Benjamin Atkins

Benjamin "Tony" Atkins (August 26, 1968 – September 17, 1997), also known as the Woodward Corridor Killer, was an American serial killer and rapist who murdered, tortured, and raped 11 women in Highland Park and Detroit, Michigan, during a period of nine months between December 1991 and August 1992.

All the victims were found in vacant buildings, all had been raped and strangled. Most of them had been murdered in the suburb of Highland Park. Many of the victims were working as prostitutes, and Atkins said he was motivated by a hatred of prostitution.

During his trial, it was revealed that Atkins himself was raped at age 10 and had witnessed his mother engage in prostitution.

He was convicted of eleven counts of first degree murder and one count of first degree sexual conduct and sentenced to eleven life sentences. On September 17, 1997, he died of an infection caused by HIV at Duane Waters Hospital, which is connected with the Egeler Correctional Facility in Jackson.

Biography

Atkins was born in Detroit to a mother ill-equipped to be a parent due to various issues. His father abandoned the family shortly after he was born. Mom worked as a prostitute and both parents had substance abuse problems.

Throughout his childhood, Atkins would be in and out of his mother’s care. Most of the time he lived in boy’s homes where he was a target of other children. The tormentors would physically and sexually assault young Atkins regularly. Employees of these homes would also abuse the boy and at the age of 10, Atkins was raped by a caseworker.

When living with his mother he would be forced to go to work with her. Atkins sat in the backseat of the car while his mother turned tricks in the front. His heart slowly filled with hatred for his environment and the people who were supposed to protect him.

Atkins’ life didn’t improve when he reached adulthood. After leaving his mother’s home for good, he sometimes worked as a pizza cook or did other low-skilled labor jobs. Otherwise, he lived a vagrant, homeless existence. In the early ’90s, Detroit was flooded with crack cocaine and Atkins became a frequent user. He enjoyed mixing his crack smoke with the warmth of alcohol as a way to survive the cold streets of the city.

In October of 1991, Atkins met and befriended prostitute Darlene Saunders. The two of them ventured into one of the countless abandoned buildings along Woodward Avenue to smoke crack. It started as two users going to get high together then turned into sadism.

When the drugs hit Atkins’ brain and the alcohol entered his bloodstream, he would morph into a monster. The rage he first experienced as a child was becoming impossible to contain as an adult. No matter the victim, they always had his mother’s face.

Atkins attacked Saunders then proceeded to rape and sodomize her. The woman luckily got away and he realized that he made a mistake. He could now be identified.

Two months after his first attack, Atkins struck again. In December of 1991, Debbie Ann Friday was found strangled to death in Highland Park. A couple of weeks later, the body of Bertha Jean Mason was discovered in an abandoned building. She had also been strangled.

Just weeks later, while demolishing a derelict building, workers came across the body of prostitute Patricia Cannon George. On January 25, 1992, the sodomized and strangled body of Vickie Truelove was located.

Law enforcement knew they had a serial killer roaming the city. They arrested Atkins at a vacant building and took him to the police station for interrogation. Since there was a lack of evidence to prove his guilt, he was released.

On February 17, 1992, the corpses of Valerie Chalk, Juanita Hardy, and an Unidentified Woman were discovered at the Monterey Motel in Highland Park. They were all found in different rooms. They faced the same torture as Atkins’ other victims.

Several weeks later, the body of Brenda Mitchell was found in an abandoned house. She had gone missing when she went with her two kids to the store. Mitchell was found almost completely naked, except for a scarf wrapped around her neck. A forensic examination determined that she had taken a lethal dose of drugs prior to her death, leading to it being classified as an overdose initially.

Days later, Vicki Beasley-Brown’s strangled body was found in Highland Park. Then, on June 15, 1992, the partially decomposed corpse of Joanne O’Rourke was discovered.

Authorities put many resources towards finding the man who was killing women at an alarming rate. A task force of investigators from Highland Park, Detroit, the Michigan State Police, and FBI were assembled. Luckily for them, a woman was about to come forward and positively identify the killer.

Darlene Saunders went to the police and told them about the attack she survived at the hands of Benjamin Atkins. He was arrested on August 21, 1992. Investigators questioned him and he categorically denied any involvement in the crimes. He claimed that he had no interest in women because he was a homosexual. After further interrogation, the police showed him the psychological portrait they had comprised of the killer. It fit Atkins perfectly.

According to the article “Serial killer dies 4 years into 11 life sentences,” by Joe Swickard of the Detroit Free Press, after hours of denials, homicide detective Sgt. Ronald Sanders asked for a shot at Atkins. “You never had a father,” Sanders said. “I have a son exactly your age. You need to get this off your chest. Talk to me.”

Atkins broke down. While working his way through five cheeseburgers, he confessed to the murders, including one victim that he had hidden in a secret basement beneath a vacant garage.

He described in detail the appearance of the victims and the clothes they were wearing. He also indicated the whereabouts of victims 10 and 11, Ocinena Waymer and LaTanya Showanda Smith.

Atkins told investigators that he killed all 11 of the women to prevent them from being able to press charges.

After a four-month trial, Atkins was found guilty and sentenced to 11 life terms. He brutally killed 11 women during a nine-month span. The FBI dubbed him “America’s fastest serial killer,” because of the large number of victims in such a short period of time before being apprehended.

Atkins’ childhood and traumatization at the hands of his mother made him develop such a deep hatred for women. Specifically, women who had the same occupation as her. The crack and alcohol gave the cowardly man the courage he needed to try and exterminate as many prostitutes as he could.

It pained him that he never had a father to guide him through life. It tore at his soul that his mother subjected him to grotesque and dangerous situations. They were supposed to be his protectors. He grew up to be just like his parents, then turned into an animal who preyed on vulnerable women. Abuse was the one constant in his life.

On September 17, 1997, Benjamin Atkins died in a prison hospital from an HIV-related infection. He was four years into his sentence and 29 years old.