Offender Record · OFF-2026-034
Haden Clark (photo from the Radford University biography)
Hadden Irving Clark
Also known as Hadden Clark, The Cross Dressing Cannibal, The Rockville Rocket
Sex
Male
Race
White
Height
6'2"
Born
1952
Custody
Incarcerated
States
MD, NY, MA, US, CO
Distinguishing featuresFrequently wore women's wigs and dresses; cross-dressed as noted in multiple arrests and crime scenes.
Custody
Incarcerated at Eastern Correctional Institution, Westover, Maryland
Custody record at the facility
Serving two consecutive 30-year sentences plus 10 years for robbery/theft, totaling 70 years imprisonment. First murder conviction June 1993 for Laura Houghteling (pleaded guilty to second-degree murder); second murder conviction October 1999 for Michele Dorr (convicted of second-degree murder).
This record documents arrests, charges and convictions reported by courts, law enforcement agencies and news organizations. Every statement is tied to a cited source with an archived copy. A charge is an accusation, not proof of guilt; a person charged is presumed innocent unless convicted. Solve the Case does not allege that this person committed any offense beyond what the cited records state, and this record is not a suggestion that the person is connected to any unsolved case. How records are built, corrected and removed.
Summary of the record
Hadden Irving Clark is serving two consecutive 30-year sentences for the 1986 murder of a 6-year-old girl in Silver Spring, Maryland, and the 1992 murder of a 23-year-old woman in Bethesda, Maryland. Arrested November 6, 1992, after being linked to the 1992 homicide, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the Houghteling case in 1993 and was convicted of murdering Michele Dorr in October 1999. Clark is currently incarcerated at Eastern Correctional Institution in Westover, Maryland.
Documented Arrests, Charges and Convictions
Dispositions are shown exactly as the cited records report them. Pending charges are updated when a court acts; a record with no remaining conviction or pending charge is removed from the site.
Offense date May 31, 1986, Silver Spring, Maryland
Second-degree murder of Michele Lee Dorr
Montgomery County Police Department, Maryland · Montgomery County Circuit Court, Maryland · Arrested Nov 06, 1992 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: 30 years imprisonment
Clark took the child from his brother's home in Silver Spring to an upstairs room and slashed her throat with a 12-inch chef knife. He attempted sexual assault of the corpse, drank some of her blood, and ate part of her flesh before placing the body in a duffel bag and burying her in a park approximately 12 miles away. He later cooperated with authorities and led police to the grave site in January 2000.
SourcesHadden Clark; Hadden Irving Clark v. State of Maryland; Radford University serial killer biography: Clark, Hadden; Hadden Clark's murder conviction affirmed
Offense date Oct 18, 1992, Bethesda, Maryland
Second-degree murder of Laura Houghteling
Montgomery County Police Department, Maryland · Montgomery County Circuit Court, Maryland · Arrested Nov 06, 1992 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: 30 years imprisonment
Clark entered the house through the back door and stabbed the victim to death in her bedroom with a kitchen knife, then suffocated her with a pillow. He covered her with duct tape binding and buried her in a shallow grave approximately half a mile from the Houghteling home. He carried her body in a bedsheet through wooded areas and later cooperated with authorities to lead them to the body.
SourcesHadden Clark; Hadden Clark; Hadden Clark's murder conviction affirmed; Radford University serial killer biography: Clark, Hadden
Pattern and Background
Victim counts and the pattern of the offenses as stated by courts, agencies and the cited reporting. Suspected counts are what officials have said publicly, not a finding of this site.
2
Victims convicted
4
Victims confessed
12
Victims suspected
Active years
1986–1992
Victim profile
Children, Young women, Acquaintances
Stated motive
Anger or revenge
Range from home
regional
Confessed
Yes
Cooperated with investigators
Yes
Education
high school
Marital history
Never married
Children
0
Military discharge
medical
Places Lived, Worked and Frequented
Each place and date range comes from a cited record. Dates marked approximate are as reported. Know a place that is missing? Use Edit record under the photo; a moderator reviews it before it appears.
CO
Denver, Colorado
approx. 1976 – 1977 · Chef at Brown Palace Hotel
MA
Provincetown, Massachusetts
approx. 1974 – 1976 · Chef at restaurant
Barnstable, Massachusetts
approx. 1974 – 1982 · Multiple restaurant jobs; claimed to have murdered women in nearby sand dunes
MD
Silver Spring, Maryland
approx. May 1986 – May 31, 1986 · Brother Geoffrey's home where Michele Dorr was killed
Bethesda, Maryland
1992 – Oct 1992 · Part-time gardener for the Houghteling family
Westover, Maryland
Nov 06, 1992 – present · Eastern Correctional Institution, Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services
Montgomery, Maryland
Nov 06, 1992 – Nov 06, 1992 · Arrested for the murder of Laura Houghteling
NY
Troy, New York
approx. 1952 · Birthplace and childhood home; family moved frequently
US
United States
1982 – Jun 22, 1985 · U.S. Navy, below deck cook · navy
Known Vehicles
Vehicles and approximate dates of ownership or use, as reported in the cited records. A photo next to a vehicle is the vehicle itself as published.
