I think we’ve all heard of these. Some guy murders a bunch of people, perhaps in a particularly newsworthy way. All of a sudden, he’s getting tons of fan letters from the opposite sex. In fact, there’s actually a technical term for this sort of thing, “hybristophilia.”
Here’s a list of the top women who actually married their “bad boys.” I’m listing them in rough order of interestingness/renown. Let’s see what we’ve got.
Arthur Shawcross / Clara Neal
Him: Raped & killed 2 pre-teens; got out of prison 12 years later and then killed 12 sex workers
Her: ???
Them: She was 66; he was 52
How they met: Had a long-running affair before his conviction; he used her car to prowl for victims & gave her jewelry he took from their bodies (both of which helped the cops nail him)
Marriage: After Shawcross’s previous wife passed away
Ever after: He died in prison; she ???
Phil Spector / Rachelle Short *
Him: Genius, but highly unstable record producer who was convicted of shooting an actress in his home
Her: Former waitress at Jerry's Famous Deli, Playboy model, aspiring singer/songwriter
Them: He was 69; she was 26
How they met: At Hollywood restaurant Dan Tana’s, where they were introduced by a mutual acquaintance
Marriage: When he was out on bail
Ever after:
- He divorced her after 10 years, citing “irreconcilable differences” (possibly meaning she spent all his money); died in prison
- She cut a record, got a private investigator license & continued to live in his palatial home until just this year
Jack Henry Abbott / Naomi Zack
Him: In prison for forgery, bank robbery & manslaughter, he was freed by some NYC liberal intellectuals in quite the cause celebre (they thought he had some writing talent); 6 months later he stabbed a waiter in a Manhattan cafe
Her: Philosophy instructor at the Univ. of Albany, with a PhD from Columbia
How they met: While Abbot was in prison the second time; wrote a book together
Marriage: 1988-???
Ever after: He committed suicide in jail; she went on to become a full professor, write 13 books & act as editor for 5 more, and is currently at CUNY
James Earl Ray / Anna Sandhu *
Him: Avowed racist & 2-bit crook who murdered Martin Luther King Jr., Nobel Peace Prize winner & father of the Civil Rights movement
Her: Divorcee, formerly married to an Indian man (her family disowned her when she married him)
Them: Shared an interest in art
How they met: At his trial, where she was a sketch artist
Marriage: In the visiting gallery at Tennessee's notorious Brushy Mountain state prison; divorced after 10 years, she was upset that she wouldn’t be making any money off of Ray’s soon-to-be-published book
Ever after: He died in prison; she went into hiding, suffered depression, married another prisoner, was arrested for animal cruelty (she was a crazy “dog lady”), and now makes money off her paintings
Charles “Tex” Watson / Kristin Joan Svege *
Him: On of Charlie’s kids (see below), accounting for most of the “dirty work”
Her: 20-year-old born-again Christian
How they met: After Tex became a born-again Christian; she wrote him
Marriage: In prison; honeymooned in an on-site trailer
Ever after: Divorced after 24 years & 4 kids; he’s still in the slammer
Erik Menendez / Tammi Saccoman
Him: With his brother (see below), shot-gunned their wealthy parents from behind while they were sitting on the family room couch; went on a $700K spending spree before the police put two and two together
Her: Widow (her husband committed suicide), with infant daughter
Them: She was 37; he was 28
How they met: She wrote him after watching the trial on TV
Marriage: Their wedding cake was a vending machine Twinkie; 23 years and going strong
Ever after: He’s still in the pokey; she appeared on TV & wrote a book
Lyle Menendez / Anna Eriksson, Rebecca Sneed
Him: See Erik, above
Her: Divorcee, former model (including in Playboy) and salon receptionist
How they met: She watched the trial on television and felt sorry for Lyle, who seemed to be getting less attention than Erik
Marriage: Done over the phone
Ever after: She divorced him after 5 years, when he started writing other women
Her: Magazine editor
How they met: She wrote him while he was married to Anna
Marriage: In the visiting area of the Mule Creek State Prison; still hitched as far as I can tell
Ever after: She’s now a defense attorney; lived with Tammi Saccoman for awhile
Angelo Buono / Christine Kizuka
Him: Half of the Hillside Strangler – tortured, raped & killed 10+ women (one who was 12 years old), dumping their naked bodies over the sides of roads in the hills of LA
Her: Single mother of 3 & supervisor at California Employment Development Department
How they met: She met him while visiting her ex in jail
Marriage: 14 years, ending with Buono’s death
Ever after: He died of a massive heart attack in jail; she faded into obscurity
Kenneth Bianchi / Shirlee Joyce Book
Him: The other half of the Hillside Strangler, also accounted for 2 more deaths on his own
Her: From Louisiana, originally corresponded with Ted Bundy
How they met: She wrote him
Marriage: Met in-person for the first time only the day before
Ever after: He is still alive (and in prison) at age 74; she purportedly divorced him after he started corresponding with other murder groupies, passing away just this year
Note: Veronica Compton, shown below, attempted to do a copycat killing while Bianchi was in jail, to throw the police off his tail
Richard Ramirez / Doreen Lioy *
Him: The Night Stalker, a Satanist who raped and killed 15+ girls and women, from ages 8 to 79
Her: Editor at Tiger Beat magazine, devout Catholic & self-described virgin
How they met: She sent him a birthday card, then started writing and eventually visiting him regularly
Marriage: 13 years; she left him after DNA evidence tied him to the rape and killing of a 9-year-old (she never did file for divorce)
Ever after: He died in jail at age 53 of cancer; she was disowned by her family & slipped into obscurity
Note: One of Ramirez’s jurors, Cindy Haden, also fell in love with him
Ted Bundy / Carole Ann Boone *
Him: Raped and killed 36+ girls and young women (two only 12 years old) in 7 different states; engaged in necrophilia
Her: Twice divorced with 1 kid
How they met: Before incarceration – worked together at Washington State Department of Emergency Services
Marriage:
- In Florida courtroom where Ted was on trial (state law allowed anyone recognized as counsel to get married before a judge)
- She divorced him after 7 years when he started confessing to dump sites (or, as they call it, “bones for time”)
Ever after: Ted was fried; Carole, who may have changed her name, shied away from the media and was rumored to have married again and eventually to have passed away
Children: 1 girl
Charles Manson / Afton “Star” Burton *
Him: Manipulated a cult of drug-crazed hippies to slaughter 7 people in an attempt to start a race war
Her: Drop-dead ringer for former Manson Family member Susan Atkins (names are oddly alike too, aren't they?)
How they met: She was attracted by his environmental philosophy and wrote him a letter when she was 17
Them: He was 80, she was 26
Marriage: Got a marriage license, but never actually got hitched
Ever after: He died in prison at age 89; she seems to have disappeared from the limelight
