Paul Stephani got his nickname because of bizarre, high-pitched voice calls he would make to police after his murders. See below for the 6 most disturbing details of the episode. Due to your consent preferences, you're not able to view this. I always found this one creepy. Some believed it was just a sadistic form of clout Stephani was trying to gain, but he was able to give details only the killer wouldve known like the details in her apartment during the crime. She was a student from Wisconsin, who arrived in St. Paul on June 3, 1981. But the fact that he never turned himself in undermined his displays of remorse. [4] His fourth victim (and last murder victim) was Barbara Simons, a 40-year-old nurse on the Minneapolis side of the Mississippi River. 12th European Conference on Traumatic Stress - Academia.edu Bar staff were able to recognize Paul Michael Stephani. Name Born Age Birth_Place Died; Kadur, Paul: 02/12/1926: 80: Laubau, Germany: 12/30/2006 The beating was so violent that it exposed Potacks brain. He also confessed to the murders of Barbara Simons and Kathy Greening. Three hours later, police receive a call from a man wanting a squad to be sent to Pierce Butler Road, Malberg Manufacturing Company machine shop, because there was "a girl hurt there". Laci went missing on Christmas Eve, while 8 months pregnant. REAL CRIMINAL Without her asking to, he pulled over and began stabbing her with a screwdriver before she smashed a glass bottle across his face and escaped. 'Mark of a Killer:' 6 Most Disturbing Details About Weepy - TheWrap Stephani died of cancer on June 12, 1988. There, first responders found 20-year-old college student KarenPotack, who had been beaten and stripped nude in a snowbank. One difference in this case was that Stephani never called in about this crime, like in his other crimes. During thestrangemurder investigation, police gathered evidence from Stephani's recorded calls, but for nearly two years, it wasn't enough to find him. He never did. Stephani called authorities saying he needed help after he was hit in the head during a robbery gone wrong. Driving a car was part of life. the weepy voiced killer on We Heart It In 1997, Stephani said hell confess his crimes if he could get photos of his mothers grave site. "There's a girl hurt here," he wailed before abruptly hanging up the phone. Karen Potack was Stephani's first victim who survived severe wounds and brain injury in 1980. Stephani was arrested, and, despite his previous phone calls, refused to admit to his crimes. She sustained some of the worst injuries seen by investigators, but she lived. This case was also covered in an episode ("Rough Winds & High Waters") on the podcast My Favorite Murder on May 23, 2019. He was obsessed with Bjrk and over the course of 9 months, made several videos detailing how he was going to kill her with a letter bomb, among other things. of Victims The story also delves into how he was able to infiltrate a family and use their weaknesses to his advantage. Id rather kill myself than get locked up. The two met at the Hexagon Bar, after Stephani asked Simons for a cigarette, which she gave him. I cant stop myself. The tape shows flames consuming a house at night as an eerie voice whispers, Ancient spirit of evil. Knowing he needed medical attention, he contacted emergency services. He then took a screwdriver out of his glove compartment and began stabbing her. The caller said he needed an ambulance due to being all cut up.. He told police on the call where to find her and that there is a girl hurt there.. Despite the impossible, Potack survived yet had no recollection of the attack. "God damn, will you find me? During an interview with police, Stephani claimed he was the victim of a robbery. Turns out, it was 21-year-old prostitute Denise Williams, who had injured Stephani in the face and managed to get away. A nearby man heard screaming and came to the woman's rescue before calling authorities. Stephani's next victim was 18-year-old Kimberly Compton. It wouldnt be until years later that her death would also be attributed to the Weepy-Voiced Killer.. Kimberly Compton was the first one over in Saint Paul I killed more people Ill never make it to heaven! he cried. Nearly a year later in August of 1982, 40-year-old Barbara Simons was at the Hexagon Bar in Minneapolis. Kimberly Compton was the first one over in St. Paul. Williams told police of how a man offered her a ride home, and she took him up on the offer. Hes a lunatic. Although he didnt call the police after the