Offender Record · OFF-2026-087
Charles Hatcher (photo from the Radford University biography)
Charles Ray Hatcher
Also known as Albert Ralph Price, Richard Clark, Richard Lee Grady, Albert Aire, Richard Mark Clark, Richard Martin Clark, Richard Harris, Hobart Prater, Richard Lee Price, Ronald Springer, Charles Marvin Tidwell, Doris Mullins, Doris Mullins Travis, Dwayne Lee Wilfong, Carl L. Kalebough, Earl L. Kalebough
Sex
Male
Race
White
Born
1929
Custody
Deceased
States
CA, MO, IA, NE, MN
Custody
Hatcher died by hanging in his cell on December 7, 1984 at Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City, Missouri, four days after being sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Michelle Steele.
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
Charles Ray Hatcher was born in Mound City, Missouri on July 16, 1929. He confessed to murdering 16 people between 1969 and 1982 across Missouri, California, and Illinois. He was convicted of the kidnapping and sexual assault of a 6-year-old boy in California in December 1972, the capital murder of 4-year-old Eric Christgen in October 1983, and the capital murder of 11-year-old Michelle Steele in December 1984. Hatcher died by suicide on December 7, 1984 in Missouri State Penitentiary.
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 Jun 26, 1959, St. Joseph, Missouri
Attempted kidnapping and auto theft
St. Joseph Police Department · Buchanan County Circuit Court · Missouri State Law - Habitual Criminal Act · Arrested Jun 26, 1959 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Five years in Missouri State Penitentiary
On June 26, 1959, Hatcher attempted to abduct a 16-year-old newspaper delivery boy, threatening him with a butcher knife. The boy reported the crime and escaped. Hatcher was arrested while driving a stolen vehicle.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Hatcher, Charles; Charles Ray Hatcher
Offense date Aug 29, 1969, San Francisco, California
Kidnapping and molestation of a child
San Francisco Police Department / California courts · Superior Court of California · California Penal Code · Arrested Sep 12, 1969 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: One year to life imprisonment
Hatcher was charged with assault with attempt to commit sodomy and kidnapping. He underwent multiple competency evaluations and was repeatedly hospitalized in mental health facilities. He was finally tried and convicted in December 1972.
SourcesCharles Ray Hatcher; Radford University serial killer biography: Hatcher, Charles; Charles Ray Hatcher
Offense date Aug 29, 1969, San Francisco, California
Kidnapping and attempted sexual assault of a child
San Francisco Police Department · California Superior Court · California Penal Code · Arrested Aug 29, 1969 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: One year to life in prison
On August 29, 1969, a 6-year-old boy was reported missing in San Francisco. He was found being beaten and sexually assaulted by Hatcher, who identified himself as Albert Ralph Price but carried identification for Hobert Prater. A passerby walking his dog interrupted the assault. The boy survived.
SourcesCharles Ray Hatcher; Charles Ray Hatcher: The Revolving Doors
Offense date May 26, 1978, St. Joseph, Missouri
Murder of Eric Christgen
St. Joseph Police Department · Buchanan County Circuit Court, Missouri · Missouri Penal Code - Capital Murder · Arrested Aug 03, 1982 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Life imprisonment with no parole for at least 50 years
A 4-year-old boy disappeared on May 26, 1978 in St. Joseph. His body was found by the Missouri River showing signs of sexual abuse and suffocation. Hatcher confessed to the murder while awaiting trial for Michelle Steele's murder in 1982. An innocent man, Melvin Lee Reynolds, had been convicted of this murder in 1979 and was released in October 1983 when Hatcher confessed.
SourcesConvicted sex-slayer Charles Hatcher, a drifter who told federal officers he had murdered 16 people; Charles Ray Hatcher: The Revolving Doors; Melvin Lee Reynolds - Exoneration Project
Offense date Jul 29, 1982, St. Joseph, Missouri
Murder of Michelle Steele
St. Joseph Police Department · Buchanan County Circuit Court, Missouri · Missouri Penal Code - Capital Murder · Arrested Jul 31, 1982 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Life imprisonment
On July 29, 1982, an 11-year-old girl went missing from St. Joseph after leaving her dentist appointment. Her body was found the next day near the Missouri River, less than a mile downstream from where Eric Christgen's body had been discovered four years earlier. She showed signs of being beaten, raped, and strangled. Physical evidence including nylon cords and bite marks matched Hatcher.
