Offender Record · OFF-2026-163
Charles Schmid (photo from the Radford University biography)
Charles Howard Schmid Jr.
Also known as Smitty, The Pied Piper of Tucson, Paul David Ashley
Sex
Male
Race
White
Height
5'3"
Hair
dyed
Born
1942
Custody
Deceased
States
AZ
Distinguishing featuresWore makeup, stuffed boots with rags and cans to appear taller, created artificial mole on cheek, used lip balm. Short stature (5'3" to 5'4" naturally).
Custody
Died March 30, 1975, at Maricopa County Hospital from stab wounds inflicted March 20, 1975, by two fellow inmates at Arizona State Prison in Florence.
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. Where a record says named by police, no charge was ever filed: the record rests on a law enforcement agency's public identification of the deceased person, cited below. Not guilty by reason of insanity means the court found the act proven but the person not criminally responsible. 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 Howard Schmid Jr., known as the Pied Piper of Tucson, was convicted of first-degree murder for the deaths of 17-year-old Gretchen Fritz and 13-year-old Wendy Fritz in Tucson, Arizona in 1966 and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the 1964 death of 15-year-old Alleen Rowe. He was sentenced to death for the Fritz murders and 50 years to life for the Rowe murder. His death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in 1972 when Arizona abolished capital punishment. Schmid died on March 30, 1975, from stab wounds sustained in an attack by two fellow inmates at Arizona State Prison in Florence.
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, 1964, Tucson, Arizona
Second-degree murder
Tucson Police Department / Pima County · Pima County Superior Court · Arizona murder statute · Arrested Nov 10, 1965 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: 50 years to life imprisonment
Victim Alleen Rowe, age 15, was lured to the desert on May 31, 1964, by accomplices including Mary French (girlfriend) and John Saunders (friend). Schmid raped Rowe, then beat her to death with rocks. Her body was buried and not discovered until June 23, 1967, when Schmid led police to the grave location. Schmid pleaded guilty to second-degree murder during trial on May 20, 1967.
SourcesSchmid pleads guilty to killing Alleen Rowe; State v. Schmid (Arizona Supreme Court); Charles Schmid
Offense date Aug 16, 1965, Tucson, Arizona
First-degree murder
Tucson Police Department / Pima County · Pima County Superior Court · Arizona murder statute · Arrested Nov 10, 1965 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Death by gas chamber; later commuted to life imprisonment in 1972
Victim Gretchen Fritz, age 17, was killed by strangulation (reportedly with guitar cord). Her body was discovered in the desert with her 13-year-old sister Wendy's remains. The murders occurred on August 16, 1965. Records indicate strangulation as the likely cause based on an electrical cord found under victim's jawbone.
SourcesTales from the Morgue: The Pied Piper of Tucson, Part 12; Tales from the Morgue: The Pied Piper of Tucson, Part 13; Charles Schmid
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.
3
Victims convicted
0
Victims confessed
0
Victims suspected
Active years
1964–1965
Victim profile
Teenagers, Young women, Strangers, Acquaintances
Stated motive
Thrill, Anger or revenge
Range from home
local
Accomplice
Yes
Confessed
Yes
Cooperated with investigators
Yes
Education
some high school
Marital history
Married, Divorced
Children
0
Died
1975-03-30 · homicide
Agencies
Law enforcement, prosecutors and corrections agencies the records show dealing with this person. An investigator working a case with a possible connection can start here.
Pima County Sheriff's Office · AZ
Sheriff Waldon V. Burr led investigations; held Schmid at Pima County Jail prior to trial; transported recovered remains
Source: Wikipedia, Agency involvement: Pima County Sheriff's Office
Arizona Supreme Court · AZ
Agency case 1837
Upheld Schmid's convictions on appeal; commuted death sentence to life in 1972 after capital punishment ruled unconstitutional
Source: Arizona Supreme Court
Arizona Department of Corrections · AZ
Held Schmid at Arizona State Prison Complex – Florence after conviction; Schmid died in prison March 30, 1975
Source: Wikipedia, Find a Grave
Pima County Attorney's Office · AZ
County Attorney Norman E. Green and prosecutor William Schafer III prosecuted murders; County Attorney Green directed charges
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) · US
Investigated disappearance of Alleen Rowe at request of victim's mother in March 1964
Arizona Attorney General's Office · AZ
Investigated disappearance of Alleen Rowe after her mother escalated case; FBI coordination noted
Responded to Alleen Rowe missing person report; investigated murders; arrested Schmid on November 10, 1965
Source: Tucson.com (Arizona Daily Star), Wikipedia, Tucson Daily Citizen
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.
AZ
Tucson, Arizona
1942 – 1965 · Adopted at one day old (July 9, 1942). Living with adoptive parents Charles and Katharine Schmid, who owned Hillcrest Nursing Home. Later lived in own cottage furnished by parents with $300/month allowance.
Tucson, Arizona
approx. 1965 – 1965 · Attempted to start upholstery business (C & S Upholstery Co.) that lasted only about a month. Primarily unemployed and supported by parents.
Tucson, Arizona
Nov 10, 1965 – Nov 10, 1965 · Arrested November 10, 1965, at age 23 for multiple murders.
Florence, Arizona
approx. Mar 1966 – Mar 30, 1975 · Arizona State Prison, Florence. Incarcerated following conviction March 1, 1966. Attempted escape October 12, 1972 (recaptured 3 hours later in prison welding shop). Successfully escaped November 11, 1972 with fellow inmate Raymond Hudgens; recaptured November 13, 1972.
