Vender Duncan

On January 9, 1955, Duncan was walking through California Street when he spotted a second-floor apartment. After climbing up the fire escape, he peeked through the window, where he saw 82-year-old tailor Marceline Herdlick counting some money.[3] Duncan then entered through the window, intending to attack her.[4] Fearing that he might get caught, Duncan hit her in the face, causing the woman to fall to the ground. He then choked her to death before proceeding to copulate with her corpse.[5] After assuring that Herdlick was dead, he then searched through the drawers in an attempt to find any money or valuables, before leaving. On his way, he accidentally dropped a small desk radio, which was left lying on the fire escape.[4]

Herdlick's body, clad only in a nightgown, was found on the afternoon of the next day, after her landlady, Dorothy Waisman, was informed by the cleaning lady that she was unable to open the door.[4] Police were called in to investigate her death, and after questioning the neighbors, who claimed that there were sounds of an apparent scuffle the previous night and that one of them had seen a young man walking away from the apartment at a brisk pace, it was determined that Herdlick was likely murdered.[5] An autopsy later confirmed their suspicion, as the coroner revealed that she had been strangled and then violated post-mortem. The police launched an investigation into all known sex offenders living in the area, but the inquiry yielded no results.[5]

On September 4, Duncan was prowling along Webster Street when he chose a first-floor apartment to break into. After climbing the fire escape and entering through an unlocked window, he came across 75-year-old Elizabeth Manning, a retired nurse with a physical ailment.[6] As in his previous murder, he started viciously beating the frail woman, who quickly succumbed to her injuries. After rifling through the apartment in search of something to steal, Duncan then exited through the window, pulling the shades to obscure the body from view, partially tearing them off in the process.[7]

The following day, Rev. William Hughes, a Roman Catholic pastor at the local Sacred Heart Catholic Church, became concerned for Manning, as she attended morning Mass regularly. He then contacted her neighbors, the Sansings, who also suspected that something had happened, noting that her mail box was full, something they considered unusual since Manning was expecting a letter from a niece from Quantico, Virginia, with whom she had plans to move in.[7] After attempting to open the door, which was locked, George Sansing got a ladder and peered through the window, seeing the elderly woman lying face down on the floor. The trio then notified a nearby patrolman, James Hegarty, who forced open a rear door and confirmed that Manning had indeed died.[6] The body was sent for an autopsy, and after coroner Henry W. Turkel determined that the cause of death was a violent assault, authorities were mobilized in search of the killer, who was suspected to be the same assailant who had killed Marceline Herdlick months previously.[6] Upon learning of the murder, Manning's niece, Marie Gerlach, offered a $100 reward for any information that could lead to an arrest.[8]

On April 5, 1957, Duncan was in the Grove Street area when he came across 68-year-old Ada Romig, an elderly pensioner who lived nearby. He attacked her in a vacant lot, repeatedly beating her and smashing a brick in her face, before dragging her to nearby Fulton Street.[9] After hurling her body over a brick wall, Duncan continued dragging Romig until he found another vacant lot, where he left her. The semi-conscious woman was left lying in serious condition until a passer-by spotted her and alerted the authorities.[9] Romig, who suffered a fractured skull and numerous bruises, was quickly driven to the hospital, remaining in critical condition until she finally succumbed to her injuries six days later.[10] She was only able to provide a partial description of her attacker, saying that he was "about 40" and had dark hair.[11]