Charles Frederick Albright was born on August 10, 1933, in Texas. As an infant, he was adopted from an orphanage by Delle and Fred Albright. His adoptive mother, a schoolteacher, exerted strict control over his upbringing and was described as overprotective. She accelerated his education, helping him skip two grades, which allowed him to graduate from high school at an unusually young age.

By adolescence, Albright had begun displaying antisocial behavior. At age 13, he was already involved in petty theft and was arrested for aggravated assault. At 15, he graduated high school and enrolled at North Texas University, expressing aspirations of becoming a medical doctor or surgeon. He entered pre-medical studies but failed to complete the program. At 16, police arrested him after finding him in possession of stolen money, two handguns, and a rifle. He served approximately one year in jail.

After his release, Albright enrolled at Arkansas State Teachers College, again studying pre-med. He was expelled after being found with stolen property, though he avoided prosecution. Over the following years, he engaged in extensive fraud, forging academic credentials and falsely claiming bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He married a college girlfriend, with whom he had one daughter. While teaching at a high school, he was discovered forging checks and was placed on probation.

Albright’s marriage deteriorated, and the couple separated in 1965, divorcing in 1974. He later received a two-year prison sentence for stealing merchandise from a hardware store, serving less than six months. Despite his criminal history, Albright cultivated a respectable public image. Neighbors trusted him to babysit their children, and he was regarded as polite and intelligent.

In 1981, Albright molested a 14-year-old girl while visiting friends. He pleaded guilty and received probation, later claiming he accepted the plea to avoid legal complications. In 1984, he applied to become a Boy Scouts of America leader but was rejected. By 1985, he was living with a woman named Dixie in Arkansas, relying on her financial support. He worked as a newspaper delivery driver, a schedule that allowed him to move about at night without suspicion.

Between 1988 and 1991, a series of murders targeting sex workers occurred in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas, Texas. The first known victim, Rhonda K. Bowie, age 30, was found murdered in October 1988. She had been stabbed more than 20 times. At the time, her death was not conclusively linked to a larger pattern.

In December 1990, Mary Lou Pratt, 33, a well-known sex worker in Oak Cliff, was found dead wearing only a t-shirt and bra. She had been shot in the back of the head with a .44 Magnum and severely beaten. The medical examiner reported that both of her eyes had been surgically removed and taken from the scene.

In February 1991, Susan Beth Peterson, 27, was discovered near the DeSoto city limits, on the same street where Pratt had been found. She had been shot three times and was nearly nude. Like Pratt, her eyes had been removed, leading investigators to believe the murders were connected.

In March 1991, Shirley Williams, an African-American sex worker, was found nude near an elementary school. She had been beaten, suffered a broken nose, and was shot in the face and head. A medical examiner confirmed her eyes had been removed. This murder solidified the belief that a serial offender was operating in the area.

On March 22, 1991, Charles Albright was arrested after evidence linked him to the crimes. His trial began on December 13, 1991. Prosecutors relied heavily on circumstantial evidence, including hair analysis presented as matching Albright. On December 18, 1991, the jury convicted him of the murder of Shirley Williams. Charges in the other murders were later dropped due to insufficient evidence. Subsequent DNA testing revealed the hair evidence used at trial came from a dog, though Albright’s conviction stood.

Albright was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole and was confined to the John Montford Psychiatric Unit in Lubbock, Texas. He remained the primary suspect in the other three murders until his death on August 22, 2020, at University Medical Center in Lubbock. He was 87 years old.