r/DelphiMurders • u/Southern_Sweet_T • Apr 27 '26

Help me understand!

New to this case and feel like I must be missing a lot of info. How is it possible this Allen guy never committed any other crimes? No history of anything? Nothing violent, not even a bar fight or something? And just escalated to double murder? And then never did it again? This is truly mind blowing to me. I’m sure this guy did it but it’s just so shocking this guy went from zero to double homicide.

And what is the suspected motive? He just always wanted to do it and finally had the opportunity? He snapped?

I’m so very confused.

48 Upvotes

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77

u/Steven_4787 Apr 28 '26

At some point every killer has to commit his first crime. He just got caught before he could kill again.

-50

u/The2ndLocation Apr 28 '26

Um, no. People dont start killing strangers in their mid forties.

24

u/CaptSpatula Apr 29 '26

Yup. They do it all the time. Look at the news and all of human history. You're naive. Don't give this subhuman any room to be anything other than what he is. A child killer.

-5

u/The2ndLocation Apr 29 '26

I can't think of a single killer who started killing strangers in their mid forties and it sounds like you dont know of one either.

17

u/Steven_4787 Apr 29 '26

A quick search and you can find at least 8.

-3

u/The2ndLocation Apr 29 '26

Can't find any and looks like you can't either. Accept it.

24

u/Correct-Story4601 Apr 29 '26

Donald Lee Clark was 47/48 when he allegedly murdered two men at a California job site. One victim was bound and shot. The other was run over by a car. No known link between Clark and the two victims. No previously known murders by Clark at this time.

27

u/iowanaquarist Quality Contributor Apr 29 '26

Ray Copeland was 71 when he committed his earliest confirmed murder, and is the oldest known serial killer start. He picked up drifters with his wife Faye, used them in a bad check scheme, and then murdered them.

Ages in parenthesis are the ages they were known to be active:

Albert Fish – 11th July 1924 to 3rd June 1928/15th Dec' 1932** (54-58/62 years old) Anthony Hardy – December 2000 to December 2002 (49-51 years old) Colin Ireland – 8th March 1993 to 12 June 1993 (39-40 years old) Dorothea Puente – 1982 to 1988* (53-59 years old) Ed Gein – possibly during 1947 and 1952 (41-46 years old) George Joseph Smith – 1912 to 1914 (40-42 years old) Henri Desire Landru – January 1915 to 15th January 1919 (45-49 years old) John Reginald Christie – 24th August 1943 to 6th March 1953 (44-53 years old) Peter Tobin – 10th February 1991 to 26th September 2006 (44-60 years old) Stephen Griffiths – 22nd June 2009 to 21st May 2010 (39-40 years old) Stephen Port – 19th June 2014 to September 2015** (39-40 years old) Steve Wright – 30th October 2006 to 9th December 2006 (48 years old) Velma Barfield – 22nd March 1971 to 4th June 1978 (39-45 years old)

Thirties - 16 out of 54: Joel Rifkin (30), Michael Lupo (30), Albert DeSalvo (31), Aileen Wuornos (33), Dennis Nilsen (33), Levi Bellfield (33), Robert Black (34), John George Haigh (34), Janie Lou Gibbs (34), Raymond Morris (36), Ted Kaczynski (36), Donald Neilson (37), Velma Barfield (39), Stephen Griffiths (39), Colin Ireland (39), Stephen Port (39). Forties - 7 out of 54: George Joseph Smith (40), Ed Gein (41), John Reginald Christie (44), Peter Tobin (44), Henri Desire Landru (45), Steve Wright (48), Anthony Hardy (49) Fifties - 2 of 54; Dorothea Puente (53), Albert Fish (54) Sixties & Above - 1 of 54; Faye Copeland (72)​

from: https://www.murdermiletours.com/blog/serial-killers-what-age-do-they-usually-start-killing

Note: not a complete list, just a list of 54 of the most infamous US or UK serial killers.

-4

u/The2ndLocation Apr 29 '26

There ya go. A single person. It's rare.

22

u/iowanaquarist Quality Contributor Apr 29 '26

1 is more than 0, and it's not like they tried to provide a definitive list. You asked for an example, and they provided one for you.

11

u/Organic-Network7556 May 01 '26

Why didn’t you reply to the comment that listed about 20?

7

u/Nearby-Exercise-3600 May 01 '26

Severe confirmation bias

-3

u/The2ndLocation May 01 '26

Because there was no such comment that should in by replies. Still don't see it. Why don't you link in it?

8

u/iowanaquarist Quality Contributor May 01 '26

Here is 13 (out of the 54 most famous US and UK serial killer cases) that were 40 or older for their first known kill:

https://www.reddit.com/r/DelphiMurders/comments/1sxkesc/comment/oiz3hn3/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

As a bonus, there are 16 more, if you adjust the arbitrary age you picked to include people in their 30s -- more than half of the 54 are 30 or older.

Why don't you reply to it, or this comment now?

6

u/Nearby-Exercise-3600 May 01 '26

Look harder

-4

u/The2ndLocation May 01 '26

So you can't find it either?

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-2

u/The2ndLocation May 01 '26

I never saw that comment in my notifications? Care to link?

6

u/Organic-Network7556 May 01 '26

I don’t know how to link. Just scroll up, it’s not hard.

4

u/iowanaquarist Quality Contributor May 01 '26

You can copy the link from the share button.

I already linked it to them and they are still pretending not to be aware of it

6

u/Organic-Network7556 May 01 '26

Thank you, I’ve now done so. Doubt we’ll hear from them again now.

1

u/[deleted] May 02 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

4

u/iowanaquarist Quality Contributor May 02 '26

You have been provided a link multiple times.

3

u/DelphiMurders-ModTeam May 02 '26

Be Respectful. Insults or Aggressive language toward other users isn't permitted.

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