SourcesConvicted sex-slayer Charles Hatcher, a drifter who told federal officers he had murdered 16 people; Charles Ray Hatcher: The Revolving Doors
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
16
Victims confessed
0
Victims suspected
Active years
1969–1982
Victim profile
Children, Teenagers, Men, Strangers
Stated motive
Sexual
Range from home
interstate
Confessed
Yes
Cooperated with investigators
Yes
Marital history
Never married
Died
1984-12-07 · suicide
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
San Francisco, California
approx. Aug 1969 – Sep 1969 · California State Hospital - after arrest for sexual assault of child
San Francisco, California
approx. Sep 30, 1969 – 1972 · California State Hospital - first of five tours; competency evaluations
Vacaville, California
approx. Apr 04, 1972 – Aug 1972 · Prison state hospital at Vacaville
San Quentin, California
approx. Aug 1972 – Jan 1973 · San Quentin Prison - stood trial for abduction and molestation
San Francisco, California
approx. Jan 09, 1973 – Apr 1973 · California State Hospital - committed as mentally disordered sexual offender
Vacaville, California
approx. Apr 27, 1973 – May 20, 1977 · Medium-security prison in Vacaville - one year to life sentence
San Francisco, California
May 20, 1977 – May 25, 1977 · Home Care Services Center - halfway house
IA
Des Moines, Iowa
approx. Jan 13, 1981 – Apr 10, 1981 · Mental health facility - arrested after knife fight
Davenport, Iowa
approx. Apr 10, 1981 – Jun 1981 · Salvation Army shelter
Bettendorf, Iowa
Jul 16, 1981 – Mar 18, 1982 · Arrested for attempting to abduct 11-year-old boy from grocery store; charges dropped but sent to mental hospital in Mount Pleasant, Iowa
Mount Pleasant, Iowa
Mar 18, 1982 – May 07, 1982 · Involuntary commitment at mental hospital; released after 49 days
MN
Minnesota
approx. Jun 1977 – May 1978 · Sighting in Wilmar, Minnesota; parolee at large
MO
Mound City, Missouri
1929 – 1945 · Born at 4:00 p.m., 34 miles north of St. Joseph, in Mound City
St Joseph, Missouri
approx. 1945 – 1963 · Moved with mother and her third husband to St. Joseph
Missouri
approx. 1947 – 1947 · Truck driver and log hauler for Iowa-Missouri Walnut Co.; lasted two weeks
St Joseph, Missouri
approx. 1947 – 1947 · Set pins at bowling alley
St Joseph, Missouri
approx. 1948 – 1948 · St. Francis Hotel - dishwashing and odd jobs
Jefferson City, Missouri
Feb 07, 1948 – Jun 08, 1949 · Missouri State Penitentiary - first incarceration for auto theft
Jefferson City, Missouri
approx. Oct 1949 – Mar 1951 · Missouri State Penitentiary - for forgery conviction
Jefferson City, Missouri
Mar 18, 1951 – Jul 14, 1954 · Missouri State Penitentiary - escaped and received additional two years
Richmond, Missouri
approx. Feb 1955 – Mar 1959 · Ray County Jail and Missouri State Penitentiary - for auto theft; attempted escape and received two additional years
Jefferson City, Missouri
Nov 25, 1959 – Aug 24, 1963 · Missouri State Penitentiary - for attempted abduction; inmate Jerry Tharrington found raped and stabbed to death in prison kitchen, July 2, 1961; Hatcher placed in solitary but not charged
St Joseph, Missouri
Jul 31, 1982 – present · Arrested for murder of 11-year-old Michelle Steele; confessed to 16 murders total
Jefferson City, Missouri
Aug 03, 1982 – Dec 07, 1984 · Missouri State Penitentiary - sentenced to life imprisonment for two capital murders; died by suicide
NE
Omaha, Nebraska
approx. Sep 1978 – Jan 1979 · Douglas County Mental Hospital - arrested for sexual attack on 16-year-old boy
Omaha, Nebraska
Sep 04, 1978 – Jan 31, 1979 · Douglas County Mental Hospital
Omaha, Nebraska
approx. Sep 04, 1978 – May 1982 · Arrested multiple times in Omaha for sexual assault, attempted assault; also arrested in Lincoln, Nebraska; Des Moines, Iowa; Bettendorf, Iowa
Omaha, Nebraska
May 03, 1979 – May 21, 1979 · Mental health facility - arrested for assault and attempting to kill a 7-year-old boy
Norfolk, Nebraska
May 21, 1980 – Sep 06, 1980 · Norfolk Regional Center - escaped
Lincoln, Nebraska
approx. Oct 09, 1980 – Nov 1980 · Mental health facility - arrested for attempted assault and sodomy of 17-year-old male; discharged after 21 days
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.