murder of Kathleen Greening, he did contact them again after killing Barbara Simons on August 6, 1981. Travis was a serial killer in St. Louis who died in 2002. Obits Index - Germany - RootsWeb The 46-year-old from Erie, Pennsylvania was a pizza delivery man who got involved in a bank robbery that included a scavenger hunt and a homemade bomb strapped around his neck. Although she survived the attack, she was unable to identify Stephani due to her brain injuries. Born on Sept. 8, 1944, Stephani grew up on a five-acre plot outside Austin, Minnesota, with his mother, stepfather,and siblings. Founded in 2010, Thought Catalog is owned and operated by The Thought & Expression Company, Inc. For over a decade, we've been at the bleeding edge of media, pioneering an infrastructure for creatives to flourish both artistically and financially. Before moving onto his next victim, he phoned the police to apologize for the murder, Barbara Simons was a 40-year-old nurse living in Minneapolis, MN. However, there was a lot of blood and lacerations to the head that caused investigators to look into a possible homicide. In 1980 on New Year's Eve Paul Michael Stephani brutally attacked Karen Potack after abducting her from outside of a bar. Stephani, however, remembered no identifying information about the woman, only that he had drowned her in a bathtub. He called back, telling them that hell try not to kill anyone else, and this time, he was on the phone long enough for his call to be traced to a bus depot phone booth. He later said that he kept losing jobs and blamed the epilepsy he had suffered on his old job. Calls to 911 are typicallyfrantic and haunting, made by victimsin the aftermath ofemergencies. Once again, the killer called police and said: Please dont talk, just listen Im sorry I killed that girl. She called out for Greening but there was no reply so she started to search room to room. A year later, on June 12, 1998, Stephani died inside the Oak Park Heights maximum security prison infirmary. The man attempted to intervene, but the suspect threatened him and then fled the scene in his car. As police were attempting to track this man down, he attacked his final victim. When Det. Stephani claimed that his stepfather was sometimes abusive, reported local newspaper the Saint Paul Pioneer Press. The link I posted is an edited version, but I think you can find all the tapes on the internet. Denise manages to open the door but is stabbed several more times, her screams awake a man nearby, who confronts Stephani, causing him to flee. This week Alaina covers the weepy voiced killer for our 209th episode! After the attack, local police received a phone call at approximately 3AM. Her name was Karen Potack, a 20-year-old American Indian woman. Im sorry I killed that girl. Perpetrators of crimes don't usually call 911 on themselves. Furthermore, she was strangled with a shoe lace. She was beaten and stabbed. The killers wanted to be prolific murderers and chose Cassie only because they knew shed be alone. After that and the help of witnesses, they were able to narrow it down to eight men and took mugshots of them. Just think this animal could have ran into your sister or mother. A couple of days later, Stacey inexplicably vanished Penny Bell, a successful business owner, was stabbed to death in her car after apparently making an appointment with a client. Potack survived the attack, but she experienced brain damage and remembered nothing about the assault. Sergeant Joe Corcoran, who was interviewed for the episode, said he saw extreme rage in this one., With Potack, she had been so severely beaten that her brain had become exposed. There were no witness statements. Episode 200: The Weepy Voiced Killer - Morbid Despite the fact that the killer had by now left multiple phone calls, police still hadnt identified him. The fourth victim would 40-year-old nurse from the Minneapolis side of the river, Barbara Simons. (I favor the latter theory. And all I can say is Im sick and Im sorry if sorry means anything after 15 years. On June 12, 1998, the Star Tribune reported that he had died at the age of 53 at the Oak Park Heights prison from skin cancer complications. Stephani confessed to beating Karen Potack in 1980, fatally stabbing Kimberly Compton in 1981, drowning Kathleen Greening in 1982, fatally stabbing Barbara Simons in 1982 and stabbing Denise Williams in 1982. Stephani made his first call to the police at 3 a.m. on the morning of New Years Eve in 1980. We started talking and I told her Id show her