True Crime Friday: John Eric Armstrong, the Babydoll Serial Killer
John Eric Armstrong was born November 23, 1973, in New Bern North Carolina. The serial killer murdered at least five women. He has confessed to many other murders, but those confessions have yet to be confirmed by authorities. Armstrong became known in the press as the Baby Doll Serial Killer because of his vanity license plate that read Baby Doll.
The Early Childhood of John Eric Armstrong
John Eric Armstrong claimed his father was an abuser toward him and his mother. He also said that his father sexually abused him as a child. His younger brother Michael Armstrong died from sudden infant death syndrome when he was two months old. He was so distraught when his brother died that he tried to commit suicide. His father eventually left Armstrong and his mother. Armstrong did not receive treatment for his grief until 1989, a year after he was hospitalized for locking himself in a bathroom because a girl at school was pressuring him to have sex with her.Armstrong was in the United States Navy in 1992, he was not liked by his peers because of his moodiness. His first victim was killed in 1991 while he was in the Navy. Armstrong preyed on sex workers while he was in the Navy and when he was discharged. Armstrong claimed he killed a total of eleven prostitutes while serving in the Navy. He also killed women in Seattle, Honolulu, Hong Kong, North Carolina, Virginia, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, South Korea and Israel. Authorities did not match any of the killings in that area to Armstrong. Although he was linked to the murder of a woman in Haifa. He was honorably discharged in 1999. He enrolled at Schoolcraft College in Michigan after leaving the Navy.
Experiences of Childhood Trauma
Before they become murders, childhood traumas may have occurred in the soon to be killers lives such as physical, sexual, psychological abuse, neglect and sex trafficking. Sometimes natural and technological disasters can play a role as does neighborhood and family violence. Generational wars, destruction, terrorism, mass violence, and school shootings. Although this is rarely discussed discrimination, prejudice, and racism can influence the soon to be killer. For the soon to be serial killer it is about control. Most serial killers never had any control over what was happening to them, as adults are now able to control those in their environment.The sudden or violent loss of a loved one or simply traumatic life events. A major player is substance use disorder of a parent, friend, family member or themselves. Traumatic separation includes as part of an immigration journey or incarceration. Refugee and war experiences including torture. Serious accidents or life-threatening illness Military family-related stressors deployment, parental loss or injury.
The Victims of John Eric Armstrong
- Wendy Jordan
- Kelly Jean Hood
- Robbin Brown
- Rose Marie Felt
- Monica Johnson
The Survivors of John Eric Armstrong
- Wilhelminia Drane
- Devon Marcus