Bio

Paul Frederick Runge was born in 1970 and grew up in Oak Forest, Illinois. He was adopted when he was just six months old. Runge's parents were Richard and Anita Runge. His father later described his son as having a troubled childhood. As a child, he was kicked out of a Catholic grade school when he was eight years old because he was said to be bothering other children. 

At the age of 17, he committed serious crimes. He was found guilty of kidnapping and aggravated sexual assault against a 14-year-old girl. For these offenses, he received a 14-year prison sentence. He served five years and was released on parole in 1994. After his release, he moved to Carol Stream, Illinois, and found a job at a Lady Foot Locker.

In January 1995, Runge married Charlene Culnan. Their marriage occurred quickly, just weeks before he was alleged to have committed the first of several murders. 

Murder Story

Paul Frederick Runge was linked to a series of murders and sexual assaults in Illinois between the years 1995 and 1997. In total, he is believed to have killed seven victims. The details reveal that he used various tactics to gain the trust of his victims.

Runge often approached women by pretending to be interested in properties they had for sale. Many of his victims were either acquaintances or women who had responded to job ads he had placed. Once he was inside their homes, he committed violent crimes against them, including rape and murder.

Stacey Frobel, aged 25, was the first identified victim, murdered in January 1995. Her body was discovered in a dismembered state in various locations in Wisconsin and Illinois. Six months later, he killed two sisters, Dzeneta and Amela Pasanbegovic, ages 22 and 20, who had recently immigrated from Bosnia. Runge lured them to his house with false promises of cleaning jobs. After killing them, he dismembered their bodies and disposed of the remains.

In 1997, Runge murdered Dorota Dziubak, 30, and Kazimiera Paruch, 43, both of whom advertised properties for sale. Moreover, he is infamously known for the brutal killings of Yolanda Gutierrez, 35, and her 10-year-old daughter, Jessica Muniz. He gained entry to their apartment under pretense and subsequently assaulted and murdered them before setting their apartment on fire to hide the evidence.

Runge was arrested in 1997 for violating his parole from a previous conviction and later connected to these murders through DNA evidence. He confessed to all the killings when confronted by the police. His confessions included horrific details about how he carried out the murders.

Runge was ultimately sentenced to death on June 6, 2006, for the murder of Gutierrez and Muniz. His subsequent trials would address the other murders over time. Currently, he is recognized as one of the most notorious serial killers in the Chicago area for his violent actions against women and a child.