76-18-B2
- Main Page \ Reagan Radio Commentaries \ 1977
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Dream World[edit]
Transcript[edit]A friend sent me a clipping from the Washington STAR -- several weeks old now but so mind boggling I just have to pass it on. It was on page 10 (not the front page) which in itself makes one wonder if we've become so blasé we are beyond being astounded by anything. The lead paragraph tells of policemen in several jurisdictions across the nation who are familiar with an individual they call Al. They refer to him as affable, likeable, calm and intelligent but then with some surprise they add that Al has no remorse. The affable Al they are speaking of is Allen Leroy Anderson, who has pleaded guilty or no contest to three murders, has been charged with three more and is the number one suspect in yet another two . Authorities in seven states think he may be responsible for more. Seven of the victims were shot -- execution style -- in the back of the head. The other, in California, was bludgeoned to death with a hammer. Homicide officers quote "affable Al" as saying he got angry with the man over a business deal and just didn't have his gun handy. He was caught near Malibu, California when police stopped a van stolen from the man he'd killed; they also recovered his 22 calibre revolver. But this isn't a California story. It began on June 1, 1976 when Anderson broke pa.role at a "half-way" house in the state of Washington, where he was being counseled. He stole credit cards and the director's car and lit out -- reportedly because his homosexual lover had turned on him during a group therapy session. His first victim, according to detectives, was a 76-year-old woman who ran an antique store. She objected to giving him her money even though he threatened her with a gun. Finally annoyed with her protests he said, "If you want to die, I'm the guy who can help you." He told detectives, "I blew her brains out. The others were easy". The "others" he spoke of included a young man in Virginia whose body -- bound hand and feet -- was found in an apartment. He had been shot in the head. Anderson has been indicted in that case, but is less willing to talk about it than the others. He left quite a trail starting with that first stolen car. His receipts for purchases made with the stolen credit cards were like a 2800 mile paper chase. But, the mind-boggling part of the story starts with the neat arrangements he has made for his future. Having confessed to the California hammer murder, he then pleaded guilty to a murder in Minnesota (where the case wasn't very strong) on the condition that he serve his time in Minnesota where he has friends and family. He has also arranged that his California sentence be served concurrently. In other words, by going to prison in Minnesota he will also be credited with having served his time in California. But complicating his plans was the problems of a murder he'd committed in Florida. Like any good citizen with a problem, he wrote to Washington to Senator Humphrey and Vice President Mondale. He wanted their help in keeping him from being extradited to Florida. Under something called the interstate compact, he was sent to Florida for trial but with the understanding he'd be returned to Minnesota to serve his prison term. No reflection on the Florida climate. It just happens that Florida has capital punishment and "affable Al" sure is opposed to that. In fact, he claims he didn't kill anyone in Texas for that very reason. He just slipped up in Florida and wasn't aware they had an electric chair on active standby. Florida just voted 10 to 2 for the chair, but he'll be in Minnesota till 1994. Al wants to write a book, a publisher suggested the title, "Eight Bullets: Eight Bodies". He prefers, "Therefore I Shall Do It Myself". He says that describes his disappointment with our society. If we had had capital punishment in California, the title would have been "One Bullet, Two Bodies; One of Them His". This is Ronald Reagan. Thanks for listening. |
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