10 Brutal Facts About Benjamin Atkins

10 Brutal Facts About Benjamin Atkins

The Woodward Corridor Killer or The Highland Park Strangler was the name given to Benjamin Atkins. Born on 26th August 1968, Benjamin Thomas Atkins was an American serial killer and rapist. He raped, tortured, and murdered eleven women in Highland Park and Detroit, Michigan, in the United States of America.

Benjamin Atkins committed these crimes in a period of eight months between December 1991 and August 1992. He was born in a poor neighbourhood and his parents were drug and alcohol abusers who separated shortly after his birth. His mother abandoned him and his brothers which made him resort to the orphanage where he was mistreated and raped at the age of 10.

Benjamin decided to escape from the orphanage after five continuous years of sexual harassment. He reunited with his mother who was a prostitute and had sex with her clients at their home while her children were around. These actions made Benjamin escape from home and went back to the treats where he started using drugs and slept in homeless shelters.

On 14th December 1991, Benjamin committed his first murder after raping 30-year-old Debbie Ann. He used to target young and middle-aged destitute ladies with prostitutes and drug addicts being his preference. His killing spree continued for eight months until he was positively identified by one woman he had assaulted.

Benjamin Atkins confessed to having murdered 11 women whom he had also raped. He was convicted of several life imprisonments after the trial. Benjamin Atkins died at Duane Waters Hospital on 17th September 1997 due to complications of HIV.

Here are the 10 Brutal Facts About Benjamin Atkins:

1. Benjamin was Born in a Poor Neighbourhood to Parents who were Drug Addicts

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On 26th August 1968, Benjamin Atkins was born in Detroit as the youngest in a family of three (with two brothers). He lived with his family in a poor neighbourhood which was not favourable to them.

To make it worse, his father and mother were drug and alcohol abusers. His woes were not over as his father left them shortly after he was born, and his mother abandoned him in 1970.

2. He Spent His Childhood in an Orphanage where He was Raped and Sexually Harassed

At the age of 2, Benjamin was taken to an orphanage after he was abandoned by his mother. He spent at least all his childhood and youth life in the orphanage where life was never smooth.

At the age of 10, Benjamin Atkins was raped by an employee of the orphanage he used to live. For another five years, he was physically assaulted by other children and sexually harassed until he decided to flee from the orphanage and reunite with his mother.

3. His Mother’s Prostitution made Him get Disgusted with Ladies

Benjamin Atkins started living with his mother and older brother after he escaped from the orphanage. However, this was the moment that changed his life and perception of women.

Initially, Benjamin never knew which kind of work his mother used to do until later. He came to learn that his mother was a prostitute as she had sex with other clients in their presence which made him get disgusted with ladies.

4. Benjamin got Addicted to Drugs which Drove Him Towards Crime

Benjamin decided to run away from home again in the late 1980s due to his mother’s lifestyle. He started living on the streets and using drugs until he got hooked on drug addiction. Due to his lack of formal education, Atkins was forced to work in low-skilled labour jobs for peanut earnings and spent the nights in homeless shelters.

In his spare time, he visited pimp and prostitute hangouts, yet he was never jailed for a severe crime. Most of his acquaintances professed to like him, but they also noticed that when he was intoxicated or high on drugs, he exhibited antisocial conduct and sexist behaviour.

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5. He Targeted Young and Destitute Ladies as His Victims

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Benjamin Atkins grew up with a disgusting attitude toward women which he got from his mother’s prostitute behaviours. This pushed him to become a murderer who choose specific women as his victims.

He used to choose young and middle-aged women who were destitute. Most of his victims were prostitutes or drug addicts. Benjamin used to lure them to abandoned buildings where he assaulted them sexually, strangled them, and left their bodies at the crime scene.

6. Benjamin used to Sexually Assault before Strangling His Victims to Death

On 14th December 1991, Benjamin committed his first murder which was the start of his killing spree. He had a specific way of ending his victims’ lives after luring them to his favourite killing spots, abandoned buildings.

Benjamin used to sexually assault the women victims after luring them to private areas. He then strangled them to death and left their bodies at the crime scenes which were later recovered by people who stumbled upon them.

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7. Atkins Murdered 11 Women Aged Between 23 Years and 45 Years

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Benjamin Atkins had his preference for the women he murdered during his killing spree. The majority of the eleven victims of Benjamin were aged between 23 years and 45 years.

His first victim was a 30 years old Debbie Ann Friday and his last victim was 45 years old Joanne O’Rourke. Some of the murders were suspected to be drug overdoses but Benjamin confessed to having murdered them during interrogation and sentencing.

8. He Denied Involvement in the Murders & Confessed to being Gay after Arrest before Confessing to the Killings

On 21st August 1992, Atkins was arrested on rape charges after being identified on a Detroit street by 34-year-old Darlene Saunders, who had been sexually abused by him in October 1991. He denied any involvement in the murders, claiming that he was a homosexual with no interest in women.

However, following several interrogations, the police detectives acquainted him with the psychological profile of the murderer that they had established. Benjamin then confessed to the deaths of 11 women after 12 hours of interrogation.

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9. Benjamin Claimed to be Insane During his Trial

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The trial of Benjamin Atkins started in January 1994. Benjamin Atkins freely confessed to the murders during one of the sessions but claimed to be insane. He appeared to be distancing himself from the proceedings for the bulk of the trial, without reacting in any manner to what was going on.

His lawyer requested compassion for his client, claiming that Atkins had been mistreated as a child. According to the lawyer, psychological trauma, combined with drug addiction, eventually resulted in his mental, emotional, and behavioural issues. However, after a four-month trial and three days of deliberation, the jury found Benjamin Atkins guilty, and he was sentenced to many life sentences in April of that year.

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10. Benjamin Died from Complications of HIV

Benjamin was convicted but he was taken to the Charles Egeler Reception and Guidance Centre in Jackson rather than a prison. This was due to health issues that could not make him survive in a prison setup.

However, he was later transferred to Duane Waters Hospital as his health was deteriorating. On 17th September 1997, he died of complications of HIV.

Benjamin Atkins goes down in the history of crime as one of the most notorious serial killers who murdered out of revenge and past life effects. Raising children well will ensure they do not indulge in such heinous acts.