around town, Stephani said. Paul Michael Stephani (September 8, 1944 June 12, 1998) also known as the Weepy-Voiced Killer was an American serial killer. Place of Death While police initially believed it was a prank call, one detail from the recording stood out the caller confessed that he had just stabbed somebody with an ice pick.. Theres a girl hurt here, he wailed before abruptly hanging up the phone. The serial killer, who was eventually caught and identified as Paul Michael Stephani, was ultimately responsible for the deaths of three known victims, and two more attempted murders. On the afternoon of June 3, 1981, a group of teenagers were playing in a field near a freeway construction site in St. Paul when they discovered the body of a young woman. At first, law enforcement thought it was a prank call, but when Stephani said he killed someone with an ice pick, police knew it wasnt a joke because thats how Compton had been murdered, a detail that had not been shared with the media yet. I just stabbed somebody with an ice pick. "[5], Stephani picked up a 19-year-old sex worker named Denise Williams on August 21, 1982, in Minneapolis. Maybe he knew something about her murder; maybe he was the murderer. Karen Potack was attacked in St. Paul after leaving a nightclub on New Year's Eve. I dont know why I stabbed her. Three incredible serial killer survival stories - Crime+Investigation UK No. Why Did 'Weepy Voiced Killer' Paul Michael Stephani Report His Murders On June 6 he called to say newspaper accounts of some of the murders were inaccurate. Male Couple is on their honeymoon and playing around in waist high water at the edge of a lake. He was found guilty of the murder of Barbara Simons but due to lack of evidence, he couldnt be tied to the other murders. Then at 5:45 p.m. a troubling trend. Here's The 11 Creepiest Pieces Of 'Found Footage' That You'll Never Be Modus Operandi On December 31, 1980, he beat Karen Potack to death while she was on her way home from a New Year's Party in Prescott, Wisconsin, and she was found naked in the snow, unconscious. Brown. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Before moving onto his next victim, he phoned the police to apologize for the murder, offering to turn himself in. [citation needed], The show Mark of a Killer featured the case on its seventh episode, titled "Killer Caller".[9]. Join Facebook to connect with Karen Potack and others you may know. Williams successfully reached for a glass bottle that was sitting in the footwell and smashed her attacker over the face before fleeing from his car. Five months earlier, on New Years Day 1981 at 3 a.m., someone called begging for assistance with the same weepy voice. He confessed his crimes to police and news stations, tearfully pleading that they make him stop. Lowhead dams are one of the most dangerous pieces of terrain in a river, and one of the things that makes them so dangerous is that they dont look dangerous at all. His final murder came on August 6, when he met 40-year-old Barbara Simons at a bar and then stabbed her over 100 times. Stephani was fired from his job at Malberg Manufacturing Company in 1977. Potacksurvived the attack, but she experienced brain damage and remembered nothing about the assault. The Staircase follows the trial of Michael Peterson after he reported in December 2001 that his wife had fallen down the stairs and died. Between 1980 and 1982, Minneapolis residents were being terrorised by a sadistic serial killer. The police found the video; it was labeled Your Wedding Day. The videos were so disturbing that the chief of police ordered counseling for all of the officers who saw them. Stephani killed four women in 1980 to 1982 in Minnesota and Wisconsin and would make phone calls to police after in a high-pitched and remorseful voice, saying he heard voices in his head and that he now wouldnt ascend to heaven. "Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes" (Netflix). He had never even been considered a suspect in the death of Greening; he never made a phone call to police following this murder. Meanwhile, loved ones told investigators that on the night Simons was killed, she went to the Hexagon Bar in Minneapolis. In 1980 on New Year's Eve Paul Michael Stephani brutally attacked Karen Potack after abducting her from outside of a bar. The year after confessing, Stephani died at the Oak Parks Heights maximum security prison. After killing her, he again contacted police pleading: God damn, will you find me? There was somebody telling me, Paul, its time to kill!'