Charles Schmid

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Charles Howard Schmid, Jr.
Alias(es):	The Pied Piper of Tucson
Born:	July 8, 1942 Arizona
Died:	March 30, 1975
Cause of death:	stabbed 20 times by two fellow inmates
Penalty:	Death, commuted to 50 years
Killings
Number of victims:	3-4
Span of killings:	May 15, 1964 through August 16, 1965
Country:	USA
State(s):	Arizona
Date apprehended:	November 11, 1965

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Charles Howard 'Smitty' Schmid, Jr (July 8, 1942 - March 30, 1975), also known as The Pied Piper of Tucson, was an American serial killer. His crime, profiled in the March 4, 1966 issue of Life Magazine, inspired "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?," a short story by Joyce Carol Oates, and "The Lost," a novel by Jack Ketchum.

[edit] Early life

Charles Schmid was born to an unwed mother, and adopted by Charles and Katharine Schmid, owners and operators of Hillcrest Nursing Home in Tucson, Arizona. He often got into arguments with his foster father. He did poorly in school despite being described by many as intelligent and courteous. An accomplished athlete, he excelled at gymnastics and even led his high school to a State Championship, but quit the team his senior year.

Just before graduating, Schmid stole tools from the machine shop, and was subsequently suspended. He never returned to school. He began living in his own quarters on his parents' property and received an allowance of $300 a month. His foster parents left him to run on his own with a new car and a motorcycle. He spent much of his time on Speedway, picking up girls and drinking with buddies, although he tended to be a loner. His best friends were Paul Graff, who lived with him, John Saunders, and Richie Bruns.

[edit] The murders

Schmid once told a girl that he had murdered a young man who had killed his girlfriend in a car accident, cut off his hands and buried him in the desert. Schmid was a pathological liar who attempted to create sympathy or inspire awe with calculated stories. However, there is some doubt that he actually made the story up. He once claimed four murders, which indicates that this might have been the first, but he was only prosecuted and convicted of three, those of Alleen Rowe, 15, Gretchen Fritz, 16, and her sister Wendy Fritz, 13.

In 1966, Schmid was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death. When the state of Arizona temporarily abolished the death penalty in 1971, his sentence was commuted to 50 years in prison.

On March 10, 1975, Schmid was stabbed 20 times by two fellow prisoners. He died 10 days later. At the request of his parents, he was buried in the prison cemetery.