Bio

Otto Stephen Wilson was born in 1911. He had a troubled early life that began when he was very young. Wilson spent part of his childhood in an orphanage. He experienced many challenges during this time. His upbringing was not stable. This affected his relationships as he grew older.

Wilson later joined the Navy. He had a hard time adjusting and fitting in with military life. After his service, he drifted from job to job. His work included being a fry cook in a shipyard commissary. He struggled with loneliness and feelings of unrest throughout his life.

During his adulthood, Wilson married. However, his marriage did not last. His wife left him, and their relationship ended poorly. Wilson's life became even more chaotic after his wife’s departure. He spent time in bars, trying to cope with his feelings by drinking alcohol.

Wilson was known to have a dark side. He struggled with controlling his impulses and emotions. His thoughts were often troubling, and he hid them from those around him. People in his life likely did not understand what he was experiencing inside.

As he faced these difficulties, Wilson became isolated and vulnerable. He did not build strong connections with others. Instead, he became more restless and detached from society, leading to further complications in his life. He continued to grapple with feelings of anger and confusion.

Murder Story

On November 15, 1944, a maid discovered the body of Virginia Lee Griffin in a downtown Los Angeles hotel. The woman had been brutally attacked, with severe mutilations evident on her body. A razor-sharp carving knife, the murder weapon, was found nearby.

Shortly after, another murder was reported at a nearby hotel. The victim was Lillian Johnson, a 38-year-old prostitute. Her injuries were serious but not as extensive as those of Griffin. Witnesses from both crime scenes provided similar descriptions to the police. This led the law enforcement to create a dragnet in an area around twenty blocks.

A police officer later noticed a man who fit the description in a bar. He was seen talking to a woman there. When the officer checked the suspect, he used a matchbook from the hotel where Griffin was murdered to light his cigarette. The police arrested him and confirmed that his fingerprints matched those found at both murder sites.

The suspect, Otto Stephen Wilson, confessed to killing both women. He admitted to a deep-seated compulsion for bloodlust. Wilson indicated that these violent thoughts had intensified after his wife left him. He described previous violent fantasies directed at her, where he would injure her with a razor.

Otto Stephen Wilson was ultimately convicted for the murders. He was executed by asphyxiation-gas at San Quentin Prison on September 20, 1946.