B.R. Bates's Blog: From the social feeds ..., page 8

Thanks to Tim at Darkness Radio!

Gerry and I had a chance to talk recently with Tim Dennis of Darkness Radio about "The ‘Baby Doll’ Serial Killer: The John Eric Armstrong Homicides" and the Armstrong case for his True Crime Tuesday. Thanks again, Tim!

https://www.darknessradioshow.com/s19-ep130-the-baby-doll-serial-killer-john-eric-armstrong-wbr-bates-and-gerald-cliff/

Now available for pre-order: "The Crack City Strangler: The Homicides of Serial Killer Benjamin Atkins"

It just went up on Amazon, and I'm so thankful, as it was a true labor of love over the past few years: "The Crack City Strangler: The Homicides of Serial Killer Benjamin Atkins" is the second in the Murders in the Motor City series, following "The 'Baby Doll' Serial Killer: The John Eric Armstrong Homicides." In this second book you'll meet the man who's been called the country's fastest serial killer. Known on the streets as Tony, he killed 11 women in a span of six to nine months along Detroit's historic Woodward Avenue. I really enjoyed the research of this one, and I hope you'll enjoy the deep dive into the case.
You can order a Kindle edition now, and the print (paperback and hardcover) and audio versions will be coming soon. I'm so glad it's almost here! Let me know what you think.

Great synopsis of the John Eric Armstrong case

I really enjoyed this great write-up on the case by Gemma Bath of Mamamia:

https://www.mamamia.com.au/baby-doll-serial-killer/

The Murder Shelf Book Club's second episode on the Armstrong case has dropped

Jill of the Murder Shelf Book Club has posted another awesome episode exploring "The 'Baby Doll' Serial Killer" book and the John Eric Armstrong case, lending her own touch of drama and expertise. In part 2, she delves further into the Dearborn Heights PD part of the investigation, then turns to Detroit and Armstrong's arrest in April 2000. She also highlights the possible overseas killings while Armstrong was aboard the USS Nimitz, murder confessions that he made that have for the most part not yet been corroborated. Thanks again, Jill!

Also catch Jill's blog for more on this episode and the other true-crime cases and books she has covered. Thanks, Jill!

"As victim-centric as I could make it"

 ... Yes, that was my lofty goal when I started the book project on "The ‘Baby Doll’ Serial Killer: The John Eric Armstrong Homicides." Finding at least one person to speak for each one of the five women who lost their lives to Armstrong in Detroit. One full chapter on each of those females, first in the book. First in priority. I'm very thankful to have done quite a few interviews on the book in the past few weeks, but these gals -- Tahli and Gemma -- really *got* it. This is the most victim-centric interview I've done. So thanks very much to host Gemma, and producer Tahli.

https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/true-crime-conversations/john-eric-armstrong-murders-america

Discussing the Armstrong case on Crawlspace's "Missing" podcast

How does a Detroit cop get himself assigned to the interagency Violent Crime Task Force, then go after a dangerous serial killer stalking women at risk on Michigan Ave? Gerry discusses that and more from his very cop-ly perspective in our interview with Lance and Tim of Crawlspace Media for the "Missing" podcast.

Learn more about "Missing" and Crawlspace:
https://linktr.ee/MissingCSM 

See the book on Amazon.

Killer Comparisons: John Eric Armstrong and William Devin Howell

Armstrong, at left, and
Howell, below.
.....

They both were young white men killing prostitutes, fitting very much the stereotype that we have of a serial killer. They were born only three years apart, and they killed at roughly the same time: One began his killings in 2003 and the other in 1999 (although it could’ve been much earlier than that, based on his confessions after his arrest). But how else do these two serials compare — John Eric Armstrong, known to have killed five people in Michigan, and William Devin Howell, known to have killed seven people in Connecticut?

