Adolph Theodore Laudenberg was born on June 13, 1926, in Lexington, Kentucky. His father was a German immigrant who worked as a butcher. Adolph’s mother passed away when he was very young. After her death, he was raised by his father.

As a child, Adolph developed an interest in whittling. He often made unique walking canes using salvaged wood and manzanita shrubs. He sold these canes for $10 or gave them away to friends and family.

In 1944, during World War II, Adolph served in the naval construction battalion. While stationed in Trinidad, British West Indies, he met a woman named Annelle. After finishing his service, he married her and later adopted her son, Steve. The family moved to California, where Adolph began working as a security guard at a steel plant.

By the late 1960s, Adolph switched careers and became a cab driver in the San Pedro area of Los Angeles. Over the years, Adolph and Annelle appeared to have contrasting personalities. Annelle was outgoing and worked at a dance studio, while Adolph was known for being generous but reclusive.

Despite their differences, the couple remained together for 30 years. Eventually, they separated when Annelle revealed that she did not love Adolph and had taken up work as a stripper. After the separation, Adolph remarried but went through another divorce. At some point, he traveled briefly to New Orleans before returning to San Pedro.

Adolph Theodore Laudenberg committed several murders during the 1970s. He focused on women he believed resembled his ex-wife and often picked them up while working as a cab driver. Laudenberg attacked these women in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

His first confirmed victim was Lois Petrie, who was found strangled in her apartment on December 26, 1972. She had been partially undressed and showed signs of sexual assault. On August 19, 1974, he murdered Catherine Medina. Her body was discovered near some bushes after she had disappeared from a bar. A month later, on September 4, Laudenberg killed Anna Felch, who also was attacked after leaving a bar late at night.

The final confirmed victim was Leah Griffin, whom he killed on March 21, 1975. Authorities later suspected Laudenberg may have been involved in the murders of Irene Hind and Maude Burgess but could not prove it.

Laudenberg confessed to killing four women in 1975 but was not arrested until 2002. This was after a police investigation used DNA evidence obtained from a coffee cup he left behind. The DNA matched evidence from Lois Petrie’s murder. He was arrested and charged with her killing. In 2003, Laudenberg was convicted of the murder and sentenced to life in prison. He maintained his innocence throughout the trial.