Eli Stutzman
Eli Stutzman Jr. (20th September 1950 - 31st January 2007) was an American Amish man nicknamed "The Amish Serial Killer" due to his suspected involvement in two unsolved murders and confirmed involvement in the murder of Glen Pritchett, and the strong suspicion that he killed his wife and son.
Confirmed murders edit
- Glenn Pritchett: On 12th May 1985, Glenn Pritchett, Stutzman's roommate and suspected homosexual lover, was found dead in a ditch, having been shot twice in the head. Stutzman left soon after the murder, and was later charged and convicted for Pritchett's killing following his arrest for abandoning and concealing a body, serving 13 years of a 40 year sentence before he was paroled.
Unconfirmed murders edit
- Ida Stutzman: Shortly before Stutzman broke from the Amish church, his pregnant wife Ida died in 1977 when the Stutzman house mysteriously burned down. Although the cause of death was officially a lightning strike setting the house alight, some believe that Stutzman burned the house down to kill her as he didn't want a second child.
- Dennis Sleater and David Tyler: In November 1985, drug dealer Dennis Sleater was shot and killed in what appeared to be a robbery gone wrong at the shop where he worked. One month later, his acquaintance and fellow drug dealer David Tyler was murdered. The murders were deemed to have been connected, and as Stutzman attended a party with Sleater and Tyler shortly before the killings, it is now suspected by the authorities that he may have had something to do with it.
- Danny Stutzman: On 24th December 1985, the body of a little boy was found by the road. Two years later, it was identified as Stutzman's son Danny, who had last seen being driven away by Stutzman. Stutzman was arrested, and claimed that Danny had died of a throat infection and he had concealed his body by the road. As authorities could not confirm how Danny died, Stutzman was only charged with concealing a corpse, although he was subsequently convicted of the murder of Glen Pritchett.
Death edit
On 31st January 2007, Stutzman's apartment was searched by the police after a neighbour reported that he had gone missing. Stutzman was found dead inside the apartment with his wrists slit. His death was ruled to be a suicide as a result of the fact that he had recently been diagnosed as HIV Positive. It was also noted that he had a high amount of cocaine in his system at the time of death.