John Charles Bolsinger was born on September 17, 1957, in Springfield, Oregon. He grew up in this small town in the Pacific Northwest. There is not a lot of detailed information available about his childhood or family background. However, it is known that he spent much of his early life in Springfield.

On March 29, 1980, John Charles Bolsinger entered an apartment complex in Magna, Utah, where he encountered 33-year-old Kaysie Sorensen. They had met earlier that day at a bar. A dispute arose between them, and Bolsinger reacted by strangling her with a cord from a clock radio. After the murder, he stole a stereo from her apartment and left. Kaysie Sorensen's body was found the next day by the building manager. The autopsy confirmed strangulation and suggested possible sexual assault.

Bolsinger was arrested a few days later and charged with second-degree murder. He was held on $100,000 bail and awaited trial at the Salt Lake County Jail. During the trial, the main debate was whether his actions were intentional or accidental. The defense argued it was accidental, presenting testimony from a coroner who suggested the cause of death was heart failure due to chest compression. However, the prosecution argued that Bolsinger intended to harm Sorensen. Ultimately, he was found guilty of murder and received a 5-year-to-life sentence. His conviction was later reduced to manslaughter by the Utah Supreme Court due to lack of evidence of intent, and he was paroled in April 1986.

After his release, Bolsinger returned to Springfield, Oregon. On June 5, 1986, the body of 62-year-old Gladys Mae Hensley was discovered in her apartment in Eugene. Two weeks later, on June 19, the body of 33-year-old Janice Marie Dickinson was found in a nearby area. Investigators believed the two cases were linked but had no suspect.

While these investigations were ongoing, Bolsinger was arrested for attempting to burglarize a woman's apartment in Springfield. He was caught after entering her home and trying to take the phone from her. Bolsinger claimed he could not remember the incident due to amnesia. He was found guilty and sentenced to another 5 years in prison, but he was paroled again in December 1987. Shortly after, he enrolled in a local community college.

On February 27, 1988, he committed another murder by breaking into the home of 73-year-old Geraldine Spencer Toohey, who was on the phone with her sister at the time. He cut the phone lines, then stabbed, raped, and strangled her. Her body was found the next day.

Less than a month after killing Toohey, Bolsinger died by suicide in his Springfield home on March 23, 1988. The three murders remained unsolved until 2000 when DNA linked all three cases. In 2016, police sought help from a DNA lab which created a suspect snapshot. As a result, multiple suspects were investigated, with Bolsinger being one of them. By February 2022, he was officially identified as the killer of all three women, officially closing the cases.