1992 Unknown Unknown truck – Pickup truck in which he transported victim's body; often slept in back of truck
approx. 1992 – 1992
Clark was homeless and frequently parked in church parking lots
Timeline
Jul 31, 1952
Hadden Irving Clark born July 31, 1952, in Troy, New York.
1974
Clark graduated from the Culinary Institute of America after multiple job changes.
1982
Clark enlisted in the U.S. Navy as a below-deck cook.
Jun 22, 1985
Clark was discharged from the Navy with a medical discharge after being diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.
1986
Clark arrested for shoplifting women's underwear; later received probation for assault and battery against his mother.
May 31, 1986
Clark murdered a 6-year-old girl (Michele Dorr) in Silver Spring, Maryland, by slashing her throat with a chef knife and burying her in a park 12 miles away.
Sep 1988
Clark knocked down his mother and attempted to run her over with his truck in Rhode Island after she confronted him about stolen items.
Dec 25, 1988
Clark pulled over with an unregistered and loaded .38 caliber handgun in Montgomery County, Maryland; received suspended sentence and probation.
Feb 1989
Clark arrested dressed as a woman for stealing purses and coats from churches; pleaded guilty on two theft counts and received 45 days in jail.
Oct 18, 1992
Clark murdered 23-year-old Laura Houghteling in Bethesda, Maryland, by stabbing her to death and suffocating her with a pillow.
Nov 06, 1992
Clark arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the death of Laura Houghteling after police found his bloody fingerprint on a pillowcase.
Jun 1993
Clark pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Laura Houghteling and was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment.
Oct 1999
Clark was convicted of second-degree murder in the 1986 death of Michele Dorr after cellmate testimony about his confessions and DNA evidence from victim's bedroom.
Oct 1999
Clark received a second 30-year sentence and additional 10-year sentence for robbery/theft related to stealing from former landlord.
Jan 2000
Clark led police to his grandfather's estate where approximately 200 pieces of women's jewelry were found, including items belonging to Laura Houghteling.
Jan 07, 2000
Clark cooperated with authorities and led police to Michele Dorr's grave site near Route 29 in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Sources
Solve the Case is never the original source. Each item below is the public record a statement on this page rests on, with an archived copy where one exists.
News report · Military.com ·
Michael Bay Docuseries 'Born Evil' Examines the Crimes of Navy Vet and Serial Killer Hadden Clark“The gardener was Hadden Clark, a Navy-diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic who was then linked to the 1986 disappearance of 6-year-old Michele Dorr in nearby Silver Spring.”
News report · Crime Library ·
Hadden Clark“Between January and April, 2000 he and his friend 'Jesus' were escorted to several states (Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania) where he claimed to have murdered young women.”
News report · Murderpedia ·
Hadden Clark“In June 1993 pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. In 1999, he was convicted of murdering Michelle Dorr after other prisoners testified that he had bragged about the crime.”
News report · Dexerto ·
Where is Hadden Clark now? Born Evil: The Serial Killer and The Savior explained“Hadden Clark, a convicted serial killer and cannibal, is currently serving two consecutive 30-year prison sentences at the Eastern Correctional Institution in Westover, Maryland.”
News report · Wickedness.net ·
Hadden Clark - 2 proven victims 2 potential victims“Hadden Clark born July 31, 1952 is an American murderer and suspected serial killer who has been serving two consecutive 30-year sentences for the murders of 6-year-old Michelle Dorr in 1986, and 23-year-old Laura Houghteling in 1992.”
News report · Wikipedia ·
Hadden Clark“Hadden Irving Clark (born July 31, 1952) is an American murderer and suspected serial killer currently serving two 30-year sentences for the murders of 6-year-old Michele Lee Dorr in 1986, and 23-year-old Laura Houghteling in 1992.”
News report · Forensic Files Fandom ·
Hadden Clark“Clark was convicted, and sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murder of Laura. Hadden Clark was sentenced to another 30 years with this evidence.”
Other · Radford University Department of Psychology ·
Radford University serial killer biography: Clark, Hadden“Born April 1951, Troy, Connecticut. Diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic. Pleaded guilty to 2nd degree murder. Received 30 year sentence. Tried for the murder of Michelle Dorr – received another 30 year sentence.”
News report · The Daily Record ·
Hadden Clark's murder conviction affirmed“An appeals court yesterday upheld the second-degree murder conviction of Hadden Irving Clark, who was convicted by a Montgomery County jury in 1999 for the 1986 murder of his niece, 6-year-old Michele Dorr of Silver Spring.”
Court record · Maryland Court of Special Appeals ·
Hadden Irving Clark v. State of Maryland“In October 1999, Hadden Clark was convicted of the murder of Michelle Dorr. Prosecutors were able to obtain a second-degree murder conviction despite the fact that Michelle's body had not then been located.”
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