| Westley Allan Dodd | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Westley Allan Dodd |
| Also known as | The Vancouver Child Killer |
| Born | July 3, 1961 Toppenish, Washington |
| Died | January 5, 1993 (aged 31) |
| Cause of death | Hanging |
| Conviction | 3 counts of murder in the first degree |
| Sentence | Death |
| Killings | |
| Number of victims: | 3 |
| Span of killings | September 3, 1989–October 30, 1989 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | Washington |
| Date apprehended | November 13, 1989 |
Westley Allan Dodd (July 3, 1961 – January 5, 1993) was a convicted American serial killer and child molester. He has been called "one of the most evil killers in history."[1] His execution on January 5, 1993, was the first legal hanging (at his own request) in the United States since 1965.
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Westley Allan Dodd was born in Richland, Washington on July 3, 1961. Unlike most serial killers, Dodd claimed he was never abused or neglected.[2] He also reported that he grew up in a wealthy, happy family.[3]
Dodd began sexually abusing children when he was a teenager; his first victims were his own cousins. All his victims (over 50 in all) were boys below the age of 12, some of them as young as two. Dodd's sexual fantasies became increasingly violent over the years (he wrote about wanting to eat the genitals of his victims).
He killed brothers Cole and William Neer (aged 11 and 10, respectively) in Vancouver, Washington in the fall of 1989, and tortured, raped and murdered four-year-old Lee Iseli. In November 1989 he attempted to abduct a 6 year old boy from the Liberty movie theater in Camas, Washington. He was caught when the stepfather chased him down and tackled him.
He was arrested by the Camas police and interviewed by task force detectives. Portland Police Bureau Detective C. W. Jensen and Clark County Detective Rick Buckner obtained Dodd's confession and served the search warrant on his home. The police found a homemade torture rack in his home, as yet unused.
Several books have been written about the case, including "When The Monster Comes Out Of The Closet" by Author Lori Steinhorst who communicated with Dodd in writing and by phone almost daily for 18 months prior to his execution. Driven to Kill by true crime author Gary C. King[4] and Dr. Ron Turco's book about his experience during the initial investigation to assist in developing a profile of the killer.[5]
Dodd was sentenced to death in 1990 for molesting and then stabbing to death Cole Neer and his brother William near a Vancouver, Washington park in 1989, as well as for the separate rape and murder of Lee Iseli, aged 4.
Less than four years elapsed between the murders and Dodd's execution. He refused to appeal his case or the capital sentence, stating, "I must be executed before I have an opportunity to escape or kill someone within the prison. If I do escape, I promise you I will kill prison guards if I have to and rape and enjoy every minute of it." While in court he said that, if he escaped from jail, he would immediately go back to "killing and raping kids."
Dodd was executed by hanging at 12:05 a.m. on January 5, 1993 at Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla. By Washington State law, Dodd had to choose the method of his execution, and state law gave Dodd two options: lethal injection or hanging. Dodd chose hanging, later stating in interviews that he chose that method "because that's the way Lee Iseli [his final victim] died." He also requested that his hanging be televised, but that request was denied. His hanging was the first use of hanging for an execution in the United States since George York and James Latham were hanged by Kansas in 1965.
His execution was witnessed by 12 members of local and regional media, prison officials, and representatives of the families of the three victims. He ate salmon and potatoes for his last meal. His last words, spoken from the second floor of the indoor gallows, were recorded by the media witnesses as:
| “ | I was once asked by somebody, I don't remember who, if there was any way sex offenders could be stopped. I said, `No.' I was wrong. I was wrong when I said there was no hope, no peace. There is hope. There is peace. I found both in the Lord, Jesus Christ. Look to the Lord, and you will find peace.[6] | ” |
Dodd was pronounced dead by the prison doctor and his body transported to Seattle for autopsy. The King County Medical Examiner, Dr. Donald Reay, found that Dodd had died quickly and probably with little pain. He was cremated following the autopsy, and his ashes turned over to his family.[7]
Dodd was mentioned in the 2002 film, Insomnia, starring Al Pacino. He was fictionalized as a serial killer Pacino's character caught long ago, but Pacino's description of Dodd's murder of Lee Iseli is accurate.