True Crime Friday: Joseph Gerard Christopher, the Midtown Slasher
Joseph Gerard Christopher was born on July 26, 1955. He has two monikers the Midtown Slasher and the 22 Caliber Killer. The serial killer targeted Black men and boys between the time periods of 1980 and 1981. He committed a series of stabbings and shootings killing twelve and injuring seven in the State of New York. All his victims were minding their own business when he attacked them. A victim was walking across the street, another one was sitting in his cab, and another one had gotten off a city bus. None of these killings and stabbings were provoked.
The Early Childhood of Joseph Christopher
Joseph Gerard Christopher was born in the state of New York. His mother was a registered nurse, and his father was a maintenance worker with the city's Sanitation Department. He was the only son in a family of seven. His father was an outdoorsman and hunter. He taught his son how to handle weapons at a young age. Joseph attended the Burgard Vocational High School where he took up an automotive mechanics program. His friends and family said he was not book smart but intelligent with other things such as cars. Joseph eventually got a job as a maintenance worker. He was fired for sleeping on the job. The family noticed things being a little off with Christopher’s behavior. After a mental health evaluation, he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Christopher tried to admit himself to the Buffalo Psychiatric Center in September of 1980 but was told he was not a danger to himself or others and so could not be admitted.The Victims of Joseph Christopher
- Glenn Dunn
- Harold Green,
- Emmanuel Thomas
- Joseph McCoy
- Parler Edwards
- Luis Rodriguez
- Antone Davis
- Richard Renner
- Carl Ramsey
- Roger Adams
- Wendell Barnes
- Ernest Jones
The Survivors of Joseph Christopher
- Collin Cole
- John Adams
- Ivan Frazier
- Albert Menefee
- Larry Little
- Calvin Crippen
- Unidentified Soldier
Lady Justice
These attacks and murders were not immediately detected by the authorities. Most of his victims were in the city of Buffalo where he lived with his parents. He enrolled in the Armed Services and was assigned to Fort Benning. While at Fort Benning he continued to kill and attacked black people. His demise came when he attacked a fellow black soldier with a knife. The attack was unprovoked. Christopher was sent to the stockade where he tied to kill himself. After many psychiatric visits he confessed to killing black people. This admission caused Christopher's home to be searched by the police. There the police found evidence linking Christopher to three murders, which led to his indictment in April of 1981. He was also transferred back to Buffalo for his murder trial.Joseph Christopher pleaded not guilty to at least three of the murders. He represented himself in court. Joseph Christopher was found guilty by a jury of his peers. He was later sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murders of Glenn Dunn, Harold Green and Emanuel Thomas. He was imprisoned at the Attica Correctional Facility in the State of New York. He died of breast cancer on March 1, 1993, at the age of thirty-seven.