars, using a forged check,

and attempting to abduct a teenage boy. He served a decade of cumulative jail time and hastily tried to break out of prison several times. In November of 1959, 30-year-old Hatcher walked back into Missouri State Penitentiary, bragging about his crimes. He'd initially acted purely on impulse, driven by monetary gain. When he saw an opportunity to make a quick buck, he took it. But now, Hatcher wanted to be known as a notorious criminal,

the Jesse James of Missouri, and soon he'd take his first life. early in the morning on July 2nd, 1961, the prison kitchen crew reported for work. The guards noticed two inmates from the crew were missing, 31-year-old Hatcher and Jerry Tharrington. Prison authorities found Therrington's corpse on the kitchen loading dock. Police later determined that Therrington had been raped and stabbed to death. Hatcher was their number one suspect for the crime. However, authorities didn't have enough evidence to charge or charge. convict him. But just because they couldn't add more years to a sentence didn't mean they couldn't

punish Hatcher. He was sent to solitary confinement on August 21st, 1961. Solitary confinement has been known to be extremely rough on the inmates who go through it. Social psychologist Craig Haney pointed out that the brutal practice has caused inmates to experience panic attacks, depression, paranoia, and hallucinations. If the prison authorities wanted to punish Hatcher, this would have been an effective tactic. Hatcher remained in solitary for a few months, but on January 18, 1962, he couldn't take it anymore. He asked for help.

In a letter to the prison's corrections officer, 32-year-old Hatcher requested to see a psychologist. If he was evaluated and found mentally unfit, he'd have a shot of being moved out of solitary confinement and into a mental ward. He hoped he could then leverage that into an early release from his sentence. But the psychologist caught on to Hatcher's plan right away. Hatcher was declared mentally competent and denied psychiatric treatment. In spite of this, he still got his early release, likely due to overcrowding.

On August 24, 1963, 34-year-old Charles Hatcher walked out of the walls one last time. After more than a decade battling the Missouri police, he decided that the best way to avoid more jail time was to move. He headed west to California. Hatcher ended up in the San Francisco Bay Area. He had evolved as a criminal and learned to cover his tracks. At some point, he obtained a fake driver's license using the name Hobart Prater, probably to avoid further jail time under his own name. But his impulses were still just as dark.

He targeted young boys once more, and his crimes continued to get more brutal. On August 27, 1969, 40-year-old Hatcher was driving in Antioch, California, when he noticed 12-year-old William Freeman. Hatcher watched as the boy rode his bike with a tennis racket in hand. Hatcher stopped the car and approached Freeman, pretending like he was lost. He asked the boy for directions to a nearby creek. The boy hadn't heard of it and rode away. Hatcher followed Freeman and told him all about the creek.

It was located right by a tennis court. Freeman's eyes lit up at the mention of the sport. He really wanted to learn how to play. Hatcher told Freeman it was his lucky day, claiming to be very good at tennis. He offered to teach the boy. Freeman said he needed to ask his parents first, but Hatcher persisted.

At least come see the tennis court with him first, it would just take 10 minutes. Freeman agreed and got into Hatcher's car. Police found Freeman by the creek, strangled to death. Hatcher grew bolder after Freeman's murder, following his urges more often, but with mixed results. On August 29, 1969, Hatcher noticed 5-year-old Gilbert Martinez and a 6-year-old girl on a San Francisco street.

Hatcher watched Martinez and the girl as they, I asked the man in an ice cream truck if he had any extra treats for them. The man of the truck shooed them away. Hatcher approached the truck and bought an ice cream cone. He walked over to Martinez and the girl. Hatcher told the children that he was lost and he would give the cone to whoever could help him. Both kids raised their hands. But Hatcher picked Martinez and gave him the cone.

The girl started to cry. She said it was unfair. Hatcher walked away with Martinez. The girl ran off to find her parents. The young girl complained to her parents that Martinez got ice cream and she didn't. When she told them how he'd gotten the ice cream, the parents immediately went off to look for Hatcher and the boy. Somewhere in the remote Bernal Heights area,

