Summary
Name:
Eric Royce LeonardNickname:
Thrill KillerYears Active:
1991Status:
ImprisonedClass:
MurdererVictims:
6Method:
ShootingNationality:
USASummary: Murderer
Name:
Eric Royce LeonardNickname:
Thrill KillerStatus:
ImprisonedVictims:
6Method:
ShootingNationality:
USAYears Active:
1991Date Convicted:
June 13, 1996“I am guilty.”
— Eric Royce Leonard
Eric Royce Leonard was born in 1969 and lived in Sacramento, California. He became known as the “Thrill Killer” after murdering six people during two robberies in 1991. Before his arrest, Leonard was described as quiet and withdrawn. Police later focused on him after witnesses saw a man in a trench coat near both crime scenes.
On February 12, 1991, Eric Royce Leonard shot and killed three people at a Quik Stop convenience store in Sacramento. The victims were employees Zaid Obeid and Stephen Anderson, and customer Thor Johnson. One week later, on February 19, 1991, Leonard killed three more people at a Round Table Pizza restaurant. The victims were employees Sarah Crook, Kyle Reynolds, and Andrea Coladangelo.
Both attacks happened during robberies, but very little was taken. Because of this, the media called Leonard the “Thrill Killer.” Police feared he might strike again because both attacks happened on Tuesday nights, one week apart. Investigators later connected Leonard to the crimes through witness reports and a .25-caliber pistol owned by his father. Ballistics testing showed the gun was used in all six murders.
Leonard was arrested on June 6, 1991. In 1996, he was convicted of six murders and two robberies, then sentenced to death. The California Supreme Court upheld his conviction in 2007.
