Nathaniel White
Encyclopedia
Nathaniel White is an African American
serial killer
. Active in the Hudson Valley
region of New York
during the early 1990s, White confessed to beating and stabbing six women to death while on parole
.
: "The first girl I killed was from a 'Robocop' movie... I seen him cut somebody’s throat then take the knife and slit down the chest to the stomach and left the body in a certain position. With the first person I killed I did exactly what I saw in the movie."
This first killing took place on March 25, 1991—after White had been convicted of abducting
a 16-year-old girl, but before he started his prison sentence—and police did not make the connection at the time. In a plea bargain that would later be heavily criticized, White had pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for the abduction and would therefore be eligible for parole after just one year. White was paroled in April 1992 and returned to Orange County, New York
. White's first victim was the young niece of his girlfriend, whom he killed at the end of June, and he killed four others during the month of July.
, who was pregnant with her third child when she was killed in 1991. Her naked body was left on a set of abandoned railroad tracks in Middletown.
on August 4.
on July 20, 1992. They were last seen leaving the bar with him in his pickup truck. Their bodies were found off of Harriman Drive in an abandoned farmhouse in Goshen on August 4. Cause of death in both cases was determined to be severe blunt trauma
to the face and head.
Angelina Hopkins's sister, Cecilia, witnessed Hopkins and Whiteside leaving the Blue Note Tavern with four men on the night of their disappearance. Poughkeepsie police did not act on the missing person
report as they did not have enough information about the men, so Cecilia and her mother continued investigating on their own.
The New York State Police
began investigating on July 30, after the body of Adriane Hunter was found and authorities began to suspect it was related to the earlier disappearances and murders. On August 2, White returned to the Blue Note where Hopkins identified him and he was arrested. White confessed and led police to his dumping ground in Goshen on August 4.
White was arraigned by a grand jury
on August 7 for the murder of Christine Klebbe. On September 9, the other five murders were added to the indictment. White was charged with six counts of second degree murder and pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. White was convicted on all counts on April 14, 1993 and sentenced to 150 years to life. His sentence began at Great Meadow Correctional Facility
on May 27, 1993.
White's case was cited by New York governor George Pataki
in defense of his push to reinstate the death penalty.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
. Active in the Hudson Valley
Hudson Valley
The Hudson Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in New York State, United States, from northern Westchester County northward to the cities of Albany and Troy.-History:...
region of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
during the early 1990s, White confessed to beating and stabbing six women to death while on parole
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
.
Killings
White claimed to have found inspiration for his first murder while watching Robocop 2RoboCop 2
RoboCop 2 is a 1990 science fiction action film directed by Irvin Kershner and starring Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Dan O'Herlihy, Belinda Bayer, Tom Noonan and Gabriel Damon. Set in the near future in a dystopian metropolitan Detroit, Michigan...
: "The first girl I killed was from a 'Robocop' movie... I seen him cut somebody’s throat then take the knife and slit down the chest to the stomach and left the body in a certain position. With the first person I killed I did exactly what I saw in the movie."
This first killing took place on March 25, 1991—after White had been convicted of abducting
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
a 16-year-old girl, but before he started his prison sentence—and police did not make the connection at the time. In a plea bargain that would later be heavily criticized, White had pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for the abduction and would therefore be eligible for parole after just one year. White was paroled in April 1992 and returned to Orange County, New York
Orange County, New York
Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area and is located at the northern reaches of the New York metropolitan area. The county sits in the state's scenic Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley...
. White's first victim was the young niece of his girlfriend, whom he killed at the end of June, and he killed four others during the month of July.
Juliana R. Frank
White's first victim was Juliana Frank, 29, of MiddletownMiddletown, Orange County, New York
Middletown is a city in Orange County, New York, United States. It lies in New York's Hudson Valley region, near the Wallkill River and the foothills of the Shawangunk Mountains. Middletown is situated between Port Jervis and Newburgh, New York. The city's population was 25,388 at the 2000 census...
, who was pregnant with her third child when she was killed in 1991. Her naked body was left on a set of abandoned railroad tracks in Middletown.
Christine M. Klebbe
White's youngest victim was Christine Klebbe, 14, who had just finished eighth grade. The niece of White's girlfriend, Jill Garrison, Klebbe disappeared on June 29. Her family reported her missing on July 1, 1992 and her body was discovered off of Echo Lake Road in Goshen, New YorkGoshen (town), New York
Goshen is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 12,913 at the 2000 census.The Town of Goshen contains a village also called Goshen, the county seat of Orange County. The town is centrally located in the county....
on August 4.
Angelina Hopkins and Brenda L. Whiteside
Cousins Angelina Hopkins and Brenda Whiteside met White at the Blue Note Tavern in Poughkeepsie, New YorkPoughkeepsie (city), New York
Poughkeepsie is a city in the state of New York, United States, which serves as the county seat of Dutchess County. Poughkeepsie is located in the Hudson River Valley midway between New York City and Albany...
on July 20, 1992. They were last seen leaving the bar with him in his pickup truck. Their bodies were found off of Harriman Drive in an abandoned farmhouse in Goshen on August 4. Cause of death in both cases was determined to be severe blunt trauma
Blunt trauma
In medical terminology, blunt trauma, blunt injury, non-penetrating trauma or blunt force trauma refers to a type of physical trauma caused to a body part, either by impact, injury or physical attack; the latter usually being referred to as blunt force trauma...
to the face and head.
Adriane M. Hunter
Adriane Hunter of Middletown, was stabbed to death in the early morning July 30, 1992. Her body was discovered in Goshen later that day covered in semen and hacked off genitals.Her body was dumped in the charred remains of the Hillcrest Manor Restaurant. She was 27.Investigation
Missing person
A missing person is a person who has disappeared for usually unknown reasons.Missing persons' photographs may be posted on bulletin boards, milk cartons, postcards, and websites, along with a phone number to be contacted if a sighting has been made....
report as they did not have enough information about the men, so Cecilia and her mother continued investigating on their own.
The New York State Police
New York State Police
The New York State Police is the state police force of over 4,600 sworn Troopers for the state of New York. It was established on April 11, 1917 by the New York Legislature, in response to the 1913 murder of a construction foreman named Sam Howell in Westchester County, which at that time did not...
began investigating on July 30, after the body of Adriane Hunter was found and authorities began to suspect it was related to the earlier disappearances and murders. On August 2, White returned to the Blue Note where Hopkins identified him and he was arrested. White confessed and led police to his dumping ground in Goshen on August 4.
White was arraigned by a grand jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
on August 7 for the murder of Christine Klebbe. On September 9, the other five murders were added to the indictment. White was charged with six counts of second degree murder and pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. White was convicted on all counts on April 14, 1993 and sentenced to 150 years to life. His sentence began at Great Meadow Correctional Facility
Great Meadow Correctional Facility
Great Meadow Correctional Facility is a maximum security prison in New York in the USA. The prison is in Comstock, a hamlet right outside of Fort Ann, in Washington County, New York. As of September 3, 2008 it was home to 1,663 inmates...
on May 27, 1993.
White's case was cited by New York governor George Pataki
George Pataki
George Elmer Pataki is an American politician who was the 53rd Governor of New York. A member of the Republican Party, Pataki served three consecutive four-year terms from January 1, 1995 until December 31, 2006.- Early life :...
in defense of his push to reinstate the death penalty.
See also
- List of serial killers in the United States