Offender Record · OFF-2026-037
John Norman Collins (photo from the Radford University biography)
John Norman Collins
Also known as John Norman Chapman
Sex
Male
Race
White
Height
6'0"
Born
1947
Custody
Incarcerated
States
MI, CA
Custody
Incarcerated at Carson City Correctional Facility
Custody record at the facility
Sentenced to life without parole on August 19, 1970. Currently incarcerated at Carson City Correctional Facility according to Wikipedia.
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
John Norman Collins was convicted of the first-degree murder of 18-year-old Karen Sue Beineman, a student at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan. He was sentenced to life imprisonment without possibility of parole on August 19, 1970. Collins is suspected of six additional murders in Michigan and California between July 1967 and July 1969, though he was only tried for one. He remains incarcerated in Michigan.
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 Jul 23, 1969, Ypsilanti, Michigan
Murder (First-Degree)
Washtenaw County, Michigan · Washtenaw County Circuit Court · Arrested Jul 31, 1969 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Life imprisonment without possibility of parole
Karen Sue Beineman, 18, was last seen on July 23, 1969, accepting a ride on Collins' motorcycle near a wig shop. Her body was found in a wooded gully with evidence of strangulation, beating, and sexual assault. Physical evidence including hair samples and clothing fibers found in Collins' uncle's basement led to conviction.
SourcesMichigan Murders; John Norman Collins, Serial Killer; 7. The Co-ed Murders; John Norman Collins and the Michigan Murders
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.
1
Victims convicted
0
Victims confessed
7
Victims suspected
Active years
1967–1969
Victim profile
Young women, Teenagers, Students
Stated motive
Sexual
Range from home
regional
Education
some college
Marital history
Never married
Children
0
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.
CA
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
approx. Jun 1947 – 1951 · Birth location; birthplace listed as Windsor, Ontario, Canada
MI
Center Line, Michigan
approx. 1947 – 1951 · Born in Center Line; moved to Canada briefly then returned
Detroit, Michigan
approx. 1951 – 1965 · Moved from Canada to Detroit area with mother
Ypsilanti, Michigan
approx. 1965 – 1966 · High school: honor student, football co-captain, baseball star
Ypsilanti, Michigan
1965 – 1969 · Part-time clerk at Eastern Michigan University's McKenny Union
Ypsilanti, Michigan
approx. 1965 – 1969 · Eastern Michigan University, enrolled 1965 studying elementary education; expelled from Theta Chi fraternity for suspicion of stealing; worked part-time at McKenny Union
Ypsilanti, Michigan
approx. 1968 – 1969 · Worked part-time as inspector at firm manufacturing drum brakes
Ypsilanti, Michigan
approx. 1968 – 1969 · Rented room on second floor of building on Emmet Street, across from where victim Joan Schell lived
Ypsilanti, Michigan
1969 – 1969 · House-sitting at uncle's home (Michigan State Police Corporal David Leik's residence)
Ypsilanti, Michigan
Jul 31, 1969 · Arrested for murder of Karen Sue Beineman
Washtenaw, Michigan
Jul 31, 1969 – Aug 19, 1970 · Held awaiting trial
Jackson, Michigan
approx. Aug 19, 1970 – Oct 1977 · Southern Michigan Prison
Marquette, Michigan
approx. Oct 1977 – 2000 · Marquette Branch Prison, transferred due to contraband dealing and escape conspiracy attempts
Jackson, Michigan
approx. 2000 – present · G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility or Carson City Correctional Facility
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.
1969 gray Oldsmobile unknown – Gray or silver Oldsmobile with black interior and Michigan plates
approx. Jun 1969 – Jul 1969
Used during California trip June-July 1969; stolen camping trailer; type O blood found inside when examined by police August 5, 1969
1969 blue Triumph Bonneville – Blue Triumph Bonneville motorcycle
approx. 1969 – 1969
Used to transport victims; identified by witness who saw Karen Sue Beineman accept ride on motorcycle from Collins
Photographs by Year
John Norman Collins (photo from the Radford University biography)
John Norman Collins (photo from the Radford University biography)
Timeline
Jun 17, 1947
John Norman Collins born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
1951
Collins moved from Canada to Detroit, Michigan with mother.
1965
Collins joined Theta Chi fraternity at Eastern Michigan University.
1965
Collins graduated high school as honor student and football co-captain; enrolled at Eastern Michigan University to study elementary education.
1965
Collins began working part-time as clerk at EMU's McKenny Union.
