John Eric Armstrong (born November 23, 1973) is an American serial killer who was convicted of killing five female sex workers in Detroit, Michigan, but is believed to have murdered at least six more women between 1992 and 1999.

Early life

John Eric Armstrong was born on November 23, 1973, in

New Bern, North Carolina New Bern, formerly called Newbern, is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 29,524, which had risen to an estimated 29,994 as of 2019. It is the county seat of Craven County and t ...

. His father was abusive towards Armstrong and his mother, and sexually abused Armstrong when he was a child. In 1978, Armstrong's younger brother, Michael, died at two-months-old from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Because of the grief caused by Michael's death, Armstrong attempted to end his life. Shortly thereafter his father left him and his mother. Armstrong did not receive treatment for his grief until 1989, a year after he was hospitalized for locking himself in a bathroom because a girl at school was pressuring him to have sex with her.

Murders

Armstrong joined the United States Navy in 1992. His rackmates have described him as "moody." He allegedly killed his first victim in 1991, although this is not confirmed. Between 1993 and 1998, researchers believe Armstrong murdered 11 women, all of whom were

prostitutes Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penet ...

. He claims to have killed in Seattle, Washington; Hawaii; Hong Kong, China; North Carolina; Virginia; Thailand; and Singapore. He was honorably discharged from the Navy in 1999, and enrolled at Schoolcraft College in

Livonia, Michigan Livonia is a city in Wayne County, Michigan, Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 95,535 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, which ranked it as Michigan's ninth most-populated municipality. Livonia is a part ...

afterwards.

Arrest and trial

On January 2, 2000, Armstrong was questioned by police in Dearborn Heights, Michigan after he reported finding a body in a river. He claimed he felt nauseated and attempted to vomit in the river when he discovered the body of Wendy Jordan, but he was not arrested at that time. Armstrong attempted to murder Wilhelminia Drane on April 2, 2000, after she got into his

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, but she sprayed him with Mace and was able to flee. On April 7, he offered Devon Marcus $40 for sex and attempted to strangle him, but Marcus was able to flee as well. Following his escape, Marcus contacted police and identified Armstrong as his captor. On April 10, police found three bodies in a railroad yard in southwest Detroit. All of the victims had been prostitutes who were strangled to death and left in sexually provocative positions. They were later identified as Robbin Brown, Rose Marie Felt, and Kelly Jean Hood. On April 12, police arrested Armstrong for the murder of Wendy Jordan after DNA evidence found with the body matched Armstrong's DNA. In March 2001, Armstrong was found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Wendy Jordan and sentenced to

life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes for ...

. On June 18, 2001, he was additionally convicted of killing Kelly Jean Hood, Robbin Brown, Rose Marie Felt, and Monica Johnson. He would later explain that the reason he had left Brown, Felt, and Hood in sexually provocative positions after he killed them was “so ecould always go back and have sex… eknew that they would always be there.”

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Armstrong, John Eric 1973 births 20th-century American criminals American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment American people convicted of murder Criminals from North Carolina Living people Military personnel from North Carolina Necrophiles People convicted of murder by Illinois People convicted of murder by Michigan People from New Bern, North Carolina Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Michigan Serial killers from Illinois Serial killers from Michigan United States Navy sailors

Early life

Murders

Arrest and trial

See also

References