. Season 2 of Mark of a Killer kicks off on April 9 on Oxygen, and the first episode will feature the chilling case of a killer in the early 1980s in Minnesota, who became known as The Weepy-Voice Killer. Her body was discovered by a group of teenage boys in a wooded area north of Superior and Oneida Streets. She got to the bathroom and noticed that the light was on with the door partially closed. In all, he confessed to a beating attack in 1980, stabbing Kimberly Compton to death in 1981,[7] drowning Kathleen Greening in 1982, stabbing Barbara Simons to death in 1982, and stabbing Denise Williams in 1982. But was it all a hoax? After fleeing the scene, he returned to his apartment and found he was bleeding profusely. I cant stop myself. As the nightclub was closing at 1AM, her friends noticed that Potack was nowhere to be found; she had already left and was walking the short distance back home. I can't stop myself. Of course, if you just place a handbag on the table somewhere and don't give it any more attention, you will have a problem. Fortunately, Karen survived the horrifying ordeal, but had no memory of the attack due to her head injuries. He said during the killing of Greening, he felt like he was playing a game. Be sure to click the video to hear the Weepy Voiced Killer himself and his phone calls to police! I just wanted to warm her up and my mind snapped or something.2, Stephani was soon apprehended and was charged with attempted second-degree assault. That was one of few remorseful calls Paul Michael Stephani made to police. Cassie was murdered by two of her friends when she was alone, house sitting for family. When he called the St. Paul Fire Department asking for assistance, the department noticed the caller has aural similarities to the so-called Weepy-Voiced Killer phone calls. When Stephani was attacking his victims, I believe he was attacking his former girlfriend because he felt so betrayed by what she did to him, Det. As a matter of fact, those who didnt buy the accidental drowning theory pointed their finger at Greenings estranged husband. But if you don't have your stuff stolen in Texas, you should be safe in Germany as well. When reporters spoke to Stephani after his conviction, he told them that he would hear voices telling him to kill. On the morning they were scheduled to leave, Kellogg had planned to drive to Greenings home for breakfast before the duo departed. I keep killing somebody.". Victims Karen Potack (survived) Kimberley Compton, 18 Kathleen Greening, 33 Barbara Simons, 40 Denise Williams, 21 (attempted, escaped) Murderpedia: Paul Michael Stephani Paul Michael Stephani Wikipedia: Paul Michael Stephani Case questions use of voice analysis Serial Killer Communiques: Helpful or hurtful? Stephani was the last of ten children born into a Catholic family. The witnesses said he had a dark complexion and receding black hair. On June 6, he called to say newspaper accounts of some of the murders were inaccurate. He died in prison in 1998 from skin cancer.[8]. He went to a high pitch Right away it struck me as the voice that I heard on the recordings, Det. Despite monitoring, Stephani went to the city's red light district, solicited a prostitute named Denise Williams and had sex with her in his apartment. However, he was badly injured and called emergency services for medical attention. The two met at the Hexagon bar, after Simons gave Stephani an extra cigarette. A year later, on July 21, 1982, Kathleen Greening was found drowned in her bathtub. More than a decade after his convictions in 1997, Stephanireached out to law enforcement from behind bars to confess. Perhaps one of the most famous Netflix documentaries, "Making a Murderer" looks into the murder of Teresa Halbach, for which Steven Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey have been convicted for. It turns out he had a history of mental illness and assault. This would be the first in a string of bizarre an gruesome attacks on women that potentially would lead to murder. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. 2010 The Thought & Expression Company, Inc. Binghamton River Dam rescue attempt in 1975, 33 Unsolved True Crime Cases That Probably Have Simple Explanations, 27 Unresolved Mysteries That Are Worth Getting Sucked Into, 16 True Crime Docuseries On Netflix To Keep You Binging For Months, Heres All The Creepy Stuff Youll Learn From Ted Bundy: Falling for a Killer On Prime, Heres Your Official Recap Of Netflixs Stranger Things To Prep You For Season 3.