John J. Smith's body found, Lakehurst, 1968
The Biegenwald murders
About 25 years ago, a string of New Jersey girls were brutally murdered. This page tells the story of the monster responsible. Richard Biegenwald's childhood was a volatile one. His father was an alcoholic and, by the time Biegenwald was 5 years old, his mother could no longer control him. When police were digging up the yard of her Staten Island home, Sally Biegenwald described her son as a hyperactive child. He was prone to lighting fires in his bedroom. Once, he ignited his bed and threw himself in the fire. At the age of 5, he was institutionalized and received shock treatment. He spent most of his childhood in New York state youth detention centers. One medical report said young Biegenwald had a death fantasy and suffered from night terror. He was released when he was 15 and began high school the next year. But about six months later, he dropped out of school and drifted through the South. Over the next three years, Biegenwald had several brushes with the law. In Nashville,...
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