AKA “Crazy Charlie” “A one-man crime wave” “Mr. Prince” By: Kelsey Hecht pd 5

Background: Born on July 6, 1929 in Mound City, Missouri Youngest of 4 -3 older brothers (Arthur, Jesse Jr., and Floyd) Was raised in a broken home-parents divorced- mom remarried several times Charles’ father was an alcoholic and physically abused Charles and his brothers Due to this, he would inflict pain on the kids at school His older brother, Arthur, died suddenly of electrocution in front of Charles when they were flying a kite Father was an ex-convict (definition: a person previously found guilty of a crime)

Background continued.. Charles was bi-sexual -molested men and young boys as well as raped Michelle Steele Lived with mother and stepfathers for most of his young life but was all alone in his adult life He abused drugs and alcohol Was diagnosed with schizophrenia, sociopath, and mentally disturbed sex offender Got fired from multiple jobs- worked as a bowling alley attendant, truck driver, and a dishwasher at a local hotel Started his killing at age 31 Definitions: Molested: to subject an Individual to unwanted sexual contact Raped: unlawful sexual intercourse without consent Sex offender: a person who has committed a sex crime

Crimes Accused of Committing: CRIMEDATEVICTIM(s)PUNISHMENT Stole a truck from his job at the Iowa- Missouri Walnut Co. October 9, 1947No one specific just the companyReceived a 2 year suspended sentence Stole a 1937 Buick in St. Joseph, Missouri February 5, 1948Owner of the car was the only one impacted Sentenced 2 years in Missouri State Penitentiary Forged at $10 check at a gas station in Maryville, Missouri October 10, 1949NoneConvicted of forgery and was sentenced to 3 years in Missouri State Penitentiary Stole a 1951 Ford in Orrick, MissouriFebruary 5, 1955Owner of carSentenced to 4 years in Ray County Jail Attempted to abduct a 16 year old St. Joseph newspaper boy, Stephen Pellham, by threatening him with a butcher knife June 26, 1959Stephen PellhamSentenced to 5 years in Missouri State Penitentiary Raped and stabbed to death his fellow inmate at the Missouri State Penitentiary July 2, 1961Jerry TharringtonSent to solitary confinement for the murder since there was not enough evidence to convict him in court

CRIMEDATEVICTIM(s)PUNISHMENT Abducted a boy in Antioch, California and strangled the boy with his hands August 21, 1961Gilbert MartinezConvicted of the charges on December 12, 1972 Abducted a 6 year old Hispanic boy in San Fransico, California and sexually assaulted and beat him until found by a man who was walking his dog August 29, 1969Unknown name-6 year old boy (survived) Went before the judge for the charges of assault with attempt to commit sodomy and kidnapping but psychiatric evaluations (multiple ones) proved he was competent-went to trial and pleaded not guilty-sent back for more evaluations at the hospital and it was concluded that he could not stand trial (no actual punishment) Escaped from the hospital and was caught 90 miles away in Colusa, California- arrested under suspicion of auto theft and went by name of Richard Lee Grady June 2, 1971NoneSent to the prison state hospital at Vacaville then transferred to San Quentin Prison- forced to trial 3 years after the crime Abducted and murdered a 4 year old boy in St. Joseph, Missouri May 27, 1978Eric ChristgenMan by the name of Melvin Reynolds was falsely accused and convicted to life in prison for the Christgen murder Assaulted and attempted to kill a 7 year old boy May 3, 1979Thomas MortonArrested in Omaha but charges were dropped and he was sent to another mental health facility-Norfolk Regional Center Assaulted and committed sodomy on a 17 year old male October 9, 1980Unknown nameArrested under the name of Richard Clark in Lincoln, Nebraska and was discharged from the mental hospital

Knife fightJanuary 13, 1981UnknownArrested again under the name Richard Clark in Des Moines, Iowa-spent a short time in various Iowa mental health facilities Stabbed to death a man on the banks of the Mississippi River near Rock Island, Illinois June 20, 1981James L. ChurchillCharged later on for murder once he confessed on August 3, 1983 Attempted to abduct an 11 year old boy from a grocery store but the boy ran away July 16, 1981Todd PeersArrested under the name Richard Clark again-charges were dropped and he was sent to a mental hospital in Mount Pleasant, Iowa on an involuntary commitment Abducted a 10 year old boy from a shopping mall but the boy managed to get away and find his grandmother July 28, 1982Kerry HeissHatcher escaped before police arrived- no punishment Abducted and murdered an 11 year old girl in St. Joseph, Missouri while she was walking to her dentist appointment July 29, 1982Michelle SteeleCharged with first degree murder under the name of Richard Clark and the bond was set for $250,000. Sentenced to life in prison without possibility of probation or parole for 50 years

Definitions - Forged: To make a counterfeit - Abducted: To carry by force; kidnap - Solitary confinement: A form of imprisonment in which a prisoner is isolated from any human contact - Sexually assaulted: Involuntary sexual act in which a person is coerced or physically forced to engage against their will - Auto theft: Act of stealing a motor vehicle - Murder: The killing of another person without justification or excuse - Sodomy: Anal or oral sex between people - Kidnapping: Unlawfully seizing and carrying away a person by force or fraud - First Degree Murder: The killing of another human being under conditions specifically covered in the law - Probation: A criminal sentence consisting of a term of imprisonment that is suspended provided certain terms and conditions are met -Parole: Early release of a prisoner who is then subject to continued monitoring as well as compliance with certain terms and conditions for a specified period

Most Recent Crime-Evidence and Sentence Murder of Michelle Steele Evidence: nylon chords, his knapsack, his teeth matched the bite marks on Michelle’s body, and his shoes matched the imprints in the soil near the body, and was picked out of a line up Sentenced to first degree murder with out parole or probation for 50 years Served time at the Buchanan County Jail On December 7, 1984, an officer found Hatcher dead in his cell after he committed suicide by hanging himself (definition: the act or an instance of intentionally killing oneself)

Differential Association Theory Differential Association Theory best explains Charles Ray Hatcher’s criminal behavior. Charles was abused by his alcoholic father at a young age day in and day out. When he was not dealing with the abuse, he was dealing with bullies at school in which he eventually began to beat up on like his father would beat on him. When he was a boy, Charles’ parents split and his mother got remarried multiple times. Due to this, he was never able to form relationships very well since he never had good examples. Not being able to form relationships left Charles alone for most of his life. Differential Association Theory states that the criminal learned his criminal behavior through the interactions with others. This is shown through Charles’ background with his family. From encountering abuse from his father on a regular basis, Charles had to learn to defend himself and picked up on the techniques his father was using. Anger most likely built up in him and he began to take it out on other people. The early signs of this was shown through him abusing the kids at school. Being abused was all he had ever known. For this reason, these behaviors appeared as “right” in his eyes. Through the anger and the learned behaviors he developed throughout his youth, Charles Ray Hatcher is the perfect example of the Differential Association Theory.

Cultural References Books -Charles Ray Hatcher-Serial Killer Case File #3: True Crimes -By Matthias Jackman Movies/ TV Shows -None Songs -None