Michael Bethke is an American

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...

er from

Calumet City, Illinois Calumet City ( ) is a city in Cook County, Illinois, Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 36,033 at the 2020 census, a decline of 2.7% from 37,042 in 2010. The ZIP code is 60409. Etymology The word ''Calumet'' is the Miꞌkmaq ...

, who killed and

decapitated Decapitation or beheading is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and most other animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood, while all other organs are deprived of the au ...

Joseph Lesinski, his 49-year-old co-worker at the

Burnham, Illinois Burnham is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,046 at the 2020 census. The ZIP code is 60633. Burnham has a Chicago ZIP code, and is often mistakenly considered part of Chicago. It is, however, an independe ...

White Hen Pantry White Hen Pantry (known as White Hen in the Midwest) was a Lombard, Illinois-based chain of approximately 261 predominantly franchisee-owned convenience stores located in and around Detroit, Boston / southern New Hampshire, southern Wisconsin, ...

grocery store A grocery store ( AE), grocery shop ( BE) or simply grocery is a store that primarily retails a general range of food products, which may be fresh or packaged. In everyday U.S. usage, however, "grocery store" is a synonym for supermarket, a ...

, on June 6, 1991. Described as having "chronic

paranoid schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically Auditory hallucination#Schizophrenia, hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. ...

", Bethke was found not guilty by reason of

insanity Insanity, madness, lunacy, and craziness are behaviors performed by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity can be manifest as violations of societal norms, including a person or persons becoming a danger to themselves or to ...

and sentenced to up to 49 years in a state mental institution.

Press coverage

A story regarding Bethke can be found in the May 21, 1993 issue of the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' at page 3. The story states that Michael Bethke of Calumet City, Illinois was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the slaying of 49 year-old Joseph Lesinski and that a hearing regarding his mental condition and future prognosis would be held on June 3, 1993. The story also states that the slaying occurred on June 6, 1991, while both Bethke and his victim Lesinki were working at the Burnham White Hen Pantry. According to the story, "Bethke admitted to decapitating Lesinski with a knife when the victim bent over to get a pack of cigarettes." The July 9, 1993 issue of the ''Tribune'' reports that Bethke was ordered to spend up to 49 years in a state mental institution. The June 7, 1991, issue of the ''Chicago Tribune'' also has a detailed article on page 1. Bethke was described by Assistant Public Defender Paul Brownlee as having "chronic paranoid schizophrenia". He used a 14-inch kitchen knife to behead Lesinski. A detailed report of the crime scene can be found in the June 8, 1991, issue of the ''Sun-Times'', at page 12, which noted that the victim apparently had the word "repent" scrawled on his forehead.

In popular culture

His story was described in the song "White Hen Decapitator" on the

Macabre In works of art, the adjective macabre ( or ; ) means "having the quality of having a grim or ghastly atmosphere". The macabre works to emphasize the details and symbols of death. The term also refers to works particularly gruesome in natu ...

album ''

Sinister Slaughter ''Sinister Slaughter'' is the second full-length album by American death metal band Macabre and was released in 1993 by Nuclear Blast Records. The cover artwork is a parody on the Beatles album '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' featuring ...

'' in 1993.

References

Living people American murderers People with schizophrenia People acquitted by reason of insanity People from Calumet City, Illinois Year of birth missing (living people) {{US-crime-bio-stub