Hadden Clark | The Crossdressing Cannibal Killer

May 31st 1986 seemed hotter than hell many individuals appreciated Summer's first weekend Heatwave Haden Clark 35 sweated in 92° heat outside his brother's empty house he leaned against his Dotson pickup truck feeling sorry for himself and getting angrier by the minute Eerie silence filled the house everyone was out partying Jeffrey Clark his only non-incarcerated sibling abandoned him Haden masturbated in front of Jeff's children he was asked to leave several months earlier he was arrested for shoplifting women's underwear Haden didn't take a bra in panties for a girlfriend he wore them he left the Navy less than a year before doctors labeled him as paranoid schizophrenic leading to his discharge he didn't take his meds Eliza 6 his niece called him a [ __ ] a week ago for that he wanted to kill her it wouldn't be the first time he killed someone for dissing him so Haden stood there in the blazing sun prepared to pick up his last box at his brother's home a girl approached him as he approached the house he'd seen her around town she was a ela's weekend friend the daughter of a divorced man down the street who had her on weekends Michelle was still wet after playing in a plastic backyard pool the young girl asked for Eliza he told her she was upstairs where she's playing with dolls he heard Michelle's footsteps as she climbed the stairs after she left he walked to the rear of his truck and grabbed a toolbox Haden was a chef and the metal box contained all the knives a restaurant could require there were deboning cutting and meat Cleavers each was razor sharp Haden walked into his brother's house with a 12-in chef's knife Carl door Michelle's father was unhappy his economics and psychology degrees didn't help him much so by the mid 1980s he was spray painting vehicles on commission he married Michelle's Mother Dorothy in 1978 but the marriage fell apart after their daughter was born Michelle suffered emotionally when Carl slapped his wife in front of her on Valentine's Day 1976 Carl stayed at his estranged wife's residence if there was a divorce hearing he'd lie under oath and declare she was an adulterous and unsuitable mother if he lost he kidnapped Michelle at the school bus stop Dorothy says he shoved her against against a wall and beat her causing cuts and bruises both parents adored their daughter despite setting her up for a psychiatric adulthood Carl loves spending weekends with his daughter and the last two days of May 1986 were no exception they ate at McDonald's he bought her a toy at 7 to 11 and he rented her a kids movie from a video store on that scorching Saturday he filled the plastic swimming pool at midday promising to take her to a neighborhood pool at 400 p.m. Carl's rental residence was near Jeffrey Clark's soon bored she went hunting for Eliza Clark Haden Clark tiptoed up the stairs of the vacant house after her with a large knife he entered Eliza's room Haden threw the girl to the floor so fast she couldn't Scream the first slash was a backhand over her chest the second was like Zoro making the Z sign he straddled her in disbelief and covered her lips she bit his hand unexpectedly he became enraged and stabbed her with a 12-in knife blood splattered on the bedroom's wooden floor had and lack direction should he clean up the blood and cover up his mistake or have sex with the dead girl first he tried sex but failed Haden ran downstairs for trash bags he grabbed rags and an Old Navy duffel bag from his truck he quickly returned upstairs he put Michelle in a bag and a duffel he fell to his knees and mopped up the blood like a ship deck bloody items were tossed he liked his cleanup nothing was a Miss nothing would be known he put the body and baggage in his vehicle he had 20 minutes to go to his culinary job in Chevy Chase lateness is noticeable Carl door kept looking in the backyard Michelle eluded him no ripples in the pool he was unconcerned Sudley Road was a safe Suburban Street in Silver Spring Maryland 3 miles from the DC border he knew his daughter was outside with Eliza Clark he visited the Clarks at 5:30 Jeffrey Clark was home and Grilling his firstborn children and girlfriend were there Eliza participated no Michelle Michelle wasn't seen all day claimed Jeff Clark Eliza too Carl walked to the streets end but saw nothing the father started knocking nothing Panic spread he drove past the area again then headed for the police station once he did he became a suspect hadn't Clark left the country club with the body of a six-year-old girl in the back of his truck first he got his hand banded bandaged at Bethesda naval hospital free medical benefits were part of his Navy discharge package near midnight he left the hospital Haden took old Columbia Pike to Baltimore when he noticed some Woods he halted