Between 1980 and 1982, Minneapolis residents lived in fear of a serial killer dubbed the 'Weepy-Voiced Killer' because of his distinctive tearful phone calls to police. The man, later identified as Paul Michael Stephani, attacked teenagers and adults with weapons such as ice picks and screwdrivers, killing at least four people.
First Attack and Confession
Stephani's first known attack occurred on New Year's Eve 1980, when 20-year-old Karen Potack, a student at the University of Stevens Point, was walking home from a nightclub. She was struck over the head with a wrench and left for dead. At around 3am, police received a call from a man sobbing, 'There's a girl hurt here,' before hanging up. Potack survived but suffered permanent memory loss.
Subsequent Murders
On June 3, 1981, the body of 18-year-old Kimberly Compton was found in woodland. She had been stabbed 61 times with an ice pick and strangled with a shoelace. Following her murder, the killer called police again, saying, 'God damn, will you find me? I just stabbed somebody with an ice pick. I can't stop myself. I keep killing somebody.' Despite tracing the call to a payphone, police could not find him.
In July 1982, 33-year-old Kathleen Greening was found dead in her bathtub, initially ruled accidental but later linked to Stephani. On August 5, 1982, 40-year-old nurse Barbara Simons was stabbed to death after offering a cigarette to a man at a bar. The killer called police, admitting, 'I stabbed her 40 times. Kimberly Compton was the first one over in St. Paul.'
Capture and Confession
Stephani's next victim, 19-year-old Denise Williams, fought back, stabbing him with a screwdriver and striking him with a bottle, which saved her life. When Stephani sought medical help, authorities noted his voice matched the killer's. He was arrested and convicted of Simons' murder, but lacked evidence for the others.
In 1997, after being diagnosed with cancer, Stephani confessed to Compton's murder, saying, 'I'd rather go to the grave knowing this is all taken care of and off my chest.' He also admitted to killing Greening and Simons. He died in prison a year later.
