At the scene, police discovered the nude body of a 27-year-old woman posed oddly.
Three women were continuously murdered and then posed strangely with many similarities, making the police know that they were facing a serial killer and pervert.
First murder
On Saturday morning, June 23, 1990, there was only half an hour left before the McDonald’s store in Bellevue city, Washington state, USA would open. Inside, the manager is yelling because last night’s trash hasn’t been taken out yet. Jimmy, the store employee, quickly brought everything to the back, where the trash is collected together with the steakhouse next door.
As soon as he walked out the back door, Jimmy saw something in front of him, right in the middle of the alley. The dim early morning light impaired his vision. The thing was white, long and twisted like a tree branch.
Jimmy stopped and squinted, thinking it might be an injured animal. He crept closer and realized it looked like a mannequin of a woman. But this mannequin looks too real, too naked. Going a few more steps to see clearly, Jimmy became panicked and afraid. Rushing back to the store, he ran to the phone, dialed the police number and shouted into the receiver.
Within minutes, the alley became abuzz with police uniforms and patrol cars. What Jimmy discovered was the nude body of a woman.
At the scene, police confirmed that the victim had died. The body was wearing nothing but small jewelry, and there were no bullet or stab wounds, but one unusual thing was that the body was strangely posed. A large coffee cup lid covered the victim’s right eye. One leg crossed over the other, arms folded across the stomach and holding a pine cone. The investigation agency determined that someone had spent a lot of time arranging the body.
The initial estimated time of the victim’s murder was from 2:30 a.m. to 5:20 a.m. But the employee of the steakhouse next door said he went to take out the trash at about 3:15 a.m. and didn’t see anything at that time.
Death while going to a nightclub
The autopsy report showed that the victim was strangled and brutally beaten, causing serious injuries to the liver and spine. The cause of death was trauma to the right head caused by a heavy blunt instrument, to the point of fracturing the skull. The culprit then also abused the body, a detail that caught the attention of investigators.
According to police, this girl was not killed behind the McDonald’s but was dumped there after being attacked. Injuries after the victim is dead and spending a lot of time with the body is not common among criminals.
The victim’s identity was quickly determined to be Mary Ann Pohlreich, 27 years old. Mary works at a medical device manufacturing company and is described as sweet and outgoing. Friends said Mary loved going to nightclubs and believe she went to one of their favorite spots on the night of her murder.
The nightclub owner later confirmed that Mary was there the previous night. Worth mentioning, Mary’s wallet and car were left there. Police determined that she had no intention of leaving here but was forced.
7 weeks later, while authorities were still investigating Mary’s case, another shocking murder occurred just over 3km from where Mary’s body was found.
Horrible scene
Just before sunrise on August 9, 1990, Carol Ann Beethe returned to her house more than 3km from where Mary’s body was found. Carol is a beautiful, blonde, slim 35-year-old nightclub bartender. She is divorced and lives with her two daughters.
On the evening of August 9, she focused on her work, turning her back on all the men looking at her on the bar stools. Carol didn’t realize there was a pair of eyes paying special attention to her from behind the flickering flame of the candle on the table in the corner of the room.
Carol left the nightclub at 2:00 a.m. and went straight home. A neighbor walking his dog later told police he saw Carol unlock the front door and enter the house. She seemed a bit drunk and went alone, with no one around. It was about 2:30.
Carol gently opened the door to look at her two daughters, 9 and 13 years old, sleeping peacefully. Even though she didn’t want to leave her children alone at night, Carol felt somewhat reassured because her ex-husband often came by the house to check on them.
After a whole day of work, Carol seemed exhausted. She showered quickly and got ready for bed at 3 o’clock. Carol looked out the moonlit door that she rarely closed the curtains on because behind it was her house’s private yard. Carol also doesn’t lock the door very often. It was this mistake that made the killer find an easy entrance.
Third murder
A few hours later, the 13-year-old daughter realized that her mother had not yet gotten up to go to work. Entering the room, the girl witnessed a terrible scene. Carol lay dead on the bed from being hit in the head, completely naked and wearing only a pair of red high heels. The body was abused and posed strangely.
Those who had denied the presence of a serial killer began to become confused, especially after, on August 31, a young woman was murdered in her bedroom in Kirkland, Washington, 8km from Bellevue.
The victim was lying on his back on the bed, his body had many stab wounds. The perpetrator brutally beat her with a baseball bat. The victim’s throat was stuffed with a sex toy and in her hand was a book called “Sexual Joy”.
The victim was identified as Andrea “Randi” Levine, 24 years old. She often visited a number of nightclubs in the area like the two previous victims and was loved by the men here for her wit. On the night of his murder, Andrea went out drinking with some of his girlfriends.
Friends don’t remember which man Andrea talked to or teased that night. They only knew that her spirit was not very high and said that she felt tired. They guess Andrea left alone after midnight, in her favorite pickup truck.
After three murders with many similarities, the police realized they were facing a serial killer and needed to find the culprit before he continued to commit crimes.