Stolen vehicle
approx. 1959 – 1959
Arrested while driving stolen vehicle during attempted kidnapping of newspaper boy in St. Joseph
1951 Ford
approx. 1955 – 1955
Stolen in Orrick, Missouri
1937 Buick
approx. 1948 – 1948
Stolen in St. Joseph, Missouri
Logging truck stolen from Iowa-Missouri Walnut Co.
approx. 1947 – 1947
Stolen and returned; admitted theft while intoxicated
Timeline
Jul 16, 1929
Charles Ray Hatcher born in Mound City, Missouri.
May 1935
Hatcher's older brother Arthur died of electrocution from a kite with copper wire hitting a high-voltage power line.
Oct 09, 1947
Hatcher convicted of auto theft for stealing a logging truck from Iowa-Missouri Walnut Company; received two-year suspended sentence.
Feb 05, 1948
Hatcher convicted of auto theft for second time for stealing a 1937 Buick in St. Joseph; sentenced to two years in Missouri State Penitentiary.
Jun 08, 1949
Released from Missouri State Penitentiary after serving most of his sentence.
Oct 10, 1949
Convicted of forgery for $10 check at gas station in Maryville; sentenced to three years in Missouri State Penitentiary.
Mar 18, 1951
Escaped from prison and received additional two years; also attempted burglary.
Jul 14, 1954
Released from prison after serving additional time.
Feb 05, 1955
Stole a 1951 Ford in Orrick, Missouri; sentenced to four years; attempted escape from Ray County Jail in Richmond and received two additional years.
Mar 18, 1959
Released from prison after fifth and sixth sentences of his career.
Jun 26, 1959
Attempted to abduct 16-year-old newspaper boy Steven Pellham in St. Joseph, threatening him with butcher knife; arrested in stolen vehicle.
Nov 20, 1959
Hatcher sentenced to five years in Missouri State Penitentiary for attempted abduction and auto theft under Habitual Criminal Act.
Jul 02, 1961
Inmate Jerry Tharrington found raped and stabbed to death on prison kitchen loading dock; Hatcher only kitchen crew member unaccounted for; sent to solitary confinement but not formally charged.
Aug 24, 1963
Released from Missouri State Penitentiary after sentence reduced to three-quarters of original time.
Aug 27, 1969
Hatcher confessed to abducting and strangling 12-year-old William Freeman in Antioch, California.
Aug 29, 1969
Hatcher arrested in San Francisco after being found beating and sexually assaulting 6-year-old boy; identified himself as Albert Ralph Price but carried ID for Hobert Prater; FBI records identified him as Charles R. Hatcher.
Sep 12, 1969
Hatcher charged with assault with attempt to commit sodomy and kidnapping in California.
Sep 30, 1969
Hatcher began first of five tours at California State Hospital for competency evaluations.
Jun 02, 1971
Hatcher escaped from California State Hospital; caught week later 90 miles away in Colusa, California; arrested under name Richard Lee Grady for suspected auto theft.
Apr 04, 1972
Hatcher transferred to prison state hospital in Vacaville after being deemed danger to other patients.
Aug 1972
Hatcher transferred to San Quentin Prison to stand trial three years after the 1969 crime.
Dec 12, 1972
Hatcher convicted of abduction and molestation of 6-year-old boy.
Jan 09, 1973
Hatcher committed to California State Hospital as mentally disordered sexual offender.
Mar 28, 1973
Security guards found Hatcher hiding in cooler with two sheets in his pants, attempting escape.
Apr 27, 1973
Hatcher sentenced to one year to life imprisonment; sent to medium-security prison in Vacaville.
May 20, 1977
Hatcher released to Home Care Services Center, halfway house in San Francisco.
May 25, 1977
Hatcher violated parole terms and became parolee at large; not seen for about a year.
May 26, 1978
4-year-old Eric Christgen abducted and murdered in St. Joseph, Missouri.
Sep 04, 1978
Hatcher arrested in Omaha, Nebraska for sexual attack on 16-year-old boy.
Jan 31, 1979
Released from Douglas County Mental Hospital in Omaha, Nebraska after arrest for 1978 sexual assault; had been under name Richard Clark.