1966
Collins expelled from Theta Chi fraternity on suspicion of stealing; grades began to slip; accused of cheating by professor.
Jul 09, 1967
Mary Fleszar, 19, reported missing; first known victim of the Michigan Murders.
Aug 07, 1967
Body of Mary Fleszar found in farmhouse north of Ypsilanti, stabbed approximately 30-40 times.
Jan 1968
Body of Eileen Adams, 13, found south of Ypsilanti; raped, strangled with electrical cord, beaten with hammer, nail driven into skull.
Jun 30, 1968
Joan Schell, 20, last seen; second known victim.
Jul 07, 1968
Body of Joan Schell found in construction site in Ypsilanti; raped and stabbed to death.
Mar 21, 1969
Body of Jane Louise Mixer, 13, found near Ypsilanti cemetery; raped, beaten, and stabbed.
Mar 25, 1969
Body of Maralynn Skelton, 16, found at construction site; raped, beaten, branch jammed into vagina.
Apr 15, 1969
Body of Dawn Basom, 13, found along country road in Ypsilanti; raped, strangled, breasts cut off.
Jun 09, 1969
Body of Alice Kalom, 23, found in abandoned farmhouse; shot in head, raped, stabbed repeatedly, throat cut.
Jul 13, 1969
Body of Roxie Phillips, 17, found in Pescadero Canyon, California; badly decomposed, nude, belt wrapped around neck.
Jul 23, 1969
Karen Sue Beineman, 18, last seen leaving wig shop; accepted ride on motorcycle from Collins.
Jul 27, 1969
Body of Karen Sue Beineman found in wooded gully; raped, beaten, strangled, panties stuffed in mouth.
Jul 31, 1969
Collins arrested for murder of Karen Sue Beineman.
Jun 30, 1970
Trial began in Washtenaw County for murder of Karen Sue Beineman; witness selection took 2 weeks.
Aug 19, 1970
Collins convicted of first-degree murder of Karen Sue Beineman and sentenced to life without possibility of parole.
Oct 1977
Collins transferred from Southern Michigan Prison to Marquette Branch Prison due to contraband dealing and escape conspiracy.
Jan 31, 1979
Escape attempt at Marquette Branch Prison via tunnel with six fellow inmates thwarted; Collins and co-conspirators transferred to more secure cell block.
1980
Collins changed his last name back to Chapman (mother's maiden name).
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 · Murderpedia ·
John Norman Collins“In the early 1980s, Collins legally changed his last name to Chapman, his mother's maiden name.”
Other government record · Ann Arbor District Library ·
7. The Co-ed Murders“On July 31, 1969, Collins was placed under arrest for the murder of Karen Sue Beineman. At the time Collins was a senior at Eastern Michigan University, studying elementary teaching.”
Other government record · Wikipedia ·
Michigan Murders“John Norman Chapman (then known as John Norman Collins) was arrested one week after the final murder. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for this final murder attributed to the Michigan Murderer on August 19, 1970, and is currently incarcerated at Carson City Correctional Facility.”
News report · Crime Solvers Central ·
John Norman Collins, Serial Killer“John Norman Collins was arrested on July 30, 1969, one week after the final murder attributed to him. He was convicted of the murder of Karen Sue Beineman on August 19, 1970, and sentenced to life imprisonment.”
News report · LegalClarity ·
John Norman Collins and the Michigan Murders“A student at Eastern Michigan University, Collins was arrested on July 31, 1969, and convicted on August 19, 1970, of the first-degree murder of 18-year-old Karen Sue Beineman.”
News report · Fox 2 Detroit ·
Michigan Murders: 50 years ago terror in Ypsilanti ends“With the mounting evidence, Collins was arrested on July 31, 1969.”
News report · Websleuths ·
MI - JOHN NORMAN COLLINS Co-Ed Murders 1967-69, Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti“He is still incarcerated for Life in Marquette, Michigan: Offender Tracking Information System (OTIS) - Offender Profile.”
News report · Crime Library ·
John Norman Collins: The Co-Ed Killer“She was last seen on July 23, 1969, leaving a wig shop to go with him, and was found, strangled, in a ravine off Riverside Drive near Huron River Drive in Ann Arbor.”
Other · Radford University, Department of Psychology ·
Radford University serial killer biography: Collins, John Norman“Information researched and compiled by Radford University psychology students; contains timeline of life events and crimes 1947-2012”
Discussion
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