Surprising Suspect
The autopsy report of the victim Andrea “Randi” Levine revealed a new clue. The bruises on one of her fingers indicated that the ring she always wore had been removed during the attack. Investigators believed that if they could find the ring, they could find the culprit.
All those with prior convictions or records of violent crimes around the Bellevue city area were questioned. However, no one was near the crime scene at the time of the murder. Despite the challenges, the police did not give up. They knew that sooner or later, the killer would make a mistake. And they were right.
On September 12, 1990, Robyn Oldenburg, living in Bellevue, was preparing for a trip when she heard a strange sound, like someone knocking heavily on the window.
Initially, Robyn thought she might be mistaken, but then the noise continued. Robyn followed her instinct and called the police. Upon arrival, the police found the anti-theft net on Robyn’s door was missing. Someone was trying to break into her house.
The police then identified the suspect. It was a man who drove away as soon as the police arrived. Investigators traced this person to be George Russell. George had an arrest warrant for impersonating a police officer and had multiple previous law violations, mainly theft.
Upon hearing the news, Robyn was shocked because George was someone she knew and had a good impression of due to his cheerfulness and fun personality.
Troubled Childhood
George was born in 1958, his parents separated when he was only 6 months old. Before that, his mother got married because she was pregnant but didn’t want motherhood to interfere with her goal of obtaining a college degree. One day, her husband returned from work to find his son alone at home, with a note from his wife saying goodbye. Terrified at the thought of becoming a single father, the man then handed George over to his grandmother.
When George was 6 years old, his mother suddenly returned with her new husband, a dentist named Wonzel Mobley, and took George with her. Family life went on normally until the early high school years, when George’s mother once again left her second husband and her son. George was deeply hurt by being abandoned twice before the age of 16.
Eventually, George dropped out of school, despite his stepfather’s objections. Many nights, George and his friends would break into houses to steal things to sell for money. Often in the early hours, Wonzel had to get out of bed, drive to the jail to bail out his stepson who had just been arrested. George was imprisoned 24 times.
George’s crimes became more frequent and serious. At night, he would dress in dark clothes, break into houses where people were sleeping inside, steal cash, jewelry, and personal souvenirs. He often stood beside the beds of sleeping women, silently watching them.
Shortly after, Wonzel remarried. George’s relationship with his new wife wasn’t very good. Eventually, he gave his stepfather an ultimatum, demanding that he only choose one person.
At the age of 17, George roamed the streets. He had many friends willing to provide him with free accommodation. Sometimes George would choose a park bench on pleasant weather days or run to someone’s house if it rained. For 15 years, George survived on the kindness of people he rarely knew and unlocked windows.
By the age of 21, George had become a familiar face at many bars. He had no legitimate job, often carrying all his possessions, including a collection of pornographic magazines in a fabric bag, to stay at the house of a new friend who didn’t know his past. George lied that he was an undercover cop at night. Most of the people who befriended George thought he was a great guy. George also frequented nightclubs to find lovers.
When questioned, George denied murdering the women and refused to provide DNA or hair samples. The police had no physical evidence linking him to the murders. But as the investigation expanded, they found new leads.
Blood Stain in the Car
A witness had seen the victim Mary Ann Pohlreich at the nightclub just before she was killed. Her 1984 Chevrolet Camaro was still parked in the adjacent lot the next day. The police believed that Mary might have left this place with her killer.
Meanwhile, another witness also saw George leaving with a woman, but couldn’t confirm if it was Mary or not. Nevertheless, the witness remembered that night George arrived at the club with a female friend.
Authorities quickly identified this friend. He admitted that George borrowed his pickup truck that night to take a girl home. The next morning, when returning the truck, George said it needed cleaning because the girl had vomited.
However, the friend distinctly remembered smelling blood in the car and seeing a series of unidentified stains on the front seat. The car was subsequently seized and examined. The results showed Mary’s blood inside.
The Stolen Ring
Additionally, after interviewing George’s coworkers, investigators uncovered the missing ring of the victim Andrea “Randi” Levine. They learned that immediately after Andrea was killed, George gave the ring to a woman he was dating.
Upon retrieving the ring, the police checked and confirmed it belonged to Andrea. This was the clearest evidence linking George to the murder.
At the time of his arrest, George was living with three college students. They knew nothing about his past or criminal behavior. Inside the apartment, the police found strands of hair identified as Randi Levine’s that George had stuffed in backpacks.
During George’s trial at the end of 1991, the prosecution used DNA test evidence from hair, semen, and blood. John Douglas, the famous FBI profiler, also testified about finding a typical pattern in rape and murder cases, and the close time frame of all three murders pointed to one perpetrator.
The jury concluded that George was guilty of the deaths of the three women. In November 1991, he was convicted of one count of second-degree murder and two counts of aggravated murder.
George’s sentence was two life sentences plus an additional 28 years in prison. According to court records, George is currently incarcerated at the Clallam Bay Corrections Center.