May 03, 1979
Hatcher arrested in Omaha for assault and attempting to kill 7-year-old boy; charges dropped and sent to mental health facility.
May 21, 1980
Hatcher released from mental health facility after assault charge; returned two months later for another assault.
Sep 06, 1980
Hatcher escaped from Norfolk Regional Center.
Oct 09, 1980
Hatcher arrested under name Richard Clark in Lincoln, Nebraska for attempted assault and sodomy of 17-year-old male; discharged from mental health facility after 21 days.
Jan 13, 1981
Hatcher arrested under name Richard Clark in Des Moines, Iowa after knife fight; transferred to mental health facilities.
Apr 10, 1981
Hatcher discharged to Salvation Army shelter in Davenport, Iowa.
Jun 20, 1981
James L. Churchill stabbed to death on banks of Mississippi River near Rock Island, Illinois; Hatcher eventually confessed to stabbing him 10-12 times.
Jul 16, 1981
Hatcher arrested in Bettendorf, Iowa for attempting to abduct 11-year-old boy from grocery store; used name Richard Clark; on his birthday.
Mar 18, 1982
Charges dropped for Bettendorf abduction but Hatcher sent to mental hospital in Mount Pleasant, Iowa on involuntary commitment.
May 07, 1982
Hatcher released from mental hospital after 49 days.
Jul 28, 1982
Hatcher abducted 10-year-old boy from shopping mall in St. Joseph, Missouri; boy escaped; encounter half a block from where Eric Christgen was abducted four years earlier.
Jul 29, 1982
11-year-old Michelle Steele abducted and murdered in St. Joseph, Missouri.
Jul 30, 1982
Michelle Steele's body found near Missouri River.
Jul 31, 1982
Hatcher arrested while trying to check into St. Joseph State Hospital under name Richard Harris.
Aug 03, 1982
Hatcher arrested in St. Joseph, Missouri for murder of Michelle Steele; began confessing to multiple murders.
Oct 1983
Hatcher convicted of capital murder in death of Eric Christgen in Missouri; sentenced to life imprisonment with no parole for at least 50 years.
Sep 22, 1984
Hatcher convicted of capital murder in 1982 sex-slaying of Michelle Steele.
Dec 03, 1984
Hatcher sentenced to life in prison for murder of Michelle Steele despite requesting death penalty; jury refused to recommend death.
Dec 07, 1984
Hatcher hanged himself in his cell at Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City; found hanging from ventilation duct; four days after sentencing in Michelle Steele case.
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 · True Crime Case Histories ·
Charles Ray Hatcher: The Revolving Doors“Hatcher was convicted of killing Eric in October 1983 and of killing Michelle on December 3, 1984.”
News report · Wikipedia ·
Charles Ray Hatcher“Charles Ray Hatcher was convicted in Missouri of one murder, has been linked to four others in Illinois and California, and confessed to having murdered a total of 16 people between 1969 and 1982.”
Other government record · University of Michigan Law School ·
Melvin Lee Reynolds - Exoneration Project“On October 14, 1983 Reynolds was released from prison after Charles Hatcher confessed to the murder of Eric Christgen.”
News report · Globe Gazette ·
Charles Ray Hatcher“Hatcher was convicted of the Christgen homicide in October 1983, and drew a term of life imprisonment with no parole for at least 50 years.”
Other · Radford University, Department of Psychology ·
Radford University serial killer biography: Hatcher, Charles“Charles Ray Hatcher was born at 4:00 p.m., 34 miles north of St. Joseph, in Mound City, Missouri on July 16, 1929.”
News report · UPI ·
Convicted sex-slayer Charles Hatcher, a drifter who told federal officers he had murdered 16 people“Hatcher was convicted of capital murder Sept. 22 in the 1982 sex-slaying of Michelle Steele, 11, of St. Joseph.”
Discussion
Casual discussion about this record on the community forum. The facts live on this page: to add a place, a vehicle or a source, use the Edit record button under the photo so a moderator can review it. Please name no one else, never name a victim, and do not connect the person to any case not listed here.Open the topic on the forum
Corrections and removal. If a charge on this page has been dismissed, acquitted, overturned, pardoned or expunged, or any fact is wrong, tell us through the correction form. Corrections are free, reviewed within five business days, and a record with no remaining conviction or pending charge is removed. Information here may not be used for decisions about employment, housing, credit, insurance or any purpose covered by the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and never to harass, threaten or harm anyone. Where a source is an offender registry, that information is reproduced as of the date shown and is subject to the conditions of use of that registry.