Serial killer Charles Howard Schmid Jr., known as the Pied Piper of Tucson, terrorized Arizona in the 1960s, murdering three teenagers. He was convicted in 1966 and later stabbed to death in prison in 1975. Schmid, a one-time high school gymnastics champion, used his charisma to lure victims, but his crimes were ultimately exposed by a terrified friend.
The Rise of a Killer
By the late 1950s, Tucson was booming, quadrupling in size from 55,000 residents in 1950 to over 200,000 by 1960. Charles Schmid Jr., 23, was a native who hung out at drive-ins and juke joints on East Speedway Boulevard. To local teens, he was a libertine, known as Smitty. Muscular and a former gymnastics champ, he always had wheels and a list of girls' phone numbers.
Self-conscious about his 5-foot-3 stature, Schmid added three inches by stuffing rags and smashed tin cans into his boots, a trick used by thrill killer Charles Starkweather. He dyed his hair jet black, wore pancake makeup, pale cream lipstick, a bogus mole, and mascara. He used a clothespin to stretch his lower lip for an Elvis Presley pout. He lied about stealing cars and smuggling them into Mexico, but his cash actually came from his mother.
The First Murder: Alleen Rowe
On the night of May 31, 1964, Schmid was with his girlfriend Mary French and a pal. He mused aloud: "I want to kill a girl tonight!" Alleen Rowe, 15, seemed a good prospect. She lived with her divorced mother, who worked nights, and had refused casual group sex with Schmid and his pals. French lured Rowe to the desert, where Schmid tied her up. Rowe pleaded: "Why are you doing this to me?" Schmid coldly replied: "It's Mary French's idea. She hates you." After raping her, Schmid battered her to death with a rock. He kissed French and said: "Remember, I love you." The trio buried Rowe.
Rowe's mother, Norma, gave police the names of Schmid, Saunders, and French. They were questioned but investigators believed Alleen was a runaway. Schmid might have gotten away, but he could not keep his mouth shut. In June 1964, he showed friend Richard Bruns, 19, where Rowe was buried. Bruns kept the secret, but Schmid continued to brag.
The Second Murders: Gretchen and Wendy Fritz
In August 1964, Schmid met pretty blond 16-year-old Gretchen Fritz, daughter of a prominent heart surgeon. She had been booted from private school and classified as a pathological liar. The pair dated, but Gretchen was possessive and jealous, calling Schmid "five or six times a day." Schmid wanted out, so he told her about murdering Alleen Rowe and took her to the burial site to show "what kind of guy I am." Gretchen had already stolen his diary, which detailed the Rowe murder and a shooting of a 16-year-old boy. She threatened to "ruin" him if he broke up with her. On August 16, 1965, Schmid strangled Gretchen, 17, and her 13-year-old sister Wendy.
Police suspected the sisters were runaways. Schmid confessed to Bruns and showed him their bodies. Terrified, Bruns fled to his grandparents in Ohio and confessed to them. He eventually told police, and Schmid and his cohorts were busted. At least 30 teens who were friends of Schmid kept quiet. One teen told Time: "A lot of people knew, but it was already too late. Telling would just have made it tough on everyone."
Conviction and Death
Charles Howard Schmid was convicted of murder in 1966 and sentenced to the gas chamber, later commuted to 50 years in prison. On March 20, 1975, he was stabbed 47 times by two convicts and died 10 days later. His corpse was then stolen from the morgue.
