Michael Lee Herrington

Murderer

2known / alleged victims

Similar offenders

Ervil LeBaron Murderer · USA · 1972 Ervil Morrell LeBaron (1925 to August 16, 1981) was the leader of a polygamous… 35 victims

Marvin Gray Murderer · USA · 1975 Marvin Gray was convicted killer who claimed responsibility for 23 slayings and… 23 victims

Charles Manson Murderer · USA · 1969 Charles Milles Manson (born November 12, 1934) was an American criminal and mus… 9 victims

Robert Reldan Murderer · USA · 1974 Name: Robert Reldan Robert Reldan was sentenced to life in prison on two counts… 8 victims

Dennis Duane Webb Murderer · USA · 1973 Defendant: Dennis Duane Webb · Victims: John Rainwater and Lori Rainwater · Cou… 7 victims

Gary Gene Tison Murderer · USA · 1967 Gary Gene Tison was serving life sentences at the Arizona state prison. He had… 7 victims

Random profiles

Floyd Tapson Murderer? · USA · 1987 Floyd Tapson was convicted by a jury in the Thirteenth Judicial District Court,… 3 victims

DR Dr. Etienne Deschamps Homicide · USA · 1889 Dr. Etienne Deschamps Dr. Etienne Deschamps had been born in France and had stu… 1 victim

Andrew Conley Homicide · USA · 2009 Andrew Conley was 17 years old when he strangled his little brother, Conner Con… 1 victim

Chelsea Richardson Murderer · USA · 2003 Chelsea Richardson was convicted by a Tarrant County jury in connection with th… 2 victims

OL Olan Robison Murderer · USA · 1980 Olan Randle Robison was a white man. He was 35 when he was sentenced to death i… 3 victims

CH Charles Noel Brown Murderer · USA · 1961 Charles Noel Brown was born in June 1933. He was the oldest of seven children i… 3 victims

Case Facts

Gender: male
Country: USA
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Date of birth: 1943
Age at first offence: 23
Characteristics: rape, serial rapist, sexual assault
Victim profile: Julia Beckwith, 10 / Sherryl Thompson, 18
Method of murder: St abbing with knife
Date(s) of murder: September/October 1966
Years active: 1966
Date of arrest: —
Status: Life imprisonment
Sentenced to two consecutive life terms plus 32 years

Case Summary

Case record: Michael Lee Herrington

Background

Michael Lee Herrington was born in 1943. He was the son of a Kansas City policeman. Herrington was regularly beaten by his mother, with a belt, until age 12, when "got tired and took it away from her." By age 23, he was working in Milwaukee as a shipping clerk and was married, with his wife expecting their first child.

Herrington owned a jet-black 1957 Chevrolet, which he treated as his pride and joy. Internal pressures mounted toward what he described as "an explosion of all this anger that I built up over the years."

The offences

On September 1, 1966, Mrs. Duane Troyer, a 34-year-old Oak Creek resident, was driving to work when another motorist pulled her over by means of a ruse. A stranger emerged from his car, described by Troyer as a "gray 1956 Chevrolet." The stranger slashed her with a knife, then fled when she began to scream. Mrs. Duane Troyer would survive her wounds.

On September 3, 10-year-old Julia Beckwith was raped, beaten and stabbed to death on a vacant lot in Milwaukee.

Six weeks later, 18-year-old Sherryl Thompson was found by her brother behind a Catholic church. She was partially nude, and her body was torn by 22 stab wounds, resulting in death.

A week after that, 11-year-old Kathleen Dreyer was accosted by a man who slashed her with a knife and left her bleeding on the street. The assailant escaped in a 1957 Chevrolet.

Investigation and arrest

Herrington was questioned as a suspect in the Beckwith case, and then released.

Herrington was arrested on the spot after a neighborhood boy spotted a car at a nearby gas station and summoned police from the crime scene. The arrest followed the accosting of Kathleen Dreyer, and the knife-slashing escape in a 1957 Chevrolet.

A search of Herrington’s vehicle turned up drugs and a stockpile of surgical instruments.

Confession and trial competence

While in custody, Herrington confessed to the Beckwith and Thompson murders, along with the stabbing of Kathleen Dreyer. He was found competent for trial.

Trial

Herrington was convicted by a jury on July 7, 1967, after 35 minutes of terse deliberation.

Sentencing

Herrington was sentenced to consecutive life terms for the two murders. An additional 30 years was added for attempted murder, for an aggregate of two consecutive life terms plus 32 years.

Outcome

Herrington received the above convictions and sentence structure and remained under sentence of two consecutive life terms plus 32 years.

Spotted an error, or have more information about this case?