Hatcher began beating and sexually assaulting Gilbert Martinez. A man named Roger Galatois was walking his dog in the same area. The dog stopped to do its business. The man looked around the street and noticed something in the darkness. He saw Hatcher assaulting and raping Martinez. The man ran off to call the police. Upon arrival, the authorities immediately arrested Hatcher. The young boy was still alive,

but Hatcher refused to answer any questions about the attack and insisted that his name was Albert Ralph Price. Police eventually managed to identify Hatcher using FBI records. Despite the fact that police, had confirmed his actual identity, 40-year-old Hatcher still called himself Albert Ralph Price in court on September 12, 1969. He faced charges of assault, attempt to commit sodomy, and kidnapping. During the trial, he refused to answer questions and maintained that he wasn't Charles Ray Hatcher. The court questioned if he was fit to stand trial, and the judge ordered him to undergo psychiatric

evaluations. He underwent several mental evaluations in late 1969 at California State Hospital. Hatcher acted confused, disconnected from reality, and told doctors that he heard voices. He described vivid delusions and he attempted suicide several times. Hatcher's symptoms confounded the hospital doctors and staff. In the next year, he received several diagnoses, including passive-aggressive personality, sexual deviancy, and pedophilia. The hospital staff, however, believed that Hatcher was faking everything in order to stay out of prison. It's a practice known as malingering, a determination that is not made lightly. Malingering has several careful criteria for diagnosis.

According to a 2005 article in current psychology, Dr.'s Philip J. Resnick and James K. Nol wrote that a key to identifying malingering is if a patient describes having rare or improbable symptoms. Hatcher's description of his rare symptoms seemed to fit the criteria for malingering, but his suicide attempts were taken seriously by staff. For two years, doctors at California State Hospital examined Hatcher. When the 41-year-old's trial finally began on May 24, 1971, Hatcher pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. even though he had previously been deemed competent to stand trial. He was sent for more psychological evaluations at another hospital.

During the evaluation on May 27, 1971, Hatcher gave his name as Albert Price and recounted a falsified history of his life. This doctor determined that Hatcher was unfit to stand trial. Hatcher was placed in the hospital full time, but it only took a few days for his illicit. impulses to resurface. On June 2nd, 1971, 41-year-old Hatcher escaped. He stole a car and traveled 90 miles northwest to Colusa, California. A week later, police caught and arrested Hatcher on charges of auto theft. But this time, Hatcher went by the

alias Richard Lee Grady, and the police took his word for it. They didn't know he was Charles Ray Hatcher. His scheme worked until he was recognized by the staff at the California State Hospital. He was brought back to the facility on July 15, 1971, for psychological evaluation, and the staff immediately identified him as Albert Price, Hatcher's other alias. Once his real identity was exposed, Hatcher resumed telling the hospital staff he had all kinds of strange symptoms. The staff still believed he was faking, so Hatcher took it first. by involving other patients in his antics.

He raged to them about the voices in his head. By April 4, 1972, hospital authorities said that Hatcher showed no improvement from treatment, and he was endangering the safety of everyone at the hospital. He was eventually transferred to San Quentin prison in San Francisco in August of 1972. He was scheduled to face trial for his 1969 assault of six-year-old Gilbert Martinez once again, and was assigned a public defender as his attorney. Trying to help his defense, Hatcher wrote a letter to his attorney. Unfortunately, his plan backfired.

The letter was used as evidence that Hatcher was capable of rational thinking. It exposed that all his bizarre behavior was just an act. In subsequent court-ordered psychological evaluations, doctors determined that Hatcher was fit to stand trial and that he was of mentally sound mind during the crime. On December 12, 1972, 42, 42-year-old Hatcher, still under the name of Albert Price, was finally tried of assault, sexual assault, and kidnapping. During his sentencing, a month later, he was classified as a mentally disordered sex offender.

He was sent back to California State Hospital, despite the fact that his previous treatment there did not seem to have any impact. According to psychiatry law scholar Barbara A. Weiner, studies from the late 1970s and early 1980s found that older white offenders who had committed sexual crimes, like Hatcher, were more likely to receive the MDSO classification and be committed to mental hospitals. In comparison, black and Latino sex criminals were twice as likely to be sent to prison and not be considered a mentally disordered sex offender. Even though Hatcher was spared from going back to prison, he wasn't happy about being committed, and neither was the hospital staff. He spent the first three months of 1973 telling the hospital staff about the voices he heard and all the weird things he thought he was seeing. The doctors and nurses at California State Hospital put up with his antics, but they knew he was malingering again, and all the while Hatcher was looking for a way out. On March 28, 1973, 43, 43-year-old Hatcher noticed a large truck filled with coolers parked in the hospital courtyard. He saw workmen unloading food from the truck, and he got an idea.

He could sneak out by hiding in one of the coolers. Hatcher snuck into a supply closet and took two bed sheets from the shelves. He stuffed them into his pants for warmth. He shuffled out into the hall toward the lobby. During a quiet moment, the four-de-one. 43-year-old rushed out of the lobby doors of the hospital. He quickly ran to the truck, opened one of the coolers, and got inside. At 5 p.m., the workmen started to pack up the truck.

Hatcher sighed with relief. But security guards began to open the coolers, one by one. When the guards lifted open his cooler, Hatcher openly admitted that he was trying to escape. California State Hospital authorities determined that he was a threat to society, was sent to a medium security prison in Vacaville, California, where he received another psychological evaluation. Psychologist W.D. Lewis, who met Hatcher in May 1973, said that Hatcher was a manipulative, institutionalized sociopath.

