Wayne Clifford Boden was born in 1948 in Dundas, Ontario, Canada. He grew up in the industrial city of Hamilton, where he attended Glendale Secondary School in the early to mid-1960s. Known among his peers as quiet and reserved, Boden nevertheless stood out for his athletic build and participation in the school’s senior football team. His seemingly ordinary upbringing revealed no early signs of the sadistic tendencies that would later emerge, and he maintained a relatively unremarkable presence in his youth.

As an adult, Boden entered the modeling industry briefly, presenting himself as well-groomed and charming—traits he used effectively to lure women into a false sense of safety. His physical attractiveness and confident demeanor made him appear trustworthy and charismatic, allowing him to easily initiate relationships and gain access to his victims. By the late 1960s, Boden had relocated to Montreal, Quebec, where he began living a transient lifestyle. Beneath his polished exterior, however, was a deeply disturbed individual with violent sexual impulses and a growing compulsion for domination and control.

Between 1969 and 1971, Boden transformed from an outwardly respectable young man into one of Canada’s most notorious serial killers. His crimes would not only terrorize communities but also make forensic science history, as his eventual conviction marked the first murder case in North America to be solved using odontological (bite-mark) evidence.

Boden’s killing spree began on 3 October 1969 with the murder of Shirley Audette, who was found dead behind an apartment complex in downtown Montreal. She had been raped and strangled, and investigators noted distinctive bite marks on her breasts—injuries so severe that they appeared to have been inflicted with sadistic intent. Audette, who was fully clothed, showed no signs of a struggle, leading police to suspect that she might have been subdued or coerced before being killed. Witness statements later revealed that she had been nervous about a dominant man she was seeing—almost certainly Boden.

His second known victim, Marielle Archambault, was murdered on 23 November 1969. Archambault, a jewelry clerk, was last seen leaving work with a man she introduced as “Bill.” When she failed to show up the next day, her employer and landlady discovered her raped and strangled body in her apartment. As with Audette, her breasts bore deep bite marks. A photograph found at the scene initially confused investigators but eventually reinforced suspicions that Archambault’s killer was someone she had trusted.

On 17 January 1970, Boden struck again. Jean Way, a 24-year-old woman, was found naked and strangled in her apartment on Lincoln Street. Evidence suggested that Boden had been inside the apartment when Way’s boyfriend came by earlier that evening. Forensic analysis revealed fibers under her fingernails, proving she had fought back, contradicting earlier theories about the submissive nature of his victims. After Way’s death, panic spread across Montreal. However, the murders abruptly stopped—Boden had fled the city.

Boden resurfaced in Calgary, Alberta, in 1971. On 18 May 1971, Elizabeth Anne Porteous, a 33-year-old teacher, was found raped, beaten, and strangled in her apartment. Bite marks were again present, and signs of a violent struggle were evident. Investigators found a broken cufflink under her body and learned that Porteous had been seen riding in a distinctive blue Mercedes-Benz with a man named “Bill” shortly before her death. Police quickly located the car near the crime scene and arrested Boden on 19 May 1971 as he returned to retrieve it. He admitted dating Porteous and being with her that night but denied involvement in her death.