Joseph Kallinger

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Joseph Kallinger (1937-1996) was an American serial killer who enlisted his son in his crimes.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Crime spree 3 Arrest and imprisonment 4 References

[edit] Early life

Kallinger was born in Philadelphia and adopted into an abusive family. As an adult, he was himself abusive to his seven children, five of whom still lived at home when he committed his crimes. He was arrested and imprisoned in 1972 on abuse charges after three of his children went to the police. While in jail, he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, and state psychiatrists recommended that he be supervised with his family. The children later recanted their allegations, however.^[1] Two years later, one of them, Joseph Jr., died from injuries Kallinger inflicted, although the abuse was not proven until his arrest.^[2]

[edit] Crime spree

In November 1974, Kallinger and his 13-year-old son Michael went on a crime spree spanning Philadelphia, Baltimore and New Jersey. Over the next six weeks, they robbed, assaulted, and sexually abused four families; they gained entrance to each house by pretending to be salesmen. On January 8, 1975, they committed another robbery/assault in Leonia, New Jersey, this time killing a young nurse who had walked into the house to check on a bed-ridden family member. ^[3]

[edit] Arrest and imprisonment

Police began investigating Kallinger after gathering physical evidence (a blood-stained shirt) and eyewitness testimony that he and his son had been seen in the area. They soon found out about Kallinger's history of domestic violence, Joseph Jr.'s unsolved death, and a series of arsons targeted against buildings he owned. ^[4]

Kallinger and his son were arrested on kidnapping charges, and eventually charged with murder. Kallinger pleaded insanity, claiming God had told him to kill. He was found sane, however, and sentenced to life in prison. Michael Kallinger, meanwhile, was judged to be under his father's control, and sentenced to a reformatory. Upon his release, he moved and changed his name.^[5]

Joseph Kallinger died in prison in 1996 of a seizure.

[edit] References