Sociopathy is now known as antisocial personality disorder. According to the definition laid out in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Hatcher displayed several features of APD, including repeated lying, lack of concern for others, and failure to conform to lawful behavior. On June 15, 1973, Lewis recommended that Hatcher be transferred to a maximum security prison, but Hatcher made it well known that he didn't want to go. Ten days later, he took drastic action to avoid the transfer.

He slid his wrists in a suicide attempt. survived and was placed in the medical ward. He kept telling doctors that he heard voices and had wild delusions, hoping that he'd be sent back to California State Hospital. With one doctor, it worked. Hatcher received a diagnosis of schizophrenia and paranoia. They didn't send him back to the hospital, but allowed him to remain in Vacaville instead of moving to maximum security.

Hatcher got a job in the prison kitchen, just like he once did in Missouri. He remained in the jail for several years without trying to escape, and he even showed improvement. In August of 1975, 46-year-old Hatcher had a parole hearing. Garts told the board that he was well-behaved, and he always performed his tasks. He received an early release on May 20, 1977. This time, the 47-year-old had assistance re-entering into society. He was placed into Home Care Services Center, a halfway house located in San Francisco. Home care services required Hatcher to be home every night by the 9 p.m. curfew.

Doctors directed him to take nine prescribed pills each night. But Hatcher was only able to abide by these rules for five days before he felt the urge to escape again. In a moment, Hatcher returns to his home state to kill. Now back to the story. For most of his adult life, Charles Ray Hatcher had been in and out of prison. By the time he was released in 1977, his behavior had actually shown remarkable improvement. The 47-year-old was paroled on May 20th and placed into a halfway house with strict rules. But within five days, Hatcher decided he had enough of all the house rules.

He quickly grabbed all of his belongings, snuck out the front door, and never came back. Hatcher fled California and headed eastward. He was briefly spotted in Wilmar, Minnesota, but by May of 1978, Hatcher was back in his hometown of St. Joseph, Missouri, where his impulses took over again. On May 26, 1978, he saw four-year-old Eric Christian

walking with his babysitter at a shopping mall downtown. The babysitter left the boy alone for a few minutes to buy a flag. Hatcher walked up to the young boy and lured him away with some candy. When the babysitter returned, Christian was gone. Hatcher left them all with the boy and drove him to a weeded area by the Missouri River. Hatcher sexually assaulted and suffocated Christian. But Hatcher knew he was still on the St. Joseph Police's radar from all the crimes of his youth. He didn't want to risk getting caught again.

So for his next crime, he drove two hours north to Omaha, Nebraska. and took on a new name. Hatcher called himself Richard Clark in Omaha, and it wasn't long before this name was just as sullied as his real one. The city's police arrested the 48-year-old on September 4, 1978 for sexually assaulting a 16-year-old boy. Despite going by a new name, Hatcher was still very much himself, and he used all of his old tricks to get out of any jail time.

He claimed to experience delusions and refused to answer questions. Still posing as Clark, Hatcher was sent to Douglas County Mental Hospital and was later released. The Omaha police did run his fingerprints, but Hatcher's record never came up as a match. In Jack Rosewood's book, Charles Ray Hatcher, The True Story of Crazy Charlie's Killing Spree, he explained that at the time, the police jurisdictions where Hatcher was previously arrested, never processed his fingerprints, so they weren't in the national database. Hatcher caught onto this small detail, and he realized that he could keep getting away with his crimes as long as he used aliases.

Hatcher left Illinois for Iowa to evade any suspicion. But after his attempt to abduct a young boy from a supermarket failed, 53-year-old Hatcher returned to St. Joseph, Missouri, in the summer of 1982. On the morning of July 29, 1982, 11-year-old Michelle Steele insisted to her mother Annette that she could walk to the dentist by herself. So Annette let her. Michelle went on to her 10.30 a.m. dentist appointment solo.

Hatcher noticed Steele walking back from the dentist at 11.30 a.m. He trailed behind her at first. While they waited at a crosswalk, Hatcher told her she was wearing a pretty dress. Steele thanked him. He mentioned that he saw her exit a dentist's office and asked if she had any cavities. She shook her head no. So he offered to buy her candy as a reward.

