Leonard Lake
| Leonard Lake | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Leonard Thomas Lake October 29, 1945 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Died | June 6, 1985 (aged 39) South San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Suicide by cyanide pill |
| Other names | Leonard J. Hill Alan Drey Randy Jacobsen Robin Stapley Leonard Hill Charles Gunnar Paul Cosner |
| Criminal penalty | Never sentenced |
| Conviction(s) | Never convicted |
| Killings | |
| Victims | 11–25 |
|
Span of killings
|
1983–1985 |
| Country | U.S. |
| State(s) | California |
|
Date apprehended
|
June 2, 1985 |
Leonard Thomas Lake (October 29, 1945 – June 6, 1985) was an American serial killer who often used the alias Leonard Hill. Shortly after being arrested for a firearms offense and suspicion of auto theft and fraud, authorities were alerted to the crimes of Lake and accomplice Charles Ng when a confession/suicide note written by Lake prior to swallowing cyanide pills and committing suicide was discovered. Videotapes later found at his house provided evidence that the pair had kidnapped and killed numerous persons; they are believed to have killed from 11 to 25 individuals.
Lake was born in San Francisco, California. His parents separated when he was 6 years old, after which he and his siblings were sent to live with their maternal grandmother. He was reportedly a bright child, but had an obsession with pornography that stemmed from taking nude photos of his sisters, apparently with the encouragement of his grandmother. It was also alleged that Lake extorted sexual favors from his sisters. When he was a child, he enjoyed collecting mice and killing them by dissolving them in chemicals (a technique he would later use to help dispose of his human victims).
After attending Balboa High School, in 1964 Lake enlisted in the Marine Corps. He served two tours of duty in the Vietnam War as a radar electronics technician. During this time period, Lake was first diagnosed with schizoid personality disorder. Following a spell in Da Nang, he suffered a delusional breakdown and was sent home. Lake was eventually given a medical discharge in 1971 and underwent psychotherapy.
Back in civilian life, he lived in San Jose. He briefly attended San Jose State University, but dropped out after one semester. It is believed that he settled in a hippie commune in the early 1970s. Lake married in 1975, but the marriage dissolved quickly because his wife found out that he was making and appearing in amateur pornographic movies, usually involving bondage or sadomasochism.
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Wikipedia