Clifford Olson: Serial Killers

Though his killings occurred over thirty years ago Clifford Olson is still knows as one of Canada’s most notorious serial killers. Active through the years 1980-1980 he was responsible for eleven gruesome murders in that short span of time. The shocking nature of his crimes ensured nobody would forget his notorious deeds. To build on that, Olson is loathed because he extorted authorities into paying $100,000 for the locations of his victims’ remains, an agreement that haunted the survivors of Olson’s crimes, and ruined the careers of the officials who buckled under Olson’s outrageous demands. Furthermore, his crime spree led Neighbourhoods that once claimed to be “so safe you could leave your door open” to secure their doors; hitchhikers were seldom found on highways, and telephone poles were covered with posters warning that nearly a dozen adolescents were missing and a killer was on the loose. Had he not been apprehended by the authorities on August 12th, 1981 his spree of brutal slayings may have continued for much longer, as he showed no remorse for his ruthless crimes.

Born on January 1st, 1940 in Vancouver, Canada, Clifford Robert Olson was the eldest child of four, his other siblings, Richard, Dennis, and Sharon all grew up to be law-abiding middle-class people.

That however would not be the case with Clifford; it quickly became apparent that he had a very diminutive regard for the law. As a child he was known as a petty theft and bully in school, often tormenting the local stray cats and dogs. Growing up didn’t change much, Clifford logged an otherworldly 94 separate arrests between 1957 and 1981, his many charges included: obstructing justice, possession of firearms, forgery, possession of stolen property, parole violation, impaired driving, fraud , break and enter, armed robbery, rape, escape from lawful custody, gross indecency, finally ending with first degree

murder.
As a boy Olson could frequently be found played hooky, dropping out of school after completing only grade 8. Until he was arrested for break and enter at the age of seventeen he had been living with his parents. Over the next 24 years he spent all but four years in prison with seven escapes from custody. During his time in prison he quickly gained the reputation of being an informant for the authorities. He even helped his fellow inmate, Gary Marcoux, prepare a written and detailed confession to the rape and mutilation-murder of a nine-year-old girl. Olson then appeared as a prosecution witness at the trial where the letter was used as a key piece of evidence to convict Marcoux. Not only that, but in 1976, inside Prince Albert Penitentiary he betrayed and identified to authorities prison drug couriers, a gang of angry prisoners responded by stabbing him several times. These incidents led to very few of his fellow inmates trusting him, eventually his charming but manipulative personality resulted in him antagonizing both guards and other prisoners. His good behaviour led him to sometimes be released before his sentences were completely served, but just as often had his sentences extended for escape attempts. In one case he even made the front page of the Vancouver sun in 1965 for escaping the B.C. penitentiary after serving three and a half years on a break and enter charge. He accomplished his daring escape by fleeing the three guards that had been assigned to escort him to the Shaughnessy Hospital after he faked an illness. The result was a chase involving dozens of law enforcement officers, however the armed-and-dangerous Olson evaded capture by only seconds. After being on the run for a week he was finally apprehended in Blaine, Washington.
His release from custody on the January of 1980 marked the start of a killing spree that would haunt the citizens of British Columbia, and be unlike anything Canadians had seen before. Shortly after his release on February, 1980 Olson met, and won the affection of his future wife, Joan Hale, a short, nervous divorcee who had survived a previous, abusive marriage. They were eventually married on May 15, 1981, in the People’s Full Gospel Chapel in Surrey, a month after their son Stephen was born. Unknown by his new wife Olson, had already slain three youths.