Thor Nis Christiansen
Encyclopedia
Thor Nis Christiansen was a serial killer
from Solvang, California
. He committed his first three murders in late 1976 and early 1977, killing young women of similar appearance from Isla Vista, California
. His crimes motivated large demonstrations opposed to violence against women
, and in favor of better transportation for the young people residing in Isla Vista. In 1979, he killed a young African-American woman from Los Angeles
. A fifth intended victim escaped with a bullet in her head, and later identified him in a Los Angeles bar.
, and emigrated to Inglewood
with his parents and on to Solvang when he was five years old. His father, Nis, ran a restaurant in Solvang. He had a high IQ and was a good student until his junior year of high school, when he began smoking marijuana, drinking, and neglecting his schoolwork. He moved out of his parents' house, dropped out of high school, and began working as a gas station attendant; he also gained a lot of weight, at one point weighing 275 pounds.
of shooting women and having sex with their corpses
. He stole a .22 caliber pistol from a friend and committed the first three murders. He then moved to Oregon
, lost weight, and moved back to Santa Barbara County and completed his high school diploma at a junior college. He moved into an apartment in Goleta
with another woman in her 20s whom he met while she was hitchhiking. While he was living with her he committed another murder. Christiansen would get his victims in his car; secondary sources indicate that the victims were presumed to be hitchhiking. He would then shoot them in the head with a .22 caliber pistol, and then rape
them post-mortem. Christiansen shot his fifth intended victim, Lydia Preston, in the head in his vehicle on April 18, 1979, but she escaped, albeit severely injured.
Although several young women had disappeared from Isla Vista in late 1976, the first confirmed murder victim was Patricia Marie Laney, whose body was found on an isolated road in the Santa Ynez Mountains
northwest of Isla Vista near Rancho del Cielo
two days after her Jan. 18, 1977 disappearance; Jacqueline Anne Rook's body was found the next day near Laney's. Mary Ann Sarris' body was found on May 22, 1977 near Los Alamos
. Laura Sue Benjamin's body was found in a culvert near Angeles Forest Highway and Big Tujunga Road in the San Gabriel Mountains
north of Los Angeles; she was reported to have been a prostitute.
and the similarity of Preston's experience to forensic evidence in the Rook, Sarris, and Laney cases, Christiansen became a suspect in the Isla Vista murders. After his apprehension, Santa Barbara County
law enforcement realized they had investigated him as a suspect (among 100 others) in 1977, and had noted his possession of a 0.22 caliber pistol when he was arrested for drunk driving.
for the murder of Benjamin; he initially pleaded insanity, but he withdrew the plea. He then pleaded guilty in June 1980 in Santa Barbara
to the Isla Vista murders, and sentenced to life in prison. At that time, California did not have the death penalty.
on March 30, 1981; the perpetrator was not identified. Psychiatrists had predicted that he was likely to be killed in prison, as he was young, blond, and his last victim was African-American.
The murders in 1976-1977 instilled an atmosphere of fear that effectively brought an end to the 1960s era in Isla Vista.
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...
from Solvang, California
Solvang, California
Solvang is a city in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. It is one of the communities that make up the Santa Ynez Valley. The population was 5,245 at the 2010 census, down from 5,332 at the 2000 census...
. He committed his first three murders in late 1976 and early 1977, killing young women of similar appearance from Isla Vista, California
Isla Vista, California
Isla Vista is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California in the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 23,096. The majority of residents are college students at nearby University of California, Santa Barbara or at Santa...
. His crimes motivated large demonstrations opposed to violence against women
Violence against women
Violence against women is a technical term used to collectively refer to violent acts that are primarily or exclusively committed against women...
, and in favor of better transportation for the young people residing in Isla Vista. In 1979, he killed a young African-American woman from Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. A fifth intended victim escaped with a bullet in her head, and later identified him in a Los Angeles bar.
Early life
He was born in DenmarkDenmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, and emigrated to Inglewood
Inglewood, California
Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, southwest of downtown Los Angeles. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. Its population stood at 109,673 as of the 2010 Census...
with his parents and on to Solvang when he was five years old. His father, Nis, ran a restaurant in Solvang. He had a high IQ and was a good student until his junior year of high school, when he began smoking marijuana, drinking, and neglecting his schoolwork. He moved out of his parents' house, dropped out of high school, and began working as a gas station attendant; he also gained a lot of weight, at one point weighing 275 pounds.
Murders
He was obsessed with fantasiesFantasy (psychology)
Fantasy in a psychological sense is broadly used to cover two different senses, conscious and unconscious. In the unconscious sense, it is sometimes spelled "phantasy".-Conscious fantasy:...
of shooting women and having sex with their corpses
Necrophilia
Necrophilia, also called thanatophilia or necrolagnia, is the sexual attraction to corpses,It is classified as a paraphilia by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association. The word is artificially derived from the ancient Greek words: νεκρός and φιλία...
. He stole a .22 caliber pistol from a friend and committed the first three murders. He then moved to Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, lost weight, and moved back to Santa Barbara County and completed his high school diploma at a junior college. He moved into an apartment in Goleta
Goleta, California
Goleta is a city in southern Santa Barbara County, California, USA. It was incorporated as a city in 2002, after a long period as the largest unincorporated, populated area in the county. As of the 2000 census, the Census-designated place had a total population of 55,204, however, a significant...
with another woman in her 20s whom he met while she was hitchhiking. While he was living with her he committed another murder. Christiansen would get his victims in his car; secondary sources indicate that the victims were presumed to be hitchhiking. He would then shoot them in the head with a .22 caliber pistol, and then rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
them post-mortem. Christiansen shot his fifth intended victim, Lydia Preston, in the head in his vehicle on April 18, 1979, but she escaped, albeit severely injured.