he was prepared if the police came he'd say he had to pee Michelle door's killer grabbed a duffel bag flashlight and shovel from the truck and ran into the woods at a trees base he excavated a 4-ft grave he dropped the body from the duffel bag he covered her body with an old mattress and leaves he hiked back up the hill and drove 5 miles to his freshly rented room every rookie cop is trained to hunt for a missing child's parents or caretaker first according to statistics parents or caregivers know what occurred to the child 90% of the time Detective Mike Garvey the first officer to talk to Carl door said it's page one Carl door looked more like their man the more they saw him 3 months before hadn't he threatened to steal their daughter he and Dorothy had fought for years about the child Carl saw her last right they demanded a polygraph the next day the cops believed they had Carl when a local fire marshal said he might know more about Michelle's location than he told them Carl said good policeman evil cop they told me I failed the polygraph and that they knew she was dead after 24 hours we'll find her they added when we do we'll get you his ex-wife told police he did it she added motivation her ex-husband tried to avoid paying $400 in child support Carl door's horror continued the police didn't believe he loved his daughter second lie detector test pass he underwent hypnosis and ingested sodium pentathol the truth serum to prove his innocence police weren't convinced Carl Was His Own Worst Enemy he snapped and told a therapist he abducted and killed his daughter he hallucinated in his altered state he thought TV shows were about him he looked behind the set and thought the police were changing his reception Carl visited his father's grave the next day he spoke at his father's grave he imagined the tombstone replied he started thinking he was God's only son if he could find Michelle and bring her back to life he would be Jesus he was a self-proclaimed white Messiah police interpreted this as a confession they questioned Michelle's dad repeatedly carlor was hospitalized for psychiat atric observation within days immediately after leaving he was questioned again Carl hid something he lied about the time because he neglected his daughter last scene May 31st around 12:00 he informed police it was 2:10 p.m. hading Clark's Alibi was a time mismatch Wayne frell recalled cruising Sudbury Road the day Michelle door disappeared hadn't Clark was tinkering with his trucks engine in his brother's driveway he said Haden Clark was the local Oddball detectives called Jeff Clark who told Haden to report the next morning Haden's story seems solid he said he punched his clock at 2:46 that afternoon Garvey and frell calculated if Carl dor saw his daughter at 2:10 Haden Clark couldn't have found taken and buried a body in 36 minutes almost possible they wouldn't let him leave without questioning they asked him about the rabbits he bred behind his brother's house and his life before moving in with him Haden complained that a neighboring boy kicked him in the testicles as he was playing with a group he also admitted pinning a child playfully he pulled out a photo of Michelle and asked Haden who began swaying in his chair he couldn't look at the photo without crying Garvey asked did you do do that to Michelle Haden murmured an answer and surprised the cops he asked do you have a bathroom he vomited in the police station bathroom police were following him Garvey asked what did you do let's talk about it the parents need to bury their child was it an accident the suspect wred Garvey put a photo of Michelle door beneath the cubicle door as he vomited why Haden confessed partially he said I don't know I may have done something I black out sometimes inches from arrest Haden gained energy he said he worked and cited his 246 punch in Garvey double checked his notes Clark was mad but he couldn't kill or abduct someone dump or hide a body and then get to work 10 miles away Carl Dore gave his daughter's killer an alibi while drawing suspicion on himself Michelle door's body wouldn't be recovered for another 14 years Haden Clark was abused yet his prestigious family gave him many benefits his mother Flavia traced her Heritage to the Mayflower and had revolutionary war heroes as direct ancestors Haden's grandpa on his father's side was white plain's Republican mayor his father also named Haden invented clear cling wrap and fire resistant carpeting the Clarks were well off and popular the family had a secret though both parents were alcoholics who battled constantly in front of their children Haden was born in 1951 his brother Bradfield was born the year before in 1955 Jeffrey Clark arrived Allison was born in 1959 she ran away as a teen and subsequently said I never had a family Haden Clark's family rarely