John Norman Collins, of Michigan, is believed to have murdered seven young women and girls in the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti area of Michigan between 1967 and 1969. Collins disposed of his victims in places where they would be found fairly easily. Collins was called "The Co-ed Murderer" and his crimes are sometimes refered to as "The Michigan Murders" - after a book about the case.
He was only tried and convicted of one of those murders; that of 18 year-old Karen Sue Beinnaman, the last of the series. He was sentenced to life in prison.
A special task force was formed by the Michigan Governor. It consisted of investigators from the Michigan State Police, Washtenaw County Sheriff Office, Ann Arbor,and Ypsilanti Police departments, as well as campus security from the University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University.
Besides the seven murders generally accepted by the task force, there were also other murders which showed similarities. Eventually three other men were convicted of three of those murders.
California Connection
Collins was visiting California with a friend, Andrew Manuel in June and July of 1969. It is believed that he murdered a 17-year-old girl named Roxie Ann Phillips on 30 June. She was from Milwaukie, Oregon and was visiting relatives in Salinas, CA before continuing on to Lompoc, CA, where she was to meet up with her father and stepmother.
Collins and Manuel had driven from Michigan to California and were staying in a stolen camping trailer. Collins drove a shiny gray or silver Oldsmobile with black interior and Michigan plates. The car was later taken into evidence in Michigan. Although he had cleaned it very thoroughly, traces of type O blood were found in it when police checked it on 5 August 1969.
It was known conclusively that Collins had met Roxie Phillips and had driven her to the home where she was staying in Salinas. He even went into the house with her and met another resident of the house. Although nobody saw him with Roxie on the day of her murder, later evidence tied him to the crime. Roxie was strangled to death with a piece of her clothing, and a piece of that same clothing was found in Collins' car. Roxie's body was found in a ravine near Carmel on 13 July 1969. Some of her personal items were found in various places along the route 68 roadside.
Roxie Ann Phillips was five feet six inches tall, weighed 130 pounds, hazel eyes, fair skin, shoulder-length coppery blond hair. She was last seen wearing a short red pants dress with small white floral design, matching fabric belt, full sleeves with white cuffs, white collar, white sandals, and carrying a large straw tote bag. When her body was found, she was wearing only the white sandals, and had a portion of her cloth belt wrapped around her neck.
Andrew Manuel had family connections in California and friends in Arizona. The two men parked their stolen camping trailer on the property of a relative of Manuel and left it behind when they left the Salinas area. They drove back to Michigan together, but it is not known what route they took.
Collins and Manuel returned to Michigan from their California visit by 23 July 1969, the date of his last known Michigan murder. Manuel left Michigan almost immediately afterward, taking a bus first to California, and next to Phoenix, AZ where he was picked up on 6 Aug 1969.
Manuel was called as a witness in Collins' trial, but he was never charged in any of the murders.
Collins is currently incarcerated in Marquette Prison in Michigan on a Life Sentence for Murder. The current wherabouts of Andrew Manuel are not known.
The below information comes from the Michigan Inmate Locator. Click on the link at the end to see photo and some sentencing information.
----------------------------
Name: John Norman Collins
Michigan DOC Number: 126833
SID number 0638739H
Race: White
Gender: Male
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Blue
Height: 6' 0"
weight: 224 lbs.
Date of birth: 6/17/1947 (58)
Photo taken: 3/15/2005
MDOC STATUS
Current Status:
Prisoner Earliest Release Date: LIFE
Assigned Location: Marquette Branch Prison
Maximum Discharge Date: LIFE
Security Level: V
Source Information:
Offender Tracking Information System (OTIS) - Offender Profile
Link:
http://www.state.mi.us/mdoc/asp/otis...cNumber=126833
He was only tried and convicted of one of those murders; that of 18 year-old Karen Sue Beinnaman, the last of the series. He was sentenced to life in prison.
A special task force was formed by the Michigan Governor. It consisted of investigators from the Michigan State Police, Washtenaw County Sheriff Office, Ann Arbor,and Ypsilanti Police departments, as well as campus security from the University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University.
Besides the seven murders generally accepted by the task force, there were also other murders which showed similarities. Eventually three other men were convicted of three of those murders.
California Connection
Collins was visiting California with a friend, Andrew Manuel in June and July of 1969. It is believed that he murdered a 17-year-old girl named Roxie Ann Phillips on 30 June. She was from Milwaukie, Oregon and was visiting relatives in Salinas, CA before continuing on to Lompoc, CA, where she was to meet up with her father and stepmother.
Collins and Manuel had driven from Michigan to California and were staying in a stolen camping trailer. Collins drove a shiny gray or silver Oldsmobile with black interior and Michigan plates. The car was later taken into evidence in Michigan. Although he had cleaned it very thoroughly, traces of type O blood were found in it when police checked it on 5 August 1969.
It was known conclusively that Collins had met Roxie Phillips and had driven her to the home where she was staying in Salinas. He even went into the house with her and met another resident of the house. Although nobody saw him with Roxie on the day of her murder, later evidence tied him to the crime. Roxie was strangled to death with a piece of her clothing, and a piece of that same clothing was found in Collins' car. Roxie's body was found in a ravine near Carmel on 13 July 1969. Some of her personal items were found in various places along the route 68 roadside.
Roxie Ann Phillips was five feet six inches tall, weighed 130 pounds, hazel eyes, fair skin, shoulder-length coppery blond hair. She was last seen wearing a short red pants dress with small white floral design, matching fabric belt, full sleeves with white cuffs, white collar, white sandals, and carrying a large straw tote bag. When her body was found, she was wearing only the white sandals, and had a portion of her cloth belt wrapped around her neck.
Andrew Manuel had family connections in California and friends in Arizona. The two men parked their stolen camping trailer on the property of a relative of Manuel and left it behind when they left the Salinas area. They drove back to Michigan together, but it is not known what route they took.
Collins and Manuel returned to Michigan from their California visit by 23 July 1969, the date of his last known Michigan murder. Manuel left Michigan almost immediately afterward, taking a bus first to California, and next to Phoenix, AZ where he was picked up on 6 Aug 1969.
Manuel was called as a witness in Collins' trial, but he was never charged in any of the murders.
Collins is currently incarcerated in Marquette Prison in Michigan on a Life Sentence for Murder. The current wherabouts of Andrew Manuel are not known.
The below information comes from the Michigan Inmate Locator. Click on the link at the end to see photo and some sentencing information.
----------------------------
Name: John Norman Collins
Michigan DOC Number: 126833
SID number 0638739H
Race: White
Gender: Male
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Blue
Height: 6' 0"
weight: 224 lbs.
Date of birth: 6/17/1947 (58)
Photo taken: 3/15/2005
MDOC STATUS
Current Status:
Prisoner Earliest Release Date: LIFE
Assigned Location: Marquette Branch Prison
Maximum Discharge Date: LIFE
Security Level: V
Source Information:
Offender Tracking Information System (OTIS) - Offender Profile
Link:
http://www.state.mi.us/mdoc/asp/otis...cNumber=126833
