Murderpedia

 

 

Juan Ignacio Blanco  

 

  MALE murderers

index by country

index by name   A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

  FEMALE murderers

index by country

index by name   A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

 

 

 
   

Murderpedia has thousands of hours of work behind it. To keep creating new content, we kindly appreciate any donation you can give to help the Murderpedia project stay alive. We have many
plans and enthusiasm to keep expanding and making Murderpedia a better site, but we really
need your help for this. Thank you very much in advance.

   

 

 

Gary Lee SCHAEFER

 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
Classification: Serial killer
Characteristics: Rape
Number of victims: 3
Date of murders: 1979 / 1981 / 1983
Date of arrest: September 1983
Date of birth: 1951
Victims profile: Sherry Nastasia, 13 / Theresa Fenton / Catherine Richards
Method of murder: Beating with a stone
Location: Springfield, Vermont, USA
Status: Sentenced to 30 years to life in prison in January 1984
 
 
 
 
 
 

A Vermont native and member of the fundamentalist Christadelphian Church, Schaefer first ran afoul of authority while serving in the Navy. 

Charged with arson and possession of illegal drugs, he responded with an insanity plea, but the Navy psychiatrists found him competent for trial. On discharge, he succeeded in convincing friends and relatives of his normality, but violent sexual obsessions simmered just below the surface of his quiet personality, the pressure mounting toward a detonation point. 

In 1979, Schaefer kidnapped, raped and murdered 13-year-old Sherry Nastasia, whose family lived in a Springfield apartment complex managed by Schaefer's brother. Theresa Fenton suffered an identical fate in 1981, but 17-year-old Deana Buxton survived an attack in Brattleboro, during 1982. Her description focused police attention on Schaefer, but hard evidence was still lacking in early 1983, when the killer struck again. 

On April 9 of that year, Schaefer abducted young Catherine Richards in Springfield, driving her to a remote location where she was forced to fellate him before he crushed her skull with a stone. The body was discovered at noon on April 10, and eyewitness descriptions of Catherine's abductor matched those of Deana Buxton's assailant the previous year.

Police were working their way up to an arrest in September 1983, when the last victim's mother penned an open letter to Schaefer, accusing him of murder and challenging him to confess his sins, in accordance with the precepts of his church. It was the final straw, and Schaefer cracked in custody, confessing on two counts of murder (Fenton and Richards), plus the rape of Deana Buxton. 

In December 1983, he pled guilty to kidnapping, sexual assault, and second-degree murder in the Richards case, with charges dismissed in the Fenton murder as part of a plea bargain. 

A month later, Schaefer was sentenced to a term of 30 years to life, his time to be served at the federal penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas.

Michael Newton - An Encyclopedia of Modern Serial Killers - Hunting Humans

 
 

SEX: M   RACE: W   TYPE: T   MOTIVE: Sex.

MO: Rape-slayer of young girls.

DISPOSITION: 30 years to life in plea bargain on one count.

 

 

 
 
 
 
home last updates contact