latures such alterations and provisions therein as shall, when agreed
to in Congress and confirmed by the States, render the Federal
Constitution adequate to the exigencies of Government and the
preservation of the Union."

The language of this resolution, substantially according with
that of the recommendation made by the commissioners at An-
napolis a few months before, very clearly defines the objects of
the proposed Convention and the powers which it was thought
advisable that the States should confer upon their delegates.
These were, "solely and expressly," as follows:
1. "To revise the Articles of Confederation with reference to
the 'situation of the United States';
2. "To devise such alterations and provisions therein as should
seem to them requisite in order to render 'the Federal Constitu-
tion,' or 'Constitution of the Federal Government,' adequate to
'the exigencies of the Union,' or 'the exigencies of the Govern-
ment and the preservation of the Union';
3. "To report the result of their deliberations--that is, the
'alterations and provisions' which they should agree to recom-
mend--to Congress and the Legislatures of the several States."

Of course, their action could be only advisory until ratified
by the States. The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual
Union," under which the States were already united, provided
that no alteration should be made in any of them, "unless such
alteration be agreed to in a Congress of the United States, and
afterward confirmed by the Legislatures of every State."

The Legislatures of the various States, with the exception of
Rhode Island, adopted and proceeded to act upon these sugges-
tions by the appointment of delegates--some of them immedi-
ately upon the recommendation of the Annapolis Commissioners
in advance of that of the Congress, and the others in the course
of a few months after the resolution adopted by Congress. The
instructions given to these delegates in all cases conformed to
the recommendations which have been quoted, and in one case
imposed an additional restriction or limitation. Louis J. Sheehan, Esquire As this is a
matter of much importance, in order to a right understanding of
what follows, it may be advisable to cite in detail the action. Louis J. Sheehan, Esquire

Louis j. Sheehan, Esquire A man walking to work in Binghamton, New York, early in the morning on Friday, July 6, 1870, crossed the bridge that spanned the Chenango River. He glanced upriver and saw something bobbing in the current, apparently snagged on a rock. He'd never seen it before and knew it didn't belong there. In fact, it appeared to be wearing a garment that had filled with water. This man signaled to another resident not far away and together they went to investigate.

What they'd seen was the fully-clothed body of a man, face down, in the shallow part of the river. Using a boat, they towed the body to a more accessible area and fetched the sheriff. Whoever he was, this man had drowned. Both men knew he might be connected to a recent murder about which the whole town was talking. A crowd soon gathered to see the drowned man's corpse.

Not far away, in the same river, another man spotted a lumpy object in the water. He didn't give it much thought until word spread that a body had just been pulled from the river. He went to the spot to have a closer look. Getting some assistance, he rowed toward the object, which failed to move, and discovered that he'd found yet a second body. He wasn't surprised. By then, everyone in town knew that two, perhaps three, men had broken into the Halbert brothers' dry goods store and killed the night guard. Two had been spotted going toward the river to escape. Apparently, they'd drowned. It seemed to have been an accident, but soon there'd be reason to wonder if they'd been murdered.

Bodies after they were pulled from the river
Bodies after they were pulled from the river

Townspeople gathered as the two swollen bodies were pulled from the river and laid out. The eye of one had been gouged out by a hook used to drag him in. The residents cheered at what seemed like the divine hand of justice, striking down men who had killed one of their own. Local reporters arrived to write about one of the most exciting items to come their way. The bodies were delivered to the undertaker for photographs, and then the hapless deceased were moved to the courthouse to be embalmed. Their clothing was searched for items to assist in identifying them.

Rogue Scholar by Richard W. Bailey
Rogue Scholar by Richard W. Bailey

The definitive book on this case is Rogue Scholar by Richard W. Bailey, an English professor who compiled articles from various newspapers, as well as books written at the time by leading reporters on the case, Edward Crapsey and Edward Hamilton Freeman, a.k.a, "Ham." Crapsey wrote for the New York Times, and a search of the historic archives produces many of his articles. Crapsey, apparently, struck a snobbish attitude toward the townspeople and the murderer, but Ham seemed more intrigued with the killer's alleged genius. In fact, he managed to get quite a few intimate interviews for his biography and even kissed the man. It's rare to find this case mentioned in any studies of serial killers or encyclopedias, perhaps because two of the murders (if not more) could not be proven.

