DarkDante
03-12-2010, 03:48 AM
This may have been reported already but I was just watching the AMW version of this case and they included some very interesting information about Richard Church that UM didn't have time to detail in their update.
For those of you who don't remember the case (which is featured on the "Bizarre Murders" UM DVD set), Richard Church was a college student from Woodstock, Illinois who was involved in a long-distance relationship with his girlfriend Colleen Ritter. Upon returning home from college during the summer of his freshman year, Church was dismayed to find out that not only were his parents divorcing but that Colleen wanted to end their relationship.
A few months later, after Colleen had turned down his advances for one last night together, Church broke into her house in the middle of the night and murdered her parents Ray and Ruth Ann Ritter as well as stabbing Colleen several times about the head. He then fled Woodstock, Illinois and remained on the run for four years.
Upon his capture in 1991, Church relayed to the authorities how he was able to elude capture which AMW then detailed to it's viewers. Apparently after he fled Woodstock, Church headed west until he hit Venice Beach, California. After around two weeks of living it up at a local hotel, Church was broke and not having anywhere else to turn sought refuge from a religious mission run by "God's Man" himself Tony Alamo.
Much like the other people in Alamo's religious foundation/cult, Church spent most of his days manufacturing Alamo's tricked out jackets. One day Tony Alamo spotted a WANTED flyer with Richard Church's face splashed across it. Instead of turning Church in however, Alamo informed him that he was "a member of his family and we accept you and will do what we can to help you". Alamo relocated Church from California to the foundation's headquarters in Alma, Arkansas. There Church could continue to work for Alamo while in virtual seclusion from the rest of the world.
In a strange twist of irony it is conceivable that Church might still be in hiding to this day if the FBI hadn't shown up four months after his arrival at the compound looking for Tony Alamo who was wanted for tax evasion. With the authorities none the wiser as to his identity Church fled to New York City where he again found himself in trouble with the law due to the fact he was involved with another cult member who was embattled in heated child custody dispute. Upon questioning Church provided false identification to the authorities and was released.
He then returned to Arkansas reconnecting with members of Alamo's cult. After the compound in Arkansas was shut down, the group moved from city to city in nomad like fashion still doing work for Alamo. However once Alamo was arrested his group of followers became extremely fragmented and Church found himself alone once again in Salt Lake City, Utah. To support himself he got a job at a local fast food restaurant and promoted himself as a born again Christian. On November 19, 1991, Church was spotted at the restaurant by a Salt Lake City detective who recognized him from a WANTED poster. The following day Church was arrested. You know the rest...
For those of you who don't remember the case (which is featured on the "Bizarre Murders" UM DVD set), Richard Church was a college student from Woodstock, Illinois who was involved in a long-distance relationship with his girlfriend Colleen Ritter. Upon returning home from college during the summer of his freshman year, Church was dismayed to find out that not only were his parents divorcing but that Colleen wanted to end their relationship.
A few months later, after Colleen had turned down his advances for one last night together, Church broke into her house in the middle of the night and murdered her parents Ray and Ruth Ann Ritter as well as stabbing Colleen several times about the head. He then fled Woodstock, Illinois and remained on the run for four years.
Upon his capture in 1991, Church relayed to the authorities how he was able to elude capture which AMW then detailed to it's viewers. Apparently after he fled Woodstock, Church headed west until he hit Venice Beach, California. After around two weeks of living it up at a local hotel, Church was broke and not having anywhere else to turn sought refuge from a religious mission run by "God's Man" himself Tony Alamo.
Much like the other people in Alamo's religious foundation/cult, Church spent most of his days manufacturing Alamo's tricked out jackets. One day Tony Alamo spotted a WANTED flyer with Richard Church's face splashed across it. Instead of turning Church in however, Alamo informed him that he was "a member of his family and we accept you and will do what we can to help you". Alamo relocated Church from California to the foundation's headquarters in Alma, Arkansas. There Church could continue to work for Alamo while in virtual seclusion from the rest of the world.
In a strange twist of irony it is conceivable that Church might still be in hiding to this day if the FBI hadn't shown up four months after his arrival at the compound looking for Tony Alamo who was wanted for tax evasion. With the authorities none the wiser as to his identity Church fled to New York City where he again found himself in trouble with the law due to the fact he was involved with another cult member who was embattled in heated child custody dispute. Upon questioning Church provided false identification to the authorities and was released.
He then returned to Arkansas reconnecting with members of Alamo's cult. After the compound in Arkansas was shut down, the group moved from city to city in nomad like fashion still doing work for Alamo. However once Alamo was arrested his group of followers became extremely fragmented and Church found himself alone once again in Salt Lake City, Utah. To support himself he got a job at a local fast food restaurant and promoted himself as a born again Christian. On November 19, 1991, Church was spotted at the restaurant by a Salt Lake City detective who recognized him from a WANTED poster. The following day Church was arrested. You know the rest...