Army soldiers George York and James Latham went Absent without Leave (AWOL) from Fort Hood in Texas on May 24, 1961. In two weeks, they killed seven people in multiple states:
- Edward Guidroz (bludgeoned to near death), Louisiana
- Althea Ottavio (robbed and strangled), Georgia
- Patricia Hewitt (robbed and strangled), Georgia
- John Whittaker (robbed, shot, and killed), Tennessee
- Albert Reed (stole car, murdered), Illinois
- Martin Drenovac (stole gas, murdered), Illinois
- Rachel Moyer (molested and murdered), Colorado
- Otto Ziegler (murdered), Kansas
On May 24, 1961, York and Latham deserted for the last time. They set out for York’s Florida hometown. Somewhere along the way, they morphed into indiscriminate killers. -NY Daily News
Related Links:
George York and James Latham
State of Kansas v. James Latham & George York (1962)
James Douglas Latham and George Ronald York, Petitioners, v. Sherman H. Crouse, Warden, Kansas State Penitentiary, Lansing, Kansas, Respondent (1964)
In Cold Blood “The Corner”
One Night on a Kansas Farm
Killer’s sister: ‘In Cold Blood’ inaccurate
Killing the “In Cold Blood” killers: The secret remnants of a grisly execution
Two racist, mentally disturbed AWOL soldiers go on killing rampage across the country in 1961
A history of capital punishment in Kansas through 1994
Road Trip to Hell: Men Who Murdered 7 During Cross-Country Killing Spree are Executed by Hanging
Spree Killers: George Ronald York and James Douglas Latham killed 9 people in a multi-state killing spree; Both were executed on 6/22/1965
Glimpse from the gallows
MILITARY JUSTICE FOR ALL 