Photo: Sacramento Police Department booking officer. January 28, 1978 · Public domain
Born in United States · Nationality American — Crime / mafias / terrorism / criminal cases
Documented profile covering 9 controversies, including “1980: death on death row following medication overdose” and “1979: insanity defence rejected and six first-degree murder convictions”.
Profile No. 2539 · Updated on 12 October 2026
§ Legal statuses reflect the documented sources as of the date shown; they replace neither court decisions nor the presumption of innocence. Counts are not a rating. Methodology
Case · 5 documented stages
26 December 1980
Chase was found dead in his San Quentin cell. Initial evidence indicated a medication overdose, and later sources described the death as suicide.
Last verified: 15 September 2026
8 June 1979
The court imposed the death penalty for the six murders following the jury's verdict.
Last verified: 15 September 2026
23 January 1978
Chase killed Teresa Wallin, who was pregnant, in her home and mutilated her body.
Last verified: 15 September 2026
27 January 1978
Chase killed four people in a Sacramento home, including a six-year-old child and a 22-month-old baby. This became the best-known episode in the series.
Last verified: 15 September 2026
29 December 1977
Chase shot Ambrose Griffin, aged 51, while he was outside his home in Sacramento.
Last verified: 15 September 2026
May 1979
Protagonist not prosecuted — these proceedings are not counted in their formal charges or convictions.
Following a widely publicised trial, the jury found Chase guilty of six first-degree murders and concluded that he was legally sane under the law applicable at the time of the crimes.
Last verified: 15 September 2026
28 January 1978
Police arrested Chase the day after the quadruple murder. Investigators quickly linked his home and belongings to the crime scenes.
Last verified: 15 September 2026
April–September 1976
Following an incident involving rabbit blood and delusions of bodily failure, Chase was admitted to psychiatric hospital and diagnosed, among other things, with paranoid schizophrenia.
Last verified: 15 September 2026
années 1970–1975
Before the homicides, Chase displayed severe somatic delusions and behaviour involving animal blood, against a background of serious mental illness.
Last verified: 15 September 2026
Documented biographical or institutional milestones (elections, appointments, foundings, acquisitions…). These are not controversies and are not counted as such.
Chase was discharged from the psychiatric institution after apparently improving with treatment and was placed in his mother's care.
No documented link with another published profile for now.
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