Although several young women had disappeared from Isla Vista in late 1976, the first confirmed murder victim was Patricia Marie Laney, whose body was found on an isolated road in the Santa Ynez Mountains
Santa Ynez Mountains
The Santa Ynez Mountains are a portion of the Transverse Ranges, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges of the west coast of North America, and are one of the northernmost mountain ranges in Southern California.-Geography:...
northwest of Isla Vista near Rancho del Cielo
Rancho del Cielo
Rancho del Cielo, or "Sky's or Heaven's Ranch," is a ranch located on the top of the Santa Ynez Mountain range northwest of Santa Barbara, California...
two days after her Jan. 18, 1977 disappearance; Jacqueline Anne Rook's body was found the next day near Laney's. Mary Ann Sarris' body was found on May 22, 1977 near Los Alamos
Los Alamos, California
Los Alamos is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Although located in the Los Alamos Valley, the town of Los Alamos is usually considered to be a part of the Santa Ynez Valley community...
. Laura Sue Benjamin's body was found in a culvert near Angeles Forest Highway and Big Tujunga Road in the San Gabriel Mountains
San Gabriel Mountains
The San Gabriel Mountains Range is located in northern Los Angeles County and western San Bernardino County, California, United States. The mountain range lies between the Los Angeles Basin and the Mojave Desert, with Interstate 5 to the west and Interstate 15 to the east...
north of Los Angeles; she was reported to have been a prostitute.
Capture
Lydia Preston met Christiansen again on July 11, 1979 in the Bottom Line Bar in Hollywood, and reported him to police, who promptly arrested him. Because of Christiansen's address in Goleta, CaliforniaGoleta, California
Goleta is a city in southern Santa Barbara County, California, USA. It was incorporated as a city in 2002, after a long period as the largest unincorporated, populated area in the county. As of the 2000 census, the Census-designated place had a total population of 55,204, however, a significant...
and the similarity of Preston's experience to forensic evidence in the Rook, Sarris, and Laney cases, Christiansen became a suspect in the Isla Vista murders. After his apprehension, Santa Barbara County
Santa Barbara County, California
Santa Barbara County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, on the Pacific coast. As of 2010 the county had a population of 423,895. The county seat is Santa Barbara and the largest city is Santa Maria.-History:...
law enforcement realized they had investigated him as a suspect (among 100 others) in 1977, and had noted his possession of a 0.22 caliber pistol when he was arrested for drunk driving.
Trial
Christiansen was first tried in early 1980 in Santa MonicaSanta Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
for the murder of Benjamin; he initially pleaded insanity, but he withdrew the plea. He then pleaded guilty in June 1980 in Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
to the Isla Vista murders, and sentenced to life in prison. At that time, California did not have the death penalty.
Death
Christiansen was stabbed to death in Folsom State PrisonFolsom State Prison
Folsom State Prison is a California State Prison located in the city of Folsom, California, northeast from the state capital of Sacramento. Opened in 1880, Folsom is the second-oldest prison in the state of California after San Quentin and was the first in the country to have electricity...
on March 30, 1981; the perpetrator was not identified. Psychiatrists had predicted that he was likely to be killed in prison, as he was young, blond, and his last victim was African-American.
Aftermath
Patricia Laney has become a prominent symbol for groups that advocate against violence to women in the Santa Barbara/Goleta/Isla Vista area. She had been a community volunteer with organizations that advocated against violence to women. The Isla Vista Juggling Festival, which had its 30th meeting in 2006, was dedicated to her commencing in 1977.The murders in 1976-1977 instilled an atmosphere of fear that effectively brought an end to the 1960s era in Isla Vista.
Victims
- Jacqueline Anne Rook, Nov. 20, 1976, aged 21 (Isla VistaIsla Vista, CaliforniaIsla Vista is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California in the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 23,096. The majority of residents are college students at nearby University of California, Santa Barbara or at Santa...
, originally from Del MarDel Mar, CaliforniaDel Mar is an upscale beach town in San Diego County, California. The population was 4,161 at the 2010 census, down from 4,389 at the 2000 census. The San Diego County Fair is hosted on the Del Mar Fairgrounds every summer. Del Mar is Spanish for "of the sea" or "by the sea", because it is located...
) - Mary Ann Sarris, Dec. 6, 1976, aged 19 (Isla VistaIsla Vista, CaliforniaIsla Vista is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California in the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 23,096. The majority of residents are college students at nearby University of California, Santa Barbara or at Santa...
, originally from Santa RosaSanta Rosa, CaliforniaSanta Rosa is the county seat of Sonoma County, California, United States. The 2010 census reported a population of 167,815. Santa Rosa is the largest city in California's Wine Country and fifth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area, after San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, and Fremont and 26th...
) - Patricia Marie Laney, Jan. 18, 1977, aged 21 (Isla VistaIsla Vista, CaliforniaIsla Vista is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California in the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 23,096. The majority of residents are college students at nearby University of California, Santa Barbara or at Santa...
, originally from Huntington BeachHuntington Beach, CaliforniaHuntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County in Southern California. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 189,992; making it the largest beach city in Orange County in terms of population...
) - Laura Sue Benjamin, May 26, 1979, aged 22 (body found, Los Angeles CountyLos Angeles County, CaliforniaLos Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...
)