Phoenix, Arizona
Mar 20, 1975 – Mar 30, 1975 · Maricopa County Hospital. Admitted March 20, 1975, following stabbing attack by two inmates at Arizona State Prison. Died March 30, 1975.
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.
1960Nice car provided by parents as part of allowance support beginning 1960-61.
approx. 1960 – 1965
Used to transport victims to murder sites in desert
Timeline
Jul 08, 1942
Charles Howard Schmid Jr. born in Tucson, Arizona, to an unwed mother.
Jul 09, 1942
Adopted at one day old by Charles and Katharine Schmid, owners of a nursing home in Tucson.
1960
Discovered he was adopted; attended military school briefly; led school to State Gymnastics Championship then quit senior year after being suspended for stealing tools.
Mar 20, 1962
Attacked by LA gang members on Balboa Island; struck in face with lead pipe, causing head injury.
May 31, 1964
Murdered 15-year-old Alleen Rowe in the desert northwest of Tucson by beating her with rocks after raping her; accomplices Mary French and John Saunders helped bury the body.
Aug 1964
Met and began dating 16-year-old Gretchen Fritz at a neighborhood swimming pool.
Nov 1964
Confided to Gretchen Fritz that he killed Alleen Rowe; showed her the grave location.
Aug 16, 1965
Strangled 17-year-old Gretchen Fritz and her 13-year-old sister Wendy Fritz in his cottage; transported and dumped their bodies in the desert.
Aug 23, 1965
Admitted to friend Richard Bruns that he killed the Fritz sisters; showed Bruns the bodies in the desert.
Oct 1965
Richard Bruns reported the murders to police after becoming fearful for his girlfriend's safety.
Nov 10, 1965
Arrested by Tucson police for the murders of Gretchen and Wendy Fritz at age 23.
Dec 15, 1965
Charged with the May 31, 1964 murder of Alleen Rowe.
Feb 15, 1966
Trial for the murders of Gretchen and Wendy Fritz scheduled to begin.
Mar 01, 1966
Jury convicted Schmid of two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Gretchen and Wendy Fritz after 2 hours 10 minutes of deliberation.
Mar 25, 1966
Officially sentenced to death by gas chamber for the murders of Gretchen and Wendy Fritz; execution date set for June 17, 1966.
Jun 23, 1966
Schmid led police to the grave of Alleen Rowe in the desert near Harrison Road.
May 10, 1967
Trial for Alleen Rowe murder began before Judge Richard Roylston.
May 20, 1967
Entered guilty plea to second-degree murder in the death of Alleen Rowe during trial.
Jun 02, 1967
Sentenced to 50 years to life imprisonment for second-degree murder of Alleen Rowe.
1971
Arizona temporarily abolished the death penalty; Schmid's death sentence commuted to life imprisonment.
Oct 12, 1972
Schmid escaped from maximum security cell at Arizona State Prison; recaptured 3 hours later in prison welding shop.
Nov 11, 1972
Successfully escaped from Arizona State Prison with fellow inmate Raymond Hudgens.
Nov 13, 1972
Recaptured in Tucson freight yard after 2.5 days of freedom.
Mar 20, 1975
Stabbed 14-20 times by two fellow inmates in his dormitory at Arizona State Prison in Florence.
Mar 30, 1975
Died at Maricopa County Hospital in Phoenix from stab wounds sustained March 20, 1975, at age 32.
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 ·
Agency involvement: Pima County Sheriff's OfficeOther · Find a Grave ·
Charles Howard Smitty Schmid Jr. 1942-1975 Find a Grave Memorial“On March 10, 1975, Schmid was stabbed to death in prison by two inmates.”
Other · Grokipedia ·
Charles Schmid“He was arrested on November 11, 1965, and charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the Fritz sisters, with his admissions extending the probe to unsolved disappearances.”
Other · Wikipedia ·
Charles Schmid“Charles Howard Schmid Jr. (July 8, 1942 – March 30, 1975), also known as the Pied Piper of Tucson, was an American serial killer whose crimes were detailed by journalist Don Moser in Life magazine.”
News report · Tucson.com (Arizona Daily Star) ·
Tales from the Morgue: The Pied Piper of Tucson, Part 12“The eight-woman, four-man Superior Court jury deliberated 2 hours and 10 minutes before reaching a unanimous verdict of guilty on two counts of first degree murder.”
News report · Tucson.com (Arizona Daily Star) ·
Tales from the Morgue: The Pied Piper of Tucson, conclusion“Charles H. Schmid Jr., who gained international notoriety for the slaying of three teenage girls in Tucson 10 years ago, died at 12:30 a.m. yesterday...stabbed and slashed between 14 and 20 times.”
News report · Tucson.com (Arizona Daily Star) ·
Tales from the Morgue: The Pied Piper of Tucson, Part 13“Charles Schmid was officially sentenced to death for the murders of Gretchen and Wendy Fritz on March 25, 1966.”
Other · Radford University, Department of Psychology ·
Radford University serial killer biography: Schmid, Charles“On May 31, 1964, at age 21, Schmid and friends got a shovel to bury the body, picked up Alleen, drove into the desert and killed her.”
Court record · Arizona Supreme Court ·
State v. Schmid (Arizona Supreme Court)“Defendant was informed against on December 15, 1965, being charged with the May 31, 1964 murder of one Norma Alleen Rowe.”
News report · Tucson Daily Citizen ·
Schmid pleads guilty to killing Alleen Rowe“Charles Howard Schmid Jr. today entered a surprise plea of guilty to second degree murder in connection with the 1964 slaying of Alleen Rowe.”
News report · Newspapers.com ·
Tucson Daily Citizen newspaper archive“Schmid pleads guilty to second-degree murder in the Rowe case.”
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