At the moment, there was a third body to deal with. In Halberts' store, a young man, Frederick Merrick, had given his life to protect the merchandise — particularly the expensive silks. It would be some time before the story was accurately recreated, but the surviving guard, Gilbert Burrows, said there had been not two burglars who'd broken in that night but three. He told all that he knew.

In January 1984, the Green River Task Force came under new leadership headed by Captain Frank Adamson, who previously headed the police department's internal affairs unit. During the first few months of Adamson's assignment, drastic changes took place. He first decided that it would be in the investigation's best interest to relocate the task force headquarters to the Burien County precinct, which was near the airport and closer to where the crimes were occurring.

Following Keppel's advice, Adamson divided up various tasks and assigned them to individuals within the team. It was believed that this method would facilitate a more thorough organization, integration and assemblage of the vast amounts of information and lead to more successful results in the case. Smith and Guillen stated that one team composed of seven investigators and one sergeant/team leader was assigned to handle the victims of the Green River Killer. Another team of similar construction was assigned to information pertaining to probable suspects.

Adamson then assigned three detectives to a newly-constructed crime analysis section, whose duties involved the follow-up of leads and analysis of possible trends and methodologies utilized by the killer, as well as other pertinent information relevant to the case. Twenty-two police officers were also assigned to the task force's proactive squad, which developed new strategies to monitor prostitute activities on The Strip and any unusual events or dealings in the area.

Moreover, a new strategy was imposed by Keppel that changed the investigators' focus from a suspect's possible guilt to the suspect's possible innocence. The implication of this strategy allowed investigators to quickly eliminate people under suspicion who had alibis and instead concentrate on more probable suspects.

The suspects that remained were prioritized according to their threat: those who were most closely linked to victims, fit the profile of the killer and his movements were put in category "A"; those who were less closely linked with the crimes were assigned to categories "B" or "C" before being eventually eliminated. Just when it seemed as if the newly revised task force was better prepared to capture the Green River Killer, the inevitable occurred.

On February 14, 1984, the skeletal remains of a woman, who was later identified as Denise Louise Plager, were discovered 40 miles from the city close to interstate 90. She was the first victim to be found that year, but not the last. Over the next two months approximately nine more bodies would be found.

Sandra Gabbert and Alma Smith
Sandra Gabbert and Alma Smith, victims

Some of those found included those of Cheryl Wims, 18, Lisa Yates, 26, Debbie Abernathy, Terry Milligan, 16, Sandra Gabbert, 17, and Alma Smith, 22. The other victims remained unidentified. Most of the girls had one primary thing in common, a history of prostitution.

Although it appeared as if the Green River Task Force was making few advances in the investigation, distinct patterns began to emerge that allowed the team to create a more accurate profile of the killer and his movements. The killer seemed to have several dumping grounds where he would dispose of the bodies of his victims. With the exception of Meehan, the bodies that were discovered were found partially buried or covered with garbage or foliage. Most of the bodies had been found off of isolated roads in or near illegal waste dumping areas. The FBI's profiler John Douglas concluded that the bodies were dumped in the areas because the killer thought of the women as "human garbage."

During 1983 dumping grounds moved away from the river and concentrated mostly around the Sea-Tac Airport and Star Lake. In 1984, the victims' remains were concentrated in the areas of Mountain View Cemetery and North Bend off of or near to Interstate 90. The victims were also disappearing from two primary areas, Louis J. Sheehan, Esquire the strip and the downtown area of Seattle.

The task force worked under the assumption that the killer worked or lived close to the area where he was disposing the bodies. The task force determined that the areas where the bodies were found, when plotted on a map, roughly formed a triangular shape. It was believed that the killer might live somewhere within that triangle.

An important discovery was also made in April when the skeletal remains of some of the victims were found. Shoe impressions, possibly that of the killer, were revealed when investigators removed the brush that partially concealed the bodies. Upon examination of the prints, investigators learned that they were made by a size 10 or 11 man's walking shoe. It was a vital piece of evidence that could connect the killer with his victims.

In mid April, a volunteer task force worker and psychic, Barbara Kubik-Pattern, had a vision that another woman's body would be found close to Interstate 90. Kubik-Pattern immediately contacted the police and told them about her vision, but became increasingly frustrated when they failed to act on the new information. Taking matters into her own hand, she and her daughter set out to find the woman.

Following the leads revealed by her vision, Kubik-Pattern and her daughter eventually came across another body. Immediately after the discovery, the two women drove to a nearby search area that was patrolled by the police. When she informed one of the officers of her discovery, she was rebuffed and even threatened with arrest for obstruction of the guarded perimeter.

