Harrison Graham
Harrison Graham (born September 9, 1959) is an American serial killer.[1][2]
Harrison Graham | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | September 9, 1959 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Conviction(s) |
|
| Criminal penalty | Death, commuted to life |
| Details | |
| Victims | 7 |
Span of crimes | 1986–1987 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | Pennsylvania |
Date apprehended | August 17, 1987 |
| Imprisoned at | SCI Coal Township |
Biography
In August 1987, he was arrested for the murders of seven women in Philadelphia. His crimes were discovered after Graham was evicted from his apartment due to persistent foul odors. The smell was subsequently identified as coming from the bodies of his victims, which he had wrapped in bedding and piled in the bedroom.
At his mother's urging, Graham turned himself in to authorities after a week as a wanted fugitive.[3] Initially, Graham asserted that the bodies had been in the apartment when he first occupied the unit. He eventually confessed to the crimes, saying that he killed the women in drug-fueled hazes or during sex.
In court, Graham opted for a bench trial due to fears that the gruesome evidence would sway jurors. Two women testified that Graham had not only attacked them, but also claimed to have killed women previously.
The judge rejected Graham's defense that he was psychotic and suffered from multiple personality disorder.[4] He was convicted of seven murder counts and seven charges of desecrating a corpse.
Graham was initially sentenced to the death penalty, though that sentence was overturned on appeal due to his mental illness and low intelligence.[4] As of March 2016, he is imprisoned at State Correctional Institution – Coal Township.[1]
Graham was arrested only months after fellow Philadelphian Gary M. Heidnik was arrested for similar crimes, though Heidnik earned far more publicity. News coverage of Graham's crimes was limited mainly to the Philadelphia area. Criminal justice professor Anthony Walsh suggests that the lack of media attention to Graham's crimes is symptomatic of a broader unawareness or neglect of black serial killers in America. Though the African-American Graham killed more people than did white Heidnik, the national media all but ignored Graham's crimes.[2]
Harrison Graham was interviewed by Dr. Allan L. Branson in 2006. After interviewing Graham, Branson dismisses the allegation that Graham was mentally retarded during the murders but rather drug-addled.[5]
Victims
| Name | Age | Date of death |
|---|---|---|
| Cynthia Brooks | 27 | c. 1986 |
| Valerie Jamison | 25 | c. 1986 |
| Mary Jeter Mathis | 36 | c. 1986 |
| Barbara Mahoney | 22 | c. 1986 |
| Robin DeShazor | 29 | c. 1986 |
| Sandra Garvin | 33 | c. 1986 |
| Patricia Franklin | 24 | c. 1986 |
References
Citations
- Pennsylvania Department of Corrections.
- Walsh 2005.
- Heine, Kurt (1988). 'Marty' Graham Guilty of 7 Murders, Philly.com, 27 April 1988; accessed 27 March 2016
- Ramsland 2013.
- Branson 2016.
Sources
- "AS0978, Harrison F. Graham". Pennsylvania Department of Corrections: Inmate Locator.
- Branson, Allan L. (2016). The Anonymity of African American Serial Killers: A Continuum of Negative Imagery from Slavery to Prisons. Scotts Valley, CA: CreateSpace. p. 254. ISBN 978-1-517-46029-7.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Ramsland, Katherine (September 15, 2013). "Cookie Monster and the Serial Killer". Psychology Today.
A killer's strange insanity defense involved the beloved puppet
- Anthony, Walsh (2005). "African Americans and Serial Killing in the Media: The Myth and the Reality". Homicide Studies. 9 (4): 271–291. doi:10.1177/1088767905280080.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)