stayed in one town for more than a year while he grew up Haden's father who had an MBA and PhD in chemistry constantly wanted more money Bradfield was a handful and used drugs as a teen even though he had two degrees and was well respected in the computer field the Clark jeans would prove his Doom in 1984 while drunken high he murdered Patricia Mach 29 after bashing her head against a cinder block and strangling her he sliced her body into 11 pieces in his bathtub cooked part of her breasts on his barbecue grill and ate them he stuffed the remaining body parts into garbage bags like Haden he planned to bury the body but became remorseful tried suicide died and phon police he's spending 15 to life at California's Pleasant Valley State Prison Jeff the youngest brother had issues after completing a microbiology degree at Ohio State he married a childhood sweetheart and moved to the Maryland suburbs of Washington to work at the FDA before their divorce they lived in a peaceful house on Sudbury Road in Silver Spring and had three children Jeff was convicted of one of Marsh's abuse allegations and given a suspended sentence Haden's problems paled in comparison to those of his siblings especially Bradfield who committed himself he was wicked and enjoyed hurting others those who crossed him will find their decapitated dog or cat on their doorstep Flavia Clark blamed her son's strange behavior on a bad forp delivery then she thought thought he had cerebral paly and took him to an expensive Clinic his father had no such Illusions after a few drinks he began to refer to his son as the [ __ ] yet Haden did not test as mentally deficient in fact he was a chess genius emotionally he was a small child who lashed out when criticized the only place he felt normal was at his grandparents retirement estate flavor I Clark wanted her son to have a trade so she enrolled him at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park New York there he surprised Everyone by carving ice sculptures and figures from Tallow his Chef's education was not without incidents Haden retaliated against slights by urinating into bats of mashed potatoes Haden Clark's degree from a top chef School allowed him to pick and choose employers at first but his strange Behavior like openly chugging beef blood in a restaurant's kitchen didn't endear him to co-workers or employers Haden Clark held 14 jobs between 1974 and 1982 including a year on the cruise ship SS Norway and three weeks at the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid New York during that time his family disintegrated further his grandfather died and his grandmother entered a nursing home his parents divorced and his father died soon after from cancer Haden entered the US Navy as a below deck cook it was his last chance at a career but his Shipmates didn't understand a sailor who wore panties under his uniform he was beaten and locked in a closet hadn't Clark's mental state deteriorated over the next 5 years but his appearance and behavior weren't bad enough to get him committed he ased rented rooms and began living under the cap of his pickup truck often setting up camp in woods off an interstate highway he worked odd jobs as a minimum wage Gardener sent out by homeless groups and at night he would Shu corn the court system which had focused on Carl door and not Haden Clark ignored the warnings Haden Clark visited his mother in Rhode Island in September 19 1888 and stole from her house Flavia caught him and yelled Haden threw his mother down and began kicking her then he went into his truck and tried to drive her over she moved aside just in time and charged him with assault and battery he got a Year's probation Flavia was distraught by Brad's murder conviction and Haden's assault she pinned a letter to Haden claiming she would pretend he was dead until he sought care from a Veteran's Hospital the past hints of loved did not go undetected in 1988 Haden Clark was stopped for speeding in Rhode Island under the driver's seat was a 38 caliber Astra handgun the same Police Department that had focused on Carl door and not Michelle door's murderer let him off with another suspended sentence and probation the damage of property accusation revealed his rage was out of control in his last rental before living in his truck in the woods Haden booby trapped the house Haden began by balancing a 10 gallon can of oil on a door so it would spill when opened he then sprayed black dye on the living room carpet and hid rotting fish heads in the family's piano chimney and stove as a final Act of Revenge he killed both family cats and placed one on on the front door's welcome mat and the other in the refrigerator hadn't Clark tried to obtain help by visiting a local veteran hospital but after a few days and a few doses of hll he escaped back to the woods