Red Garrote Strangler May 2026
The moniker "Red Garrote Strangler" likely draws inspiration from three primary sources:
The "Redhead Murders": This was a series of unsolved homicides across the United States between 1978 and 1992. The victims were primarily women with red hair, often left along major highways.
The Garrote: Historically, a garrote is a Spanish execution device featuring an iron collar tightened by a screw to cause rapid asphyxiation. It has since become a common trope in noir fiction and thrillers to describe a wire or cord used for strangulation.
The Boston Strangler: The most famous "strangler" in American history is Albert DeSalvo, who confessed to the murders of 13 women in the 1960s. His cases often involved ligatures—such as decorative stockings—which parallels the concept of a specialized strangulation tool. Historical Realities vs. Fictional Tropes
While no single "Red Garrote Strangler" exists, law enforcement has investigated several killers with similar signatures: Red Garrote Strangler
The Red Ripper: This was the nickname for Andrei Chikatilo, a Soviet serial killer who murdered at least 52 people.
The Hillside Strangler: A moniker used for cousins Angelo Buono Jr. and Kenneth Bianchi, who terrorized Los Angeles in the late 1970s.
The Cincinnati Strangler: Posteal Laskey Jr. was the primary suspect in a string of seven murders in Ohio during the mid-1960s. Why the Name Persists
The Phantom of the Cord: Unraveling the Mystery of the "Red Garrote Strangler"
In the dark annals of true crime, certain nicknames evoke an immediate, visceral chill. Names like "Jack the Ripper" or "The Boston Strangler" have become shorthand for urban terror. But one moniker, less publicized yet equally macabre, haunts the forgotten corners of criminal history: The Red Garrote Strangler. The moniker "Red Garrote Strangler" likely draws inspiration
To the casual observer, the name sounds like something lifted from a pulp magazine or a giallo horror film. Yet, for a specific time and place, the "Red Garrote" was a terrifyingly real phantom—a killer whose choice of weapon and ritualistic signature turned an ordinary tool of execution into a symbol of signature depravity.
But who—or what—was the Red Garrote Strangler? Was it a single elusive predator, a series of copycat crimes, or a media invention gone viral before the age of the internet? This article cuts through the myth, the misidentification, and the muddled history to uncover the truth behind one of criminology’s most colorful and chilling nicknames.
Part VII: The Unanswered Questions
The case of the Red Garrote Strangler remains officially unsolved in its totality. While Harold Meeks is the leading suspect for the primary wave of killings (circa 1959-1964), the evidence was circumstantial, and his suicide denied the world a definitive trial.
Key questions linger:
- Were the early victims (1957-1958) linked by a different killer? Some criminologists believe the "original" Red Garrote act was committed by a married man who died in a car accident in 1959, and Meeks was simply an enthusiastic copycat.
- How many victims? Conservative estimates place the number at 9. Optimistic (horrifying) estimates by retired FBI profiler Roy Hazelwood suggest the number could be as high as 28 across 15 states.
- Is there a female Red Garrote killer? In 2005, a case in Florida involved a woman strangling her abusive husband with a red silk tie and leaving it knotted. She cited "the legend" as her "inspiration." This raises the uncomfortable question of whether the signature has become democratized, used by different criminals for different reasons.
Part IV: Copycats, Folk Devils, and Media Frenzy
The phenomenon of the "Red Garrote Strangler" did not die with Harold Meeks. If anything, his notoriety spawned a terrifying secondary epidemic: copycat crimes.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, police departments from Boston to San Francisco reported a spike in ligature strangulations involving red materials. Criminologists call this the "copycat effect" or "contagion of violence." A sensationalized killer becomes a template for other damaged individuals seeking their own dark fame.
- In 1971, Los Angeles: A woman was attacked in her apartment with a red silk robe tie. The assailant, caught before she died, explicitly told police, "I wanted to be the Red Garrote for the West Coast."
- In 1974, New York City: The "Midtown Strangler," who used a variety of cords including a red VCR cable, was explicitly linked by the tabloids to the original Red Garrote cases, even though he operated a decade later and 800 miles away.
The media’s role cannot be overstated. By repeatedly invoking the "Red Garrote" nickname, newspapers and later true crime magazines inadvertently created a folk devil—a legendary monster who transcended any single individual. The red garrote became an archetype, like the slasher’s machete or the poisoner’s vial.
