Douglas Gretzler
Executed American serial killer (1951–1998) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Douglas Edward Gretzler (May 21, 1951 – June 3, 1998)[3] was an American serial killer who, together with accomplice Willie Steelman, committed seventeen murders in the states of Arizona and California in late 1973.[4] All the victims were shot, strangled, or stabbed to death, and the majority of the murders were committed in the commission of robberies or for the purpose of eyewitness elimination.
Douglas Edward Gretzler | |
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Born | (1951-05-21)May 21, 1951 |
Died | June 3, 1998(1998-06-03) (aged 47) |
Cause of death | Execution by lethal injection |
Criminal status | Executed |
Motive |
|
Conviction(s) | California First degree murder (x9) Arizona First degree murder (x2) Kidnapping Robbery (x2) Burglary |
Criminal penalty | California Life imprisonment Arizona Death |
Details | |
Victims | 17 (11 convictions) |
Span of crimes | October 18 – November 7, 1973 |
Country | United States |
State(s) | California, Arizona |
Date apprehended | November 8, 1973 |
Imprisoned at | Florence State Prison |
Willie Luther Steelman | |
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Born | (1945-03-21)March 21, 1945 |
Died | August 7, 1986(1986-08-07) (aged 41) Maricopa County Hospital, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. |
Cause of death | Liver cirrhosis |
Criminal status | Died in prison while awaiting execution |
Motive |
|
Conviction(s) | California First degree murder (x9) Robbery (x5) Arizona First degree murder (x2) Kidnapping (x1) Robbery (x2) Burglary (x1) |
Criminal penalty | California Life imprisonment Arizona Death |
Details | |
Victims | 17 (11 convictions) |
Span of crimes | October 18, 1973 – November 7, 1973 |
Country | United States |
State(s) | California, Arizona |
Date apprehended | November 8, 1973 |
Imprisoned at | Florence State Prison |
Gretzler and Steelman were tried separately and convicted for eleven of these murders in 1974 and 1975. Both were sentenced to death for two murders committed in Arizona; each received sentences of life imprisonment relating to nine murders committed in Victor, California, in November 1973.[5]
Gretzler was executed by lethal injection at Florence State Prison in June 1998, while Steelman died of cirrhosis in August 1986 while incarcerated on death row at this facility.
The saga of the murders committed by Gretzler and Steelman have been referred to by contemporary reporters and a documentary director as the Greatest Murder Story Never Told.[6]