Steele looked him up and down. He didn't seem scary or mean, and she did want to celebrate her successful appointment. She nodded and walked with him. He led her to his car, but she protested, wanting to stay nearby. He said he wanted to take her to a store, with the best candy. It would only be a short drive. Steel relented and got inside the car. But during the drive, she noticed that they weren't on the way to a store. Hatcher took steel to a Missouri riverbank. It was around noon, and several people saw them together in broad

daylight. She protested, but he claimed this was just a short stop. They would head to the store after. Hatcher led her to a wooded area with several fell blogs. In that spot, Hatcher stripped steel naked, beat her, and strangled her to death. When Annette Steele got home from work at 3.15 p.m. and realized her daughter wasn't home, she called the police. The cops began a search and found Michelle's naked, bruised corpse between two logs the next day. At the same time, Hatcher voluntarily checked himself into St. Joseph State Hospital. He told the staff that his name was Richard Clark. that he was hearing voices speak to him.

It's likely that Hatcher was trying to get ahead of police and perhaps thought he could get a lesser sentence this way. Unaware of his true identity, police built a case against Hatcher as Richard Clark. His photo was included in lineups, and witnesses picked him as the man they saw that day at the river with Michelle Steele. Police matched the bite marks on Steele's body to Clark.

In addition, his shoes matched the soil, imprints that police found by Steele's corpse. On August 3rd, 1982, Hatcher was charged with first-degree murder for the killing of steel. But as Richard Clark, he pleaded not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. As a result, Hatcher underwent two more psychological evaluations. The first doctor concluded that Hatcher understood his charges and he could stand trial. The second doctor took a different approach. This doctor injected Hatcher with a truth serum, sodium amadol. As the doctor questioned him, Hatcher claimed that he heard a demonic voice say he needed to

sacrifice the maiden. Despite this unorthodox interrogation, the doctor determined that Hatcher was faking his delusions and making up excuses to justify his violence and impulses to himself. The 53-year-old was ultimately, ruled competent to stand trial. Hatcher stayed in Buchanan County Jail as his trial date approached. On May 3rd, 1983, he passed a piece of paper to a deputy. The paper had a message scribbled on it. Hatcher wrote, please call the FBI and tell them I would like to see them today. Very important case. That day, 54-year-old Hatcher confessed the full extent of his crimes to FBI agent, Joel Holstag.

Hatcher wanted to trade the information so that authorities would give him the death penalty. He wanted to die rather than wrought in prison. In his meetings with Hulsag, Hatcher confessed to the murders of 4-year-old Eric Christian and 34-year-old James Churchill. Hatcher also claimed that he'd murdered 16 men and young boys in total. There isn't much evidence to support this. All we have is Hatcher's word. And the confessions seemed to ignore the killing of Michelle Steele.

entirely. On October 13, 1983, 54-year-old Hatcher received a life sentence for the murder of Eric Christian. A year later, he was convicted of murdering Michelle Steele and received a life sentence with no parole for 50 years. Despite these definitive jail sentences, Hatcher still tried to wriggle out of the hands of justice. He filed a motion for a new trial on December 3, 1984. But he was denied. So Hatcher decided to take his fate into his own hands. On a cold winter morning on December 7, 1984, the Buchanan County jail guards walked around the cell blocks. One shined his flashlight into Hatcher's cell.

He had hung himself with a piece of electrical wire. Guards tried to revive him, but Hatcher was already dead. Hatcher's story ended with one final impulse, one last attempt to escape from jail. This time, he got what he wanted, but it cost him his life. Thanks again for tuning in to serial killers. We'll be back soon with a new episode. For more information on Charles Ray Hatcher, amongst the many sources we used, we found Innocent Blood, a True Story of Obsession and Serial Murder by Terry Ganey,

and Charles Ray Hatcher, the truth. story of Crazy Charlie's killing spree by Jack Rosewood, extremely helpful to our research. You can find more episodes of serial killers and all other Parcast Originals for free on Spotify. Not only does Spotify already have all of your favorite music, but now Spotify is making it easy for you to enjoy all of your favorite parcast originals, like serial killers, for free from your phone, desktop, or smart speaker. To stream serial killers on Spotify, just open the app and type serial killers in the search bar. We'll see you next time.

Have a killer week. Serial Killers was created by Max Cutler and is a parcast studio's original. Executive producers include Max and Ron Cutler, sound designed by Carrie Murphy, with production assistance by Ron Shapiro,

Carly Madden, and Travis Clark. This episode of serial killers was written by Mallory Carra with writing assistance by Abigail Cannon and stars Greg Paulson and Vanessa Richardson. A beloved 75-year-old man washing up getting ready for bed is brutally beaten and killed. Despite an exhaustive investigation, the killer avoids arrest and then strikes again.

I'm Global News crime reporter Nancy Hixed. You might listen to a lot of true crime podcasts this year, but they're not crime beat. Search for and follow the award-winning podcast Crime Beat on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you find your favorite podcast. Do you want to hear something spooky? Some monster, it reminded me of Bigfoot. Monsters Among Us is a weekly podcast featuring true stories of the paranormal. One of the boys started to exhibit demonic possession.

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