the doctor's diagnosis was psychosis with unclear origin in February 1989 local police arrested Haden Clark again this time there was a 17c count criminal indictment 15 of the C were for stealing the activities were uncommon he dressed as a woman and stole purses and coats from women attending choir practice on the day he was caught he drove over to a Park Road and tinkered with his car when the cops offered assistance he panicked and began hiding women's coats and Handbags when the police saw the women's handbags and coats they asked Haden Clark if he owned them he answered he did police dug deeper there were wigs a syringe outfits and cash he was arrested and jailed he spent 45 days in jail before posting bail but afterwards boasted that he did it on purpose since it was warmer inside than outside in February three meals a day a roof over his head and Thursday movies became his favorites Springtime made him reluctant to leave despite a guilty plea on two counts sentence guidelines called for 3 to 2 years he was on probation in Maryland and Rhode Island judge Irma s raker said in her sentencing ruling that the defendant had substantial mental difficulties Haden Clark's public lawyer Donald salsman was so sympathetic that wrote him a letter to give to police the next time he was arrested he was a get out of jail free car carrying Time Bomb the courts and public defenders offices did everything imaginable to keep him on Maryland streets and kill again when I was five I asked my mother if she believed in God she responded no and some things I didn't comprehend Laura hodling wrote in a high school essay on life and death she didn't know what would happen when someone dies without God I was afraid because I didn't want anyone to die and wished my mommy believed in God Laura hing's divorced mother Penny was a psychologist and Laura was regarded as intelligent and destined for big things her friends expected great things from the gorgeous blonde they called Twiggy because she was 6 feet tall Penny hoteling's home in Bethesda Maryland was about 10 miles from where Haden had murdered Michelle dor in 1986 Penny liked to help the unfortunate and thought she was doing a good deed when she hired what she thought was a homeless man from a local church organization in early 1992 Penny was trusting and not very observant she also didn't notice that her underwear and other clothing were being stolen one piece at a time Laura returned home from Harvard in the summer of 1992 for Haden who had become attached to Penny it seemed she now had another child she liked more than him within days he was scheming retribution Penny told Haden in mid October that she would be away for a week for a conference she gave him the exact dates from the 17th to the 25th the next day he bought two rolls of duct tape braided rope and nylon cord he wrote Laura in the memo section of the check he used for his purchases on October 17th Laura attended a horse meet in Middle Berg Virginia followed by a Gayla dinner party the next day she slept in and watched a Sunday NFL game with her brother Warren and his housemate she had taken a temporary job in Washington until she decided whether to go to law school or become a teacher Haden parked his pickup close to the hoteling house around midnight and walked to Penny's garden shed for the spare key Haden didn't look or feel like himself he wore a woman's wig Penny hodling underwear a woman's blouse and slacks and a woman's trench coat under which he hid a 22 caliber hadn't asked Laura to swear on the Bible that he was Laura she did he then forced her to undress take a bath and lie down on her stomach his plan was to abduct her take her to his Campsite in the woods and introduce her to Haden as Lord lay still hadn't removed the tape from her face with scissors excited his hand slipped and the sharp shears pierced her neck causing blood to flow onto the sheets and pillowcase he became fascinated with her earrings and decided to take them as a souvenir when he had trouble removing the second one he amputated the lower part of her ear causing more blood to flow Haden Sat by her bed and watched her new Ned body for nearly an hour he would later claim that he neither sad nor cannibalized any of her remains at 3:00 a.m. he wrapped her body in a queen-sized sheet slung her over his shoulder and stashed her remains on a narrow bed underneath the cap of his truck Loris killer left the house at 8:00 a.m. wearing the woman's wig and purse a housekeeper waiting for a school bus thought it was Laura going to work Haden drove two blocks to a church parking lot and fell asleep with Laura's body beside him while Haden slept Laura's employer called the house and got an answering machine it wasn't like Laura to miss work and give no explanation so she sent a friend to look around when