They are similar in their hatred for prostitutes, certainly. Armstrong was known to have yelled “I hate hookers!” in the process of strangling them, according to his survivors, though we don’t really understand where that hatred came from. For Howell, he has freely spoken during his incarceration about how he saw prostitutes as worthless beings. In fact, he has been very forthcoming in general behind bars, whereas these days Armstrong refuses to discuss his own crimes. Howell began picking up prostitutes at a very young age, and Armstrong may have, as well, while serving in the U.S. Navy right out of high school. And ironically, both of these killers held regular jobs and were family men at the time of their crimes. Each had a wife and children at home (Armstrong had a child on the way at the time of his arrest). They both seemed to have a very binary view of women during their crimes: Prostitutes were “bad,” but the females close to them in their lives, like their wives, were “good.”

Strangely (or maybe not) both Armstrong and Howell picked up trans prostitutes, believing them biologically female, and became enraged when they discovered otherwise. Armstrong claimed to have picked up a trans sex worker while overseas in the Navy and killed that person. Years later he picked up another trans sex worker in Detroit, but that person was able to fight him off and survive.

Each of these killers attempted suicide, Howell while behind bars and Armstrong multiple times before being incarcerated.

But there are some interesting areas where their stories diverge. Howell, though he claims to have had a happy childhood, was incarcerated a lot over the years and became an alcoholic at a very young age. Armstrong was never incarcerated before he began killing and had an upbringing that appears very normal on the surface (but there may be some stuff there that we just don't know). Howell buried his victims in shallow graves and they were not found for years, whereas Armstrong left his in places where they could easily be found — the last victim in plain view right at the railroad tracks. Howell picked up prostitutes in a van that he used for his lawn care work, and he kept them there captive for hours as he repeatedly raped them. In fact, he later told police that he really only killed them because he feared they would go to the police. If he could know for sure that they would not report him, he said, he would have just let them go. So sad. Armstrong, on the other hand, had no interest in keeping anyone captive and killed them right there in his Jeep, dumped them, and drove home.

And how about triggers for these killers? What set them off on their killing rampages? Well, for Howell it has been speculated that a possible trigger was his wife suing him for custody of their kids in their divorce. For Armstrong the jury is still out, largely because we actually don’t know when he first killed. It could’ve been in the Navy in the 1990s, or it could’ve been sadly much earlier, even as a teen or possibly as a child.

Learn more about the Howell case, and hear audio clips of him discussing his crimes, in S1E8 of “Making a Serial Killer.”

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BRBates.com
wbp.bz/BabyDoll
Above photos are Armstrong's 2024 prison photo and Howell's photo from the Connecticut Department of Corrections.
See more photos from the Armstrong case at the gallery on the WildBlue Press website.

Recent interview on True Murder podcast

My collaborator Gerry Cliff and I got to sit down recently with Dan Zupansky of the True Murder podcast, discussing "The ‘Baby Doll’ Serial Killer: The John Eric Armstrong Homicides" and the Armstrong case. Thanks, Dan!

https://www.truemurderpodcast.com/the-baby-doll-serial-killer/ 

I'm going to be posting some other interview links in the coming weeks, as Gerry and I have been blessed to talk with a variety of people about the book. Somehow, even though it feels like we're repeating ourselves over and over, we manage to discuss something a little different with each one of these talented podcasters.

And bumpy cake, too? Gotta love the Murder Shelf Book Club's series on "The 'Baby Doll' Serial Killer"

Jill of the Murder Shelf Book Club takes on true-crime books with a dramatic flair, and she has now turned her attention to "The 'Baby Doll' Serial Killer: The John Eric Armstrong Homicides." The first episode of this new series just dropped last night.

Jill sets the scene with Detroit bumpy cake and a California Merlot as she digs into the tale of this Detroit serial killer. She intersperses the details of the story with her own research, all with a gentle drama that's so easy to listen to. And speaking of easy listening, you find the Murder Shelf Book Club on Apple, Spotify, or even YouTube:

Also catch Jill's blog for more on this episode and the other true-crime cases and books she has covered. Thanks, Jill!

Jim Harold's Crime Scene: What motivates a serial killer?

What is it that motivates a serial killer to take human life? And was there something specifically in the life of John Eric Armstrong that led him down that path? Are there ways we can “prevent” serial killers nowadays? 

Interesting discussion with Jim Harold’s Crime Scene posted recently:

🔗 https://jimharold.com/the-baby-doll-serial-killer-jim-harolds-crime-scene-220/

Thanks again, Jim!