Alphabet murders
Encyclopedia
The so-called "Alphabet murders" (also known as the "double initial murders") took place in the early 1970s in the Rochester
, New York area; three young girls were rape
d and strangled. The case got its name from the fact that each of the three girls' first and last names started with the same letters (Carmen Colon, Wanda Walkowicz, and Michelle Maenza) and that each body was found in a town that had a name starting with the same letter as the girl's name (Colon in Churchville
, Walkowicz in Webster
and Maenza in Macedon
).
While hundreds of people were questioned, the killer was never caught. One man, considered to be a "person of interest" in the case (he committed suicide
six weeks after the last of the murders), was cleared in 2007 by DNA
testing. In the case of Carmen Colon, her uncle was also considered a suspect until his suicide in 1991.
Another suspect was Kenneth Bianchi, who at the time was an ice-cream vendor in Rochester, vending from sites close to the first two murder scenes. He was a Rochester native who later moved to Los Angeles, and with his cousin Angelo Buono committed the Hillside Strangler
murders between 1977 and 1978. Bianchi was never charged with the alphabet murders, and he has repeatedly tried to have investigators officially clear him from suspicion; however, there is circumstantial evidence in that his car was seen at two murder scenes. Bianchi has denied committing the murders, and has also attempted to get his name removed from the police investigators' lists in Rochester. He remains under suspicion.
In 2001, the Discovery Channel
aired a program revisiting the murders. A 2008 film called The Alphabet Killer
was very loosely based on the murders. In 2010, a book called Alphabet Killer: The True Story of the Double Initial Murders was released by author Cheri Farnsworth, detailing the actual events, from the time they occurred through to the present. On April 1, 2011, the AMC network aired a short-form documentary regarding the murders titled Countdown to The Killing: The Alphabet Murders.
On April 11, 2011, 77-year-old Joseph Naso, a New York native who lived in Rochester in the 1970s, was arrested in Reno, Nevada, for four murders in California dating back to 1977. His alleged victims were named Roxene Roggash, Pamela Parsons, Tracy Tofoya, and Carmen Colon (not the one listed in Rochester, but another person of the same name). All four women are described by authorities as prostitutes. Naso is being looked at as a "person of interest" in the Alphabet Murders in New York. Naso was a professional photographer who traveled between New York and California extensively for decades.
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
, New York area; three young girls were rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
d and strangled. The case got its name from the fact that each of the three girls' first and last names started with the same letters (Carmen Colon, Wanda Walkowicz, and Michelle Maenza) and that each body was found in a town that had a name starting with the same letter as the girl's name (Colon in Churchville
Churchville, New York
Churchville is a village in Monroe County, New York, United States. According to the 2000 census, the population is 1,887. The village is named after Samuel Church, an early settler....
, Walkowicz in Webster
Webster (town), New York
Webster is a town in the northeast corner of Monroe County, New York, United States. The town is named after orator and statesman Daniel Webster. The population was 42,641 at the 2010 census....
and Maenza in Macedon
Macedon (town), New York
Macedon is a town in Wayne County, New York, United States. The population was 9,148 at the 2010 census. The town is named after the ancient Macedonian Kingdom of Macedon, the birthplace of Alexander the Great....
).
- Carmen Colon, 10, disappeared November 16, 1971. She was found two days later, 12 miles from where she was last seen. Although found in the town of RigaRiga, New YorkRiga is a town in Monroe County, New York, United States. The population was 5,590 at the 2010 census.The Town of Riga is southwest of the City of Rochester on the western border of the county...
, the village of Churchville is the town's center of population, and the town of ChiliChili, New YorkChili is a town in Monroe County, New York, USA. The population was 28,625 at the 2010 census. It is a suburb of the city of Rochester.The Town of Chili was established in 1822 from part of the Town of Riga....
is nearby. - Wanda Walkowicz, 11, disappeared April 2, 1973. She was found the next day at a rest area off State Route 104 in Webster, seven miles from Rochester.
- Michelle Maenza, 11, disappeared November 26, 1973. She was found two days later in Macedon, 15 miles from Rochester.
While hundreds of people were questioned, the killer was never caught. One man, considered to be a "person of interest" in the case (he committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
six weeks after the last of the murders), was cleared in 2007 by DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
testing. In the case of Carmen Colon, her uncle was also considered a suspect until his suicide in 1991.
Another suspect was Kenneth Bianchi, who at the time was an ice-cream vendor in Rochester, vending from sites close to the first two murder scenes. He was a Rochester native who later moved to Los Angeles, and with his cousin Angelo Buono committed the Hillside Strangler
Hillside Strangler
The Hillside Strangler is the media epithet for two men, cousins Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono, who were convicted of kidnapping, raping, torturing, and killing girls and women ranging in age from 12 to 28 years old during a four-month period from late 1977 to early 1978...
murders between 1977 and 1978. Bianchi was never charged with the alphabet murders, and he has repeatedly tried to have investigators officially clear him from suspicion; however, there is circumstantial evidence in that his car was seen at two murder scenes. Bianchi has denied committing the murders, and has also attempted to get his name removed from the police investigators' lists in Rochester. He remains under suspicion.
In 2001, the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
aired a program revisiting the murders. A 2008 film called The Alphabet Killer
The Alphabet Killer
The Alphabet Killer is a 2008 thriller-horror film, loosely based on the Alphabet murders that took place in Rochester, New York between 1971 and 1973. Eliza Dushku stars as the main character, alongside Cary Elwes, Michael Ironside, Bill Moseley and Timothy Hutton...
was very loosely based on the murders. In 2010, a book called Alphabet Killer: The True Story of the Double Initial Murders was released by author Cheri Farnsworth, detailing the actual events, from the time they occurred through to the present. On April 1, 2011, the AMC network aired a short-form documentary regarding the murders titled Countdown to The Killing: The Alphabet Murders.
On April 11, 2011, 77-year-old Joseph Naso, a New York native who lived in Rochester in the 1970s, was arrested in Reno, Nevada, for four murders in California dating back to 1977. His alleged victims were named Roxene Roggash, Pamela Parsons, Tracy Tofoya, and Carmen Colon (not the one listed in Rochester, but another person of the same name). All four women are described by authorities as prostitutes. Naso is being looked at as a "person of interest" in the Alphabet Murders in New York. Naso was a professional photographer who traveled between New York and California extensively for decades.
See also
- The A.B.C. MurdersThe A.B.C. MurdersThe A.B.C. Murders is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on January 6, 1936 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company on February 14 of the same year...
, a 1936 detective novel by Agatha ChristieAgatha ChristieDame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to...
describing a similar series of killings
External links
- New York State Police Homicide Victim, Wanda Walkowicz case profile
- Website for the Alphabet murders, aka Double Initial murders