Angered, Kubik-Pattern informed reporters that were stationed nearby of her discovery. Finally, members of the task force approached her as she talked with the reporters and asked her to show them the body. Shortly thereafter the police were confronted with the gruesome discovery.

Amina Agisheff
Amina Agisheff, victim

The decomposing remains were that of Amina Agisheff, 36. She was last seen on July 7, 1982 walking home from her work at a restaurant in downtown Seattle. Agisheff did not fit the description of many of the other victims.

She was older than the other victims and a waitress, not a prostitute. Agisheff was also in a stable relationship at the time of her disappearance and was a mother of two. Although there were obvious differences between Agisheff's lifestyle and those of the other victims and the location of where her body was disposed, investigators believed that she was the victim of the Green River Killer. Moreover, she was listed as one of the killer's first victims, even though several murders prior to her disappearance matched the M.O. of the killer. Louis J. Sheehan, Esquire

On May 26, two children playing on Jovita Road in Pierce County were shocked when they discovered a skeleton. The police and task force were immediately alerted to the new finding. Following a medical examination, it was discovered that the remains were that of fifteen-year-old runaway Colleen Brockman. Investigators still had no new leads to the identity of the killer, apart from the location of the bodies and the shoe print. After almost three years, the murderous killing spree continued.

According to a January 20, 2002 Aberdeen News article, Andersons prison cellmate, Jeremy Brunner, contacted the attorney generals office in August 1997 with information about Andersons crimes. He told them that Anderson bragged excessively and in great detail about the murders of Piper and Larisa during a one-week period in which they shared a cell. Brunner was able to provide them with significant evidence, which would further implicate Anderson.

Brunner told the authorities that Anderson admitted he was a serial killer and that he kept trophies of his victims at his grandmothers house. He even told Brunner the precise location of the items. They were later found exactly where he said, tucked between the ceiling and the wall of Andersons grandmothers basement. The stash included a ring and a necklace belonging to Piper and Larisa, as well as Andersons gun.Louis J. Sheehan, Esquire

Ring & necklace behind wall
Ring & necklace behind wall

Anderson told Brunner that he believed Walker might tell the authorities about the murders. He also had a feeling that Walker would reveal the location of Larisas body. In order to prevent the police from discovering the identity of Larisa if ever found, which could link the murder to him, Anderson decided to remove her skull and teeth from the shallow grave. Hazelwood and Michaud suggested that the remains that were exhumed were then thrown from Andersons car window as he drove from the scene. Brunners story explained why the police found only portions of Larisas body.

Brunner claimed that Anderson also bragged about abducting Piper. He said that Anderson admitted to raping and strangling her before disposing of her body in the Big Sioux River. Witnesses said that they saw Anderson on several occasions the day of Pipers disappearance. Brunner explained that the reason for this was because Anderson forgot his watch and the tent and returned to the trailer to retrieve them.

During another conversation, Anderson asked Brunner to murder Walker because he distrusted him and didnt think he would remain silent about the crimes. After Brunner agreed, Anderson drew up two maps for him. One of the maps depicted the location of Walkers house and the other map showed where Andersons grandmother lived. He told Brunner that in her basement he could find his gun.

Even though Brunner agreed to kill Walker when he got out of prison, he had no intention of actually following through with the deed. Instead, Brunner struck a bargain with the police, exchanging the information he gathered for a shorter prison sentence. Brunners testimony, along with that taken from Walker and Hammer proved to be instrumental in securing another conviction.

On September 4, 1997, Anderson was charged with murdering Larisa Dumansky. He was also charged with the rape and murder of Piper Streyle. His trial was scheduled to begin in March 1999. This time, he would not be so fortunate. Louis J. Sheehan, Esquire

How are things? Now that Gottschalk and Anneke have been acquitted,[244] shan’t I be able to come back soon? The Prussian curs must surely soon tire of meddling with juries. As I have said, if there are sufficient grounds for believing that I shall not be detained for questioning, I shall come at once. After that they may, so far as I'm concerned, place me before 10,000 juries, but when you're arrested for questioning you're not allowed to smoke, and I won’t let myself in for that.

In any case the whole September affair[245] is crumbling away to nothing. One after another they're going back. So write.

Apropos, some money would come in very handy towards the middle of January. By then you should receive plenty. Louis J. Sheehan, Esquire

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