she rang the doorbell she got no answer and called Laura's brother and friends there was no need to call the police yet after searching the house Warren decided to walk the route Laura took to the bus stop as he walked down the street he saw Haden driving towards them in his pickup truck Haden was planning another visit to the house to steal Warren tried to wave him down to see if the family Gardener knew anything about Laura's whereabouts Haden was frightened after his encounter with Warren he decided to bury Laura that night he drove to a spot on Interstate 270 just across the highway from his latest campsite Laura was Heavy she weighed much more than Michelle door and he stumbled with the dead weight until he dropped her just 20 ft from the road he dug feverishly until there was a shallow grave he rolled her in and covered the body with dirt and leaves still nervous after burying Laura he drove north towards New England in Rhode Island he stuffed the bloody sheets mattress pad and stolen items in a self- storage locker he rented by the year he kept the pillowcase so he could relive the Night by burying his face in it by now Maryland police wanted to speak with Haden Warren and Penny had both mentioned him and his description set off alarm Bells wasn't he suspected in Michelle door's disappearance a still trusting Penny dismissed the accus ation the officers called Mike garvey's supervisor Robert Phillips who remembered garvey's story about hat and puking in the bathroom and his Alibi when asked whether to bring him in Phillips practically exploded the police contacted Haden's voicemail and he called back almost immediately he was cool no he wouldn't come by the station right now he was going to bed in his vehicle they'd have to wait till tomorrow after the call Haden drove back to the church parking lot near Penny and Laura's house he went into his truck discovered the bloody pillowcase and hurried into the woods he dropped the pillowcase beneath a tree and fell into a disturbed sleep when Haden arrived the next day he was escorted by Sue Snider head of a local homeless group the cops were gentle partly because they had nothing to arrest him for when he left the station he began crying and Sue Snyder asked him why when Laura didn't show up the local police did a complete search of the area a can9 unit Dog Led them into the woods near Penny's house that bordered the church there the dog turned up Penny's bra a woman's blouse a high healed shoe and Laura's bloody pillowcase I'm a homeless man with with no friends he sobbed when arrested I'm jobless police bluffed throughout the interrogation we found the pillowcase in the bushes it contained a fingerprint your print Haden didn't totally crack but he began moaning and crying despite his protests the police still had nothing to hold him the police used search warrants to study Haden's bank account and find a duplicate of the damning check he wrote to the hardware store they also located and searched his Campground but didn't find Laura the lab confirmed Haden's fingerprint on the bloody pillowcase and the detectives discovered him asleep in the back of his truck with a oneeyed teddy bear Haden Clark would never be free again Haden Clark pled guilty to second degree murder in 1993 even though there was no body days later later he brought police his lawyers and prosecutors to Laura's body in prison Haden made several mistakes he boasted of his many murders telling inmates how he killed Michelle door Laura and others convicts who hated child killers and who believed in forming on Haden might also get them early parole contacted the police in 1999 he was tried twice the first for stealing from the mahany family netted him another 10 years the second for the murder of Michelle door at the trial his defense attorney tried to confuse the jurors by pointing the finger at Carl door which didn't work after the conviction a crazed Haden Clark confessed to a convict he believed was Jesus Christ and told him where he buried Michelle door in 2000 he led them to the woods and helped to dig up her remains nearly 14 years after he killed her Haden Clark convinced an FBI serial killer team that he may have murdered as many as a dozen young women between January and April 2000 he and his friend Jesus were escorted to many states Massachusetts Connecticut New Jersey Pennsylvania where he claimed to have murdered young women the police with Haden's cooperation found a huge bucket containing roughly 200 pieces of women's jewelry several of the items were Lura Haden claimed to have collected the jewelry from each of his victims as souvenirs there was also a pin in these items hadn't Clark told officers the pin was his angel of death and had been taken from his first victim he said he pinned it to Penny's blouse the night he killed Laura hodling